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Viking Age populated places | HearLore
— Curated category —
Viking Age populated places
Wirral PeninsulaThe name Wirral literally means myrtle corner, derived from the Old English word for a myrtle tree and an angle or slope.
GettlingeThe bedrock beneath Gettlinge dates to at least 600 million years ago. This layer consists primarily of Ordovician limestone that covers much of the island…
Gamla UppsalaIn the 3rd century AD, Gamla Uppsala emerged as a dominant force in the Mälaren basin. Early written sources describe it as the residence of Swedish kings…
ValsgärdeThe farm of Valsgärde sits on the banks of the Fyris river, just three kilometres north of Gamla Uppsala. This location served as an ancient centre for…
VinlandAdam of Bremen wrote Descriptio insularum Aquilonis around 1075. He described an island called Winland where grapevines grew by themselves.
JomsborgA modern memorial in Wolin bears a Danish and Polish inscription commemorating the death of Harald Bluetooth in 986. This stone marker stands on the…
LundArchaeologists date the founding of Lund to around 990, when Scania was part of Denmark. The area was then part of the kingdom of Denmark.
ReykjavíkThe year 874 marks the arrival of Ingólfur Arnarson on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. He cast his high seat pillars overboard and promised to settle…
OdenseArchaeological excavations in the Odense area reveal proof of human settlement for over 4,000 years. The earliest community centered on higher ground between…
HedebyIn the summer of 804, Charlemagne stayed at a place called Hedeby while concluding his Saxon Wars. This settlement sat at the southern end of the Jutland…
JellingIn the Viking Age, Jelling served as the royal seat for Gorm the Old. This ruler reigned from approximately 936 until his death around 958.
L'Anse aux MeadowsThe northernmost tip of Newfoundland holds a quiet cove known as L'Anse aux Meadows. This French-English name translates to Grassland Bay or the bay with…
RibeIn the year 720, coins began to appear in a small settlement that would become Ribe. Archaeologists have uncovered more than 300 sceata coins across Denmark…
MeolsThe name Meols arrived with the Vikings, who called it by an Old Norse word meaning sand dunes. By 1086, the Domesday Book recorded the spelling as melas.
RoskildeHarald Bluetooth founded Roskilde in the 980s on high ground above the harbor. He built a wooden church consecrated to the Holy Trinity and a royal residence…
SerklandThe word Serkland appears in Old Norse texts as a name for lands far to the east. Scholars argue over what the first syllable means.