Jump To:

Contemporary (Post-Viking Era) Sites

Historical Viking Sites

 

 

Contemporary Sites:

 

Runes, Alphabet of Mystery   This is a website devoted to the Runic alphabets, it is informative, however it is not updated regularly and emails are not responded to.

 

Deadliest Warrior: Viking vs. Samurai  This is the full episode of Deadliest Warrior in which they pit the Viking against the Samurai. This episode gives an excellent depiction of Viking weapons and their uses.

 

Leif Ericson Viking Ship  The Leif Ericson Viking Ship is a group that’s sole purpose is to educate the world and promote the fact that Leif Ericson was the first European to set foot upon and explore the North American Continent and of Vikings in general, their times and travels throughout the world.

 

The Lost Vikings  Here is a video of gameplay footage from The Lost Vikings. This game was created in 1992 by Blizzard entertainment, which is one of the most successful video game companies in the world. They are now famous for their World of Warcraft series, which has more than 11 million users to this date.

 

Hagar the Horrible  This is a link to the official web site of everyone’s favorite Viking comic strip…and probably only Viking comic strip. Hagar has been “aviking” since the 70’s, so give him some credit.

  

Whats Opera Doc?  This is a video of the Looney Tunes episode based on Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. Who can forget “Kill the Wabbit?”

  

The Troth  The Troth is a religious fellowship in the vein of Germanic neopaganism. They are specifically followers of the Asatru, which is an umbrella term for all of the Norse religions that fall under Germanic Paganism. This group specifically does not align themselves with white supremacism and anti-Christian ideologies, but they do align themselves with other groups, including Odinism.

  

Religion Facts: Asatru  This website gives a summary of Germanic Paganism and its history. It is non-specific to the various sub-cultures, but gives a good generalization of the religions.

 

Upon Reflection  Upon Reflection is a web site about using Viking runes. Unfortunately, none of it is historically based off of actual Viking culture. Instead, it is a variation of Tarot cards and is only a byproduct of the New Age religion.

 

Viking Sewing Machines  This one is a bit silly, but these sewing machines were made in Sweden, and named after Vikings, so it cannot be ignored.  In 1689 a Swedish king made firearms in Husqvarna.  In 1872 a group of men switched to making sewing machines.  One could say this shows the switch of Viking barbarism to Viking sophistication.

 

Northlanders: A Viking Comic  Northlanders is a crime genre comic book set in Viking times put out by Vertigo comics.  The website provides a preview into the comic book with full pages, covers, and reviews all dealing with the comic book and Vikings.  Pretty neat.

 

Gisli’s Saga Video  Here is a video of what seems to be just a few friends making a cheap, homemade film adaptation of Gisli’s Saga.  The film is extremely poor quality, and poorly done, but only eight minutes, so maybe worth your time.

 

Viking Quotes  Here is a “video” that provides some classic pieces of Viking art, along with what sounds like classic, epic, Viking metal, along with classic quotes from a number of different Icelandic Sagas.  Some of the quotes seem more meaningful outside the context of the Sagas, others are just neat.

 

Bones – On The Hill Top  This is actually a really cool video.  Great illustrations made to accompany a song that tells the story of an old and dying Viking.  The music sounds more Celtic than Norse.

 

Lost Worlds: The Vikings  One part in a rather large series about Vikings made by the History Channel.  There is some cool information and some neat Viking artifacts, however like most things done by the History Channel it is overall a disappointment.  It could be a lot better than it is.

 

How To Draw Viking Women  Here is a video made by a lonely man on how to draw Viking women.  As silly as it seems this is a pretty good video.  Vikings have made a large impact on fantasy art, especially in how the women are drawn.  Besides, everyone wants to know how to draw a smoking lady Viking.

 

Frank Frazetta Art (REALLY, REALLY COOL!)  Frank Frazetta could easily be the greatest artist ever.  This website provides a large gallery of his art.  It is obvious to see how he was influenced by Vikings.  Most of his men, and especially his women look thick and Nordic.  He drew the original Conan: The Barbarian comics, and has inspired and influenced countless fantasy artists over the years.  This website is amazing.

 

Tolkein’s Sigurd & Gudrun Trailer  I always thought having trailers for books was kind of a weird idea, but alas, here is one for Tolkien’s previously unpublished book on Sigurd and Gudrun.

 

Thor Comic Book Cover Art  This website is really awesome.  You can see every cover of Marvel Comics Thor.  This is cool because you can see a bunch of different artists interpretation of Thor over the years.  You can see how he has evolved.  How the picture of Thor has changed over the years, how it has stayed the same.

 

Norse Inspired Art  A page about Norse-inspired art. This is mostly a collection of links, but seems to provide a good overview of more recent art depictions with links to both biographical information about the artists and pictures of the pieces themselves.

 

Odin and Friends  The “Odin and Friends” web comic. A current comic based on the lives and myths of the Old Norse gods but, with modern twists like pirates and Halloween parties—an original reinterpretation of Viking mythology.  

 

The Odinist Fellowship  A brochure printed in the UK by modern Odin worshippers explaining their interpretation of the Old Norse religion and how they follow that today—kind of a frequently asked questions page for Odinists.

 

European Ancestral Religion  A more extensive explanation of modern Odin worship, this groups sees things a little differently than the Odinist Fellowship, this group seems more focused on finding its own ancestral religion than on using it as a political tool like some Odinist groups.

 

Odin’s Gift  Not very well organized (pages look like one big collection of links), this site contains

modern “poetry” based on Norse mythology and sometimes in the style of Viking poetry as well as links to other publications containing modern Viking poems.

