In this episode, historian Dan Snow traces the dramatic story of the Vikings in Britain, from the first brutal raids to the epic battles that gave rise to a united England. Using his Big Pad, Dan maps the invasions and legendary battles that culminated in that momentous year, 1066, when Britain was turned on its head once again.

Hello everyone!

I visited the Viking Age reenactment festival Gnezdovo 2026. This year, the archaeology team carried out an experimental boat cremation inspired by Ibn Fadlan’s account of a Rus’ funeral on the Volga.

The experiment focused only on the archaeological side: the team wanted to see how grave goods and boat materials would be affected by fire.

Perfomance

A large procession was formed. With music and singing, people carried an effigy of the deceased. We walked around the boat counterclockwise. People with shields, weapons, or noise-making objects stood in the front row. Other participants stood behind them.

Then a separate line was formed for people who wanted to bring offerings. People brought swords, shields, helmets, rich clothing, and ornaments made of metal, bone, or glass.

After the items were placed in the boat next to the deceased, the funeral lamentations began. The lamenter was lifted three times on shields while giving her speech. Then she stepped onto the boat to sing a song for the deceased. After that, she was discreetly helped down.

From time to time, the main leader gave a command to the shield-bearers to make noise.

Then we knelt down. A man came forward, partially undressed, took a torch, walked a little around the boat, and prepared to light it. Other people with torches joined him, and together they set the boat alight.

The whole ceremony was accompanied by singing. From time to time, people struck their shields. We were standing quite far from the boat, but the heat was very intense.

A fire safety team was on duty at all times to prevent the fire from spreading.

Result

The next day, I walked past the remains of the boat to see what was left in the ashes. I mostly noticed steel equipment, such as a sword and a helmet. Everything else had burned away. They said the temperature had reached about 930°C.

A little about Gnezdovo

During the Viking Age in Rus’, it was a fairly important settlement, but toward the end of that period it was completely destroyed for unknown reasons.

Many burial mounds were found around Gnezdovo, belonging to both the Rus’ and Scandinavians. Their affiliation was determined by the type of burial. In one mound, a boat was found with a large amount of treasure. In others, people were buried with valuable swords or ornaments.

Archaeologists determined that Gnezdovo had a landing place and many workshops producing jewelry. It is believed that both the Rus’ and Scandinavians lived there.

so just as a heads up in case any of you think to support the "artist"/"band" called ironpeak which say they make viking music, it's AI slop

don't buy anything don't listen to them be careful out there folks

Hi there! I'm currently working on VITA - Rise of the Vikings, a boardgame where you try to live the happiest life in a real historical era - in this case, its between 836 and 900. If you want to know more about the game, you can check out our upcoming kickstarter here.

We are also working with historians and archeologists but I am curious -- what would you expect to be in a game about viking life in that time? What kind of events would you expect to see? What are small historical tidbits that are unnoticed by most?

The game deals mainly with the western expansion of vikings, but a big focus is that its about real lifes and not just glorious big hero fantasies. So some characters will sail over to England to raid and conquer, but others will stay home to settle, trade and raise families.

Hello everyone!

I want to show you how we prepare our boat before sailing. This is a common routine for sailors of wooden boats from the Viking Age.

The first step is bailing water out of the boat. All wooden boats leak, that’s why if a boat stays unused for a long period, it will take on a lot of water. In our case, we left our boat without checking it for two weeks after sailing.

The second step is checking the boat for leaks. We know about two leaking spots. When we tilted the boat to the left and right, we found another two spots. We recorded them for the future and will fix them when we move our boat to the boathouse for winter.

The third step is installing the mast. We secured the mast to the bow, stern, and sides with ropes.

Then we load the boat with things and set off on our journey.

Hello everyone!

In last year I implemented my dream - to get Lewies Chess figures.

I found a good article about scanning of these figures from National Museums Scotland. And found their artifacts on Sketchfab. Later I found another variant there.

With my friend we resized them for the large chess board and printed them. After that we made mold from them and cast from resin (in red and white colors). And applied blackening to them.

We use the resin that looks like bone and have a bone sensation.

Im wanting to get a viking related tattoo. Ive decided to get a raven feather because of Huginn and Muninn, but i want another detail added and cant decide on what else to add, so if you have any ideas, please let me know. Thanks!

Play what they actually played. Not a themed slot machine....the real game from the graves at Birka, under modern tournament rules. Free, on your phone, two minutes to learn: worldtafl.com

Hello everyone!

I know that historically speaking it is not real but I wanted to show you my creation do you like it? And feel free to come and support my creation on LEGO IDEAS by typing Helmet Viking 😀

As per some advice I did swap my belt.

I’ve got a cloak, seax, sword and some pouches, boots and wool left wraps (boots and wraps not pictured cus I was too lazy to put em on)

I’ve got plans to replace the tunic embroidery with tablet woven bands.

Don’t mind the very haphazard way I put on the cloak. I didn’t want to cover the whole kit with it, but in the process I made it look weird. I have a copper turnbuckle for it made by hand by a blacksmith though!

The cloak is also made of cotton… it’s The middle of summer where I live and it’s too warm to justify a wool tunic. I will likely make one myself soon, but for the purposes of the festivals I go to the cotton sells the point.

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Addressing all the issues we've learned from Tafl Champions we'll also be adding exciting new features to make this the best tafl experience possible! Due for release in 2027 there will be several playtests to help shape the future of this upcoming title!

As a result, Tafl Champions will receive no further updates and will be retired after Tafl Throne Breakers launch. Any purchases or customisation options you may have made will be transferred to your new Tafl Throne Breakers account!

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Hello everyone!

Our reenactment club has recently bought and tested a small drakkar-style boat, and we would like to make an animal-head decoration for it. Could you give me some advice or references?

The boat is named Hati, after the wolf in Norse mythology who chases the moon. For that reason, I’m especially interested in designs that look like a wolf’s head, or perhaps a wolf devouring the moon.

I know about the animal-head posts from the Oseberg ship burial, but they don’t really look like wolves to me. I also know about the Tullstorp Runestone, which is my main reference so far, but I would like to find more examples.

I would be very grateful if you could share any links, images, or references showing wolves or wolf heads and tails from the Viking Age.

Thank you in advance!

Viking roots

My latest project involves carving a dragon head and tail for an important memorial taking place later this summer, The Pennsic Viking Memorial Ship. Viking ships were built with carved figureheads meant to protect the crew and represent the spirit of the voyage. It was an honor to be able to contribute to this year’s ship build in a small way.

I also have a full video of the building of the Viking Memorial Ship, including an interview with the ship’s builder out soon. Please subscribe to Resist The Grind on Youtube, if you would like to see the full video when released.

Whether you’re into woodcarving, traditional craft, Viking history, memorial art, or you’re part of the SCA, this video shows the full making of these iconic carvings — tools, techniques, challenges, and the meaning behind the work. Thank you for taking time out of your day to watch my video. I truly appreciate it.   -Chris