New Medieval Books: The Bones of Birka
Aimed at younger readers, this book takes a look at the story of Bj 581, the grave in Birka where a female Viking warrior was buried.
New Medieval Books: The Poetic Edda: A Dual-Language Edition (Open Access)
Having this work published, especially in Open Access, is a great service to readers and students of Norse mythology. The work is entertaining enough that anyone interested in the Middle Ages, especially the Viking world, should check it out.
Norse Runes were just as advanced as Roman Alphabet writing, historian finds
In the Middle Ages, the Roman alphabet and Norse runes lived side by side. A new doctoral thesis challenges the notion that runes represent more of an oral and less of a learned form of written language
New Medieval Books: The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons and the Battle for the North Sea Empire
If you want to begin learning about the Viking Age in England, this book should be one of your top choices. Written in an engaging style but also offering a lot of details, The Wolf Age is aimed at the general reader and history enthusiast.
Vikingology: The Art and Science of the Viking Age
A new video podcast has just started uploading episodes – Vikingology: The Art and Science of the Viking Age will explore all things Norse.
New study reveals who came to Scandinavia during the Viking Age
A large-scale study of the genetic history of Scandinavia over the last 2000 years has found increased patterns of migration during the Viking Age.
Knattleikr: The Politics of the Viking Sport
A popular sport in the Viking Age, knattleikr could often be more than just a game.
Viking Age silver treasure discovered in Norway
“This is quite an exceptional find. Finding this big a treasure from the Viking Age hasn’t happened in Norway for a long time.”
Unique Danish axe was a weapon for war, study finds
In the collections of the National Museum of Denmark sits a 13th-century axe with unusual features. A new study suggests that it was an attempt to create a versatile medieval weapon.
Viking beadmakers’ secrets revealed in new study
The Viking Age bead makers were more advanced than previously believed. New research shows that craftsmen in Denmark around the year 700 used sophisticated and sustainable methods when they gave old Roman glass mosaics new life as glass beads.
Potions and Poisons: ‘Magical’ Drinks in Medieval Norse Literature
Perceiving the ordinary or the magical as discrete separate categories is a modern way of thinking that could impede our understanding of the past.
The Vikings’ self-image was influenced by the Roman period
In the Late Viking Age, a grave was built that looks very similar to one of the most spectacular graves of the Roman Age in Norway.
Spinning Destinies: Norns, Valkyries and the Art of Textile Production in the Viking Age
What we’re particularly interested in for the purposes of this lecture is the way in which the role of women as spinners and weavers is represented on the Osberg ship.
Research from Viking latrines helps reveal the long history of a parasite
Using stool samples from Viking latrines, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have genetically mapped one of the oldest human parasites – the whipworm.
Elite Vikings wore beaver furs, study finds
Beaver fur was a symbol of wealth and an important trade item in 10th-century Denmark, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.
Unexpected delivery: Viking jewellery given to Norwegian museum
Archaeologists at the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Stavanger could hardly believe their eyes when dress accessories typical of a Viking Age woman was delivered to the museum. Now the archaeologists may have traced the origin of the jewellery.
Norse traded walrus ivory in Kyiv, study finds
An archaeological dig in Kyiv in 2007 yielded amazing results.
When Thor was a Bride
Perhaps this would make for a good script in the next Thor movie – it’s gender-bending hijinks involving Thor, Loki and the other Norse gods.
Viking shipyard discovered at Birka
Archaeologists in Sweden have located a unique Viking Age shipyard site at Birka, an important Norse town. The discovery challenges previous theories about how the maritime activities of the Viking Age were organised.
The Viking and the Sea
Old Norse poetry reveals a deep attachment to both the seas around them and the ships that allowed them to navigate those waters.
The Northman
This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle and Peter Konieczny give their takes on Hollywood’s latest foray into medieval movie-making: The Northman.
Sagas and Gender
Did you know that Loki was a gender-bending God? In this episode of the Medieval Grad Podcast, Lucie Laumonier interviews Matthew Roby on sex and gender in Old Norse and Icelandic sagas. There were many gender-bending characters in these texts, informing us of the gender representations and roles of Norse societies.
Medieval Movie Review: The Northman
Robert Eggers’ take on the Norse tale of Prince Amleth may offer movie-goers some impressive visuals and historically-accurate details, but ultimately it is another bleak and bloody view of the Vikings.
Drought led to the end of Norse Greenland settlement, researchers find
New research suggests it wasn’t dropping temperatures that helped drive the Norse from Greenland, but drought.