 

Northvegr Foundation  A site that claims to strive for a greater understanding of Old Norse gods and religion in order for the religion to be practiced again today, this site makes it very clear that they are not a white supremacist group and has some interesting articles about Viking religion and what it means today.

 

The Ydalir Vikings  Claiming to be the UK’s oldest and largest re-enactment group, their site has information about reenactments, reenacting, and has even named themselves the “Ydalir Vikings.” Discusses the group’s modern understandings of what Viking life was like and how they apply that to their lives today.

 

The Viking Dad  Definitely an original take on what is “Viking.” Based on the premise that a 10^th century Viking somehow survived and is now living in the suburbs, it is a tongue-in-cheek blog that plays on our modern perceptions of Vikings for humor.

 

Horned Helmets?  This is a paper by a professor of medieval history in Brazil attempting to trace the origin of the false depictions of Vikings with horned helmets. While not reaching a definite conclusion, the author does show how a mythologizing of Vikings through popular culture (such as Wagner’s opera) may have contributed to this alteration in paintings of Vikings.

 

BBC News Article  A news article about how perspectives on Vikings have shifted over the years, tracing changes in Britain’s mindset to the time of Queen Victoria’s reign. It is a helpful look at how the history of Vikings is told and retold based on the current “feeling” toward Vikings.

 

Modern Versions of The Volsunga Saga  An introduction to the Saga of the Volsungs and how it has been used in other works of art, such as Wagner’s Ring Cycle and J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. It’s a helpful site to begin analyzing the appearances of Norse myth in later works.

 

Vikings in Popular Culture  This is a brief article that gives an overview of Vikings in popular culture. It addresses the way Vikings are used in sports, music, and movies as symbols of masculinity. The article is short and does not give much background for what is being said.

 

Sagnlandet Leire (Land of Legends)  The website of a tourist attraction in Denmark called Sagnlandet Lejre (Land of Legends). It contains sites where the Viking lifestyle is reenacted as well as activities for visitors to do that give an idea of authentic Viking lifestyles.

 

Outlander  The website for the movie “Outlander”. This site discusses how the film places a monster from space into historical Viking society. The concept was based on the story of Beowulf and the fights with Grendel. The article is an interesting look at how science fiction was crossed with Viking mythology.

 

Northan Jewelry  A jeweler in Germany who makes silver jewelry designed after pieces found in burial mounds and graves that trace back to the Viking age. The pieces are modeled in wax and cast in silver by artisans in Denmark.

 

Why are Vikings so Popular?  This is a well-designed and aesthetically pleasing website that asks the question, “Why are Vikings still popular?” By looking at the history of this group, it begins to answer why Vikings are so prevalent in modern culture. The site also contains some photos and links to video and audio clips.

 

Viking Death Metal  This paper is a great analysis of the appearance of Vikings in death metal music. The author provides information on the most popular Viking Metal bands today and has researched the way that each has used Viking culture and mythology as themes in its music.

 

New York Times on Viking Death Metal  This article speaks on the subject of Viking death metal music and specifically the band Enslaved. The article emphasizes the ties between the band’s Viking themes and their Norwegian roots.

 

Viking Gear  Providing “Viking-Gear Norse Force Apparel Jewelry Battle-Gear Armour and Accessories for the Modern Day Viking Warrior,” this site is interesting from the standpoint of looking at our modern interpretation of Viking artifacts.

 

Norse Mythology in popular culture  This sight begins with an explanation as to what Norse mythology is in brief.  It continues into an explanation of a thought behind its incorporation into modern society.  Then it bridges into Neopaganism and Norse mythology within some new Religions, including listing and linking to Wikipedia’s own sights on those religions.  It then begins to discuss that which the bulk of this authors project would be about, modern examples of entertainment, which contain Viking roots.  This list is by no means comprehensive but it is quite thorough in its own right.

 

The Vikings in Popular Culture  This sight begins with a brief review of who Vikings are.  Although it is mostly accurate it doesn’t go very in depth into the subject.  The page continues to give a brief example and explanation of Vikings in sports, music and movies. This page is lacking in more than an opinion content that would be appropriate to contrast with other such pages in order to come to a conclusion as to why and how Viking culture is still active.

 

Vikings Popular Culture  This article is a brief review of the history of the integration of Viking culture into the popular culture of modern age.  Beginning with a litany of books written within the last century.  It then shifted gears into a recounting of the major motion pictures created about Vikings, in order of creation.  The article ends upon the invention of the Football team from Minnesota of the same name and the reasons to which it was named such.

 

“Movies” and “Music”

This web-page is less of an article and more of a listing of movies and music that goes beyond what Wikipedia has available.  Each movie listed gives a link to a place where said movie can be accessed, whether it’s to see in theaters or to buy from a web-sight.  Each has an opinion based annotation attached to it.  The music section is nothing more than a list of names for bands and again an opinion based annotation.

 

Vinland Saga  This is a Manga (Japanese Comic book) based loosely on Norse life during the age of Vikings.  It, as many sagas, has many historical figures and events but much of the actual story may or may not be true. 

 

Brat-Halla  An amusing romp through the Asgard cosmology.  This is an american web comic based loosely upon the gods and goddeses of not only but primarily the Norse mythology and the gods that inhabit it. 

 

Odin’s Volk Astaru  This is a revival sight for old Pre-Christian religions of northern Europe.  It is full of reinterpretations of many of the Old Norse Myth’s as well as their principles and symbols.  They even go so far as to make comparisons to other Pre-Germanic based religions.

