One of the two main branches of the Norse gods in Norse mythology. This branch of the Norse gods is the most popular in modern literature as Odin and Thor belong to this family.Source Ynglinga Saga.

Chief town or city of the lands of Asaland or Asaheim. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Also the traditional home of the Norse gods in Norse mythology.

The lands in Asia east of the Tanakvisl river. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Hand axes, are smaller axes used with only one hand with hafts running usually about 50 to 90 cm (20 to 36 inches) with 75 cm (30 inches) being the average length. There are a wide variety of axe head shapes that are used and are available for hand axes.

The Norse term for the parts of Africa where the darkest skinned Africans reside. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The Norse term for the darkest skinned Africans. "Blamenn" translates to "Blue Men". Source Ynglinga Saga.

The Norse term for sovereign. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The son of Gerd and Frey. Fjölnir succeeded Frey as Drott of the Aesir after Frey. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Frey (also known as Yngvi) went with his father Niord and his sister Freya from the Vanir to the Aesir in exchange for Haenir after the war between the two races of gods to make peace. Frey succeeded Niord as Drott to the Aesir. Frey married Gerd and fathered Fjölnir who eventually took over Frey's role as Drott after his passing. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Freya was responsible for teaching the Aesir the art of wizardry which had been in practice by the Vanirwhen she went to Asaland with her father Niord and her brother Frey as a part of the trade betwen the two peoples to end the war. Freya was also the wife of Od and mother of Noss and Gersimi. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Wife of Odin. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The Norse term for the lands that eventually became modern day Russia. Source Ynglinga Saga.

A goddess who was both a member of the Vanir and Aesir. Gefion bore four sons to a Giant and changed them into oxen so as to use the oxen to plow and break up the lands of the north forming the area known as Selund and the lake Leidra. Source Ynglinga Saga.

A giantess (reputedely the most beautiful), the wife of Frey, daughter of Gymir and mother of Fjölnir. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Daughter of Freya and Od and sister Noss. Source Ynglinga Saga.

A giant, the father of Gerd. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Haenir was given by the Aesir to the Vanir in trade for Niord after the war between the two races of gods to make peace. Haenir was beheaded by the Vanir when his council did not meet the standards that the Vanir expected and Vanir suspected the Aesir of duplicity. Odin reputedly found the head, magically preserved the head and often sought advice from Haenir's decapitated head. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The "Heimskringla" is a collection of Icelandic Sagas focussed particularily on the lives of the Norse Kings. The Heimskringla was written by all account by Snorre Sturlason, who collected the various tales and composed them in the mid to late 13th century (1259 to 1284 A.D.). Source Ynglinga Saga.

Please see the section entitled "sagas".

The Norse term for the "Jerusalem" as per the Ynglinga Saga. Aslo refered to as "Jorsalir". Source Ynglinga Saga.

Kvasir (who was thought to be one of the wisest of the vanir) was given by the Vanir to the Aesir with Niord in trade for Mimir and Haenir after the war between the two races of gods to make peace. Source Ynglinga Saga.

A langseax (I have heard this pronounced a variety of ways, but most commonly "lang-SEEKS" or "lang-SEE-acks") is a longer form of the "seax", in fact "langseax" translates pretty much directly to "long seax" in modern english. The langseax would have been used as a slightly shorter sword, that would be easier and cheaper to manufacture. The average blade length of most langseax finds is about 60 cm (or about 24"), but this average is dervided from my memory, I will add references later.

The old Norse name for an area of Denmark within Selund when the Danish kings were, and continue to be burried to this day. The modern name for Leidra is Leire. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Mimir (who was thought to be one of the wisest of the Aesir) was given by the Aesir to the Vanir with Haenir in trade for Kvasir and Niord after the war between the two races of gods to make peace. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Known as Niord the Wealthy (of Noatun), he was given by the Vanir with his son Frey to the Aesir in exchange for Haenir after the war between the two races of gods to make peace. Niord was also married to Skadi who refused to abide him and bore children to Odin instead.Niord succeeded Odin as Drott of the Aesir. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The Norse term for the "Straights of Gibralter" as per the Ynglinga Saga. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Daughter of Freya and Od and sister Gersimi. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Husband of Freya and father of Noss and Gersimi. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The chief of the old Norse (or old Germanic) gods and husband of Frigga. Odin had two brothers, Ve and Vili. Oden was also referred to as the "Allfather".

