Remembering the Vikings: Ancestry, cultural memory and geographical variation

• Published in: History Compass
• Main Author: Ellis, Caitlin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Wiley 2021
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dro.dur.ac.uk/33882/; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/33882/1/33882.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1111/hic3.12652

The Vikings are an excellent example of the significance of cultural memory: from post-Viking-Age sources to their rediscovery in the Victorian period to their popular appeal in current times. Ancestry is a key dimension as vikings could be dynasty founders or imbue a region with Scandinavian heritage. The importance of settlements remaining connected with Iceland and the Old Norse cultural milieu is highlighted. Archaeological evidence and non-Scandinavian sources can highlight the gaps in Norse memory, where specific events have been forgotten and some regions of the Viking world have received less attention than others. Stretching from America to Russia, the impact of post-medieval political events, of modern marketisation and of different scholarly approaches is also considered.