 

Large Selection of Viking Gear Norse Force Jewelry  As the name say’s it’s a selection of Viking jewelry, odds and ends.  There’s really only a few items with a broad selection in variance.  Primarily consisting of variances of Thor’s hammer.

 

Modern Vikings Lead Double Life  This is an article about modern Viking Re-enactors in Moscow Russia.  It covers a bit about a specific re-enactment group before going into similar groups in general.  It covers a few of the group (Silver Wolf) and their policies. 

 

Viking today Magazine  This is a magazine dedicated to Vikings and the history behind them.  It also covers a large amount of Viking culture that is being rebuilt or re-enacted in modern day.  The magazine also covers subjects related to Vikings and their decedents in modern day.

 

Monty Python: Spam  YouTube video. A skit which somehow makes a connection between Vikings and spam. The Vikings seem to greatly enjoy the spam, and the spam has something to do with their successful conquests.

 

The Justice Friends  YouTube video. The Justice Friends was a segment that sometimes aired during the cartoon Dexter’s Laboratory. One of its heroes is Valhallan, a play on rock band Van Halen and Valhalla. Valhallan vanquishes his foes with his mighty axe (electric guitar) and rides across the heavens in his goat-driven chariot.

 

Viking Culture and RPGs  This website is about how one would create a game world (either for role-playing card/dice games or maybe computer games) in order to simulate a realistic viking culture but still have a playable game. Such things are mentioned as the ships vikings used, runes, and the social aspects of viking culture.

 

On the Vikings and Greenland: Watts Up With That?  This page is about a farm which was found in greenland above the present day treeline by two hunter back in the early 20th century. Many viking items were found there such as hinges, sheep combs, and other small metal trinkets.

 

Hurstwic: What Happened to the Vikings?  This page is about triggers and indicators of the end of the viking age, such as the end of raiding due to possibly better fortifications and defenses which better repelled the viking attack style. Also, the ranks of the vikings began to be more politicized as opposed to honor-based.

 

Ydalir Vikings - Re-enactment in Manchester  This site is a homepage for a large group of Viking era re-enactors in Manchester. It gives very detailed accounts of how they strive to keep things realistic (as well as safe) and has good pictures/descriptions about their past meetings.

 

How Vikings Changed the English Language: Spelling - My Little Norway  This site deals with the way that the language in Norway has changed over the past 1000 years, from the time of the vikings to present day Norwegian. This is interesting to me because my great grandparents came from Norway and my grandmother used to talk about which relatives spoke new norwegian or old norwegian.

 

Random thoughts on Norway  Some reflections on history - Scandinavian influence on the British Isles This specific blog entry is about how the vikings affected their part of the world in ways which lasted far after their reign. Genealogy, intermarriage, and their trading politics and settlements are discussed.

 

The Viking Rune: Norse Vikings and All Things Scandinavian  This site has a lot of different pages describing both the viking age and scandinavia in the post-viking age. A few of the sites I perused were on runes and symbols, and also how viking cooking has persisted to the present.

 

Viking Era Long Swords?  This is a forum topic; however, there do seem to be a few trusted sources weighing in on the question of whether viking used 2-handed swords or not. Following this is a discussion of how viking swords evolved into later weapons of war for the anglo saxons and japanese.

 

Spirit Pond Rune Stones  This website details some runestones that were found in Maine in the 1970s. Although they are purported to be a hoax, they are still housed in the Maine State Museum as no proof for either real or hoax has been discovered as of yet.

 

Hafnarfjordur  This site is the homepage of a town in Iceland which hosts an 'international viking festival' every year. They have a replica of a viking hall and serve viking era food and drink for that authentic viking experience.

Anna Russell on Wagner’s “Ring Cycle”  Anna Russell is a classically trained British singer turned comedienne. This thirty-minute analysis of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, covers not only the Ring Cycle’s plot, but also introduces the major motifs used by Wagner in the opera. It is also incredibly hilarious. Part One, Part Two, Part Three

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Odin’s Gift: Norse Heathen Poetry and Songs

  Michaela Macha has taken his love for Viking culture to a new height. His website is devoted to Norse poetry and songs written not only by actual Norsemen, but himself and other contemporary “poets” as well. There is a section entitled, “Poems: Norse Historical & Classical Poetry” which actually has real examples of Norse poetry, but most of the site is dedicated to his numerous works. It is an interesting look at how Viking culture intrigues and inspires many people in today’s world.

 

Vikings Popular Culture  This site describes some ways that Viking culture has been integrated with contemporary times. It is a good point to expand on if looking for information on contemporary views on Vikings, including books written, sports teams, and other occurrences in the modern world.

 

Civilization III: Play the World  The game Civilization III is made for PC and Mac and apparently the Viking world is included. This site gives some historical background to Vikings as well as explains the different character brought in for this game, the berserker (with moving berserker graphic included).

 

Trove of Valhalla Viking Jewelry (or Jewellery)  Viking art has inspired many sites selling recreated versions of Viking jewelry. This is one of those websites. “The Vikings concealed hoards of ornaments and silver believing that what was buried would be enjoyed in the afterlife.  Through archaeological finds of treasure-trove, we can experience the wonders of the Viking age, which we have re-created here in this unique range of pendants.”

