Want to learn more about Norse Vikings? We provide information and insight for people interested in Viking Age Scandinavia. The present web site is a dynamic resource that treats on current and past issues related to Norse cultural heritage. The Viking Rune offers unique online features: free Rune Converter and Motto Generator. We are committed to greater access to knowledge about the Vikings, which is the only way to dispel the myth about Norse warriors as cruel and bloodthirsty raiders who did nothing but kill, pillage and rape. The Viking Rune is always up-to-date with the latest developments in North Germanic studies, including hot archeological finds in Scandinavia and elsewhere.


Viking Art

Odin as Weapon Dancer

October 4, 2009 Norse Mythology
Valsgarde helmet image

To the left is the mirrored image of one of the four cast-bronze dies from Torslunda, which were used for striking helmet-plates. It is mirrored advisedly, in order to get the actual image that appeared on the helmets when the matrice was applied to them. This die (dated to c. 600) was found at Björnhovda [...]

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Oseberg Buddha

August 21, 2009 Viking Hoards
Oseberg Buddha

Oseberg ship was found in a large burial mound in 1904 near Oseberg farm, Vestfold county, Norway. It is believed to be one of the best preserved and most exciting Viking ship finds, even though the burial (dating to 834 AD) was looted as early as in the Middle Ages. The ship’s prow and the [...]

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Lewis Chessmen

March 12, 2009 Viking Hoards
Lewis chessmen

The Lewis chessmen were probably made in Norway about AD 1150-1200 by craftsmen in Trondheim, where similar pieces have been found. Some researchers think that the chessmen were lost or hidden during their transportation from Norway to Viking settlements on the east coast of Ireland. They were discovered in 1831 in the vicinity of Uig [...]

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Viking Lenses from Visby, Sweden

January 19, 2009 Viking Technology
Visby lens

Several 11th century hoards found at Viking sites on the island of Gotland, Sweden, contained biconvex lenses made from rock-crystal. Some of them were set in silver. A few lenses had an almost perfect elliptical shape. The symmetry of the lenses as well as their biconvex elliptical form and fine polish, which resulted in a [...]

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