Ocean sailing was a reality in the early Viking Age if not before. Records of Viking raids on Ireland and England begin during the late eighth century. These raiders came from Norway and Denmark in their longships. But how did they find their way? I learned to navigate using the sextant, chronometer, magnetic compass, and…
The subject of the October issue of Historical Times Magazine is Vikings, including one from me on women warriors. It’s an online, interactive magazine and it’s FREE, so be sure to check it out at this link: Historical Times Magazine
Women Landowners In The Viking Age By Johanna Wittenberg For many years, written medieval codes such as the 11th-century Gulating Law were regarded as representative of laws throughout the Viking Age. These edictss limited or prohibited many women’s rights, including their right to inherit odal land—that is, property passed down in the family. Based on…
By Johanna Wittenberg Vikings are often portrayed as illiterate brutes, but that is inaccurate. They shared a written language with their Germanic cousins. The earliest examples of runic writing dates back to the second century AD, though experts are unsure where and when the runes originated. The runic alphabet is referred to as the Futhark,…
Grave findings and references in sagas provide evidence that falconry was practiced in Scandinavia at least by the 6th century. It is believed that falconry originated with the nomads of the eastern steppes and spread first to Sweden and Gotland, and finally to Norway and Denmark with the Viking age. Picture stones and mythology illustrate…
Perhaps the most iconic symbol of the Viking era, this exquisite burial ship was discovered by a farmer in 1904 in the Slagen River Valley south of Oslo where it had been buried beneath a mound of clay for over a thousand years. At first thought to be the grave of a powerful…