Iron Age boathouses in Arctic Norway viewed as multifunctional expressions of maritime cultural heritage
Boathouses have been in use in Norway for at least 2000 years and c. 850 structures pre-dating the 16th century have been recorded.
Food and technology – Cooking utensils and food processing in medieval Norway
By comparing archaeological evidence of cooking utensils from urban and rural contexts in Norway ca. 1,000–1,500 AD – in this case new technologies represented by imported ceramic vessels versus domestic steatite vessels and new types of stone griddles – my aim is to examine how new ways of preparing food were transmitted, either incorporated into routinised practises, ignored or transformed.
Medieval Oslo recreated on Minecraft
A new Youtube video is showing the results of a project by history students at the University of Oslo where they recreate how a…
The Mad Norse King
What happens when the mental health of a medieval King of Norway declines and falls into madness? The story of Sigurðr the Crusader, who reigned for over 25 years, reveals a fascinating account of mental illness from the 12th century.
13th century insult discovered etched into the walls of Nidaros Cathedral
LAURENSIUS CELVI ANUS PETRI / Lars is Peter’s butt.
King Sverre on Drunkenness
Sverre Sigurdsson, a medieval King of Norway, tells his followers about the dangers of overdrinking.
Buried, Forgotten, Disinterred?: The 1944 National Socialist St. Olav Monument at Stiklestad
In ‘Buried, Forgotten, Disinterred?: The 1944 National Socialist St. Olav Monument at Stiklestad’, Øystein Ekroll gave the audience a glimpse into a struggle going on in Norway as it deals with its Nazi past.
The Last Viking and his Magical Sword?
An amazing discovery of a late Viking Age sword – embellished with gold, inscriptions and other ornamentation – has now been revealed in Norway.
Deviant Burials: Societal Exclusion of Dead Outlaws in Medieval Norway
Deviant Burials: Societal Exclusion of Dead Outlaws in Medieval Norway By Anne Irene Riisøy COLLeGIUM: Studies across Disciplines in the Humanities and Social…
Small doors on the Viking age: The Anglo-Saxon coins in Norway project
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.
Early Medieval Tunic recreated in Norway
A few years ago, the oldest known piece of clothing ever discovered in Norway, a tunic dating from the Iron Age, was found on a glacier in Breheimen. Now about to be reconstructed using Iron Age textile techniques, it is hoped the tunic will inspire Norwegian fashion designers.
The Names of Islands in the Old Norse Faereyinga Saga and Orkeyinga Saga
The Names of Islands in the Old Norse Faereyinga Saga and Orkeyinga Saga Hilda Radzin (St. John’s University) Literary Onomastics Studies: Volume 5,…
1,300 year old ski discovered in Norway
As glaciers in Norway melted this summer, 390 artefacts dating back to over 6,000 years ago have emerged from the ice. This includes a 1,300 year old ski, a rune stick and ancient arrows.
Fast and Feast – Christianization through the Regulation of Everyday Life
This article will illustrate that an important part of rulers’ wish to create a Christian society was the introduction of Christian legislation.
Vassals or Vikings?: Orkney‘s identity in the changing Norwegian world (1151-1206)
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Jarldom of Orkney and Caithness maintained a fine balance between its geographical proximity to the Scottish mainland and its political and cultural proximity to the kingdom of Norway.
The Baltic Frontier: Why were there no Norwegian crusades in the Baltic?
In this paper I will focus on some of the reasons why Norwegian interests in the 12th and 13th century differed from that of the other Scandinavian and German ambitions in the Baltic region.
Dreams in Old Norse-Icelandic Royal Biographies as Representations of the Dynastic Identity: The Case of the Fairhair Dynasty
King Hálfdan dreams one day, in a pigsty, that he becomes a man with the finest hair, although the color and length of each ringlet vary. One curl excels in color, brightness and length, signifying St. Olaf, national saint of Norway.
How Nordic are the old Nordic Laws?
Medieval legislation plays a peculiar and very important role in Nordic legal history.
The Wolf Miracle in Magnuss saga lengri
The account of the consumption and regurgitation by wolves of a murdered man, before he is revived by Saint Magnus, is to be found at the very end of the series of miracles tales which concludes Magnuss saga lengri
The King in Disguise: An International Popular Tale in Two Old Icelandic Adaptations
The following essay is intended as a contribution to the current reassessment of the rela- tionship of Old Icelandic saga literature to the European mainstream and of the ways of literary tradition in dealing with oral sources.
Primstav and Apocalypse Time and its Reckoning in Medieval Scandinavia
This work is intended as an exploration of methods of time-reckoning and conception in Medieval Scandinavia. In the main this is tied to the dynamism between a duality: that of the cyclical and linear models of time‟s progression. Involved in this study are sources verbal and pictoral.
From Asset in War to Asset in Diplomacy: Orkney in the Medieval Realm of Norway
This paper looks at how Orkney figured in Norwegian royal strategies in the west and presents key examples which show its transition from a tool of war to a forum for peace.
Margaret, Maid of Norway and Queen of Scots
Margaret was called Queen but was never crowned. She was known as Lady of Scotland, Margaret of Scotland and the Maid of Norway. The story of her life is very poignant and short lived.
Lords Of The North Sea: A Comparative Study Of Aristocratic Territory In The North Sea World In The Tenth And Eleventh Centuries
The paper is a comparative study on the aristocrats of eastern England, eastern Normandy, western Flanders and central Norway.