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Definition
Saga
The Old Norse word saga means 'story', 'tale' or 'history' and normally refers specifically to the epic prose narratives written mainly in Iceland between the 12th- and 15th centuries CE, covering the country's history as well as Scandinavia's...
Definition
Leif Erikson
Leif Erikson (also spelled Leif Eriksson, Old Norse Leifr Eiríksson), nicknamed Leif 'the Lucky', was a Norse Viking who is best known for arguably being the first European to have set foot on North American soil along with his crew c. 1000...
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Njals Saga in the Modruvallabok
Folio 13r, showing a page from Njáls saga, from the Möðruvallabók (AM 132), an Icelandic manuscript from c. 1330-1370 CE containing the most significant surviving collection of Sagas of Icelanders. It records some sagas in full or in part...
Image Gallery
Reconstructions of Asian Castles
This high-definition gallery presents digital reconstructions of six iconic Asian castles, from Afghanistan to Japan. Many of these castles have taken damage since then due to wars, political instability, and even deliberate cultural destruction...
Definition
Ragnar Lothbrok
Ragnar Lothbrok (Old Norse Ragnarr Loðbrók, also anglicised as Ragnar Lodbrok), whose epithet means 'Hairy-breeches' or 'Shaggy-breeches', was a legendary Viking king, with Old Norse sagas, poetry, and medieval Latin sources telling of his...
Article
Twelve Great Viking Leaders
The Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE) transformed every aspect of the cultures the Norse came in contact with. The Vikings usually struck without warning and, in the early years, left with their plunder and slaves to be sold as quickly as they...
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Gudrun & Ghost, Laxdale Saga
Artist's rendition of a scene from the 13th-century CE Icelandic Laxdæla Saga (anglicised as Laxdale Saga), which is set in the Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE). Here, we see one of the saga's main characters, Guðrún, meeting a ghost: "That...
Definition
Vinland
Vinland (Old Norse Vínland, 'Wine Land') is the name given to the lands explored and briefly settled by Norse Vikings in North America around 1000 CE, particularly referring to Newfoundland, where a Viking site known as L'Anse aux Meadows...
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German 88mm Anti-aircraft Gun
A 1943 photograph of an 88mm anti-aircraft gun used by Germany during the Second World War (1939-45). These guns were usually placed in batteries of six or eight guns.(German Federal Archives)
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Grettir the Hero, Grettir's Saga
The hero Grettir Asmundson from the 13th-14th century CE Icelandic Grettir's Saga (also Grettis Saga). This saga features one of the best-known stories involving a draugr, a sort of Norse zombie, who is eventually destroyed by Grettir. This...