Even before the start of the Viking Age the Norsemen (Vikings) used to write and read in the Runic alphabet of their own language, namely Old Norse. This Runic alphabet that was used by the Norsemen before and in the time of the Viking Age is commonly known as ‘fu쎾ark’ (futhark). Regarding its origin, three…
Life during the Viking Age in the Norse realms wasn’t as dull as some people assume. On the contrary, the Norsemen had been practicing a series of games and sports that nowadays we collectively can call entertainment. According to medieval Icelandic literature and archaeological discoveries, it is known that they played both indoor and outdoor…
The Hnefatafl (alternatively known as King’s board or tablut) was a strategy board game similar to contemporary Chess that was invented and played by the Norsemen in the time of the Viking Age. From native Scandinavia, the Norsemen brought the hnefatafl to their overseas colonies, most notably in the North Atlantic ones (i.e. the Faroe…
The Norwegian stave churches (or singularly known in Norwegian as ‘stavkirke’) are doubtlessly some of the most illustrative examples of Norway‘s history and culture that date back to the Middle Ages. They have been classified as historical monuments in Norway. Once common throughout much of Northern Europe, the stave churches gradually disappeared, with only about…
Usage of the legendary sunstones is attested in several old Icelandic written tales to have helped슠the Norsemen during their lengthy maritime voyages from native Scandinavia abroad during the tumultuous Viking Age. According to several medieval allegorical stories such as, for instance, ‘Rau쎰쎺lfs 쎾쎡ttr‘ (meaning ‘The story of Rau쎰 and of his sons’) written sometime during…
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