Forn Sed

Often known under the name Asatru.

This blog will focus on historical accuracy and reconstructionism but also on the contemporary religion and sometimes wander into other heathenry, like Anglo - Saxon faith, Odinism, Theodism and so on.
There will however never be any bigotry, homophobia, anti Semitism or stupid ideas of a "pure" Germanic race. hello! theme by cissysaurus
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Viking mother and daughter by ~VendelRus
The photographers wife Kerstin and  daughter Hervor. They are looking out over lake mälaren.
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Ultuna viking girl by ~VendelRus
The photographers wife Kerstin.
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Viking Helmet by *bakabobo
Viking helmet.I would imagine most Vikings used slightly less ornate helmets
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Nidingsbane. A Swedish Armoury.

This link is to the Facebook page.

They have a homepage too but it is in Swedish (most Swedes speak English though, in case you decide to contact them).

http://www.nidingbane.se/om-nidingbane_presentation.html

They sell (and use) weapons and armor both for use and for LARPs.

They also deliver to museums, markets, movies and tv.

The guy actually lives in the same house as the armoury.

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Varangian Guard

Detailed description of arms and armour.

In Byzantium the members of the Varangian Guard were famous as men with red hair and beards, “as tall as date palms”; they were also said to drink too much. But the main symbol of the Varangians was the longhafted Danish axe with its crescent-shaped edge. This guardsman wears ringmail, a mail coif and splint limb armour, and apart from his axe is armed with a sword and a knife.

08
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Divers uncover evidence of Viking port

Archaeologists say 100-yard jetties found at the site of an ancient Viking village in Sweden suggest a coastal marketplace not previously imagined.

The jetties, five times longer than previously believed, show evidence of the Vikings’ extensive trade system, Olsson said.

“The remains of the port structures show that it was actually a port, not just small jetties jutting out onto the beach as previously thought,” he said.




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Authentic Viking DNA Retrieved From 1,000-year-old Skeletons

ScienceDaily (May 27, 2008) — Although “Viking” literally means “pirate,” recent research has indicated that the Vikings were also traders to the fishmongers of Europe. Stereotypically, these Norsemen are usually pictured wearing a horned helmet but in a new study,  Jørgen Dissing and colleagues from the University of Copenhagen, investigated what went under the helmet; the scientists were able to extract authentic DNA from ancient Viking skeletons, avoiding many of the problems of contamination faced by past researchers.

Sampling of teeth for aDNA analysis. The last layer of soil was removed and two teeth extracted while wearing full body suit, hairnet, gloves, shoe covers, and face masks. The teeth were placed in sealed sterile tubes and transported to the aDNA-lab. (Credit: Melchior L et al. Evidence of Authentic DNA from Danish Viking Age Skeletons Untouched by Humans for 1,000 Years. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002214)

Analysis of the Viking DNA showed no evidence of contamination with extraneous DNA, and typing of the endogenous DNA gave reproducible results and showed that these individuals were just as diverse as contemporary humans.

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Vikings With Vanity: Vivid Colors, Flowing Silk, Fashionable Until Advent of Christianity

ScienceDaily (Feb. 25, 2008) — Vivid colors, flowing silk ribbons, and glittering bits of mirrors - the Vikings dressed with considerably more panache than we previously thought. The men were especially vain, and the women dressed provocatively, but with the advent of Christianity, fashions changed, according to Swedish archeologist Annika Larsson. 

Swedish viking men’s fashions were modeled on styles in Russia to the east. Archeological finds from the 900s uncovered in Lake Malaren Valley accord with contemporary depictions of clothing the Vikings wore on their travels along eastern trade routes to the Silk Road. (Credit: Photo by Annika Larsson)
She maintains that Swedish Viking women in the pre-Christian period probably dressed much more provocatively than we previously believed. She bases her theory on a new find uncovered in Russian Pskov,
She maintains that the Birka women’s skirts consisted of a single piece of fabric and were open in front. The suspenders held up the train and functioned as a harness that was fastened to the breasts with the clasps.