 

Valoric:The Viking Commando  The Viking Commando is a DC comic character first introduced in All-Out War #1 in 1979. “The Viking Commando was Valoric, a Viking who'd been taken before his time and, at Odin's command, returned to Earth in post-D-Day World War Two. Fey, a Valkyrie who loved him, was sentenced to shadow him until he truly perished. Recruited to fight the modern equivalent of the Huns, the Viking Commando became a force to be reckoned with. It's unknown when Valoric finally met his end.”

 

The Quarter—What’s YOUR Viking Name?  This website is a very stereotypical look at Viking culture. The more badass you are in real life, the more badass your Viking name will be. I am Kaðlín Sheeptipper—I need to, “Try to be more like a Viking.”

 

Viking Inn | Nordic Inn Medieval Brew and Bed  This is the home site of the Viking Inn, a Minnesota bed a breakfast began by Steinarr Elmerson (AKA “The Crazy Viking”). It boasts Viking-themed rooms, an interactive Viking dinner theater, and the complete Viking experience: "Raid" through the night in full Viking attire. "Pillage" the 4 Viking hors d'oeuvre trays from land, sea, and hearth. "Burn" (optional- in designated areas only). "Honor" the Viking Virtues - It won't take long, there aren't many of them. "Battle" through challenges to earn your Viking name.

 

Viking – Battle for Asgard  This is a game trailer for another video game based of Viking culture. It depicts Vikings as nothing but blood-thirsty war mongers in search of honor and revenge. It promises, “The bloodiest war of vengeance and brutality ever.”

 

Too Human Video Game  This is pretty much the most badass looking game ever. Too Human takes place in a sort of futuristic Viking world. All of the characters are named after Viking gods and the costuming has some Viking features. Also, the trailer has unmistakable similarities to Beowulf.

 

Lore and Saga A Living History site, with a Viking section. Gives details on Viking art with silver and bone, on Viking ships, and on the Viking museum Lofotr. Only a brief overview, but it has excellent accompanying photos of models and reenactment.

 

 

 

Viking ShieldAuthentic Viking products for sale, everything from weapons and army to jewelry and coins. Also, which is of more interest, the site features Viking clothing, including boots, drinking horns, and statuettes of Norse gods, products which many other sites do not have.

 

 

 

Odin’s Gift A collection of hilarious Viking-spoof songs and poems, some re-telling myths like Thrym’s marriage, others “to the tune of” popular songs. Many contributors. Excellent humor, especially for those who are familiar with Norse mythology and can understand the inside jokes.

 

 

 

Stigombord I didn’t have the right Internet capabilities to get a good look at this site, because it uses a lot of new technology. It’s a Danish site (also in English) on the reconstruction of Viking ships, with videos, animations, and 3D models.

 

 

 

LA Opera Ring A fascinating and bizarre site by the LA Opera about their production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Of greatest interest, under Multimedia, are a collection of photos of the production. The design concepts are incredibly unique. It’s interesting to see what has become of the horned helmets and blond braids.

 

 

Norse Inspired Art A wonderful site full of Norse-inspired art, primarily paintings, by a variety of talented artists, primarily Norwegians. There are also a few of Arthur Rackham’s paintings, which are fun to see, given the influence they had on Tolkien and Lewis.

 

 

 

Glomesdal A Viking reenactment group site. This reenactment group is based in Oklahoma and Arkansas, but it has links to other, larger reenactment groups, including one in the UK. There is information about Living History events, some absolutely fascinating information on the Heavener Runestone in Oklahoma (of all places!), and stunning photo galleries.

 

 

 

Storholmen Another reenactment site, although this one is about an entire village of Viking reenactors who live Old Norse style every day. The village (which is in Sweden) hosts parties, gives tours, and accepts visitors from all over the world. It’s really fascinating to peak into this world; there is an article by an Australian guy who stayed there for a while too.

 

 

Isle of Man Viking Festival  This link takes you to the website of the Isle of Man Viking Festival; the site has video and photographs of previous festivals, as well as information on the Vikings of Mann re-enactment group and details of upcoming events.

 

Noggin the Nog YouTube video  This is a YouTube link to a video clip of the English children’s show about the Sagas of Noggin the Nog, which uses the theme/tradition of the Icelandic Sagas and makes them accessible to children.

 

Noggin the Nog  Site dedicated to the English children’s programme on the Sagas of Noggin the Nog.  The site has information about the origins of the series and about the different tales and characters featured in the series.

 

Jorvik Viking Centre  This is the site of the Jorvik centre in York, England.  The website provides information about the museum and how they have recreated the Viking settlement that was discovered beneath part of York, enabling visitors to experience what it would have been like in Viking York.

 

NOVA, explore a Viking village  This site from NOVA Online, has a series of videos which enable you to view, and effectively travel through a computer recreation of a Viking village, looking at different aspects such as the construction and design.

 

Illusions Gallery, Vikings and Valkyries  Although a shop, this site has images of Vikings and Valkyries in Pre-Raphaelite Art.

 

Painting History, Viking Raids  This site also has some images of Vikings in Pre-Raphaelite art and a brief write-up about the theme; how the History of the Vikings was taken up and portrayed by artists in the Romantic Movement.

 

The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie  This links to a site where the illustrations are influenced by the ‘The Rhinegold & the Valkyrie’, so it is more of a Germanic take on the Vikings.

 

Siegfreid and the Twilight of the Gods  This links to a site where the illustrations are influenced by the ‘Siegfried & the Twilight of the Gods’, so it is more of a Germanic take on the Vikings.

 

Turisas  Official website of the Finnish band Turisas, their history page gives a brief description of how they developed the Viking theme of the band.

