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Harald Bluetooth

Part of the Viking hoard in situ. Source: Nordjyske Museer

Biggest Viking Treasure Trove in 50 Years Found in Denmark!

Talk about beginner’s luck! An amateur detectorist has found a highly valuable Viking treasure hoard in a cornfield in north-west Denmark. It includes silver jewelry and nearly 300 incredibly rare...
Representative image shows the reconstruction of a Viking Hall at Lofotr Viking museum, Borg, Norway. Source: Jon Olav Eikenes/CC BY 2.0

Harald Bluetooth Era Viking Hall Discovered in Denmark

When archaeologists in Denmark identified the foundations of a huge Viking hall they knew they’d hit archaeological paydirt. But they didn’t expect that this building would be the largest Viking hall...
Left, Image of the church at Wiejkowo, the proposed site of the Harold Bluetooth burial. Right; Harald Bluetooth sketch representation. Source: Left; Marek Kryda, Right; Public Domain / The First News

Harald Bluetooth’s “Probable” Burial Mound Scanned By Satellites

The lost tomb of the 10th century Viking King, Harald Bluetooth, has “probably” been identified “again.” When Old King Gorm died around 935 AD, the new Viking ruler of Denmark and Norway became...
Obverse and reverse of the golden Curmsun disc. Source: Tomasz Sielski / CC BY-SA 3.0

Sweden’s Enigmatic Golden Curmsun Disc

In 2014, a young girl living in Malmö, presented her teacher with a small golden disc brought to Sweden by her Polish grandmother. Little did she know that this small golden artifact, now dubbed the...
Many famous Vikings were known throughout the era

8 Notorious Vikings Who Left Their Bloody Marks on History

Although an excellent series in many ways, Vikings brought with it a pretty romanticized portrait of some of the key names found in the Norse Sagas and the lives they might have lived. Although these...
Crazy Viking face (khosrork / Adobe Stock)

Eight Harsh But Hilarious Viking Nick Names and How They Came About

Before surnames became commonplace, a method was needed to differentiate between two or more people with the same name. Many surnames in the English language today are a result of this - John Smith,...
A Viking warrior with an axe. Eric Bloodaxe raided around Britain before settling in to a kingship there.

Eric Bloodaxe: Murderous Viking King of Norway and Northumbria

Eirik was a stout handsome man, strong, and very manly, —a great and fortunate man of war; but bad-minded, gruff, unfriendly, and silent. -Saga of Harald Fairhair Eric Haraldsson, nicknamed Eric...
Borgeby Castle

Bluetooth's Borgeby Castle: Destroyed And Rebuilt For 1000 Years

Borgeby Castle in the Scania Country, in southern Sweden, was originally built in around 980 AD by Harald Gormsson (also known as Harald Bluetooth), an early Norwegian and Danish King. The Borgeby...
A selection of silver jewelry from the Bluetooth treasure.

Bluetooth Treasure: Metal Detector Dings on Silver of the Danish King in Germany

Over one thousand years ago, Danish King Harald Bluetooth had to flee his homeland. He would have taken whatever treasured possessions he could as he sought safety in distant lands. Fast forward to...
Ancient ring fortress - Vikings

Newly-discovered ancient fortress reveals architectural accomplishments of Vikings

Archaeologists in Denmark have discovered a ring-shaped Viking fortress on the Danish island of Zealand, which historians believe may have been used to train warriors before launching an invasion of...