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Nordic history and culture Welcome to your essential news source for all things travel and culture in the Nordics and beyond.

New research and old sagas tell the same story: Norse sailors reached places few would expect.
18/07/2025

New research and old sagas tell the same story: Norse sailors reached places few would expect.

Despite their historical reputation as producing some of the most ravenous warriors of the early medieval period, people from Viking societies were also skilled explorers. They traversed much of the Northern Hemisphere, from the shores of modern-day Canada to the eastern edge of the Caspian Sea.

The big-name museums are not the only ones worth visiting. These five smaller Viking museums provide a more intimate gli...
17/07/2025

The big-name museums are not the only ones worth visiting. These five smaller Viking museums provide a more intimate glimpse into the past.

Nothing says claustrophobia like sightseeing in Europe in summer. Here are a few places to visit that are off the beaten tourist path but will still tickle your Viking itch.

This article explores Valsgärde, one of Scandinavia's most fascinating early medieval burial grounds. With nearly a hund...
16/07/2025

This article explores Valsgärde, one of Scandinavia's most fascinating early medieval burial grounds. With nearly a hundred graves, including many boat burials, it helps reveal how warrior elites lived, died, and were remembered.

Some of the most lavish boat graves were uncovered on a farm on the banks of the River Fyris, near Uppsala, Sweden, almost a century ago. We look at how what was unearthed in five boat graves tells us about the beginnings of the Viking Age.

A rare two-aisled longhouse has just been uncovered north of the Arctic Circle. Here's what archeologists found, and wha...
15/07/2025

A rare two-aisled longhouse has just been uncovered north of the Arctic Circle. Here's what archeologists found, and what they still hope to learn.

The longhouse may have been built in the early Viking Age and could have served as the home of a local chieftain.

He might not be as famous as his twin sister, but Freyr had a big role in Norse mythology. A look at the god of fertilit...
14/07/2025

He might not be as famous as his twin sister, but Freyr had a big role in Norse mythology. A look at the god of fertility, peace, and prosperity.

Freyr, the Norse god of fertility, evolved from earlier fertility deities in the Viking tradition. This once-powerful figure deserves some of the historical spotlight to shine on him.

Viking North is a new exhibition in York that traces the presence of the Viking Great Army and Norse influence across No...
13/07/2025

Viking North is a new exhibition in York that traces the presence of the Viking Great Army and Norse influence across Northern England. It runs until 2027.

The Yorkshire Museum's exhibition presents classic collections alongside never-before-seen artifacts.

This article takes a closer look at one of the most powerful ships in the Viking fleet. The Skeid was larger, faster, an...
12/07/2025

This article takes a closer look at one of the most powerful ships in the Viking fleet. The Skeid was larger, faster, and more heavily manned than most, and played an important role in the expansion of Viking power.

If you lived in early medieval Europe and you spotted a Skeid longship menacingly looming upon the horizon, let's face it, you probably weren't going to have a great day. Learn why these Viking longships were a deadly combination of form and function.

An 8th-century ship burial in Estonia is rewriting what we thought we knew about the start of the Viking Age.
11/07/2025

An 8th-century ship burial in Estonia is rewriting what we thought we knew about the start of the Viking Age.

How the discovery of the Salme ships has helped Estonians get in touch with their Viking side.

No horned helmets, no fantasy battles, just a dark, slow-burning tale of revenge set in Viking Age Iceland. Here's why "...
10/07/2025

No horned helmets, no fantasy battles, just a dark, slow-burning tale of revenge set in Viking Age Iceland. Here's why "When the Raven Flies" became both a cult classic and a national favorite.

Not a horned helmet in sight, this film is not your usual Hollywood depiction of early medieval Europe's feared warriors.

Today, a bridge connects Denmark and Sweden. But a thousand years ago, a goddess was said to have torn the two lands apa...
09/07/2025

Today, a bridge connects Denmark and Sweden. But a thousand years ago, a goddess was said to have torn the two lands apart. Here’s how the myth goes.

Nowadays, only a football or handball match stirs tension between the modern Scandinavian nations of Denmark and Sweden. United by a shared culture dating back to the Viking Age, we look at the Norse goddess said to have separated them with a plow.

Staraya Ladoga served as a key point for Norse trade and river navigation along the Volkhov River toward the Byzantine E...
08/07/2025

Staraya Ladoga served as a key point for Norse trade and river navigation along the Volkhov River toward the Byzantine Empire.

Long before the Mongol yoke arrived, before Peter the Great commissioned Russia's "window to the west" on the bones of countless peasants, or the recent oligarchs gutted much of the former Soviet state, there was Staraya Ladoga.

Characterized by detailed carvings and symmetrical designs, the Oseberg style marks the early phase of Viking art.
07/07/2025

Characterized by detailed carvings and symmetrical designs, the Oseberg style marks the early phase of Viking art.

The earliest phase of Viking art, the Oseberg style, is named after a famous Viking ship uncovered in the early 20th century. Featuring elaborate and detailed animal motifs and intertwining patterns, it showcases the skilled and artistic side of Viking societies.

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