the way north

I’m pretty sure the pagan temple they showed in the last episode of Vikings was historically...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:47:57 -0400

I’m pretty sure the pagan temple they showed in the last episode of Vikings was historically inaccurate. It looked an awful lot like a stave church, which, while possibly based on earlier pagan architecture, was just as much based on the Romanesque style as well. A stave church like that wouldn’t have been built until a while after the Christianization of Scandinavia.

Gunnhild Sundli as Kristin Lavransdatter in the current...

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:29:17 -0400

Gunnhild Sundli as Kristin Lavransdatter in the current year’s outdoor production; Jørundgaard, Sel, Oppland

Entrance to the king’s fortress, Oslo, 1300s; art...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:30:19 -0400

Entrance to the king’s fortress, Oslo, 1300s; art by Karl-Fredrik Keller

Illustrations of Oslo in the 1300s; art by Karl Fredrik Keller

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:30:28 -0400

Illustrations of Oslo in the 1300s; art by Karl Fredrik Keller

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:30:19 -0400

Illustrations of Oslo in the 1300s; art by Karl Fredrik Keller

Mariakirken in Oslo, c. 1300; art by Karl Fredrik Keller

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 08:30:28 -0400

Mariakirken in Oslo, c. 1300; art by Karl Fredrik Keller

Maps of Oslo, 1300 A - Mariakirken - Church of St. Mary B -...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:54:09 -0400

Maps of Oslo, 1300

A - Mariakirken - Church of St. Mary
B - Kongsgården - King’s Fortress
C - Nikolaskirken - Church of St. Nicholas
D - Clemmenskirken - Church of St. Clement
E - Bispeborgen - Bishop’s Castle
F - Hallvardskatedralen - The cathedral of St. Halvard
G - Olavskloster - The monestary of St. Olav
H - Korskirken - The church of the cross
I - Gatene - Streets
J - Nonneseter Kloster - Nunnary
K - Franciskanerkloster - Monestary of St. Francis
L - Laurentiuskirken - Church of St. Lawrence
M - Teglverket - Brickworks
N - Vestre Strete - Western Street
O - Østre Strete - Eastern Street
P - Nordre Strete - Northern Street

“So they hurried there and found Mary and Joseph, and the...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:53:17 -0400

“So they hurried there and found Mary and Joseph, and the little baby lying in the crib.”

Bergen Museum has a rare collection of items from the middle ages collected from various churches. This view showing the “birth” is from Nes church in Sogn and dated to ca. 1310. The colors are well preserved 700 years after the picture was painted!

Entrance to Borgund stave church; Borgund, Lærdal, Sogn og...

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:12 -0400

Entrance to Borgund stave church; Borgund, Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane

Photo

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 08:30:13 -0400

Common blackbird (svarttrost); Yset, Hedmark

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 00:00:21 -0400

Common blackbird (svarttrost); Yset, Hedmark

isawatree: pine by Boris Bork

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 08:30:16 -0400

isawatree:

pine by Boris Bork

gloomytreehouse: Gol Stavkirke, Norway

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:30:12 -0400

gloomytreehouse:

Gol Stavkirke, Norway

History Channel Gets Vikings Precisely Wrong

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:06:00 -0400

History Channel Gets Vikings Precisely Wrong:

I just found this article about the history that the show deals with, and sure enough, it says many of the same things I said:

The problem — and this is serious in a series coming from a network that calls itself the History Channel — is that this is precisely the opposite of the political dynamic that was actually playing out in the Viking Age.

In the Viking Age, there was indeed an old tradition — but it was a tradition of freedom and democracy. And there were fresh new ideas about — but they were ideas of centralization and autocracy.

Again, I’m not sure this means the show isn’t worth watching, as long as we remember it’s fiction. If anything I hope it’ll get more people interested in this period and region so that they’ll read up on the real history.

