A report by Dr Leszek Gardeła on an ongoing international collaborative project, 'The Pre-Christian Religions of the North Project and its Archaeological Sources Database'. Published in FASCICULI ARCHAEOLOGIAE HISTORICAE XXVIII. Submitted to…
The largest of five mounds at Myklebust, Nordfjordeid, Sogn og Fjordane in Norway contained the remains of the largest Viking Age ship found in Norway. It was excavated in 1874 by Anders Lorange, just 14 years before he died. Excavators found the…
Maeshowe is a neolithic burial mound and chambered cairn on the mainland island of Orkney. Its connection to the Vikings (or Norse in Orkney) is the fact that the chamber was looted and used as a shelter on various occasions, as attested by the…
The round 'Kirk' at Orphir was built in the late eleventh or early twelfth century, possibly by Earl Hakon. It was dedicated to Saint Nicholas and its round style is based on the Ecclesia Sancti Sepulchri in Jerusalem: a fashion probably brought home…
St Magnus Church, founded at the site of the killing of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney by an axe-blow to the head in ca. 1116 at the orders of his cousin Hákon Pálsson. This episode, referred to in Orkneyinga saga, is possibly corroborated…
An illustration of a sword-guard recovered by a diver near Smalls Reef near Skomer island in Wales, and dating to c. 1100-1125. It is decorated with typical Insular Urnes style motifs.
Saga Thing has collected a selection of nicknames from the sagas that they have discussed. Old Norse nicknames could often be less than complimentary, frequently scurrilous, and were always given, never self-imposed. The giving of a nickname could be…
An illustration by Annemari Ferreira of a Viking woman with oval brooches, based on items found in the Lilleberge Ship Burial at Lilleberge in Namdalen, Norway. This burial mound produced several important finds including a whalebone plaque and…
This intricately decorated item, discovered in an excavation in Waterford City, was a trial piece, perhaps intended to be made into a comb. It is currently on display in Reginald's Tower Museum, Waterford.
An illustration of the Lilleberge Brooch. The burial mound was excavated in the late nineteenth century, but the brooch only came to light in 2014 when it was discovered in material from the excavation held by the British Museum. The brooch is Celtic…
The Lilleberge Brooch was discovered in 2014 by the British Museum, in organic material from the Lilleberge excavations, conducted in the nineteenth century. The item is held in the British Museum.
A decorative dog collar from excavations carried out in Waterford City. It dates from the twelfth century, and is an extremely rare example of a collar used for hunting or racing dogs in the late Viking Age. The Waterford Treasures websitepoints out…
The Hørning stone (DR 58) was carved by an emancipated slave in honour of his master. The inscription reads: tuki : smiþr : riþ : stin : ift ¶ þurkisl : kuþmutaR : sun : is : hanum ¶ kaf : kul : uk :…