 

 

 

Historical Viking Sites:

 

Sutton Hoo Society Website for the Sutton Hoo Society, created to support the researchers working on the Sutton Hoo Project. Though not heavily stylized, it is a well developed and thought out site with quite a bit in the way of information about the archeological site, as well as an interactive tour.

 

Timeless Myths A very detailed and easy-to-navigate site; it has a very clean and appealing layout. Provides summaries of all aspects of Norse and Teutonic mythology, including an excellent section on the sagas. It is brief but accurate. Very helpful, even if the grammar is a little sketchy once or twice.

 

The Viking Network Detailed, simple and familiar language; a little hard to navigate because of so many small sections within small sections. Provides a lot of information, from recipes for authentic Viking food to detailed accounts of Viking raids and battles.

 

Battle 1066 Very informative historical site. The Viking section is only one of many worth looking at. Its well-researched, 5-part, systematic discussion of many aspects of Viking history also includes a section of photos at the end. Written at a slightly higher, more academic level, but still easy to understand.

 

Vikings Denmark An interesting site with general information about Vikings, brief historical details, and a tragically brief summary of Norse mythology. It details the remains of Viking settlements in various locations around Denmark, and discusses Viking architecture, including runes, ships, houses, and towns. Not the world's most appealing site, but it has a wealth of excellent photographs.

 

Jorvik Viking Centre The website of a Viking museum based on the findings of the Coppergate Dig, where Viking structures and artifacts were uncovered around 1980. In the "About Vikings" section there are some fascinating details about how they reconstruct the appearance of Vikings from their remains.

 

Viking Ship Museum Part of a larger site on a Viking ship museum in Denmark. This section is about a reconstructed ship, the Sea Stallion, and its voyages in 2008 and 2007, including logbook details and diaries. The site also contains clear, accurate history and top-notch geographical details about the Vikings and their expansion.

 

Jörmungrund A thorough, philological site on Old Norse texts, poetry, and the language itself. The webmaster has compiled an exhaustive lexicon, and a mind-blowing section on kennings – he lists, categorizes, traces, and explains thousands of kennings found in Old Norse literature. The site also contains academic articles and side-by-side original Old Norse texts (Völuspá, Hrafnagaldur, etc.) and their English translations for comparison.

 

The Old Norse Language While it has a really annoying bar at the top, this is a great site for anyone interested in the Old Norse language. There are sections on all types of grammar, on pronunciation and phonetics, an up-coming section on etymology, and also upcoming beginning lessons in Old Norse. There is a lengthy wordlist too.

 

Viking Rune This site is stuffed full of fascinating articles about everything historical Viking, from DNA research based on Viking remains, to tattoos and symbols, to literal translations of runes, to obscure details about weaponry and sword-craft that I have not encountered anywhere else. Really a good find. The articles are well-written, short, engaging, and easy to read.

 

Ravensgard A huge, in-depth site that I cannot begin to fathom. The navigation page is divided into sections from the Norse language to art and crafts to archeology to technology – if you want to know about Viking tents or carts, you can find out here. There are links to other Viking sites, information on modern-day Viking off-shoots like neo-pagan religions and re-enactment groups, bibliographies of children’s books, embroidery techniques, online texts of Old Norse literature, information on Viking exploration…you name it, I bet you can find it here.

 

Anciet History Vikings  Of course we need BBC! Part historical articles, part building longships, part games. Talks about the role of women, various raids throughout Britian, etc.

 

Ancient Warriors: The Vikings  Ancient Warriors: The Vikings is another documentary that can be viewed in full on Youtube. This is much shorter than the Lost Worlds and is primarily a military history of the Vikings.

 

Hurstwic  This page is probably the best of the of a re-enactment group pages!  The site has some really useful articles about the daily life of the Norse, the Society of the Viking age, warfare, shipbuilding, language, and literature.

 

Lost Worlds: The Vikings  Lost World of the Vikings is a documentary that can be viewed in full on Youtube. The History Channel shows us the Lost World of the Vikings and the advances and technology of the Nordic culture.

 

 Missgien.net  This site is okay, but as nice as others. This site contains a very short history of the Vikings, the Netherlands, Rorik, Leif Eriksson, Erik the Red, Vinland, L’Anse aux Meadows, and Dorestad. The most basic mythology is shown. There is a tiny, tiny blurb about female s, but it is the same as anywhere else.

 

 Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland  This is a search engine for archaeological finds in Scotland. One has to look through the lot of Viking search results, but it gives a good insight into the burial practices of the Vikings in Scotland. Also many of the documents list everyday items that were buried with the Viking settlers and raiders.

 

 The Vikings  The Vikings was an action/adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer in 1958, produced by and starring Kirk Douglas, and based on the novel The Viking by Edison Marshall. The following link is a short excerpt from the movie on Youtube.

 

 The Vikings  The Vikings is a web site that gives a lot of good information on the Vikings as they actually were. It is a good place to start to get some generalized information on them if you are unfamiliar with their culture.

 

 Norse inspired Art  The following web site is a collection of artwork throughout history that has been inspired by the Vikings. It also contains some illustrations from Snorri’s Sagas.

 

 The Viking Rune  This website has a wealth of information on the “Norse Vikings and all things Scandinavian.” This is another excellent site to introduce one to the Vikings.

 

 Write your Name in Runes  This web site, although a tad gimmicky and cheesy, does give the basic definitions of the Viking Runes. It is on the PBS web page, so I figure that it must be somewhat historically accurate.