Vikings on the History Channel

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:54:00 -0400

I’m really enjoying the Vikings show on the History Channel. I may just be displaying my ignorance here, but so far as I know this is one of the first dramatic narratives on television to feature the Scandinavians. I love that they aren’t shying away from the fact that Vikings were essentially pirates, and I’m enjoying the featuring of things and Norse mythology. (Did anyone else get a feeling of foreboding when Ragnar saw Odin? Since he’s such an ambiguous figure? As much an omen of bloodshed and catastrophe as he is of victory.)

However, I do think it’s necessary to note a few historical inaccuracies I’ve noticed so far. My research has been mostly in the medieval period, but I have read a little about the Viking Age, and I think it’s a little unfortunate that there are some pretty basic errors about the way Scandinavian society worked at that time on a show aired by the History Channel. (Then again, History has never been particularly known for its accuracy.)

A thing would have essentially been a democratic assembly, one in which cases were tried (as was shown in the first episode) and a lawspeaker gave a judgment. So there are three problems, so far as I can see, with how the thing was portrayed on the show: (1) Haraldson, who is an earl (the Old Norse term would be jarl), would not have played the role of a lawspeaker. A jarl was a sort of chieftain or local king (on a very small scale), just like Haraldson. However, a lawspeaker was a man chosen to recite the laws, provide judgment in criminal cases, and preside over the thing. He had no authority outside of the thing, and the office of lawspeaker would not be held by a jarl. (2) The decisions made at a thing were legislative and judicial in nature, but the thing had no executive power. It was up to the people to enforce the decisions that had been made. It would not have declared a death penalty; rather, it would have outlawed the man, and from there he would have been given a certain set amount of time to flee the country in safety, after which he could be legally killed by anyone who met him. (3) The decisions made at the thing were not the whims of a single man, neither a jarl or a lawspeaker. All sides of a case would be heard and deliberated, and the lawspeaker’s final judgment was the result of this essentially democratic process.
Another minor problem with the thing scene is that it’s held at Haraldson’s Great Hall, rather than at a thingstead, which was a neutral ground set aside for the holding of things. The shelters which people would use at the thingstead were not permanent buildings as shown in the show, but rather “booths” that would be set up anew each time a thing was held.
Though the raid on Lindisfarne was the beginning of the Viking Age, it was certainly not the first knowledge that Scandinavians had of England. The idea that they might have believed there were “no lands in the West” is absolutely false. (By the way, the description of England as “West” is not an error. Though it’s technically south of Scandinavia, they spoke of England, as well as the Faroes, the Hebrides, etc. as part of “the West”.)
Though Lindisfarne was indeed raided by Vikings, it is not known who conducted the raid. I suppose Ragnar Lodbrok is as good a candidate as any, but it’s not historically known. However, we do know that he was in England and met King Ælla in 840, while the Lindisfarne raid was in 793. This is a difference of many decades, while the show makes it seem like the two events happened in the same year, if not the same month or even week.
Finally, and this is a rather minor quibble, but I find it strange that Haraldson would be addressed thusly. Haraldson is a patronymic, and would have been used mainly to distinguish him from others who shared his given name. In the show it seems to be the only name he has.

Like I said, medieval history in Norway is really my strong point, not the Viking Age, so if any of this is wrong please don’t hesitate to tell me. Also, none of this is intended for the purpose of bashing the show or discouraging anyone from watching it. I’m really enjoying it, but knowing the real history behind it should make it more enjoyable.

Cairn at Litjvola, overlooking Sylane range; Sør-Trøndelag

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:35 -0400

Cairn at Litjvola, overlooking Sylane range; Sør-Trøndelag

varlys: Nesheimstunet, Voss Folkemuseum, Norway.

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 11:35:46 -0500

varlys:

Nesheimstunet, Voss Folkemuseum, Norway.

Stave church architectural design

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:30 -0500

Stave church architectural design

salmosalar: starry-eyed-wolfchild: Norsk Folkemuseum, 700...

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 08:30:32 -0500

salmosalar:

starry-eyed-wolfchild:

Norsk Folkemuseum, 700 years old

this is cool, yes.

Old barn and fireweed, Dørålen, Rondane National Park, Oppland

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:58:31 -0500

Old barn and fireweed, Dørålen, Rondane National Park, Oppland