Stephen Pollington’s “The Mead Hall: The Feasting Tradition in Anglo-Saxon England” is a fascinating read. Using Old English texts, including Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Pollington explains the importance of communal meals and how they shaped early English society. This is backed up with archaeological evidence showing how halls were structured, what their feasting gear lookedContinue reading “Book Review – The Mead Hall”
Author Archives: odinsaettvikings
Viking Weapons – The Axe
Odins Aetts Master at Arms talks about Axes
Back in kit – hooray!
Odins Aett’s first outing since the lockdown began. Iceni Meadery open day in Woodston Peterborough
Apples of Immortality
They say that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and while that’s usually seen as a reminder that we should all eat more fruit and veg than we often manage, the gods of the Vikings would have taken it far more literally. They were able to stay at the peak of youth andContinue reading “Apples of Immortality”
Longbow Making
Since archery is one of the few bits of training that it has been possible to do while socially distancing we’ve been doing a fair bit of it this year – and after spending a fabulous day making ash longbows yesterday that is definitely going to continue even after covid-19 is just a memory. I’dContinue reading “Longbow Making”
Brewing Mead
Mead is actually simpler to brew than beer or wine, it doesn’t need a lot of equipment or take a lot of work, the hardest part is giving it the time it needs to thoroughly mature To brew your own mead you will need: A large pan (4 litres) A standard demijohn Bung and airlockContinue reading “Brewing Mead”
The Importance of Sheep
I was watching a TV programme about the Vikings the other day and it spent a lot of time talking about how impressive the Viking ships were, the amazing woodworking skills and the amount of work that went in to building the boat. All fascinating stuff. There are dozens of pages on the internet andContinue reading “The Importance of Sheep”
Shiltron of Fortriu
It’s not only Vikings we get to have fun with at Re-enactment events. We often find ourselves fighting alongside Picts too. Shiltron of Fortriu are a fabulous bunch of people, very knowledgable about all things Pictish and very distinctive on the battlefield with their H shaped shields. They are based in Staffordshire but can beContinue reading “Shiltron of Fortriu”
Hodur’s Song
Lament that I listened – To Loki’s teasing words“Honour our beloved brother BalderYou cannot harm him – Hurl the twigPromise to protect him has been won from all things No-one could know – None could BlameFair Frigg fetched oaths from all bar oneToo small to swear – Sweet mistletoeIt’s hardened heart became hates barb GoadedContinue reading “Hodur’s Song”
Action!
One of the fun things about being a part time viking is that it can sometimes lead to invitations to do things you wouldn’t normally get the chance to experience. Last week exactly that happened. We were invited to join up with the folks from Wuffa to be part of a film being shot hereContinue reading “Action!”
