The Viking's Haul

14/06/2026

If you’re planning a trip to Norway, what was the Viking Ship Museum (but is currently morphing into the Museum of the Viking Age), is still closed, but there are many other very good Viking museums well worth visiting.
Here are a few of them.

Are you fascinated by Viking history and culture? From reconstructed longhouses to original burial finds, these are the best Viking museums and Viking experiences in Norway to help plan your trip. For many visitors, Viking

13/06/2026

English, as a language, is a sponge: it soaks up words from all it encounters.

You speak Old Norse every day.

When Danish settlers put down roots in 9th century England, their language blended into English and never left. Sky, egg, knife, law, anger, they all came from the newcomers. Window began as vindauga, the "wind eye", the opening in the wall that let in light. Husband was húsbóndi, the master of the house.

Even the words they, their and them are Norse. Pronouns are among the rarest things any language ever borrows, yet English dropped its own forms and took the settlers' instead. Scholars count roughly six hundred Norse loanwords in standard English, with far more surviving in northern dialects.

The map remembers them too. Hundreds of English towns still wear Norse names: Grimsby, Derby, Whitby. Every -by and -thorpe marks ground where a Norse family once farmed.

The raids ended a thousand years ago. The words never went home.

Which of these words did you have no idea was Norse?

13/06/2026

A mixture, here.

12/06/2026

One of the most interesting characters in Norse Mythology is the giantess, Angrboda. For such a powerful and influential character - she is known as the Mother of Monsters for her birthing of her three children, Jormungandr (the World Serpent), Fenrir, the wolf and Hel, who became Goddess of the Underworld and ruler of the Dead, the three forces of chaos and destruction who, together with their father, Loki, instigate the end of the world and start of a new cycle - very little is actually known about her.

Known primarily for her role as the mother of monsters and partner of Loki, we try to delve deep into the enigmatic character of Angrboða.

12/06/2026

Mystery object. So, what is this?🤔

11/06/2026

Another boat built. So much of what building these ships is about is keeping the old knowledge, traditions & techniques alive. There’s even a strong element of experimental archaeology in there, too, as modern use patterns are used to compare with those found on ancient ship discoveries.
It is the same motivation that drives those who pass the knowledge down, from generation to generation, here in New Zealand, as Maori work to keep the art of waka building alive.

11/06/2026

We’ve recently had a big swag of woodturning books make their way into stock. For now at least, it would be the best such collection we’ve ever had, at any one time.

10/06/2026

Not everything is meant to be serious. Sometimes, you simply have to laugh😂

Thanks for this, Rob Bowden👍😊

They’ll say this image is fake.

They’ll say Vikings never wore helmets with horns.

They’ll say longships didn’t have Texas longhorn skulls on the prow.

They’ll say Norse villages weren’t covered in cattle horns from one end to the other.

And they’re absolutely right.

Sometimes it’s okay to put historical accuracy aside and imagine what might have happened if a group of Norse raiders had spent a little too much time in Texas. 🤣

Though if you start seeing longhorns on every Viking helmet from now on… we might have a problem.

🤠⚔️

10/06/2026

Made from the late 1920s through to the early 1930s, Royal Albert butterfly-handled cups are now pushing 100 years old, have become quite rare and are much sought after. This duo are in nigh on perfect condition!

There’s a link to it, in the comments, below⬇️

09/06/2026

During the Viking Age, the people had a formal way of settling disputes, via combat in a duel called a holmgang. Of course, there were also legal means, but they may take too long…