On the Viking Trail

These talks cover the breadth of the raiding, trading, settling, how they lived and what they believed in. Below is a selection of my Viking talks, please contact me for the full list.

From the Fury of the Vikings
For 300 years the Vikings took the northern world by storm. In search of land, slaves, gold and silver, brave warriors and explorers set sail from Scandinavia. The speed and daring of the Vikings was legendary and Christian monks wrote with horror about violent raids on monasteries and towns. Come and find out about when the Vikings came to the England and what they got up to.  

Bitter is the Wind Tonight
This is the first line of an old Irish poem hoping that the wind is too strong for a Viking attack… it probably sums up the hopes of others living on the islands around the British coast. However it wasn’t all about raiding it was also about trading and settling. Dublin was founded as a Viking centre for trade, and Orkney, Shetland and the Isle of Man became desirable real estate for Vikings. 

Seine But Not Forgotten - Viking Raids in Frankia 
The Vikings first sailed up the Seine in 845 and returned 3 times in the 860’s, each time looting and being bought off, culminating in the siege of Paris. The Viking raids had started in 799 with an attack on the monastery at Noirmoutier and between 841 & 892 barely a year passed without a major attack particularly on the north coast, and then following the rivers to penetrate inland. It is thought the leaders could have been the legendary Ragnor Lodbrok and his sons, Bjorn Ironsides and Halfdan. 

The Power of Word Fame -
The Viking Way of Life  
The Vikings have a reputation for their violent raids upon other countries, but is this the full picture? Viking life was harsh, men were expected to be tough and the best way to die, was young and in battle, but there was so much more to them. Come and find out who the Vikings really were and how they lived and what was important to them.

Beyond the Edge of the World
There was an island called Thule named by an ancient Greek who said it was 6 days sail north of Britain. This is referred to as early as 330BC. He was probably talking about northern Norway but the name stuck until the Vikings found the land and called it Iceland and made it a successful settlement for men wanting to better themselves.

Greenland -  Viking PR
Greenland was settled from Iceland,  carrying on a family tradition of getting into trouble and having to leave a country. It begins with the story of Eric the Red, a man with a temper who was exiled from Iceland and 'discovered' Greenland. It also  includes the story of his son Leif the Lucky finding North America.

Halfdan was 'Ere - Go East Young Man 
The Vikings who were living in what is today Sweden went east, hopping from island to island and river to river looking for trade and other opportunities. They went through Finland, Poland, and Russia and as far as Constantinople where they negotiated favourable trading rights. Another Viking success story.

Valhalla - The Ultimate Destination
Vikings lived in a pagan society. They were one of the last people in Europe to accept Christianity. They had fascinating beliefs in how the universe was created, that included nine  different worlds all  inhabited by different beings including humans and gods. All these beliefs no doubt influenced by the ice, fire and mountains that they lived amongst.

The Children of Ash & Elm - Viking Mythology 
The Vikings were a passionate, ruthless people with a deep seated tradition of storytelling sitting around their fires in the long dark winters, the more important people employing visiting skalds to entertain them and their families. Their mythology is full of entertaining stories of gods and goddesses, monsters, giants, elves and trolls.

When Odin Met Allah - Viking Pirates in Spain & Portugal
Sea faring Vikings were making violent raids on Muslim Spain and Portugal, and also Italy and the coast of Africa, during the 9th century. The raids had begun in France then moved onto the Iberian coast, attacking La Coruna, taking over Cadiz harbour before sacking Seville; they burnt down a mosque in Algeciras on their way to the Mediterranean, and attacked the Balearic Islands. But the Vikings had met their match unlike in other areas they raided and pillaged.