Son on Skadi and Odin. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The Sagas or Icelandic Sagas are a collection of stories (both mythical and historic) written between the 13th and 15th centuries in Iceland. These tales relate the history and myths of the Norse people between the 8th Century (some predating that even) up to the time of the saga's writings. The sagas were written by various Icelandic scholars, but the largest and most popular portion of the sagas are credited to Snorre Sturlason. While the sagas do reveal a great deal about the history of the Norse peoples and the Vikings, they should be read with an understanding that they were written centuries after the events related withing the tales, and the fact that the lines between factual history and mythical lore are often blurred within the tales. Keep also in mind that the sagas were written almost entirely by Christian scholars, and because many of the tales relate to historic figures whose beliefs were not the same as the Scholars who wrote the sagas, some consideration should be taken for that factor as well. The sagas are the most comprehensive records written about the Norse Viking period available despite their challenges as a reliable source of information.

The Norse term for the area that would become modern day Germany. Source Ynglinga Saga.

A "Scylding" or "Skjölding" is a descendant of a semi-mythical king. Variants were used in Norse (mostly Danish) or Saxon contexts. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The "seax" (I have heard it pronounced a few different ways, but most commonly pronounced "seeks" or "SEE-acks") is the common knife owned and used by almost everyone in Northern Europe during the Viking/Dark ages. Seaxes are often also refered to as scrams (pronounced just like it looks), scramseax (pronounced "scram-SEE-acks" or "scram-SEEKS"), or scramaseax (pronounced "scram-a-SEE-acks" or "scram-a-SEEKS"), althought the use of the terms "scram", "scramseax", or "scramaseax" is debated by some (If memory serves me well, the debate has to do with the term "scramseax" only being found in one single source, with no other source available to substantiate the term's common usage). I have recently come across a reference of this style of knife being referred to as a "hadseax" or "hadsax".

Seaxes are singles edged knives with a long strait blade ending in a usually long point. The back or dull edge of the knife usually widens from the hilt until about two thirds of the length of the blade where it then begins to taper to the tip. The blade was occassionally fullered (a groove hammered in the blade to strengthen and/or lighten the blade). The seax usually had a handle just large enough to grip (about 10 cm to 13 cm or 4" to 5") and the blade length ranged usually from 20 cm to 30 cm (or 8" to 12") although samples ranged from 15 cm to 80 cm (6" to 32"). Longer samples are generally refered to as langseaxes. The seax was usually worn in a horizontally hung (or angle hung in a manner more horizontal than vertical) sheath on the front on a belt. The easiest modern comparison to the seax is probably a small machete, although there are/were strong differences in their structure and uses. Below is a rather rough sketch of a fullered seax.

Seaxes used for re-enactment or rebated steel combat would have dulled and rounded blade cutting edge, as well as a dulled and rounded tip so as to prevent injury.

The old Norse name for the district of Denmark now known as Zealand. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The name the Norse used for Northern Africa particular the saracen countries, and someitmes included the areas of Asia and Spain where the Saracens settled as well. Often referred to as "The Great Serkland" due to the area's immense size. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Skadi was a wife to Niord. She refused to live with Niord and instead bore children to Odin. One of her children was Saeming. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Skidbladnir is Odin's ship. It has many magical properties such as the ability to be folded up like a peice of cloth. Source Ynglinga Saga.

Dark Ages swords were usually wide, fullered, double-edged weapons predominately used for slashing style attacks. The "langseax" is a single edged sword that was more common in the early Dark Ages (pre 900 A.D.).

Swords used in rebated steel combat have their edges dulled to a 2mm (about the thickness of Canadian or U.S.A. penny) or thicker and have tip or point rounded to an approximately 18 mm diameter (or approximately just under 3/4 of an inch, about the same diamter of a Canadian or American nickel). All swords used for rebated steel combat must be made from tempered high carbon spring steel.

The name the Norse used for for what is now called the River Don in Russia. Aslo called "Tanakvisl" or "Vanakvisl". Source Ynglinga Saga.

The home of the "Vanes" or "Vanir". Source Ynglinga Saga.

One of the two main branches of the Norse gods in Norse mythology. Source Ynglinga Saga.

One of the two brothers of Odin, with Vili being the other brother.Source Ynglinga Saga.

One of the two brothers of Odin, with Ve being the other brother.Source Ynglinga Saga.

Another name for Frey and root of the derived term Yngling. Source Ynglinga Saga.

The term used for the descendants of Yngvi (or Frey). Source Ynglinga Saga.

Sturlason, Snorre as translated by Smith, A.H. and edited by Monsen, Erling. Ynglinga Saga. New York: Dover Publications Inc. 1990