This article provides a critical examination of the politico-religious content of the highly successful television series Game of Thrones and Vikings.
Primetime Paganism: Popular-Culture Representations of Europhilic Polytheism in Game of Thrones and Vikings
June 7, 2015 By
Viking raids were for more than just money, historian says
June 5, 2015 By
In his article, ‘What really caused the Viking Age? The social content of raiding and exploration’, Steven P. Ashby, a medieval archaeologist and lecturer at the University of Cambridge, outlines the many factors that would have prompted Norsemen – both the elites and the regular men – to conduct their raids across Europe.
Genre Medievalisms: Geek Goes Chic!
June 4, 2015 By
Is Cersei a collection of bad medieval stereotypes? Have nerds gone mainstream? Were American cowboys a modern retelling of the medieval knight? Put down that comic, put away your bag of dice, and indulge your inner nerd.
The Vikings on the Continent in Myth and History
May 26, 2015 By
This article examines the evidence for the Vikings’ supposed cruelty, cunning and remarkable height and investigates how true the stereotypes were.
Viking dragon’s head discovered in Sweden
May 21, 2015 By
Archaeologists from Sweden and Germany have discovered a little dragon’s head while digging in the port of the Viking town of Birka near Stockholm.
Vikings in the Prehistoric Landscape: Studies on Mainland Orkney
May 18, 2015 By
Norse colonists in Orkney contended not only with the islands’ existing occupants, but also with a foreign landscape filled with visible ancient monuments. This paper provides a brief synthesis of the results of research on the landscapes of Viking-Age and Late-Norse Orkney which explored the strategies undertaken by the Norse settlers to re-model their social identities in their adopted environment.
Scandinavian trade ‘triggered’ the Viking Age, researchers find
May 7, 2015 By
Archaeologists from the University of York have played a key role in Anglo-Danish research which has suggested the dawn of the Viking Age may have been much earlier – and less violent – than previously believed.
Midlands Viking Symposium to take place this week
April 19, 2015 By
From burials in boats to the perceived magical properties of runic charms, members of the public are invited to come together at the University of Leicester to learn about the latest research developments in the world of Vikings during the annual Midlands Viking Symposium on Saturday 25 April.
How Well Do You Know the TV series Vikings?
April 16, 2015 By
Are you as big of a fan of Vikings as you think you are? Find out now!
The Viking women who disappeared
April 15, 2015 By
Women played an important part in Viking Age society, and their role far exceeded that of mother and the ‘housewife’. Why, then, are they barely mentioned in the history books?
Which VIKINGS Character Are You?
April 5, 2015 By
Travel back to the time of shieldmaidens and Norse mythology to find out what role you’d play!
‘Given to the Ground’: A Viking Age Mass Grave on Ridgeway Hill, Weymouth
April 5, 2015 By
This volume describes one of the most exciting and unexpected archaeological discoveries to have been made in Britain in recent years, that of a rare mass grave of executed Vikings on Ridgeway Hill, Dorset.
Small doors on the Viking age: The Anglo-Saxon coins in Norway project
March 31, 2015 By
Dr Elina Screen here discusses her work on the ‘Anglo-Saxon Coins in Norway’ project – a collaboration between the British Academy’s Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles (SCBI) research project and the Norwegian partner museums.
Where would you find the Vikings
March 22, 2015 By
We created this short guide to explain all the lands that the Vikings came to – either to raid, trade or settle in – which stretched from Russia to North America.
Lessons from the Viking Lifestyle
March 20, 2015 By
‘I am here to talk to you about my life as a Viking and how it has changed and shaped my personality and the way I view several aspects of today’s society, and how I started hunting for the authentic experience.’
BOOKS: Medieval Ireland
March 17, 2015 By
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, here are some great books on medieval Ireland!
Marking the spot of an old Viking ‘parliament’
March 10, 2015 By
The site of one of the earliest known Assemblies or ‘parliaments’ in the UK has been officially put on the map after years of work by a scientist from The University of Nottingham.
Danish Ferocity and Abandoned Monasteries: the Twelfth-century View
February 23, 2015 By
This article tries to explain why twelfth-century authors found it so important to invent stories of Viking brutality towards monks and nuns and what ideas and material they used to create their stories.
Q&A: Michael Hirst, creator and writer of Vikings
February 19, 2015 By
The third season of Vikings is set to premiere tonight in the United States and Canada. The show, which follows the adventures of Ragnar Lodbrok and his family, has been averaging over three million viewers in North America.
Vikings: Brutal and Bloodthirsty or Just a Misunderstanding?
February 18, 2015 By
During its first two seasons, the popular History Channel series Vikings triggered a vigorous debate among scholars and amateur historians about the show’s authenticity—particularly the gore and violence. But separating truth from fiction, it turns out, is harder than it sounds.
Choosing Heaven: The Religion of the Vikings
February 15, 2015 By
The Viking-age gods stemmed from two races – Aesir and Vanir.
The Age of the Vikings
February 12, 2015 By
The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by medieval and modern myth. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. But they also settled peacefully and developed a vast trading network. They traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships, not only to raid but also to explore.
Popular Vikings: constructions of Viking identity in twentieth century Britain
February 4, 2015 By
Although the Viking Age ended nearly a millennium ago, today Viking images are everywhere, functioning as tourist attractions, marketing devices, role models, and sources of regional/national pride and identity.
Ceremonial Drinking in the Viking Age
January 31, 2015 By
Drinking ceremonies played a very important social role in Viking Age Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxon England.
War on the Waterways: Maritime Conflict in the Viking Age in the North Sea Region
January 30, 2015 By
The ubiquitous Viking warship is perhaps the most high-profile symbol of early medieval Scandinavians.
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