I have no excuse for it. But after five trips to Iceland and as many readings of Egil’s Saga, I finally realized that most of the action in the story takes place in Norway. Fortunately, a trip to Norway was already in the cards, and of course, the itinerary would include as much Viking stuff as I could fit in. The Oseberg ship was a no-brainer; as was the Viking exhibit at the National Museum. But I’d already seen Viking ships and static exhibitions. I really wanted to get to a living museum where I could see how all those artifacts worked in a Viking village.
Finding A Viking Village
Unfortunately, many of Norway’s Viking-themed living museums are only open in summer. The biggest one, and probably the best, is open year-round, but it would have taken nearly half our time to make the round trip above the Arctic Circle to reach it and get back to Oslo. The Midgard Viking Center was promising, but in April had limited hours and was a bit hard to reach by public transportation. Then I discovered the Viking Village Njardarheimr, or Njardheim. Not only was it open daily in April, it was on the Norway in a Nutshell route.
Njardheim, the Viking Village
Njardheim is not exactly a living museum; the people behind it are not academics. But it’s a bit more than a Viking-themed Ren Fair, because it does aim to educate as much as it aims to entertain. Located in the village of Gudvangen, Njardheim is a reproduction Viking village, built with materials and techniques as close to authentic as modern craftsmen can achieve. Its “residents” wear period clothing and practice the crafts and skills of the age. Visitors are given a tour of the village, a chance to try out a few activities, and have the opportunity to purchase “Viking” meals from the onsite facilities.
Njardheim grew out of a summer Viking festival that has been held in Gudvangen for nearly 20 years. Gudvangen has a population of 100 people today, but in the Viking Age, Gudvangen was an important trading center. When the permanent village was built in 2016, some people were not thrilled that permits were granted to build what could be considered a for-profit LARPing venture in a UNESCO World Heritage area. But since I was traveling with a kid and curious to see Viking technology and culture in action, it seemed like a pretty good fit.
The Plan
In summer the Viking Village is open from 10-6, but in early April, it was only open from 10:30-1:30. I had considered the Gudvangen Fjordtell but ended up staying in Flåm instead. We loved Flåm, so I don’t regret that choice. But the Fjordtell looked pretty cute when we peeked inside. I think in the summer when the village is open later and there’s more sunshine to enjoy quiet evenings outside, it would be a good choice.
We took the day’s first sailing of the Nærøyfjord cruise from Flåm and arrived in Gudvangen shortly after the village opened. After stashing our luggage and using the restroom in the nearby restaurant, we arrived at Njardheim just after one of the hourly tours started. Online reviews had ranged from “you only need about an hour here” to “families with kids will want to stay all day.” We had about 2 ½ hours to spend before we needed to catch a bus out of Gudvangen to Bergen, finishing our Nutshell route.
The Tour
We joined the tour in progress, which only had one other family on it. Our guide was Marie, a woman completely in character with a full backstory and markedly contemporary views of Viking society. I appreciated that she gave the Vikings credit for their egalitarianism and gender equality relative to the rest of Europe at the time, while still being quite clear that modern women and people not born to privilege would not be thrilled by a return to Viking standards.
The tour was naturally presented at a very introductory level, so I had heard most of it many times before (horned helmets weren’t used; most Vikings were farmers who carried axes because swords were expensive, etc.). But, like any good museum docent, the guide was knowledgeable beyond the spiel and able to answer deeper questions. And, as I has hoped, we did get a chance to see how some things worked. In particular, my daughter and I were fascinated to see how card weaving worked and what kind of material it produced.
My daughter also got a kick out of being able to try on a helmet and brandish a weapon. I was super grateful to Marie for inviting her to do so. Since the only other kid on the tour was a boy, and a loud, pushy one at that, I think most guides would have ignored my quiet female child when it came time to hand out swords. Although her barbaric yawp could not be heard above Marie’s roar when they posed for pictures, a strong impression was made. That night she put on all the woolen items she could find and spent an hour threatening the coat rack in our Bergen hotel room.
The Village
When the tour was over, we were free to wander the village as long as we wanted. This was where we really felt the off-season nature of our visit. Although they steadfastly maintain the fiction of actually living the Viking life, not even half a dozen “Vikings” were to be found in the village that day. In the summer we might have met storytellers and weavers, people dying fabric, working leather or metal, and making food the really old-fashioned way. We would definitely have wanted the whole day.
As it was, we met a couple of sheep and the Chieftain, an older gentleman who happily confessed when the boy on our tour accused him of also being Santa Claus. A younger man gave the kids a quick archery lesson before Marie challenged them to axe throwing. Even though it was a sunny day, the mountains kept the whole village in shadow and the wind off the water was cold. We warmed up by the most wonderful outdoor fire I’ve ever experienced and had to hustle to make our bus. We didn’t get to look closely at the gift shop, but my impression was very favorable. I wish they an online shop for the handmade items, especially the jewelry, that I only got a quick look at in person.
We also didn’t see any sign of the Viking dining options mentioned from the website. We picked up some ready-made sandwiches and a bag of chips at the restaurant where we stored our luggage, and dragged our suitcases out of town to the bus stop on the highway with a few minutes to spare.
Conclusion
Njardheim is not a destination for serious scholars of Viking history. But it is a great stop on the Norway in a Nutshell route, especially if you have kids, are interested in handicrafts, or lack the patience for static museum exhibits. If you are not already a Viking nerd, a couple hours in the Viking Village will be enough to dispel popular mythology and give you a pretty good sense of what is known about the era. Njardheim occupies a strange place in between the cheesiness of summer fairs and them parks and legitimate academic study. But I think that in between place is a good place for curious visitors to start exploring Norway’s Viking history.
