The Vikings Have Landed

So this weekend I escaped the start of the working week with a trip to the British Museum to get up close and personal with the Vikings.

I've always been fascinated by the Vikings and in some ways I've always hoped that through dedicated research I'd discover that I descended from Viking explorers or Kings. I was after all the Captain of the Viking House at primary school and unless my memory escapes me we triumphed quite a bit in the sports - we certainly showed those Normans, Saxons and Romans how to win a netball game. Unfortunately, according to my mum, my family originates from northern France so I'm more likely to be a Norman than a Viking!

Anyway enough about my genetics and back to the exhibition. Vikings: Life and Legend is the latest large scale exhibition to land at the British Museum and it brings together artifacts and documents to bring the great Viking age to life.

Sadly, most people associate Vikings with raids, pillaging and rape, but this exhibition sought to show an alternative side to these so called "invaders" and instead highlighted the Viking sense of adventure and exploration, their craftsmanship, their incredible accomplishments  and how their culture impacted and grew with other great civilizations of the same period.

The British Museum has always presented it's exhibitions in a fantastic way that helps to bring the story to life. The home setting for the Pompeii exhibition painted a picture of life of locals pre-volcanic eruption, whilst with the Viking exhibition they decided to take visitors on a journey from the homelands of Norway, Sweden and Denmark via exploration, trade, wealth, religion and death to the last attempted invasion of the British Isles in 1066.

As you wander through the rooms you immediately learn just how far the Vikings travelled. From Turkey to New Foundland they were not afraid to stretch themselves to the limits of exploration and how the lives and communities they encountered on these travels impacted on their lifestyle, religion and culture. Prior to their explorations across Europe items were bought via trading however; this was eventually replaced with currency. You find yourself face to face with ginormous brooches and hefty necklaces all of which represented social status and power and also learn how swords had names and were interwoven with the lives of their owners. What's even more amazing is how well preserved most of the items are despite being almost 1,000 years old - I highly doubt my valuables will look that good after that amount of time has passed. Fans of the Thor movies will be delighted as there's even a special section dedicated to the Gods and Nordic mythology. If there's one thing you took away from the exhibition it is don't anger Thor or you may incur his wrath which is not great for a Viking as they spend most of their time at sea. Some of the extracts from anonymous writers also made me chuckle

- especially the following:

"A man shouldn't clutch at his cup, but moderately drink his mead; he should be sparing of speech or shut up; no man will blame you for bad behaviour if you go early to bed." anonymous, 1270

The jewel of the collection is the partially restored Viking Warship which I had been particularly looking forward to seeing as there had been a lot of hype surrounding it's arrival in London. The Sea-Wolf, discovered in Roskilde in Norway, is the largest Viking Warship, 37m in length, ever to be uncovered and with space for 40 oarsmen it's huge and impressive.

Despite almost a thousand years since they last landed in England, the Viking's have left a lasting impression on our country and our present culture. Did you know that the words sister and egg are Scandinavian in origin and if you travel to Lincolnshire you'll spot sign posts for villages and towns which seem a little out of place for the East of England.

The question on everyone's lips is, will it live up to the high standard set by last year's Pompeii exhibition which proved to be one of the top tourist attractions in London in 2013? From my point of view it's definitely the best exhibition I've seen in 2014 and if it can help to dispel presumptions about the Vikings then all the more reason for it to be successful.

The exhibition is open now and runs till the 22nd June. For more information visit www.britishmuseum.org 

Five Facts About the Vikings:

1. The Viking Age dated from AD 800 to AD 1050

2. Viking women could inherit and own land

3. Swords were symbols of status and were given as rewards for loyal service. Once the owner died the sword was bent and buried with them. This was known as killing the sword

4. The Vikings discovered Dublin and Reykjavik 

5. Leif Erikson, a Viking explorer, discovered North America 500 years before Christopher Columbus