- Related subreddits -

Presenting my latest creation: a baritone tagelharpa!

Crafted from alder wood with a stunning ebonized finish, it features a maple bridge and beech tuning pegs, strung with horsehair strings.

Tuned to E-B-E, it produces a deep, resonant sound that’s perfect for exploring Norse melodies and rich, haunting tones

Who else here is as fascinated by ancient instruments as I am? Let me know what you think about the sound of the tagelharpa in the comments!

https://preview.redd.it/l7u6yjfnjbzd1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=2256757565953ebec6f1ca69d2a0767a28377c38

As I understand it, “vargr” was an Old Norse word meaning “wolf” but more often applied to outlaws. Is there a feminine form of this word (like for a female outlaw)? What would it be?

Thanks in advance for answering this admittedly strange question. It’s of course for a novel; when else do people ask questions this weird?

And why?

Mine would be Egil himself, for I love the fierce fighting and "Sonatorrek".

I just finished reading the Orkneyinga Saga and I'm very interested in Einarr, son of Rognvald... What a cool guy! A bastard and almost renegade son who, through his own means, became a powerful landowner and a great warlord. Of course, much about him can be debated and his very existence is not guaranteed, but what his Orkney descendants wrote about him is powerful. Could anyone say something more about him? For example, the origin of the nickname that accompanies him to this day (which as far as I went in my research is fanciful). Einarr has really become one of my favorite characters from the Viking Age and I would like to know more about him

P.S: Aurvandil War Raven is just here to illustrate my vision of Einarr, because I imagine any Viking warlord as the King of Hrafnsey

I've been doing some reading on the Norse things, and I'm a little disappointed by how little information I can find online. Everyone agrees on what a thing-meet was, but no one seems interested in describing how it actually proceeded.

If I brought a case to the thing, who would I present it to? The people? Judges? Did everyone get to vote, or were there restrictions? Who made the rulings, and how long could it take to reach a decision? Would it have functioned anywhere close to a modern courtroom? I'm guessing there's a lot of unknowns here, but I'd love to hear if anyone here has a good source on this stuff, even if it's largely speculative.

I am very pleased with a 22" gong I bought. I chiefly want it for meditation but I'd be overjoyed to know there was a tradition of Gongs among the 7th C. Norse, or later.

It would seem like a fair bit of specialized metal. I am making no assertions to that affect and I have basically got no idea where to look. So an open question.

Did the Norse employ gongs? Do we know? Any grave goods, illustrations... Anything?

S

Before you rate, I would like to clarify that I made this on hero forge and there are not a ton of accurate viking age clothes and such on there.

My two main criticisms are…

1. I wouldn’t have put the belt going across his torso but I used it because it was part of the fur/necklace piece that encompasses his shoulders.

2. I also am not the biggest fan of the necklace but I tried making it look more like jewelry than teeth.

Now before anyone goes crazy about the fur mantle on his shoulder…

I know we don’t have any concrete evidence that Vikings wore fur mantles like this on top of their cloaks.

HOWEVER, for the climate these people lived in as well as the fact that fur most likely wouldn’t last as it would have been decomposed after a little over 1000 years, I think it’s safe to bend rules a little bit and say that it was at least plausible that it happened. We know that vikings used fur to keep warm as well as for fashion and I think you’re crazy if you think that having fur on your shoulders wouldn’t be warm and badass at the same time.

But I digress…

Anyways! What do y’all think???

Hello, I am looking for ideas/suggestions for any meaningful name you can come up with for our society (more like federation) this year. We decided to come up with the animal/creature as Fenrir, to challenge other mainstream symbols (Phoenix, Dragon, etc.). We would really appreciate your inputs guys, TYSM!

Reading about Njörðr's death and I have no idea what being marked for odin means

"Njord died on a bed of sickness, and before he died made himself be marked for Odin with the spear-point"

What is this mark supposed to be?

We're excited to announce the launch of the first-ever rNorse digital community zine, and we need YOU to make it happen.

Whether you're an artist, writer, poet, photographer, or creator of any kind, we want your work featured in this inaugural issue! Here's your chance to showcase your talents and be part of something special in the rNorse community.

What we're looking for:

• Period appropriate art & illustrations
• Articles
• Translated poetry
• Photography
• Reenactment show & tell
• Anything else that fits the spirit of our community!

Submission guidelines:

• Written pieces: 500–3,000 words
• Poetry: One stanza minimum
• Artwork & photography: High-resolution images
• Citations and references: For any factual claims, data, or quotes, please include appropriate citations and references. This is not an academic journal, but we expect sources to be credited properly for accuracy and integrity.
• Subreddit rules apply.

How to submit:

• Send your submissions to: Norsezine@gmail.com.
• Deadline for submissions: 31st December.

