Greenland Archives

Viking Trade: The Merchants Who Connected the Medieval World

Trade in the Viking Age Although the Vikings today have a reputation for being violent raiders and conquerors, they were also peaceful traders in their time. Many individuals combined activities, even switching in the course of their voyages, trading or raiding depending on the circumstance. Their advances in shipbuilding, so important in their success in […]

Vikings and the Carolingian Empire

Vikings and the Carolingian Empire When the Viking Age began in the late 700s, the Carolingian Empire was already established as the mightiest political power in Western Europe. Under Charlemagne, the Franks had expanded the kingdom in all directions, eventually stretching from Saxony to northern Italy. Now sharing a common frontier, you can’t blame the […]

Creating the Faroe Islands

History of the Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands, also referred to as the Faroes or Faeroes, is a self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark, a pristine archipelago of 18 volcanic islands sitting in the North Atlantic ocean between Iceland and Norway. The total land area on the islands is smaller than London, and with […]

Sami People of the Arctic

The Sámi people are the only indigenous people of the European Union and are one of the oldest living cultures of our planet.

Viking History of Greenland

One of the most daunting and hazardous sea voyages in Viking history during the Middle Ages (and the Viking Age) was heading west to Greenland crossing the Atlantic Ocean in their longship(s). The sailing conditions were dangerous due to harsh winds, high tides with tumbling walls of water, frost and snow and the impassable layer of the Greenland ice sheet that dominates the east Greenland coastline up in the Arctic circle.

Vikings-explorers, raiders, traders

Ale's Stones (Ales stenar), a megalithic monument in Skåne, Sweden.

In the beginning of the 9th century when the Viking era was in full swing, a Viking raid was an uncoordinated and unplanned attack that would usually end in the Norse being paid to return to their homeland.

The Vikings

In the early medieval period, a group of seaborne Scandinavian raiders known as the Vikings left their mark on history as brutal warriors, smart traders, and adventurous explorers.

Sami culture within the Vikings

Our long-standing fascination with the Viking age paired with a slightly apprehensive curiosity for the Viking’s spirit of courage and adventurous minds, and intriguing wildness associated with their conquests, have always been connected to their Scandinavian heritage of Northern Europe

The Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is the most northernly major circle of latitude, at approximately 66°30′ N. It marks the area within which, for one or more days each year, the Sun does not set (June 21) or rise (December 21), and the length of continuous day or night increases northward.

Northern Lights

The science of the Northern Lights Although many are more familiar with the Northern Lights, the natural phenomenon is not exclusive to the Northern Hemisphere. The polar lights are caused by solar activity. When there is a solar storm called coronal mass ejection happening, electrified gas particles travel through space at high speed and reach […]

Photographing the Northern Lights: The Definitive Guide

Photographing the Northern Lights. How to Capture the Beauty of the Northern Lights. The Aurora Borealis, commonly called the Northern Lights, as well as the Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights, are two the world’s most majestic natural phenomena. The glowing green, blue, and pink hues that paint the night sky are an incredible sight that […]