 

Vikings!  A kind of plain and dull site, but provides some decent information on Viking life.  There are descriptions and pictures of their ships, descriptions of how they were built and how they were used.  Also talks about Vikings abroad, trading, and even Viking law.

 

 More Vikings!  A plain site, but full of good information.  The site goes through the different Norse Gods and their roles in mythology.  Also discusses the etymology of the word Viking, which I haven’t yet seen in a Viking site.  Provides historical records and maps of Viking journeys.

 

 Explore Vikings!  Not a great site, but provides a description of Vikings and some links to some more Viking sites.  It does offer some Viking activities like cook a Viking meal, make Viking clothes, or make a Viking ship model.

 

 Vikings During the Medieval Warm Period  This website offers some interesting insight into the effect of the climate on Viking traveling.  Like a lot of other sites it shows routes Vikings took when traveling, but presents the idea that such routes and traveling only took place due to the warm climate.

 

 The Viking Sunstone  A small ugly Viking page that gives two sides to the discussion on whether or not Vikings used what is called a Sun-Stone.  Supposedly the Vikings would use polarization of skylight to direct themselves, since magnetic compasses didn’t yet exist.  Offers fair arguments for both sides.

 

 The Fate of Greenland’s Vikings  A wordy article from Archaeology Magazine about the fate of Vikings in Greenland.  There are interesting pictures to go along with the interesting text.  One of the better articles on Vikings that I found.

 

 51 Headless Vikings Found In English Execution Pit  Super cool article from National Geographic about 51 headless Viking bodies found in an execution pit.  A picture is included.  I wish the article were longer and provided more pictures, but the story is cool nonetheless.

 

 Enyclopedia Mythica: Thor  A short page with some information on Thor The God of Thunder.  It is short, but concise, and gives a decent understanding of who Thor was and why he was important without wasting anytime.  

 

 UCLA’s Viking Site  This site looks similar to what our site is trying to achieve.  A collection of links to the Sagas.  Links to articles about Vikings.  Links to videos about Vikings.  This site really provides one with access to a lot of cool things.  Worth one’s while.

 

BBC Student Viking Site  A BBC site about Vikings for elementary-age children. It addresses the very basics of historical Viking life, covering basic facts about who they were, what everyday life was like, their beliefs, and what happened to them. A good overview that includes a timeline and glossary.

 

The Vikings  While it has fairly good categories and information, the layout is headache inducing has too many sub-categories on the main page for them to really be useful

 

Arile Hauge's Runes  Mostly focues on runes from different countries, but also has good information about the social structure of the Vikings, addressing family hierarchy and social order as well as political structures and raiding.

 

Viking Reenactment Society  As a site intended to be a resource for re-enactors, it provides information about ancient Viking life in specific ways—how big were their tents, how did they dye their clothes—useful for specifics like that.  

 

 Jorvik Viking Village  A site promoting an historical Viking town which has been recreated, it also provides information about everyday Viking life based on their research and excavations. The notes about Viking clothing and even the origins of the word “Viking” are clear and specific.

 

 Viking Food  Focuses on what the Vikings ate as well as providing a context for their food. How they obtained their food, what they ate when, and how it was prepared. Provides links to more information and a glossary—a nice overview.

 

 More Viking Food  Basically a list of what food items from the Viking period that archeologists have found and where and was created to aid in organizing historically accurate feasts. Very basic information, but still useful with more links provided for more information.

 

 The Viking Network  Not very useful at all. While easy to navigate, it barely provides any information and the information it does provide is very basic. It would be useful to elementary teachers, however, because it provides a couple of quiz templates and activities that would teach research skills as well as information about the Vikings.

 

 The Vikings on Thinkquest  Detailed and easy to navigate. The site discusses the culture, lifestyle, religion, weaponry, and ships of Medieval Vikings in an easy to follow manner that also discusses how these things changed throughout the Viking period.

 

 Vikings in the Netherlands  Useful and easy to navigate. Addresses general Viking history, settlements, mythology, the role of women, and some recent discoveries of Viking jewelry. It provides a good overview of history and the historical context of the Vikings.

 

 Modern Vikings  This web page is a cooperative of Alaska, The Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.  The goal is to help students and teachers to communicate about Vikings and share their knowledge.

 

Old Norse Name Formations  Just as the title says this is an attempt to give a comprehensive list of prefixes and suffixes for names.  It also attempts to explain the reasoning behind the names as well as the way names were constructed.

 

Learning Old Norse: Some suggestions  This sight is a simple listing of resources with brief annotations.  Only listing a few print materials as well as a small number of web based resources available for self-directed research. 

 

Drunk Norse Mythology  This is the story of how Odin got his horse.  A story told by a drunk man.  A hilarious retelling of the story told almost as if told by a real Viking over a fire to his children.  It has a number of amusing, if poorly drawn, pictures interspaced within the narrative. Warning: Foul Language.

 

Norse Mythology  Encyclopedia Mythica is an astounding resource for mythic information.  It has entire sections built specifically for various different cultures.  This includes the Norse cosmology as well as basic mythos.  There is a full alphabetic listing of almost every Norse mythological figure included.

 

 Midgard  This is a interesting Wiki article from the New World Encyclopedia.  Like most other wiki style articles it contains an abundance of information.  This specific article is wholly about Midgard and its link to the other realms. 

 

Norse Mythology  This is an interesting sight with a massive list of Viking mythology, all alphabetically listed in an easy to use sidebar.  This sight also has a small number of different Sagas and legends available as resources.  Beyond the basic this sight has a listing of the Viking Runes as well as what they supposedly mean.

