J. R. R. Tolkien’s mythical universe with all of its realms as depicted in four of his high fantasy novels, namely ‘The Hobbit‘ (1937) and ‘The Lord of the Rings‘ trilogy (19541955), was actually inspired from real world locations in Europe and its vicinity. A superimposed detailed map of the Middle Earth and of the…
A recent discovery of a Viking Age settlement at Point Rosee headland in southwestern Newfoundland, Canada may rewrite the history of the Vikings in North America, especially in the context of the pre-Columbus European exploration of the New World. The possible Viking Age settlement was spotted using satellite imagery on the area of Point Rosee….
The Berserkers (also known as ‘berserks’) were elite Norse warriors who fought during the Viking Age on the battlefield with intense rage and bravery. The very word ‘berserk’ (as well as ‘berserker’) entered the English language via Old Norse, its etymology attesting the ravaging physical power of these Norse champion fighters. In the Old Norse…
Did the Vikings actually celebrate Halloween? Well, certainly not. At least, not as we know the holiday today. Halloween, or the ‘Day of the Dead’, is a holiday observed on October 31 in such countries as Ireland, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada. Halloween as we know it today was initially rooted in…
The Norse-Gaels (alternatively known under the terms ‘Hiberno-Norse’ or ‘foreign Gaels’) were a people who originated in the Norse settlements established during the Viking Age in Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man, and the Hebrides who resulted from the intermarriage between the Norse colonists and the native Gaelic populations. In early medieval Ireland, the Norse-Gaels primarily…
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