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Jomvikings
The Jomsvikings were a legendary order of Viking mercenaries or conquerors of the 10th and 11th centuries. Though reputed to be staunchly dedicated to the worship of the Old Norse gods, they would allegedly fight for any lord who could pay their substantial fees, even if he were Christian. The institution of the Jomsvikings would itself foreshadow those of the later religious and chivalric orders of the Middle Ages. The legend of the Jomsvikings appears in some of the Icelandic sagas from the 12th and 13th centuries. According to the sagas (particularly the '' Jómsvíkinga saga'', ''King Olaf Tryggvasson’s Saga'', and stories found in the Flatey Book), their stronghold of Jomsborg was located on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea, but its exact location has been disputed by modern historians and archeologists. Jomsborg is also thought by some researchers to be identical with Jumne, Julin and Vineta, which are mentioned in both Danish and German records from the Middl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9–22. They also voyaged as far as the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, Greenland, and Vinland (present-day Newfoundland in Canada, North America). In their countries of origin, and some of the countries they raided and settled in, this period is popularly known as the Viking Age, and the term "Viking" also commonly includes the inhabitants of the Scandinavian homelands as a whole. The Vikings had a profound impact on the Early Middle Ages, early medieval history of Northern Europe, northern and Eastern Europe, including the political and social development of England (and the English language) and parts of France, and established the embryo of Russia in Kievan Rus'. Expert sailors and navigators of their cha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olav Trygvasons Saga - Uvaeret, Hjoerungavaag - G
Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; ) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" and ''laibaz'' "heirloom, descendant". Old English forms are attested as ''Ǣlāf'', ''Anlāf''. The corresponding Old Novgorod dialect form is ''Uleb''. A later English form of the name is ''Olave''. In the Norwegian language, ''Olav'' and ''Olaf'' are equally common, but Olav is traditionally used when referring to Norwegian royalty. The Swedish form is '' Olov'' or ''Olof'', and the Danish form is ''Oluf''. It was borrowed into Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic with the spellings ''Amlaíb'' and ''Amhlaoibh'', giving rise to modern version ''Aulay''. The name is Latinized as ''Olaus''. Notable people North Germanic Denmark *Olaf I of Denmark, king 1086–1095 *Olaf II of Denmark, also Olaf IV of Norway * Oluf Haraldsen (died c. 1143), Danish nobleman who ruled Scania for a few ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vineta
Vineta (sometimes ''Wineta'') is the name of a legendary city at the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. The legend evolved around traditions about the Medieval emporium called Jumne, Jomsborg, Julin or similar names by the chronicles, and with which Vineta is sometimes identified. Legend There are several Vineta legends. All of them portray the Vinetans as having an excessive, voluptuous or blasphemous way of life and then being punished in a flood that took the city to the bottom of the Baltic. In some variants of the myth, the city or parts thereof reappear on certain days or can be seen from a boat, making the warning conveyed by the myth more tangible for the audience. Primary sources * About 965, Ibrahim ibn Jaqub wrote in Arabic letters about this city. The transcription might be ''Weltaba'', which corresponds to modern Polish "Wełtawa" meaning roughly a place among waves. * 1075/80, Adam of Bremen wrote about an emporium on an island in the Oder estuary, east of his Dioce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holmgang
Holmgang (, , Danish language, Danish and , ) is a duel practiced by early medieval Scandinavians. It was a legally recognized way to settle disputes. The name ''holmgang'' (literally "holm-going") may derive from the combatants' dueling on a small island, or ''holm (island), holm'', as they do in the saga of Egill Skallagrímsson, alternatively figuratively in reference to an arena. At least in theory, anyone offended could challenge the other party to holmgang regardless of their differences in social status. This could be a matter of honor, ownership or property, demand of restitution or debt, legal disagreement or intention to help a wife or relative or avenge a friend. Holmgangs were fought 3–7 days after the challenge. If the person challenged did not turn up for the holmgang, the other man was considered just in his challenge. If the offended party did not turn up for the holmgang, they were deemed niðingr, and could have been sentenced to outlawry. In effect, if someo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in the late 18th century in England, duels were more commonly fought using pistols. Fencing and shooting continued to coexist throughout the 19th century. The duel was based on a code of honor. Duels were fought not to kill the opponent but to gain "satisfaction", that is, to restore one's honor by demonstrating a willingness to risk one's life for it. As such, the tradition of dueling was reserved for the male members of nobility; however, in the modern era, it extended to those of the upper classes. On occasion, duels with swords or pistols were fought between women. Legislation against dueling dates back to the medieval period. The Fourth Council of the Lateran (1215) outlawed duels and civil legislation in the Holy Roman Empire agains ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Single Combat