 

Ragnar’s Viking Page   A short and simple webpage attempting to cover what most others haven’t covered.  How well it accomplishes this is up to you to decide.  It does cover basics of Viking literature as well as some basics on Runes and where they fit in.

 

Vikings invade pop culture with style!  While at first you may think that this article is about how Vikings have infiltrated the modern world it is more about where in the modern world you can find things about Vikings.

 

 Swedish Viking History and Mythology  This site by a university in Sweden gives a fairly basic summary of Viking history and mythology, particularly related to Sweden. The section on mythology is essentially a summary of Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda. The site is simple, easy to read and navigate, but also contains frequent spelling errors.

 

Viking Shoes  A paper written about the construction of Viking shoes. Several good pictures of authentic shoes are shown, as well as patterns and instructions so that you can make your very own pair!

 

 Sigurd Carving  A site with depictions of a carved door in Norway that depicts the story of Sigurd slaying the dragon Fafnir. The site is basic, but gives a good short outline of the story with the accompanying carvings from the door.

 

 University of Pittsburg  This is a site of links to other websites that provide information on countries that speak Germanic languages. While the list is not annotated, many of the links are good places to start when looking for information on a certain country’s Viking history.

 

 Lyrics Freak  This is a nice website that gives an introduction to the historical Vikings. It contains information on their history and culture, the gods, the sagas and portrayals of Vikings in later ages. While fairly basic, the site gives a solid jumping-off point for studying Norse culture.

 

 Denmark  The official website for the country of Denmark contains this section about the history of Denmark during the Viking age. It gives a good depiction about what life in Denmark during the Viking age would have looked like.

 

 Northvegr  A massive index of links to Norse texts, scholarly articles and websites on Norse history. While much of the information is useful and quite detailed, it takes a lot of time and determined effort to find the information you are looking for.

 

 American-Scandinavian Foundation  The website of the American-Scandinavian Foundation. This site focuses on the historical accuracy of the stories of Viking travels to America. It provides some good background for what are the current misconceptions about Vikings in America.

 

 PBS Programming  Two hours of NOVA programming on Vikings that aired in 2000. The site includes video clips on Viking ships, villages, runes, the Viking diaspora, and an analysis of who the Vikings were.

 

 Essay on Historical Vikings  This essay is a researched look at the historical Vikings. The author quotes several primary sources to back up her points and also includes some maps of the Viking territory. It’s easy to follow and quite

helpful.

 

 The Vikings  This site is pretty bare bones but has some good linked information as well as original information. It is interesting how it is broken up into different topics, being Travelers, Raiding, Trading, Settling other lands, and Everyday Life. This may be a good way to apportion our own site.

 

 Vikings in America  This site doesn't contain a plethora of knowledge but what it does present is archaeological finds in North America that point to viking settlement, specifically in Greenland and Newfoundland. It is a good source of actual, physical evidence for viking settlement in North America rather than relying on possibly unreliable literature or cultural stories.

 

 VIKINGS!  This site is small but has good information mainly based on how viking ships were made to explore long distances and shallow areas. It delves a little into viking life but not far, and also lacks links to the outside.

 

 Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga  This website is administered by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and serves as a virtual museum for an exhibit which in the past has toured museums nation-wide. It is a very good site for focusing on the Viking's settlement of North America.

 

 Jorvik Home  This site is the web presence of a museum in the United Kingdom. During construction in the 1960s historical viking artifacts and remnants of architecture were found. Realizing this was a rare find, the historical society of the area made it into an educational museum.

 

 Hurstwic: Viking History  This site is an incredible resource for basically anything related to viking living and culture. There are numerous sections such as Society, Martial Arts, and Daily living, each containing many articles which are written clearly and complete with descriptive pictures and blueprints.

 

 Viking History  This website is published by an associate professor, presumably of archaeology. He has many very detailed descriptions of artifacts found which date to the viking age and describes what they would be used for, as well as having video clips of all angles of them.

 

 The Strongbow Saga Viking Site: Viking Use of Archery  This site is a rather lengthy paper on use of archery in Viking times. It doesn't cite any scientific/peer reviewed literature but it does include a few footnotes citing viking literature and also calls upon archeological evidence as well to support its claim of archery being used in viking times.

 

 Viking Unst Homepage  This site is dedicated to a reconstruction effort going on in Shetland, a small chain of islands in the United Kingdom that was on the way from scandinavia to Iceland. Evidence has been found here that indicates Vikings used it as a stopover on the journey to Iceland. The group that publishes the website wants to preserve some of the architecture left over and make it into a learning experience.

 

 VIKINGS  This site is report-style but includes a lot of information and numerous links. A small part of the site seems dedicated to debunking myths from popular culture (vikings and horned helmets, vikings and not being very hygienic). It's layout is hard on the eyes (a simple report written up) but it is very complete in creating a basic understanding of the viking world. 

 

BBC’s Viking Quest: An Epic Tale of Loot and Legend  The game of 'Viking Quest', takes you back to AD 793. Your Viking “chief” gives you a challenge so you must build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home before one of your rivals does. It is similar to a Viking themed Oregon Trail. All of your success depends on what decisions you make while travelling. The game goes over some interesting cultural information, like how to build a long ship, but does not have much use other than that.

 

The Vikings  This website is a good beginning outline of information on Viking culture. The topics covered (Religion, Life, Ships, Warfare, and Exploration) are accurate, but brief. No deep research could be done with this site, but it is well organized. This site outline uses exemplary organizational technique that would be a perfect starting point for more in depth information.

