Author Archives: Jules William Press

Viking Age Iceland: The Nature of the Goðorð

This is 83 of our ongoing series about Viking Age Iceland. For centuries, this island country, unique in Medieval Europe, operated with no king, no great lords, no foreign policy, and no defense forces but which developed legal and judicial systems to limit the violence of bloodfeud and protect the rights of freemen. Far out in the North Atlantic, Iceland was where theContinue reading “Viking Age Iceland: The Nature of the Goðorð”

Vikings had windows, another shift away from their image as barbaric Norsemen, Danish museum says

“This is yet another shift away from the image of unsophisticated barbaric Vikings swinging their swords around,” Viking expert Mads Dengsø said. By The Associated Press COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Vikings had windows — usually only associated with medieval churches and castles — meaning Norsemen dignitaries sat in rooms lit up by apertures with glass, Danish researchers said Thursday.Continue reading “Vikings had windows, another shift away from their image as barbaric Norsemen, Danish museum says”