Historical insights, research notes, and behind-the-scenes content from The Northmen Saga
Few figures in Viking history inspire more debate than Rollo of Normandy. Was he Danish or Norwegian? Based on the evidence, I believe the Norwegian case is stronger.
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The name Normandy has its roots in the Viking Age, when Rollo and his followers settled in northern Francia after 911. Medieval Latin sources called this new territory Northmannia – literally "land of the Northmen."
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When Rollo—known in the sagas as Göngu-Hrólfr, "Hrolf the Walker"—was possibly exiled from Norway in the late ninth century, he set out on a journey that would reshape European history.
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Gandalf Alfgeirsson, remembered in saga tradition as Gandalf the Old, was a petty king of Vingulmark who became the first ruler to openly oppose Harald Fairhair's unification of Norway.
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In the 9th century, the inland region of Hedmark was ruled by a local dynasty of kings. Among them was King Eystein of Hedmark, whose sons Hogne and Frode would make their final stand against Harald Fairhair.
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Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter is remembered as the high-born woman whose prophetic dream foretold Norway's unification under her son Harald Fairhair. But how much of her story is history, and how much is legend?
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In the Viking Age, iron wasn't a luxury; it was the backbone of daily life and state-building. Valdres sat on everything ironmaking needs: bog iron, timber for charcoal, and seasonal labor.
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If your mental image of a Viking comes from Vikings or The Last Kingdom, you're probably picturing tattooed warriors in studded leather and horned helmets. Archaeology tells a very different story.
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