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What It Means To Be A Modern Viking

A life of adventure, freedom, activity, and knowledge

By Gary RagnarssonPublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read
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Little old me exploring some ruins in York

Despite popular belief, the viking people were not just fearsome warriors out to murder, rape and pillage. While being one of the more prominent and successful warrior cultures we’ve seen to date, much of their success was due to the rich story-telling that fuelled their civilisations, not to mention their resourcefulness when it came to travelling, farming, building, and craftsmanship.

But this is 2021 and, outside of Zack Snyder movies at least, warrior cultures aren’t all the rage. When we travel we do so with passports and welcoming nationals, rendering the whole swords, shields, and battles to the death over land claims and religious pretext a little pointless. And illegal, obviously.

Raids are most certainly a welcome thing of the past (no matter what you’re led to believe by testosterone-fuelled misogynists) and most of the lands on this earth are homes to a diverse range of nations with rich cultures of their own without any land disputes, and we as one global race are not looking to claim them or change them through manners of war, but instead to embrace them for all their beauty and worth.

All that said, there’s a lot to be taken from the spirit of the north, especially if you have the heritage, or a particular inclination and fascination, to do so.

In this article, and in the series of posts that follow, we’re going to dive deeply into what we can learn from the viking people, outside of war and violence. And more importantly, how we can emulate the spirit of the Norse without transitioning over to that racist, neo-nazi, reincarnation/bastardisation we’ve seen in recent years. We’re going to explore what it means to be a modern viking.

Nurture Your Adventurous Side

Why not climb a tree?

With a travel journal like no other (move over Bear Grylls), a list of wild and wonderful Gods and Spirits in their pantheon, and the most blasé sexual nature of the time, it’s no surprise that adventure and exploration were at the heart of the viking people.

We can lean on this fact and take inspiration in our own lives, by taking our adventurous side and putting it at the forefront of our lives. Explore every curiosity, go everywhere you haven’t been, do things you’ve never done… become an adventurer, first and foremost.

Unearth your love for nature. Run in the forest and climb trees, swim in the ocean and hike mountains. Travel around the world, never stay still. Seek out new experiences as often as you can. If you want to be a modern viking you’re going to have to get comfortable with being active!

Of course we each have differing levels of financial restraints and time to spare, but that can’t stop us. Would it have stopped a viking? Do everything you can with the time and money you have, and if that fails… just raid! (please don’t). But you can seek out local walks, forests, rivers and lakes, churches, cathedrals, and historical sites. Explore them all. It costs nothing! Connect with the land, the culture, and the world around you, while saving for larger expeditions. Keep a list of everything you want to do, everything you want see, everywhere you want to travel. Unleash that adventurous spirit within you, locked behind tiredness, Netflix, and social conditioning.

Master A Skill Like A Viking!

Mine is writing... what's yours?

At the heart of the viking spirit was a lust for mastery and fame. Not just in combat, but in every skill imaginable. Storytelling, art, music, engineering, building, farming. If you want to unleash your inner viking you’d do well to start with mastering something that you love, and then sharing it with the world. This need for mastery wasn’t an egotistical reach for bragging rights over those around them though. There were various halls in Asgard dedicated to masters of particular crafts. Yes, it’s not all about Odin’s chosen warriors in Valhalla. Even half of Hel was sectioned off by the beautiful side of the deity that overlooks the realm… for nice, decent, ordinary people that lived good and honest lives. We’ll not talk about her other side here, but let’s just say its a little more grotesque and scary. Probably best to avoid being a dick.

Bring The Gods To Earth

There's something very spiritual about standing atop a peak, don't you think?

If you want to be a modern viking, snap into the psychology of a viking!

The rich and interesting stories of the Gods were not religious texts like we’d see in the bible or other religious books. They were more like an adaptable, growing set of tales and sagas that mapped out various forks and paths in matters of life and death, in order to inspire, encourage, frighten, warn, guide, and map, the lives of those who heard them. You can see this so clearly in the tales of the gods and the great viking heroes. Even the Havamal was rich with adaptable knowledge, with lots still applicable to this day and age. If you haven’t read much Norse related stuff, do so right away! And attempt to unravel the metaphors and teachings within, just like a viking would.

If you want to become a viking in the modern age, you’re going to have to learn from the great myths and evoke the relevant archetypes of the Gods into yourself, so that you can become representatives of a new order of Norsemen. Nurture the intellect of Odin, the strength and warrior code of Thor. Keep yourself groomed and presentable in honour of Baldur and build a healthy pattern with your finances for Freyr. Freya reminds us to recognise spirituality and connectivity in all things and Loki balances us with a touch of fun, playful chaos.

By attaching names, feelings, and personalities to these archetypes, and then applying the teachings to your own lives, not only do you discover your own capabilities, but you snap into a state of mind with clarity and purpose. You’re emulating the gods, representing them, becoming a vessel for great archetypes and ancestors. You’re a modern viking, keeping the spirit of the vikings alive within yourself, and paving the way for those closest to you.

Care For Your Family

My two little ones up Warren Point- Boscastle

Despite all else, the vikings were good at keeping house. From a very young age the basic skills of building, surviving, and necessary crafts were taught to children. By age 12 a young man was expected to be able to build his own home! Nurturing these kind of skills with your children (not only teaching them to defend themselves) is a practice that builds powerful bonds and great skills for life.

Now you don’t have to go around building log cabins with your children (unless you want to) and not every kid needs to become a martial-arts powerhouse, but leaning on the importance of self-sufficiency, teaching how to work the common house chores, and preparing your kids for the more unexplored elements of adult life such as finances, life, death, and all the rest, is a great way to develop strong and healthy bonds with your family. Not to mention a well-oiled home that runs smoothly with everyone pitching in.

This kind of parenting really helps your children grow up to be the kinds of people most strive to be, paving the way for success in relationships, work, and overall happiness. Sounds like a win-win kinda situation to me! And hey, if you wanna learn bushcraft and start doomsday prepping, Gods be with you... You’re a modern viking now, ain’t nobody gonna stop you!

So in conclusion, you have enough here to set you on your path of modern vikinghood. Grab your Mjolnir, lift some weights, explore some local spots, and start pumping effort into your family. In later articles we’ll be diving deeper into everything from parenting like a viking to training programs and diets that’ll get you performing like a viking!

I hope you enjoyed this post. To stay up to date with my real life adventures and follow my own modern-vikinghood, come over to instagram where I post a regular stream of lifestyle and travel content! And for everything else, including the follow-up posts in this series and all my fiction work, my Facebook is the place to be!

Happy viking-ing everyone! Odin be with you.

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About the Creator

Gary Ragnarsson

Deep thinker, stoic, and writer from the UK, sharing everything from philosophical insights to my most intimate, personal stories.

In a world consumed by chasing more, I’m over here embracing less on purpose.

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Comments (3)

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  • Shirley Belk2 months ago

    "If you want to become a viking in the modern age, you’re going to have to learn from the great myths and evoke the relevant archetypes of the Gods into yourself, so that you can become representatives of a new order of Norsemen." (My favorite part of your story...especially Freya)

  • Veronica Coldiron8 months ago

    I have always been fascinated by Viking culture. Thank you for writing this! I thoroughly enjoyed your take on modern Viking life. It gave me some great ideas... and was VERY well written. 😊

  • Rebekah Crawley10 months ago

    Definitely will be embodying my inner shield maiden and taking these tips on board! Thank you so much for sharing them :)

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