Vikings are more popular than ever. With dramas such as Vikings and The Last Kingdom the ancient Norsemen have reached new generations. Of course, there is dramatic license taken to particular...
Sweyn I, known also as Sweyn Tiugeskaeg (which means ‘Forkbeard’), was a Viking chief who became the ruler of Denmark, Norway, and England. His byname, ‘Forkbeard’, is a reference to his long, cleft...
Murky, elusive and undefined, the religion of the pre-Christian Vikings has long been subject to debate. Contemporary texts of their spiritual worship do not survive, and the later records that do...
As with many other European counties, Ireland has multitude of historic castles and fortresses. Perhaps the best-known on the island is Dublin Castle. This stronghold has played an important part in...
Scholars have long been baffled by the coded runic message of the ‘Rök Runestone’ but a new interpretation claims it spells out a chilling Armageddon prophecy. One of the world's most famous Norse...
Today, the Slavic peoples are the largest ethno-linguistic group of Europe, and number over 360 million persons worldwide. Their long and rich history is a crucial part of the very foundation of...
Much of the modern world is very worried about climate change and it appears that Vikings were also very concerned about changes to the climate. Researchers now argue that one of the world’s most...
Vikings are often seen as heathen marauders mercilessly targeting Christian churches and killing defenceless monks. But this is only part of their story. The Vikings played a key role in spreading...
The wounded face of a female Viking warrior found buried with weaponry has been reconstructed. The warrior’s skeleton was excavated in a Viking graveyard in Solør, Norway, and was found to have been...
Eilean Donan is a small tidal island in the western Highlands of Scotland, on which a world-famous castle can be found. This castle, known as the Eilean Donan Castle, is one of Scotland’s most easily...
Archaeologists have uncovered the fragments of about a hundred swords that once belonged to Viking warriors . They were unearthed in the Baltic country of Estonia. The experts believe that the...
The skeletal remains of five bodies excavated in Ireland suggest Vikings brought leprosy to the Emerald Isle. Leprosy , also known as Hansen's disease , is a chronic infectious disease that is caused...
These days, few people still believe Christopher Columbus was the first explorer to travel to the “New World.” But there is still a debate over whether adventurers and explorers from Europe, Asia,...
Archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious mass grave dating back 1,600 years in Wales containing the remains of 86 individuals. Researchers are now attempting to explain strange characteristics...
Archaeologists excavating a Viking graveyard in Denmark have discovered the remains of a female buried with a large axe - but she was Slavic - which leads to the question; why on earth was she buried...
Read Part 1 The tale of the Varangians continues in its prime in the form of the Varangian Guard, a prominent and selective Byzantine army arising in the 10th century. Composed of the Scandinavian...
A hoard of Viking coins worth at least half a million British pounds has been recovered by police investigating the illegal trade of historic treasures and they tell a completely different story of...
Today, the word ‘berserk’ is used to describe anyone in an irrational, agitated state of mind who cannot or does not control his or her actions. The meaning of the word originates with the Viking...
During the extension of the seaport of Wismar in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, archaeologists discovered a number of shipwrecks . One of them, the last to be discovered, was resting in only...
Ragnar Lothbrok was a fearless Viking hero who ransacked England and France and fathered the Great Heathen Army. However the historicity of the man with “hairy breeches” is subject to debate. Where...
Famed for their ruthless fighting skills and brave exploring little is written about Viking religion and their day to day ritual practices which were arguably a more central component in Norse...
One would expect "boneless" to describe a man without a lick of bravery. Or perhaps a man without a shred of compassion in a heart of ice. Yet in the case of the infamous Ivar the Boneless, son of...
Alfred the Great was the first king of the Anglo-Saxons and one of only two English rulers to have been given the epithet ‘the Great’. He may have earned this title in part by defending his kingdom...
As science progresses and archaeologists are forging new positive relationships with developers around Irish heritage, more secrets from Ireland’s Viking past are coming to light, and they are not...