My first exposure to Viking lore was through a 1958 Movie, “The Vikings.” It starred Kirk Douglas as Einar, son of Viking King Ragnar, Tony Curtis as Eric, Ragnar’s illegitimate son and Janet Leigh as Welsh Christian princess Morgana, the love interest of both men. Ragnar first comes upon Eric after he raids a Northumbrian ship, but not knowing Eric is his son, takes him as a slave. As a young man Eric orders his falcon to attack Einar and Einar loses an eye and becomes furious and demands that his father Ragnar executes Eric. However, a royal courtier warns that the god Odin will curse whoever kills him. Instead, Ragnar decrees that Eric is to be left in a tidal pool to drown with the rising tide. Eric calls out to Odin, the wind shifts and forces the water away, saving him. Eric and Einar remain enemies until the very end of the film as they fight for Morgana. Morgana reveals to Einar that Eric is his brother, and he stops at the moment he was to kill Einar. Seeing his hesitation, Eric kills Einar and takes Morgana as his lover.
There were many scenes of longship raids and on land battles, wild feasts with flagons of mead, crusty bread and spitted meats, and a few uncomfortable moments of brutality when Einar attempts to rape Morgana, but is knocked unconscious by Eric.
It was a thrilling Nordic soap opera.
The historical, non-Hollywood version is not that different. The Viking Age, which ran from the late 8th to the mid-11th century was full of seafaring exploration, raiding, trading, conquering and colonization. The Vikings were fearsome Scandinavian raiders and explorers, coming from modern day Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The Vikings were excellent seamen, using longships that enabled them to travel far. They settled in many areas of Europe, Greenland, Newfoundland and North America. They left a lasting impact, shaping the culture and language of regions such as England, Ireland, and Russia. Viking society was structured into social classes, including an aristocracy, free farmers, and slaves, and these elements of culture and society were implemented in the lands they conquered.
Now back to my voyage. While in the Naeroyfjord area, we visited a village in Njardarhelmr, a reconstructed Viking Village that replicates the lives of Vikings when they were not at sea. An interactive cosplay, if you will. The names means “the home devoted to Njord, the Norse god of trade.”. The town is built to scale and its populace not only wear the clothes of “yore,” but their daily activities mimic those who lived 1,000s of years ago. This is not simply a tourist gimmick. There are authentic ancient swords and battle axes and hamlets as well as cooking implements, building materials and more. Locals are proud of their heritage and youngsters take part in lessons in blacksmithing and learn how to shoot a bow and arrow. It’s also great fun.
Of course before we could wend our way through the village we had to have an audience with King Hansen. The entry is painted green, which we were told was the costliest pigment one could obtain back in the Viking Age:
Inside the King sat in his throne, looking quite regal:
Weapons ready:
After toasting the King with a mug of mead:
We were treated to a battle “reenactment”.- the players were actually husband and wife:
That’ll teach him for not penning the chickens:
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