The Viking's Haul

30/07/2025

The start of some more Crown Lynn. This and more will be added to the shelves over the next couple of days.

Also, this weekend, around 600 records will be out on Sunday, for the first time, This coincides with the woodville market and preparations for The Viking's Haul’s 20th birthday👍🥳🍻

28/07/2025

Trolls abound in the myths, legends & folklore of the far north and nowhere more so than in Norway. They come in all shapes & sizes, much like landvættir, but unlike landvættir, who protected the land, most trolls were once considered dangerous. Trolls were thought to live in the wilderness and in uninhabited places. Places that by their very nature were often inherently dangerous. Today, most are considered friendly and I was fortunate enough to see many, during my time over there.
I’ve put a few photos from my travels in Norway, in the comments down below⬇️

27/07/2025

We get all sorts of visitors, from many times and places. One of today’s more interesting visitors was local farmer, David, who had come into the village for a visit and to promote this, Woodville’s 150th year anniversary. Coincidentally, it’s also coming up to The Viking's Haul’s 20th!👍🥳

25/07/2025

At least 25 copies of the Gokstad ship…
…I wonder how many longships are now out there, in the world?🤔

An Armada of Gokstad Ships!

No Viking ship has been “resurrected” more often than the Gokstad ship! Our informal survey has uncovered no fewer than 25 copies of varying sizes built over the past 130 years.

The first to build a Gokstad replica was the legendary Magnus Andersen—the sea captain, adventurer, and eventually newspaper founder from Larvik (he founded Norges Handels- og
Sjøfartstidende, now Dagens Næringsliv). His Viking was fittingly built at Framnes in Sandefjord, launched in 1893, and sailed across the Atlantic and through the Great Lakes to the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago that same year.

Since then, they’ve come like pearls on a string—some full-scale, one even significantly larger than the original, others so small that the term "ship" hardly applies. Some have gained
fame and recognition; others met unfortunate and in one case tragic ends.

Read more: https://osebergvikingarv.no/eng/2025/07/25/an-armada-of-gokstad-ships/

25/07/2025

With all this cold weather, it pays to wrap up warmly!

24/07/2025

A lesson from Hägar: how to make telling the truth safe.

Thanks for this, Rob Bowden😊

19/07/2025

First, a once prosperous farm stead was found and then 30 graves, all from the Viking Age, at Lisbjerg, in Denmark. Many of the graves contain lavish grave goods and it is thought that they belong to the family & retainers from the farm, from a number of generations.
The finds just keep on coming!

Archaeologists were surprised to find 30 Viking Age burials in Denmark, and even more surprised by the extravagant grave goods found within them.

18/07/2025

Most of us are aware of the significance of cats in Viking Age society, thanks to their sacred status with Goddess Freyja. We also know of the prominence of wolves in Norse mythology, but what role did dogs play in Viking lives? As it turns out, dogs held considerable value, both as working companions and beloved pets, for our Viking ancestors.

Thanks to Hirst, for sharing this article with me👍😊

🔥 Check out more videos: The Nordic countries are home to some of the world’s most unique and fascinating dog breeds, each with a rich history and ...

17/07/2025

Has anybody lost a cat?

We’ve seen a long haired, dark tortoiseshell with a green harness, behind The Viking's Haul, opposite the public toilets in Woodville.

Because of the harness, I’m wondering if it’s escaped from someone in a campervan🤔

Ph. 0272068812 or 063764469.

16/07/2025

If you’re in the north of England, you might want to check out this exhibition, as well as the many other attractions that are available to see & experience in York. The exhibition is on now and runs until July 2027, covering 200 years of Norse history in northern England, from their arrival as invaders & settlers, through until Harald Hardrada’s abortive invasion that ended with the Battle of Stamford Bridge, in 1066.

The Yorkshire Museum's exhibition presents classic collections alongside never-before-seen artifacts.

11/07/2025

Georgette Heyer was an English author known for quality novels and short stories, particularly in the Regency Romance and crime Fiction genres. My grandmother had a lot of her books. Thus far, she has stood the test of time. I have traditionally always had a few of her books and they have steadily turned over.

When modern authors such as Philippa Gregory & Diana Gabaldon raised the profile of romantic historical fiction, publishers resurrected some older authors from this genre, republishing some of their books with fresh, new covers. Georgette Heyer and Jean Plaidy were two writers to benefit from this.

A little while ago, I realised that I was completely out of Georgette Heyer books, but now I’m pleased to say that this situation of lack has been remedied. I currently have a large collection of her books🥳📚