MODERN SAGA • ANCIENT FIRE
By D.W. Roach When most people think about Scandinavian culture in America, their minds immediately drift toward Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Great Plains. They picture family farms, Lutheran churches, and communities where Norwegian and Swedish surnames have remained for generations. But if you want to understand where Scandinavian culture truly feels at home in North … Continue reading The Vikings Never Really Left: Scandinavian Culture in the Pacific Northwest
How the Vendel Period Forged the Viking Age—and How the Viking Age Reshaped the Middle Ages By D.W. Roach When most people think of the Viking Age, they imagine a sudden storm: dragon-prowed longships, coastal raids, pagan warriors crashing into a Christian world. But history is rarely so abrupt. The Viking Age did not emerge … Continue reading Before the Longships and After the Sagas
By D.W. Roach When the Viking Age officially ended in 1066 CE with the Battle of Stamford Bridge, it did not mean the Vikings vanished overnight. The popular image of fierce Norse warriors sailing home, tossing their swords into the sea, and quietly becoming farmers is overly simplistic. The truth is more nuanced—a gradual transformation … Continue reading The End of the Viking Age: What Really Happened to the Vikings?
D.W. ROACH 