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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...
Article
The Last Kingdom TV Series - Historical Accuracy
The Last Kingdom (2015-2022) is a historical fiction TV series based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories novels and adapted for television by English screenwriter Stephen Butchard. With five seasons, the show began as a BBC production...
Definition
Norns - Female Figures of Fate
The norns were supernatural female entities responsible for the fates of all living beings in Viking Age Scandinavia. Associated with Yggdrasil, the world tree and central element of the nine realms of Norse cosmology, the norns are not active...
Article
Norse Ghosts & Funerary Rites
In Norse belief, the soul of the deceased might wind up in any one of a number of afterlife realms. There was Valhalla, the realm of Odin where the dead warriors drank, fought, and told stories, Folkvangr ('the Field of the People'), the...
Definition
Anglo-Saxon Warfare
Anglo-Saxon warfare was characterised by frequent and violent conflicts between petty kings, which ultimately led to the rise of larger kingdoms such as the Kingdom of Mercia, the Kingdom of Northumbria, and the Kingdom of Wessex. In early...
Definition
Kingdom of Northumbria
The Kingdom of Northumbria (c. 604-954 CE) was a political entity in the north of modern-day Britain with Mercia directly to the south, the Kingdoms of the Welsh to the west, and the land of the Picts to the north; the eastern line of the...
Video
How They Did It - Growing Up Viking
A history documentary on what it was like to grow up Viking. In this history documentary we explore the world of the ancient Viking Age from the perspective of a child. This is a topic that all too often gets overlooked when talking about...
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...
Video
Viking Expert Breaks Down Famous Viking Movies & TV Shows
Archaeologist and leading Viking specialist, Neil Price, looks at how Vikings are portrayed in popular films and TV shows.
Video
Female Viking Warriors in History: Legendary Valkyries Shield Maidens
From the sagas, the most famous type of female Viking warrior was the shield maiden who took up arms and fought side by side in battle with the men. Mirroring them in the spiritual world is the Valkyries (whose name literally means choosers...