Viking Museums Struggle to Move Beyond Warrior Myth

Scandinavian museums are trying to move beyond the popular image of Vikings as solely male warriors. A new analysis highlights the tension between historical accuracy and the stories modern audiences expect to see.

A postdoctoral fellow in museology at Lund University, institutions like the National History Museum in Copenhagen, the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm, and the forthcoming Norwegian Museum of the Viking Age in Oslo are central to this effort. These museums use Viking history to help shape ideas about national identity, often reflecting current values.

The Enduring Warrior Image

Experts at these national museums know Vikings were a diverse group. Yet the image of the male warrior stubbornly lingers. Across exhibitions, the male Viking is depicted as a warrior, seafarer, merchant, and farmer. The curation, however, tends to foreground the more popular warrior image. Artifacts like ships, swords, and trade goods are placed front and center.

One glimpse of this complexity is seen in the Swedish exhibition. It notes that many free men and women owned weapons, but only a few truly saw themselves as warriors. In Copenhagen, the National Museum invites visitors to explore "a world more than 1,000 years old, shaped by a warrior culture and the gods Odin, Thor, and Freyja." This shows real history butting up against expected fantasy.

Limited Portrayals of Women

Museums are attempting to insert women into the male-dominated picture of the Viking Age. Descriptions of women's lives and influence, however, tend to be limited. There is a tradition of only showing exceptional figures, such as noble mistresses or shieldmaidens, making ordinary women less visible.

Representations often cleave to gender stereotypes, focusing on domestic roles and clothing. A caption in the Danish exhibition states, "guests were received by the lady of the house, who managed everything to ensure the occasion was a success." Another explains that jewelry in wealthy women's graves reflects their complex roles.

Vikings and National Narratives

The curation is deeply concerned with national founding narratives. The story across exhibitions is that the Viking Age was a key moment when disparate pagan tribes became distinct, unified Christian kingdoms. This narrative blends history with national identity.

In Denmark, this has been bolstered by the legend of Harald Bluetooth, who converted to Christianity. Researchers have observed that since the 1980s, the Viking Age has been used to create convenient contemporary narratives. For instance, some highlight archaeological finds of cultural encounters between Scandinavians and Muslims. This stems from a contemporary desire in Sweden and Norway to create a counterweight to nationalistic uses of the Viking Age.

Creating a museum exhibition is a delicate balance. Institutions must handle traditional narratives rooted in popular imagination while presenting accurate representations of the past. The Scandinavian national museums' focus on Vikings may have more to do with the present state of society than with the known Viking world.