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    History
    In 1943, in the middle of the German occupation of Norway, Gunnar Gjermundbo discovered metaphorical Viking gold.

    The Gjermundbu helmet: One of the most amazing Viking-era finds
    News
    Why did Harald Bluetooth build fortresses when other kings of his era were more focused on building large halls and farms?

    Danish Viking King Harald Bluetooth built a network of ring fortresses. Why?
    Culture&religion
    Hnefatafl was an extremely popular game in Viking times.

    What you need to know about Hnefatafl, the 1,000-year-old Viking board game
    News
    The expert team carrying out research in Trondheim, Norway, were amazed by the discovery of a skeleton in the well.

    How a skeletal discovery in Norway confirmed an old Viking saga

    Popular Stories

    History
    In 1943, in the middle of the German occupation of Norway, Gunnar Gjermundbo discovered metaphorical Viking gold.

    The Gjermundbu helmet: One of the most amazing Viking-era finds
    News
    Why did Harald Bluetooth build fortresses when other kings of his era were more focused on building large halls and farms?

    Danish Viking King Harald Bluetooth built a network of ring fortresses. Why?
    Culture&religion
    Hnefatafl was an extremely popular game in Viking times.

    What you need to know about Hnefatafl, the 1,000-year-old Viking board game
    News
    The expert team carrying out research in Trondheim, Norway, were amazed by the discovery of a skeleton in the well.

    How a skeletal discovery in Norway confirmed an old Viking saga

    News
    Chris Hall has an ambitious plan to set up an interactive Viking attraction on the Isle of Man.

    Progress update: Here's how the project to develop a Viking settlement on the Isle of Man is coming along

    It has been three months since Chris Hall's plan to turn four acres of land in Sandygate on the Isle of Man into a Viking settlement has been officially approved by the local authorities. Here are the updates.
    Chris Hall has an ambitious plan to set up an interactive Viking attraction on the Isle of Man.

    Progress update: Here's how the project to develop a Viking settlement on the Isle of Man is coming along

    It has been three months since Chris Hall's plan to turn four acres of land in Sandygate on the Isle...
    Viking silver treasure 1
    Swedish archeologists discover 1000-year-old Viking jewelry in nearly perfect condition
    If it wasn't for King Alfred's actions, it is not hard to believe that the Danes would have succeeded in their expansion.
    What would have become of England had the Vikings triumphed at the battle of Edington?
    Princess Jelisaveta of the Kyivan Rus married Harald Hardråde, the last Norwegian Viking king.
    Exhibition on Vikings in the Kievan Rus opens in Oslo's Historical Museum

    News

     Chris Hall has an ambitious plan to set up an interactive Viking attraction on the Isle of Man.

    Progress update: Here's how the project to develop a Viking settlement on the Isle of Man is coming along

    It has been three months since Chris Hall's plan to turn four acres of land in Sandygate on the Isle of Man into a Viking settlement has been officially approved by the local authorities. Here are the updates.
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    Featured Stories

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    Snorri Sturluson's legacy is still glorious, almost eight centuries after his demise.

    Who was Snorri Sturluson, the great Icelandic author and poet?

    Read Story
    The runic inscriptions on the Jelling runestones are considered some of the most important that remain from the Viking era.

    What you need to know about the Jelling runestones

    Read Story
    The Jorvik Viking Centre is a museum dedicated to telling the millennium-old story of York.

    The story of the Jorvik Viking Centre - one man's quest to show just how fun history can be

    Read Story
    A major redesign of the Hjemkomst Ship Gallery at the Hjemkomst Center in Minnesota, United States, took place in commemoration of The Hjemkomst voyage's 40th anniversary in 2022.

    The Hjemkomst ship: The story of one of the most famous Viking ship replicas

    Read Story

    Featured Stories

    Snorri Sturluson's legacy is still glorious, almost eight centuries after his demise.

    Who was Snorri Sturluson, the great Icelandic author and poet?

    Read Story
    The runic inscriptions on the Jelling runestones are considered some of the most important that remain from the Viking era.

    What you need to know about the Jelling runestones

    Read Story
    The Jorvik Viking Centre is a museum dedicated to telling the millennium-old story of York.