Single combat is a duel between two single combatants which takes place in the context of a battle between two army, armies. Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who represented larger, spectator groups. Such representative contests and stories thereof are known worldwide. Typically, it takes place in the no-man's-land between the opposing armies, with other warriors watching and themselves refraining from fighting until one of the two single combatants has won. Often, it is champion warfare, with the two considered the champions of their respective sides. Single combat could also take place within a larger battle. Neither ancient warfare, ancient nor medieval warfare always relied on the Line (formation), line or phalanx formation. The ''Iliad'' notably describes the battles of the Trojan war as a series of single encounters on the field, and the medieval code of chivalry, partly inspired by this, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson
Jarl Sigvaldi was the semi-legendary chieftain of the fabled Jomsvikings and commander of their stronghold - Jomsborg. He succeeded Palnatoke as the leaders of the Jomsvikings in the late 10th century. The character of Sigvaldi remains largely enigmatic. As a leader, he was said to be more wily than brave despite leading such a powerful force. Biography Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson was the son of Jarl Strut-Harald, who ruled over the Danes (Germanic tribe), Danish territory of Scania and the brother of Thorkell the Tall. In order to win Astrid, the daughter of the Wends, Wendish chieftain Burislav, he promised to liberate the Wends of the tribute they had to pay to the Danes. He fulfilled his promise by sailing to Zealand (Denmark), Zealand where he sent the message to King Sweyn Forkbeard that he had important tidings, but had fallen ill and could not come in person to bring them to him. When Sweyn went aboard Sigvaldi's ship, he was captured by the Jomsvikings. To be liberated, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vagn Åkesson
Vagn Åkesson was a Norseman of the late 10th century, mentioned in the '' Jómsvíkinga saga''. At the age of 12, Vagn, a warrior, applied for admission to the mercenary brotherhood of the Jomsvikings. According to the ''Jómsvíkinga saga'', Vagn was the son of Aki, a son of the Jomsviking chieftain Palnatoke. Intrigued by the courage displayed by Vagn, his grandfather Palnatoke allowed him (after first attempting to dissuade him) to prove his worth with a duel against Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson, whom Vagn defeated. He was admitted to the order despite the Jomsviking rule that no man under the age of 18 be allowed to join. Palnatoke adopted Vagn, who is described as one of the most fearless of the Jomsvikings, as a sort of protégé. Vagn's courage stands in sharp contrast to the pragmatism (some would say cowardice) displayed by Sigvaldi. After Palnatoke's death, Sigvaldi became leader of the order. At the Battle of Hjörungavágr, he ordered a retreat, an order which Vagn ang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saga Of The Jomsvikings
Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between Icelandic families. However, sagas' subject matter is diverse, including pre-Christian Scandinavian legends; saints and bishops both from Scandinavia and elsewhere; Scandinavian kings and contemporary Icelandic politics; and chivalric romances either translated from Continental European languages or composed locally. Sagas originated in the Middle Ages, but continued to be composed in the ensuing centuries. Whereas the dominant language of history-writing in medieval Europe was Latin, sagas were composed in the vernacular: Old Norse and its later descendants, primarily Icelandic. While sagas are written in prose, they share some similarities with epic poetry, and often include stanzas or whole poems in alliterative verse embedded in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lausavísa
In Old Norse poetry and later Icelandic poetry, a ''lausavísa'' (pl. ''lausavísur'') is a single stanza composition, or a set of stanzas unconnected by narrative or thematic continuity. Lausavísur are often introduced in the text of sagas Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ... with the phrase ''þá kvað'' (then said). References Carmina Scaldica External links * Skaldic Poetry Project Anonymous lausavísa from ''Ágrip af Nóregskonunga sǫgum'' Skaldic poetry {{poetry-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Norse Poetry
Old Norse poetry encompasses a range of verse forms written in the Old Norse language, during the period from the 8th century to as late as the far end of the 13th century. Old Norse poetry is associated with the area now referred to as Scandinavia. Much Old Norse poetry was originally preserved in oral culture, but the Old Norse language ceased to be spoken and later writing tended to be confined to history rather than for new poetic creation, which is normal for an extinct language. Modern knowledge of Old Norse poetry is preserved by what was written down. Most of the Old Norse poetry that survives was composed or committed to writing in Iceland, after refined techniques for writing (such as the use of vellum, parchment paper, pens, and ink) were introduced—seemingly contemporaneously with the introduction of Christianity: thus, the general topic area of Old Norse poetry may be referred to as Old Icelandic poetry in literature. There are also around 122 verses preserved in S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
