The anglo saxons chronicles tell us:
Ann. 793 – In this year dire forewarnings came over the land of the Northumbrians, and miserably terrified the people; these were extraordinary whirlwinds and lightnings, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the air. A great famine soon followed these omens; and soon after that, in the same year, the havoc of heathen men miserably destroyed God’s church on Lindisfarne.
Who were these heathen viking men and women and where did they come from?
The age of the Vikings started with the raid on the Lindisfarne monastery in 793. From the north sea, Norwegian vikings on their fearsome Dragon ships came out of the mist to raid and plunder, striking fear into the kingdoms.
With advanced viking ship technology, the vikings were able to cross oceans and stealthily attack settlements all over Europe. Fueled by norse religion glorifying war and hungry for silver, slaves and honour, the vikings took what they wanted with the axe.
Excavations off burial mounds on the West coast of Norway have revealed valuables like gold, silver, precious weapons and even objects from the Lindisfarne monastery.
According to the sagas, the West coast of Norway was a battleground for Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Icelandic Vikings, who were fighting over land, silver and religion. Visit the modern town of Ålesund, situated on the West coast of Norway, surrounded by the saga islands, where massive burial mounds lay honoring long forgotten Vikings and their deeds.
Join us on our historic walk and experience a real Viking ship. We will tell you how the Vikings were able to cross the long distances on their sea voyages, what they ate and the Viking sagas they passed frome generation to generation. Stories about Harald Fairhair who united Norway, Walking Rollo and other Viking legends.