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As a child, I first got to learn about the Vikings through popular books of myths and legends as well as movies such like
The Vikings (1958) starring
Kirk Douglas or The 13th Warrior. However, growing up in rural southern France, there was not much more around in terms of resources about this
enigmatic northerly folk, and few people who were interested in them, or even History in general. My interest in the subject reached new heights when I moved to Norway, aged 19, as part of a university exchange program. Enrolled in a bachelor of History back home, I soon realized I had learned absolutely nothing about Scandinavia until then and eagerly started to delve into the history and culture of the ancient North. Following a trip to the local second hand shop, I was able to acquire a nearly 100 year old edition of Snorri Sturluson's story of the kings of Norway and quickly realized that I needed to get more from where this was from. This lead me to moving to Iceland to enroll in the very niche MA program in Old Norse Religion where I learned everything there was to learn about the sagas, eddas, and more. After graduating, I settled back to Norway for good and was lucky enough to celebrate my wedding to my now wife Linnea in the Lofotr viking museum in Lofoten. At around the same time I got in contact with the local Viking reenactment troupe and was able (thanks to considerable help and guidance), to sew my own Viking Age outfit. Since then, I have spent most of my time focusing on researching Old Norse history and religion (you can have a look at my output on my academic page: ), working in the tourism industry, mostly as a guide, and practicing the art of photography (mostly northern lights and Nordic landscapes). My connection with Bjornstad comes mainly from my meanderings on the internet, as I have yet to set foot in California. I have mostly been active on the Viking movie list front, finding a number of new entries to perfect an already fantastic resource. |
 
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