Vikings: Beyond the Legend

The classic image of a Viking conjures up a brute of a man clad in a fur cloak, wielding an axe and looking like a Game of Thrones extra or something out of Middle Earth. The one defining element? A two-horned helmet.

From March 23, the Vikings are sailing their longships over to Australian shores. Melbourne Museum’s latest exhibition, Vikings: Beyond the Legend, shows us why, even 1000 years later, Viking culture still captivates imaginations. From the Swedish History Museum, this exhibition removes the stereotypes and reveals Vikings and their rich, often-misunderstood culture in a fascinating, new light.

Apparently, Vikings may have been the original hipsters. Viking tweezers, razors and combs are among the more than 450 artefacts divided into six themes: domestic life, religion, death ritual, craftsmanship, and raiding and trading culture. Melbourne Museum has pillaged and plundered, and delivered some seriously sweet loot. The ghostly skeletal remains of a Viking longship, the finest of Thor hammer pendants (Chris Hemsworth not included), coprolites – fancy speak for fossilised poo– and some really old bread, like 1000 years old, are just some of the rare treasures on display. But the real masterpiece? Krampmacken, a replica of a nine-meter Viking merchant boat found in Gotland Island in Sweden in the 1920s.

Alongside these, immerse yourself in the Viking life by playing the Viking board game Hnefatafl (not a typo) or excavating a boat burial layer-by-layer. For a more thorough education, take on ‘Old Norse to Contemporary Scandi Culture: A Workshop Series’ that explores the ways of bringing about hygge – the Scandinavian concept of cosiness, warmth and togetherness. Learn how to make bread, brew beer and design Scandi jewellery, and then stay for fika – the all-day cake and coffee ritual.

“Museums Victoria is thrilled to be bringing Vikings: Beyond the Legend to Melbourne … It tells a fascinating story of a people whose beliefs, skills and culture continue to influence and captivate us,” says Lynley Marshall, CEO, Museums Victoria.

Oh and that horned helmet motif? That’s a myth. But you would know that if you had been to the Vikings exhibition. So go get yourself an education.

Vikings: Beyond the Legend
Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton
Friday, 23 March to Sunday, 26 August 2024
museumsvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum/whats-on/vikings