As the Summer Solstice approaches, it’s time to start thinking about how you can make this a summer fit for a saga. Vikings didn’t do anything half-way and neither should you. Here are some suggestions to get a little more Viking Summer style into your life.
Travel to Viking Lands
The Vikings traveled far, and they did it in summer. Now it’s your turn. Walk the ramparts of a Danish ring fortress, stand in the reconstructed longhouses at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland, or explore Viking York, Dublin or Orkney. Where you go matters less than going with an explorer’s spirit.
Get Outdoors
Summer was the time for Vikings to be outdoors. Some traveled; many farmed. Those who lived in the north celebrated as the sun came out to warm them. Going outside connected the Vikings to nature, their ancestors, and the invisible creatures that lived around them. When you go outdoors, you’ll feel the same connections. There’s a bonus for getting on the water with a boat you’ve got to row yourself.
Axes and Arrows
Get to know the tools the Vikings used. An axe is great for splitting winter firewood, and great fun to throw. Look for an axe-throwing venue near you and learn to throw safely before you try it in the backyard.
Archery is another great Viking Summer skill. Look for a traditional archery club and try shooting with a simple wooden bow, no sights or pulleys. Vikings hunted and fought with longbows, and there is nothing like the thrum of a string you drew by hand.
Get Together
Viking celebrations were about food, friends and stories. Invite your favorite people to a feast, and ask each of them to bring someone you haven’t met yet. Fill the table, pass the drinking horn (mead, or cider or something non-alcoholic), and let the stories grow bolder as the night goes on.
Make an Oath
Oaths mattered enormously in Norse culture. An oath-breaker could lose everything, and the Völuspá sends oath-breakers to wade through heavy streams in the afterlife. So make one this summer: vow to do one thing that brings out your inner Viking. If you’d like to make a second, help us share that spirit with more Alaskans by supporting the mission of Asgard Alaska.
Leave a comment on how you plan to make this the best Viking Summer ever.