Don't miss out on this chance to contribute to our first-ever digital zine! Whether you're a seasoned creator, translator, academic or just want to share something new, we welcome all submissions.

#What is this thread?

Please ask questions regarding translations of Old Norse, runes, tattoos of runes etc. here. Or do you have a really simple question that you didn't want to create an entire thread for it? Or did you want to ask something, but were afraid to do it because it seemed silly to you? This is the thread for you!

Did you know?

We have a large collection of free resources on language, runes, history and religion here.

Posts regarding translations outside of this thread will be removed.

If this is the wrong sub. Please send me a DM with the correct one to direct me to.

I have a question.

In the video from Mike Everest regarding leg wraps and how to apply them. He mentions that those with baggy pants use a tubing system to wrap the wool cloth on.

I haven't found anything that shows that. Or I'm looking in the wrong parts of the 'net.

I did get rusvik baggy pants since I like the style.

Longtime fan of Norse mythology and Viking culture, what are the best translations of the eddas you can recommend and are there ones that have some vintage illustrations?

What are some sources for learning about how runes were used in Norse society? Yes, I know, broad question but I didn't choose it! :) I suppose generally it's use and spread as a basic alphabet, but also it's use in artwork, and - by the suggestion of my supervisor - if the Norse attached any spiritual or magical significance to it. The last part I've heard skepticism towards before, but I obviously can't claim that I'm up to date on the field.

If anyone has any sources on rune-using remnants in isolated communities after the decline of its use in general Scandinavian society, that would also be hugely helpful. I know it survived on Gotland until the 16th century, and in the Dalarna region as far as the 19th, but can't find anything in detail.

In this link I have posted my paper on a new interpretation, of Rök runestone.

https://independent.academia.edu/TomDukefoss

I have focused on the stone as an eulogy, and reinterpreted some word splits, sentence break and phonetical equivalent, while retaining the original established Runes.

But the actual process of releasing a paper properly, I found to be just too arduous, and the quality isn't scholarly enough. However I hope this can inspire other to reinterpret, or make an improved version.

I am especially proud of the new coherent story and its improved poetic meter. And the format is clearly laid out so you can compare every rune to its phonetical and English equivalent, and color coded the difference from standard translation. This makes it easier to critique the translation, so bring out your torches 🔥😅

Any help with this?

I am building a persona for my re-enactment group of a Norse Farmer. I want to create an outfit that has a farmer would wear on his best day. I know there is several differenet types of Norse/vikings Styles but I am looking for a very generic type a average farmer would use for his best day(such as maybe a wedding or ceremony).

Also what would be typical colors a farmer would wear, especially travling to the market? I know that every farmer would not have access to dyes due to lack of finances.

What would be the most common jewelry a farmer would wear(if anyone) and what design a farmer(not viking) would use?

Lastly, can anyone suggest what would a average defensive weapon(especially traveling the woods) a farmer would wear?

I'm reading about Jarl Einarr Rognvaldsson (Torf-Einarr) and I have some doubts about the Shetland (Hjaltland in old norse) archipelago. Did Einarr, the lord of Orkney, really conquer the northernmost islands, or did they remain free for a while longer? Before becoming part of ancient Norway were they an independent kingdom or jarldom, or were they a land of many chiefs? Is there, or was there, any saga or chronicle that tells the story of the Norse specifically of Shetland? Any records of any badass Vikings who came from these islands?

Same as the title.

Hello everyone,

I am interrested by the viking age and medieval times (north western of europe), so mutch so I am reconsidering to get into the world of reenactment and am researching music instruments, clothes, etc from that age. One of the topics I wish I knew more of is food from that time. Like what did they cultivate, what dishes did they make, are there any cultural relevance of some of the dishes etc.

There might be physical cookbooks that gives recipes and what not, but due to a visual impairment it is hard for me to read books. Are there any sites, yuoutube channels or digital cookbooks I could consult?

Thank you all in advance!

Greetings everyone!

The Háskóli Íslands Student Conference on the Medieval North is accepting abstract submissions from current postgraduate students (masters and doctoral level) and early career researchers working in the broad field of medieval north studies.

The conference will be hybrid, hosted online via Zoom and in person at the Edda Auditorium at Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík, Iceland.

This year, we focus on the theme of OTHER THINGS.

Please submit abstracts of 250-300 words to histudentconference@gmail.com by December 2nd, 2024. If you have any questions, feel free to send us an email. :)

For more information:
https://histudentconference.wordpress.com/2024/09/23/2025-call-for-papers-and-posters/

I just got into wood carving and I’m hooked! I like hand carving for the historical aspects of it so decided to finish one of my first carvings here in iron ore and linseed. Nothing else. I read an academic report that this would have been a common “stain.”