Vikings: marauding plunderers or explorers, farmers, traders, and craftsmen from rural communities? The Vikings: Warriors of the Sea exhibit at Fernbank Museum through Jan. 1, 2024 explores art, traditions, beliefs, and everyday life through authentic artifacts, reenactment videos, and interactives that may challenge previous perceptions.
“Over the last half-century archaeology has radically altered our understanding of this period [750 – 1050 AD],” shared exhibit curator, Peter Pentz of the National Museum of Denmark. “With this exhibition, we hope to bring visitors up close with the people who influenced and transformed Western society.”
Upon entering the gallery, the 21-ft replica Viking ship shows the innovation of a shallow-drafted, light but sturdy vessel built without modern tools. In larger versions that carried more passengers or cargo and livestock, the Vikings traveled sizable distances from Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) eastward throughout Europe and to Asia, southward to North Africa, and westward to North America.
“This is great,” said Miranda Marlowe visiting with her husband and children. “We homeschool and are studying Columbus. I have to remind the kids that Columbus wasn’t the first one to come here, the Vikings were. It’s so interesting making these connections.”
Another must-see is the 9 ft-tall Jelling Stone reproduction of a runestone erected by King Harald “Bluetooth”.
“The only writings that the Vikings left us were runic inscriptions,” said Dr. Bobbi Hohmann, Fernbank Vice President of Programming and Collections. “There’s no written text, no books. The inscription [on the stone] talks of King Harald uniting the tribes of Denmark [in 958]. It also talks about converting the population to Christianity.”
The king’s initials and nickname are still with us today in the technology that allows our devices to wirelessly communicate.
“The Bluetooth symbol is the combination of two runes, H (ᚼ) and B (ᛒ),” Hohmann said. “King Harald united Denmark and the Bluetooth creators were uniting devices.”
The Viking legacy endures in popular culture too.
“If you know what you are looking for, you can pick up Viking culture and mythology in Thor, Frozen, The Avengers, How to Train Your Dragon, and more,” Hohmann explained.
All the more reason to explore the smaller of the 140 artifacts – like Thor’s hammer, keys, silver bullion, and more brought to Fernbank from the National Museum of Denmark with the help of MuseumPartners and local support from Delta Air Lines, Genuine Parts Company, Romanoff Renovations, and the Frances Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc.
“Everybody comes to exhibits for different reasons,” Hohmann said. “I’m an archaeologist by training, so I get excited about what we can learn about everyday life from artifacts left behind.”
Keys, for example, can tell you a lot.
“Vikings didn’t invent keys, but they are often found in female burials,” Hohmann said. “After marriage, women would be the holder of the keys to the farm and the chests, wearing them around their waist. This shows the role of women and the power they had in the household.”
As traders, Vikings developed their own means of exchange.
“Coins weren’t widely minted until 1,000 AD,” Hohmann explained. “So the Vikings would use silver bullion in different forms – strips of metal, coils or rings – and travel with weights and scales to trade.”
We’re pretty cashless today too – preferring smartphones and cards to bullion, weights, and scales.
For those who learn by touch, visit the hands-on display with a chainmail shirt, helmet, and small ship.
“On a bench is a digital version of a Norse board game, kind of like checkers and chess, with rules to guide you,” Hohmann shared. “Take a moment to play or try the digital Viking quiz.”
For adults 21+, check out more hands-on activities and a signature Mead cocktail at Fernbank After Dark: Warriors on Nov. 10, 2023. This event also marks the start of WildWoods: AGLOW, a nighttime immersive experience in the museum’s 10-acre wooded area that runs select evenings through Feb. 25, 2024. The Vikings Exhibit is included with admission to Fernbank After Dark, WildWoods AGLOW, and daily general admission.
The gallery exhibit changes every three months, so be sure to catch this one before the end of the year.
“Exploring human cultures is part of our mission, it always has been,” Hohmann said. “We really love it when we have an opportunity to showcase modern or ancient civilizations or cultures from around the world.”
Fernbank Museum is located at 767 Clifton Road NE – minutes from midtown and Decatur.
Visit FernbankMuseum.org for more info or to purchase tickets.