    The story of the Jorvik Viking Centre - one man's quest to show just how fun history can be

    Read Story
    A major redesign of the Hjemkomst Ship Gallery at the Hjemkomst Center in Minnesota, United States, took place in commemoration of The Hjemkomst voyage's 40th anniversary in 2022.

    The Hjemkomst ship: The story of one of the most famous Viking ship replicas

    Read Story

    Trade
    Silver and other precious metals were used as means of trade, and in rarer cases, jewelry. 

    Viking money and economy: How did they work?

    In the beginning, Vikings were mostly farmers who lived off the crops and other fruits of their labor. 
    Silver and other precious metals were used as means of trade, and in rarer cases, jewelry. 

    Viking money and economy: How did they work?

    In the beginning, Vikings were mostly farmers who lived off the crops and other fruits of their labo...
    A depiction of a Viking longship.
    The Viking economy: Farming, raiding, and trading in Viking society
    Vikings bought a rich plethora of items and materials on their voyages, including wine, pottery, silk, silver, and spices.
    What did Vikings trade?
    The trading towns' population consisted mostly of merchants and craftsmen.
    The importance of Viking trading towns: What we know

    Trade

     Silver and other precious metals were used as means of trade, and in rarer cases, jewelry. 

    Viking money and economy: How did they work?

    In the beginning, Vikings were mostly farmers who lived off the crops and other fruits of their labor. 
    SEE ALL STORIES

    Warfare
    Shields were used by Vikings both in single combat and as part of a larger shield wall.

    Everything you need to know about Viking shields

    Most people in Viking societies were steeped in a martial culture. Annual raids for treasure, slaves, and other loot saw (mostly) young men engage foreign communities who were less than happy to give away their silver or women.
    Shields were used by Vikings both in single combat and as part of a larger shield wall.

    Everything you need to know about Viking shields

    Most people in Viking societies were steeped in a martial culture. Annual raids for treasure, slaves...
    Larger hammers were developed later in the medieval period, centuries after the last Viking raid.
    Did Vikings use war hammers?
    Carolingian Emperor Charles the Bald declared an export ban on the sale of swords to Viking societies under the penalty of death.
    These swords were so deadly that a Frankish emperor banned their export to Viking societies
    Viking Age weapons photographed in the Lofotr Viking Museum at the town of Borg in the Lofoten Islands, Norway.
    All you need to know about what is and what is not a Viking sword

    Warfare

     Shields were used by Vikings both in single combat and as part of a larger shield wall.

    Everything you need to know about Viking shields

    Most people in Viking societies were steeped in a martial culture. Annual raids for treasure, slaves, and other loot saw (mostly) young men engage foreign communities who were less than happy to give away their silver or women.
    SEE ALL STORIES

    Culture&religion
    It took an entire community to literally make just one Viking sail.

    How did Vikings make sails?

    We all know that Vikings sailed the world, from Newfoundland in modern-day Canada to what was then Constantinople, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and almost everywhere in between.
    It took an entire community to literally make just one Viking sail.

    How did Vikings make sails?

    We all know that Vikings sailed the world, from Newfoundland in modern-day Canada to what was then C...
    Magic was an important part of day-to-day life in Viking societies.
    The role of magic in Viking societies
    Animals played an important part in the everyday life of Vikings.
    From "house" bears to peacocks, these are some of the most exotic Viking pets
    The high level of transport of whetstones meant a significant demand for Viking-era weapons – swords and axes.
    Why did practically every Viking own a whetstone?

    Culture&religion

     It took an entire community to literally make just one Viking sail.

    How did Vikings make sails?

    We all know that Vikings sailed the world, from Newfoundland in modern-day Canada to what was then Constantinople, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, and almost everywhere in between.
    SEE ALL STORIES

    History
    Members of the Varangian Guard were said to be instantly recognizable by a ruby earring set in their left ear.

    Everything you need to know about the Varangian Guard

    Long after the last Viking longboat set sail, the Viking martial skill and spirit were still very much a part of medieval warfare. The Varangian Guard, an elite bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor, was formed out of recruits and mercenaries from mainly Viking societies in northern Europe.
    Members of the Varangian Guard were said to be instantly recognizable by a ruby earring set in their left ear.

