Viking Age Britain 800-1100
‘From the fury of the Northmen, Oh Lord, deliver us.’ The Vikings (aka Northmen) burst on the scene in Britain in the late 8th century. In 793 the ‘heathen destroyed God’s church on Lindisfarne by rapine and slaughter’. In that year ‘immense…
Vikings: Lawless or Law-Abiding?
Believe it or not, the Vikings, that is, the Norse, were very law-abiding. Norse law was customary, handed down orally from one generation to the next. Changes were discussed and the law was recited at a Thing or assembly. If there…
Duffus Castle: A Little Subsidence Problem
A few castles existed in Britain before the Norman Conquest (1066) such as Ewyas Harold in Herefordshire) and Clavering in Essex, built by Norman favourites of Edward the Confessor in the last years of the Old English kingdom. The English…
The Banshee – A’Bhan-sìthe
The word ‘fairy’ does not translate sìth well at all well. You know that old expression ‘lost in translation? Well, ‘fairy’ is the ultimate understatement. The sìthichean have awesome powers and should be treated with great respect. People can repel the fairies with iron…
Viking Myth: The Poetic Edda
Viking Poetry– Important! In the Viking Age, anything important was composed in poetry. Poetry! And you thought poetry was for wimps. Most of what is known about Norse mythology is found in the Poetic Edda, about 35 poems written in Icelandic…
