In the Middle Ages, Norway was home to more than 2,000 stave churches—dark, towering wooden structures shaped by the architecture of Viking longhouses and pre-Christian sacred sites that existed centuries before Christianity arrived. But these churches were not built at random. Christian builders deliberately raised them on top of Viking holy grounds, attempting not only…
The Vikings believed that the Valkyries, who served Odin, came to gather the souls of fallen warriors. The northern lights were said to be the glow reflecting from the valkyries’ armor and shields. When the aurora appeared in the sky, it was a sign of joy, because it meant that the valkyries had arrived to…
Geological Explanation: How Fjords Were Formed Fjords are deep valleys carved by glaciers and later filled with seawater after the Ice Ages. They are not ordinary river canyons, but formations created by immense glaciers moving forward with tremendous force. Over the past two to three million years, Scandinavia has experienced more than 50 ice ages….
The Oseberg Viking Ship Begins a New Life: A Silent 100-Meter Journey That Astonished the World Something extraordinary happened in Norway this week — a cultural-heritage operation that felt almost like awakening an ancient treasure. The 1200-year-old Oseberg Viking ship, one of the best-preserved ancient vessels in the world, was moved to its new home…