Category Archives: old norse blog

The Viking warrior who turned out to be a woman

Should we rethink the role of women in ancient societies? For more than 100 years, a high-ranking Viking warrior was assumed to be male. Dr Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson has been studying the grave found in the 19th Century. Her team carried out a DNA test on the bones, revealing that they belonged to a biological woman.Continue reading “The Viking warrior who turned out to be a woman”

Viking Age Iceland: Mord the Fiddle: The Law

This is Part 9 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: Mord the Fiddle: The Law”

Elves & Dwarves in Norse Mythology

To see more Viking articles, click here. by Irina Manea Elves and dwarves represent minor divine figures in Norse mythology. Elves (álfar) and dwarves (dvergar) have in common their talent for creating precious objects, skill, agility, and moral ambiguity. Dwarves appear in several important stories, such as the one about the forging of Thor’s hammer, or dragon Fafnir’sContinue reading “Elves & Dwarves in Norse Mythology”