Valhalla (Old Norse: Valhǫll) is the hall of the fallen warriors in Norse mythology. Valhǫll is two compound words, Valr meaning “dead body on a battlefield”, and hǫll meaning hall. …
Yggdrasil
Yggdrasil is an eternal green ash tree in Norse mythology. It stands in the middle of the world, with branches that stretch out over all of the nine realms. Each …
Bifröst
In Norse mythology, Bifröst is the rainbow bridge that connects Asgard (home of the gods) with Midgard (home of humans). Bifröst has three colors and it is so big that …
Ginnungagap
Ginnungagap is the great yawning void of emptiness that existed before the cosmos was created in Norse mythology. There was nothing in the beginning, only darkness. Ginnungagap consists of two …
The Best Norse Mythology Books
There are many books on Norse mythology, and it can be difficult to decide which one to buy. I know, I have been there myself. That is exactly why I …
The Nine Realms in Norse Mythology
There are nine realms in Norse Mythology, they are called Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Helheim. The nine worlds in Norse mythology are held in the branches …
Locations in Norse Mythology
Alfheim: Alfheim is the home of the Elves. Amsvartnir: In this lake is the island Lyngvi, on this island is the Fenrir wolf bound. Asgard: Asgard is the home of …
Creation of the World in Norse Mythology
Before the dawn of time and before the world was created in Norse mythology there was only a big dark vast emptiness called Ginnungagap. From this, two realms came into …
Ravnsborg Viking Summer Market
The Ravnsborg Viking summer market is placed right in the heart of nature, just outside the town of Korinth on southern Fyn. The market is usually held between the end …
International Ribe Viking Market
The city of Ribe can be traced back 1,300 years, which makes it the oldest city in Denmark. It is believed that the first international marketplace in Scandinavia began in …
Moesgaard Viking Moot
If you have an interest in the Viking Age, then you should definitely visit Moesgaard Viking Moot in Denmark. This annual event takes place near the city of Aarhus, and …
Trelleborg Viking Festival
Every year, for one week only in July (week 29), Trelleborg Museum is hosting the annual Viking festival right next to the Viking fortress, Trelleborg. This event has something fun …
Nótt & Dagr in Norse mythology
Night (Old Norse: Nótt) is a very beautiful giantess with skin and hair as dark as the night. She is the daughter of the jötunn Narfi (Nörvi), who is one …
Origin of the wind in Norse mythology
In Norse mythology, the wind originates from the great eagle called Hraesvelg “Hræsvelgr” (corpse gulper) who sits in the northern end of heaven. When Hraesvelg flaps his wings, to take …
Elves in Norse mythology
The elves (Old Norse: álfar, singular, álfr) are divine beings in Norse mythology. Not much is known about them, but they have some form of connections to the Aesir and …
Dwarves
The dwarves (Old Norse: dvergar, singular, dvergr) are creative and skillful beings in Norse mythology. They came into existence from the rotting flesh of the giant Ymir. When the Aesir …
Vanir
The Vanir is an old branch of gods in Norse mythology, they are associated with health and fertility, and especially sorcery. The word Vanir is plural and Vanr is the …
Valkyries
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (Old Norse: Valkyrja, plural Valkyrjur.) are female humans (possible former nobles), or female Jotnar who has been chosen by Odin to serve. Their role is …
Heidrun and Eikthyrnir
In Norse mythology, there are quite a few different animals who live among the branches of the great world tree Yggdrasil. Two of these animals live in the top of …
Wolves in Norse Mythology
The wolves in Norse mythology are often associated with something that is negative, they are frequently seen as evil and unreliable. The most famous wolf is Fenrir, the son of …
Huginn and Muninn
In Norse mythology, Huginn and Muninn are Odin’s two ravens. Huginn is the old Norse word for “thought” and Muninn is the old Norse word for “memory”. Every morning at …
Thor’s goats
In Norse mythology, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr which respectively can be translated into teeth-barer and teeth-grinder are Thor’s two goats. Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr pull his chariot across the sky and bring …
The Best Norse Mythology Books
There are many books on Norse mythology, and it can be difficult to decide which one to buy. I know, I have been there myself. That is exactly why I …
Loki TV series
Marvel Studios is working on a Loki TV series with Tom Hiddleston, which is expected to be available on Disney plus in 2021. There will be a total of six …
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
The respected Old Norse expert, Dr. Jackson Crawford, who is known by many from his excellent youtube videos and published books on Norse mythology, has been working as a consultant …
Odin from Lejre
On the 2nd of September 2009, the local amateur archaeologist Tommy Olesen, found a small figurine, depicting the god Odin. It was found during the excavations conducted by the Roskilde …
The Revninge-figure
In Denmark, there has been a rise of amateur archaeologists since the turn of the century, and this has resulted in a growth of rare findings. The Revninge-figure has been …
Pagan hall of Odin found near Ribe
On a field near Fæsted outside the city of Ribe in Denmark, a group of archaeologists has discovered an ancient site that was used to worship the pagan god Odin. …
The Viking Chieftain’s Stronghold at Erritsø
Archeology and excavations have seen a huge boom in the Kingdom of Denmark, and new evidence from the Viking age, keep coming into the light of day these years. Over …
Viking Traffic Lights
The debate of gender-neutral traffic lights is a phenomenon that is spreading throughout the western countries, and that is also the case in Denmark. In the city of Aarhus (Aros) …
The largest Viking hall discovered in Denmark
In 2009, on a field in the town of Gl. Lejre (Old Lejre) on the island of Zealand, the remains of one of the largest Viking halls that ever has …
Viking Monument Vandalized
During the festive Easter holidays, a celebration that is not only important to the Christians but also to the heathens, one of Denmark’s most known ancient monuments was vandalized. This …
Golden Horns of Gallehus
The first golden horn of Gallehus On the 20th of July, in 1639, in the village of Gallehus near the town of Møgeltønder in Southern Denmark. A poor Danish woman …
Viking trade & trade towns
When many of us think about the Viking age, we often have images of men with long hair and an epic beard, holding a long sword or a giant Dane …
Viking houses – What did they look like?
During the Viking age, most people lived in the countryside around the world and that was of course also the case for the people in Scandinavia. These people lived in …
The Raven Banner
The Raven banner… the flag flown by the Vikings when they raided the shores of their victims across Europe, or so the story goes… In reality, the raven banner was …
What does the word Viking mean?
I have often come across people who are telling me, that it is not correct to use the word Viking for all the people who lived in Scandinavia during the …
Who were the Vikings?
The Vikings were the people who lived from the 8th century to the 11th century in Scandinavia. They came from what today is Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. During the Viking …
Vikings seduced women across Europe
The Vikings have through history been depicted many times as dirty unsophisticated barbarians and an image that is still being used quite often in many of the popular Viking movies. …
Social Classes in Viking Society
The Viking society was divided into a hierarchy of four social classes. At the bottom were the slaves, above the slaves where the Karls, in the middle where the Jarls, …
Viking Instrument – Viking Age Music
Music has since we were cavemen been part of our culture, and that was of course also the case in the Viking age. Today we can still find the remains …
The First Viking Queen of a Unified Denmark
In 958, Harald Bluetooth came to power, after his father Gorm the old (In Danish: Gorm den Gamle) died. Back then the Danes were split into many clans, and the …
Viking diseases were disgusting
Big, strong, and handsome warriors from the north, that sailed throughout most of Europe and raided the local monasteries, that is the image most of us have when we think …