In the 1930s, a skeleton was discovered at the bottom of a well at the site of a medieval Norwegian fortress, severely injured and buried under large rocks. And to uncover his story, we need a combination of carbon dating, genetics,...

What if ancient myths are warnings for the future? Contemporary folklorist Lauren Fadiman explores how the Norse tale of Ragnarök may stem from real climate catastrophe, revealing how folklore preserves lessons of resilience and can...

When it comes to piecing together what happened to civilizations that no longer exist, it can be challenging to solve the mystery. But research into Angkor, the Akkadian Empire, and even the Norse of Greenland, is helping us see that...

New information has helped us understand where domestic horses came from. And by counting some tree rings, researchers were able to find evidence of Norse presence in the Americas in 1021 CE.

Horses have been human companions for thousands of years, and have been essential companions and tools for the development of human culture. So, it makes sense that horses would make their way into our most important stories. Today,...

With their navigational skills and advanced longships, the Vikings sustained their seafaring for over 300 years. But for all their might, they left few monuments. Instead, fragments of stone, bark and bone found in the sites of ancient...

New information has helped us understand where domestic horses came from. And by counting some tree rings, researchers were able to find evidence of Norse presence in the Americas in 1021 CE.

Metaphoric compounds, like the combination of the words wind and eye to represent a window, populated Norse and Old English. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel describe how this love of metaphor created the word window.

Whether we're talking all things unusual or mathematical, the origins of the word odd point to the Indo-European root uzdho, which means pointing upwards. Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel explain the evolution from the term for a triangle...

Norway's flag could have been VERY different

The research "debunks the modern image of Vikings."

Pupil outcome: I can understand how Burge uses Norse mythology to create a terrifying villain. Key learning points: - Odin is a Norse god who is associated with wisdom, poetry and death. - Odin sacrificed his eye in order to gain...

What is Greenland, and why is it called that if it’s mostly covered in ice? In this video, we explore the basics of Greenland—its location, history, geography, and why it matters today. Learn about the world’s largest island, how it was...

Modern trolls, lurking on social media, harass and antagonize others while concealing their identities are much like their ancient counterparts who hid in dark, isolated spaces. Rooted in Scandinavian folklore, trolls originally...

What do the Sagas of the Icelanders and Game of Thrones have in common? Dr. Zarka answers this question and explores how the draugr, Nordic undead monsters, bear a striking resemblance to the White Walkers—and more importantly, how these...

In this episode we find out the turtle's name!

In this video, the speaker explores the impact of the Vikings on the English language. From the words they left behind to the influence on pronouns, verbs, and place names, the Vikings played a significant role in shaping the English...

A Norse woman explains what every-day life was like for them and describes the many chores they had to carry out; some were lucky enough to have a slave to help them.

In this episode we examine the topic: Is Marvel's Loki Accurate?

Ten-foot spears, three-foot shields, and a thousand raving warriors - Viking combat was brutal, bloody, and often deadly. Whether raiding a defenseless monastery to haul off gold and jewels or lining up to battle a rival army, Vikings...

This video is part two of the eye witness account of the raid on the Lindisfarne monastery; thankfully the Vikings never destroyed the Lindisfarne Gospels which still exist today.

A Saxon warrior describes what he saw at the battle of Stamford Bridge, and how it began with a conversation between Harold Godwinson and his brother Tostig who had sided with the Viking King Harald Hardrada

A Viking shipbuilder describes a Viking ship: what it's made from and the various parts of the ship such as the keel, the prow, the stern, strakes, keelson and mast fish

This short video a Viking shipbuilder describes the finished ship; he explains how the crew fix their shields to the side of the ship and sit on their own sea chests to row and of course a special mention of the dragon's head on the prow...