Discover The Viking Village Of Avaldsnes, Norway
Avaldsnes is a village located in the Karmøy municipality pertaining to Rogaland county in south-western Norway. The settlement is located very close to the town of Haugesund. It is reputed for its cultural importance within Norway. It is known that the village of Avaldsnes was the oldest seat of the King of Norway. King Harald Fairhair, accounted by medieval historians as the first King of Norway, established his court at Avaldsnes after the battle of Hafrsfjord which took place in circa 870.
The site has other major touristic points of interest such as St. Olav’s Church, Storhaug (‘Great Mound’ in English; a ship burial mound located northward of St. Olav’s Church), Grønhaug (‘Green Mound in English’; a ship burial mound situated one kilometre from St. Olav’s Church), Flagghaugen (‘Flag hill’ in English; a burial mound from the Roman period, containing various weapons, tubs of silver and bronze, a neck ring of 600 grams of pure gold as well as other ancient artefacts), Mary’s Needle (the sole remaining monumental stone of the ones that were once built near the church), and the Nordvegen History Centre (opened in 2005).
Replica of a Viking Age longhouse at Avaldsnes, Norway. Image source: www.turn23.blogspot.ca
Furthermore, it is known that the site was a place of power long before the start of the Viking Age. The name of Norway is also closely linked to the village of Avaldsnes given the fact that it was the main shipping lane that indicated the way to the north in ancient and medieval times, situated along the western coastline of Norway (known in Norwegian as ‘Nordvegen’ and in Old Norse as ‘Norðrvegr’ both meaning ‘northern way’).
Alternative view of the same Viking Age replica of a Norse longhouse at Avaldsnes. Image source: www.turn23.blogspot.ca
Documentation sources and external links:
- Residence of the First King of Norway Found on www.bitsofnews.com
- Avaldsnes village on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Avaldsnes, Medieval times (1100-1537 AD) on www.avaldsnes.info
- Norway’s oldest royal seat – Avaldsnes on www.avaldsnes.info
- Harald Fairhair on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- Viking Settlement at Avaldsnes – a feeling of being back in the Viking Age on www.visitnorway.com
- The Vikings of Norway’s oldest throne on www.visithaugesund.no
- Vikings, Neo-Classicism and a Storytellers Museum on www.turn23.blogspot.ca
Avaldsnes was the birthplace and home of the twins Geirmundur and Hamundur Heljarskin(s) (dead-man’s skin, on account of their skin-colour being darkish. Their mother was a North-Siberian of Mongol (Buryat) origin)). Both brothers ended up settling in Iceland.
Thank you, Magnus! This is a wonderful addition to what was already written in the article from above!
Avaldsnes was the birthplace and home of the twins Geirmundur and Hamundur Heljarskin(s) (dead-man’s skin, on account of their skin-colour being darkish. Their mother was a North-Siberian of Mongol (Buryat) origin)). Both brothers ended up settling in Iceland. Their father Hjor, was king in his ancestral land of Avaldsnes until Harald the Fair-haired usurped his kingdom.
Great! Thank you! 🙂