By Kristina Killgrove When the Vikings sailed west to England more than a millennium ago, they brought their animal companions with them and even cremated their bodies alongside human ones in a blazing pyre before burying them together, a new study finds. These animal and human remains were found in a unique cremation cemetery in centralContinue reading “Viking warriors sailed the seas with their pets, bone analysis finds”
Category Archives: Viking Articles
Terrifying sea monster ‘hafgufa’ described in medieval Norse manuscripts is actually a whale
By Sascha Pare Scientists in Australia think that a sea monster in 13th-century Norse manuscripts was actually an accurate description of a whale using trap feeding. A sea creature mentioned in 13th-century Old Norse manuscripts, which historians thought was a kraken-like mythological monster, is actually a whale using a hunting strategy known as trap or tread-water feeding, aContinue reading “Terrifying sea monster ‘hafgufa’ described in medieval Norse manuscripts is actually a whale”
Earliest mention of Odin, ‘king of the gods,’ found in treasure hoard from Denmark
By Tom Metcalfe The oldest known inscription mentioning the Norse god Odin has been found on a gold pendant in Denmark from the fifth century A.D. A gold pendant recently unearthed in Denmark bears the earliest known inscription featuring the Norse god Odin. Archaeologists think the pendant — which is technically known as a bracteate and madeContinue reading “Earliest mention of Odin, ‘king of the gods,’ found in treasure hoard from Denmark”
Epic 11-foot-tall sea level rise drove Vikings out of Greenland
By Mindy Weisberger Not even the mighty Vikings could stand against climate change. The Vikings are remembered as fierce fighters, but even these mighty warriors were no match for climate change. Scientists recently found that ice sheet growth and sea level rise led to massive coastal flooding that inundated Norse farms and ultimately drove the Vikings out ofContinue reading “Epic 11-foot-tall sea level rise drove Vikings out of Greenland”
Mysterious ‘Viking disease’ linked to Neanderthal DNA
By Dr. Alakananda Dasgupta A new study finds that the key genetic risk factors for Dupuytren’s disease, a crippling hand disorder, are derived from Neanderthals. Neanderthal genes may be one cause of the disorder nicknamed the “Viking disease,” in which fingers become frozen in a bent position, a new study finds.The study, published June 14 inContinue reading “Mysterious ‘Viking disease’ linked to Neanderthal DNA”