I first grew seriously interested in the Vikings in college. I attended the University of California, Santa Cruz and one of my first classes was a survey class in history. We only had a brief, two-week segment on the Vikings where we learned a little about their culture and mythologies, and we read Njal’s Saga. From then on, I was hooked. I declared a double major so I could study more about history, with a focus in Viking history particularly in regard to sagas and women’s roles in Viking societies.
When I approached my professor to ask if there were any other classes taught at the UC on the Vikings. She said, “No, but you should teach one.” She then told me that the UC system has a program for students to teach a class, called a Student Directed Seminar. This was not something done lightly; I needed a sponsor who supervised from afar and I would need to create a whole semester’s worth of classes. As a freshman, it seemed so far from my capabilities, but she encouraged me that if I wanted to know more, I should do this. So I did.
For the next three years, I studied Viking history, culture, and literature on my own outside of classes. I took one independent study with my professor to have structure where I created a syllabus, lesson plan, and selected the appropriate books. Out of the 15 books I studied from, I narrowed my class down to five. I learned so much from my students! It was a wonderful experience, which I wrote an essay on to submit for an award. I won the Linda Peterson Award in History my senior year and my work is published in the History Annals.
Since then, I happened upon the Vikings of Bjornstad through Ed! We met at a business meetup and got to talking. One thing led to another, and he had persuaded me to join the group after months of persistence! I have learned even more about Viking daily life and history in this group than when I was studying them. Not only do I get to learn new things, but I get to teach them and apply the knowledge immediately when we go out on events.
In the group, my
persona is a Víf and a Vefrkvenn (wife and weaver woman). My name is
Astrid, I am married to Keld. My husband owns a farm where we raise
sheep for wool. I weave the wool, preparing it to be sold at the
market. My husband travels with our cloth on the trade ships to
oversee the sale of our goods. While he is away, I run the farm, as
such I have a belt with all the keys to our chests and doors. My
garments are simple, but with some embroidery from wool trim I
crafted myself. I have a few fancier items that my husband has
brought home with him from his voyages such as a necklace with glass
beads, but mostly we live a simple life. We own our own land and
when my husband dies, he intends to leave the land to me unless we
have children.