 

Fröjel Gotlandica Viking Re-enactment Society  “We have put this data base together with the help of many people in the hope that it will be of use to you by providing good quality pictures of artifacts, accurate articles and a variety of links to other sources and people so you will be able to get an accurate picture of the Vikings.” From the bit of looking I did on the page, this is exactly what the Fröjel page does. It is a little difficult to navigate at first, but it is packed with historical information about the Vikings. I didn’t check out all of the links, but the few I did actually worked, even though the site hasn’t been updated in a couple years.

 

Battle of Hastings 1066  This is a comprehensive look at the Battle of Hastings. The site is organized into a timeline type format that takes a close look at all of the details surrounding this battle. This site gives more information on the Battle of Hastings then can be taken in in a single sitting. The link titled, “The Vikings” contains five “parts” that discuss culture and important events in Viking history, as well as a section of photographs.

 

NOVA Online / The Vikings  This site is a “companion website to "The Vikings," a two-hour NOVA program originally broadcast on May 9, 2000. The program examines a new, less barbarian image of the Norsemen based on recent archeological investigations.” On the site, you can explore a Viking village, examine who the Vikings were, learn about ships and tree rings (which scientists have used to date Viking ships), write your name in runes, and learn about the Viking Diaspora.

 

The Museum of Foteviken This is the website for the Museum of Foteviken with the Viking Reserve. The Viking Reserve is an area of Viking reconstruction and re-enactment. It includes historical recreations of ships and buildings, along with special articles about hola stones and Birka, a large Viking town in Sweden. It lends a look at authentic look at Viking life.

 

Hurstwic: Viking History Hurstwic is a re-enactment community of Viking culture. “One of the missions of Hurstwic is to educate the public on topics related to the Viking Age.” This section of the Hurstwic website contains comprehensive information on the Viking culture including daily living, society, manufacturing, the arts, myths, and religion of the Viking age. It also has a good resource list of Viking books separated by topic.

 

The Viking Interactive Web Site  This site boasts the honor of being, “the most exciting Viking site on the Web.” However, the only real reason to check out this site is the timeline. I’m not sure about the accuracy of the dates, but if correct, it shows a very detailed timeline, including, but not limited to, when important works of literature were written, boats were built, and people died.

 

Orthodox Christians in North America 1000 Years Ago  Written by Priest Andrew Phillips, this site explains how Christianity was accepted by the Vikings and came with Leif Ericsson to the New World. It talks about how Vikings stepped foot on America 500 years earlier. It is useful and scholarly if looking for information on the Vikings and America or religion.

 

The Norse Discovery of America Index  A more detailed account of the Vikings in America containing three books: I. Arguments and Proofs That Support the Claim of Norse Discovery of America, II. Icelandic Records, and III. The Norsemen in America.

 

Viking Age Club and Society This "Sons of Norway" page is another re-enactor's page. The best part is part of a book by James Freeman Clarke (1899) calledTen Great Religions. Chapter nine of the book is lengthy and hard to read, but it does have some interesting ideas and statement about the 19th Century view of the Viking Age.

 

The Viking Network IrelandContains archaeological site information, battles and raids in Ireland, and break down of certain Viking settlements. 

 

 

The British Museum, Viking Page  This link to the British Museum website enables you to take a virtual tour of some of the Museum’s Viking artefacts, providing information about the Vikings and about the artefacts themselves.

 

Viking World, The wild life of the Vikings  Although primarily a Danish site, ‘Viking World’ provides information on the Viking history of Denmark from references to the country in the Nordic Saga’s to the Danish Kings.  However the site does also have information on the history of the Vikings and the Viking world.

 

Viking Art  This site on Viking art provides photographic examples and information on different aspects of Viking art, from the different styles of Nordic art, to what they were used on.  The site provides information on decorative Viking art in addition to carvings.

 

 Fiske Icelandic Collection  This website, the home of the Fiske Icelandic Collection, provides access to ‘SagaNet’, a database of digital images of Icelandic and Norse manuscripts and books.  The website is in English and Danish, and although initially difficult to navigate, there are a series of search options available.   The site is perhaps most useful if you already have an idea what you are searching for, and if you are able to understand the Icelandic/Norse titles.

 

BBC Vikings  This easy to access website from the BBC contains information and activities relating to the Vikings in Britain.  The website is good in providing an introduction to the overall topic, and there are a series of interesting topics.  The activities also make the website accessible to children, introducing them in a fun way to the history of the Vikings.

 

Heimskringla  This site hold links to a number of texts relating to the Edda’s, Icelandic Saga’s and Skaldic poetry.  However, despite the welcome page being available in Danish and English, the text collections are in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic and Faeroese.  Therefore unless you are able to read these languages, you are dependent on using the toolbar to translate the text.

 

Jörmungrund  This is a link to the Jörmungrund website.  Although much of this website doesn’t appear to be in English, and it is at times difficult to navigate, there is an interesting section called the ‘Lexicon of Kennings’.

 

Orkneyjar  This site called Orkneyjar holds a variety of information about the heritage of Orkney.  In particular in the history section it refers to the Orkneyinga Saga, and the Viking Earls of Orkney.  The site also details information on traditions, place names and folklore.

 

Viking Archaeology Blog  This website, set up as a blog, has information about Viking archaeological sites as well as links to a number of sites relating to the Vikings, links varying from articles to Norse texts.

 

 Viking Ship Museum  This is the website for the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Denmark.  The site has information about the museum as well as some video clips of replica Viking ships.