The Wends and Vikings
This post will take a closer look at a West Slavic people called the Wends (or Vends), who were frequent targets of Viking raids.
Did Vikings Celebrate Halloween?
During previous Octobers, I have written about Viking creatures and things that go bump in the night. This October, I decided to investigate a simple question: did the early Scandinavians (who I will call Vikings for simplicity) celebrate Halloween? This blog post unveils what I found.
Mollebakken and the Battle for Norway
In the year AD 933 or 934, a battle was fought in a place called Mollebakken, not far from modern-day Tønsberg. Though the poet and historian Snorri Sturlason describes the battle in a few short lines in Heimskringla, the battle proved to be one of the more consequential battles in Norway’s history.
Gunnhild, Mother of Kings
This post takes a deeper dive into the fascinating Norse character Gunnhild, Mother of Kings and wife to Erik Bloodaxe.
Vikings, Luna and the Case of Mistaken Identity
I’ve been traveling through Italy and there is one spot where myth and history combine to tell an interesting tale of the Vikings. The place is called Luni.
Climate Change and the Dawn of the Vikings
There has been plenty of research and writing about the Viking Age, when it began and why it began. In this post, I wanted to take a step farther back, to what may have led to the Viking Age, and just pose some questions to think about…
Viking Wars at Home
Much has been written about the Scandinavians going viking, and how those raids evolved from attacking vulnerable targets and collecting booty and slaves, into the conquest and colonization of kingdoms. With this post, I wanted to bring your attention back to the home front, where the strife between the Scandinavians followed a similar trajectory.
Estonian Vikings and the East Way
In my previous posts, I have focused all of my attention on Norway, and in particular, on the kings and sub-kings of present-day Norway during the 9th-10th century AD. I now would like to shift the focus east, to what was then called the Way East, or Austrvegr.
War King Cover Reveal, Synopsis and Pre-Order!
I am thrilled to share the cover art and synopsis of Book #3 of Hakon’s Saga with all of you. The book is called War King, and as the title suggests, it’s full of action.
The Kings of Vingulmark and the Future of Norway
This week’s people of interest are Harald Fairhair’s son, Olav, and grandson, Trygvi, both kings of Vingulmark (and later, Vestfold), which is the area around present-day Oslo, and whose name means impenetrable forest.