    Everything you need to know about the Varangian Guard

    Long after the last Viking longboat set sail, the Viking martial skill and spirit were still very mu...
    A replica of the Lewis chessmen set on the sale at Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway.
    Fascinating Viking Age discoveries: The Lewis chessmen hoard
    Thorir Hund is said to have given Olaf a fatal wound by thrusting a spear under his mail shirt and into his belly.
    Who was Thorir Hund, the man who allegedly killed St. Olaf, Norway's patron saint?
    The modern nations of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine all trace their ancestry back to the early medieval entity of Kievan Rus.
    The Viking history of Belarus: A primer

    History

     Members of the Varangian Guard were said to be instantly recognizable by a ruby earring set in their left ear.

    Everything you need to know about the Varangian Guard

    Long after the last Viking longboat set sail, the Viking martial skill and spirit were still very much a part of medieval warfare. The Varangian Guard, an elite bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperor, was formed out of recruits and mercenaries from mainly Viking societies in northern Europe.
    SEE ALL STORIES

    Legacy
    A major redesign of the Hjemkomst Ship Gallery at the Hjemkomst Center in Minnesota, United States, took place in commemoration of The Hjemkomst voyage's 40th anniversary in 2022.

    The Hjemkomst ship: The story of one of the most famous Viking ship replicas

    July of this year marked the 40th anniversary of the voyage of the Hjemkomst Viking Ship. This ship traveled from the landlocked American state of Minnesota, through various lakes, rivers, and canals to New York City, then across the Atlantic Ocean to Bergen and Oslo.
    A major redesign of the Hjemkomst Ship Gallery at the Hjemkomst Center in Minnesota, United States, took place in commemoration of The Hjemkomst voyage's 40th anniversary in 2022.

    The Hjemkomst ship: The story of one of the most famous Viking ship replicas

    July of this year marked the 40th anniversary of the voyage of the Hjemkomst Viking Ship. This ship...
    The Viking metal scene forms one of the most important ways in which people interact with the Viking Age today.
    Highway to...Valhalla? The contemporary sound of Viking music
    The base game "Althingi: One Will Rise" was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2020. Now, an expansion is out.
    Interested in Viking-inspired board games? "Althingi: One Will Rise" could become your favorite pastime
    The ring Andvaranaut has great corrupting power on the fortunes of Sigurd, which is similar to the power of the One Ring to entice a person to evil.
    The Norse myths that shaped Lord of the Rings

    Legacy

     A major redesign of the Hjemkomst Ship Gallery at the Hjemkomst Center in Minnesota, United States, took place in commemoration of The Hjemkomst voyage's 40th anniversary in 2022.

    The Hjemkomst ship: The story of one of the most famous Viking ship replicas

    July of this year marked the 40th anniversary of the voyage of the Hjemkomst Viking Ship. This ship traveled from the landlocked American state of Minnesota, through various lakes, rivers, and canals to New York City, then across the Atlantic Ocean to Bergen and Oslo.
    SEE ALL STORIES

    Scandinavia
    The Borgund stave church in Norway - a rare stave church from the 12th century.

    All you need to know about the majestic stave churches

    Once a common sight throughout much of Northern Europe, the best surviving examples of stave churches are found today in Norway.
    The Borgund stave church in Norway - a rare stave church from the 12th century.

    All you need to know about the majestic stave churches

    Once a common sight throughout much of Northern Europe, the best surviving examples of stave churche...
    St. Olaf's Church in Avaldsnes, Norway.
    All you need to know about Avaldsnes – the center of Viking royal power in Norway
    At the Viking Museum in Stockholm, history is brought to life in a very personal way.
    The Viking Museum in Stockholm: A voyage to the Viking Age
    Sweden has a number of unique Viking attractions and must-see sights.
    These are the must-see Viking attractions in Sweden

    Scandinavia

     The Borgund stave church in Norway - a rare stave church from the 12th century.

    All you need to know about the majestic stave churches

    Once a common sight throughout much of Northern Europe, the best surviving examples of stave churches are found today in Norway.
    SEE ALL STORIES

    PHOTO GALLERIES

    Oseberg ship burial mound
    Excavation of the Oseberg ship in 1904
    Gjellestad ship keel
    The excavation of the Gjellestad Viking ship
    Fjord in Norway 2
    Wow: 11 amazing photos of Norwegian fjords