Personal Appearances and Events

Seminars and research presentations:

Upcoming events

Nothing scheduled at this time. Please check back again later.

Past events

22-Nov-2023: William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson of Hurstwic talked to Noah Tetzner in a History of Vikings podcast: Viking Combat: The Violent Society of the Norse with Hurstwic.

Many topics were discussed, including:

  • What are the connections between the Norse gods and Viking combat?
  • What do the poetic kennings in skaldic poetry teach us about use of Viking weapons?
  • What are some of the popular misconceptions about Viking combat?
  • How did Reynir and William become such total Viking nerds, and what advice can they offer up-and-coming Viking nerds?
History of Vikings Podcast

2-Nov-2023: Lecture on Hurstwic's research on Viking combat at Quinebaug Valley Community College, an annual lecture demonstrating that researching and learning history need not be boring!

9-Sep-2023: Glíma training workshop. Hurstwic's Reynir A. Óskarson and a team of Icelandic and international champions, along with William R. Short, taught a four-day workshop on glíma, the empty-hand combat of the Vikings, and the national sport of Iceland today. Sponsored by Odin's Warrior Tribe. The event was covered in Morgunblaðið, the newspaper of Iceland, and members of the Icelandic Embassy in Washington, DC attended.

glíma

5-Sep-2023: William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson of Hurstwic sat down with Dan Sanz for an interview on his martial arts channel Art of One Dojo. As usual, we went all over the place in our discussion about Viking combat, and at times discussing modern martial arts methodology and how we apply it in the research of the ancient fighting system of Vikings.

10-Jul-2023 - 21-Jul-2023: Edge on Science Viking Adventure. Dr. William R. Short ran two 1-week summer science camps for middle school children that used research and experimentation with Viking weapons and combat as the motivation for the deep study of a variety of STEM-related topics. Students learned about Viking history and society, trained with Viking weapons to gain needed physical skills, then used those skills to measure and analyze the capabilities of Viking weapons. Their excitement and enthusiasm led the students to perform work far beyond their grade levels in math, physics, experiment design, and data analysis.

Viking Adventure

5-Mar-2023: William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson presented a webinar for SGSM on Life and Death as it relates to the Viking warrior. The Q&A and discussions that followed ran nearly as long as the presentation and covered a wide range of Viking topics.

22-Feb-2023: Reynir A. Óskarson and William R. Short had a discussion with Jackson Crawford about our ideas concerning the traps and pitfalls of Viking research. In the conversation, we talk about some of the traps we ourselves have fallen into in our Viking research at Hurstwic.

20-Jan-2023: Our article on our Viking combat research appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Black Belt Magazine. "3 Pillars: the fighting method of the Vikings, history's fiercest warriors" details our research and our findings about the fighting methods of the Vikings.

Black Belt

11-Jan-2023: Viking Weaponry, a Discussion with William Short and Reynir Óskarson, an interview on the new Vikingology podcase with C.J. Adrien and Terri Barnes. In the interview, we talk about topics from the research for our Men of Terror book, ranging from weapons to tactics to orðstírr to using glíma against the trolls of yule!.

11-Nov-2022: Lecture on Hurstwic's research on Viking combat at Quinebaug Valley Community College, an annual lecture demonstrating that researching and learning history need not be boring!

QVCC 2022

21-Aug-2022: Informal presentations by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson on Hurstwic's on-going research into Viking weapons and their use, part of the special Culture Night activities at the National Museum of Iceland. William and Reynir answered questions and discussed our research with guests in the exhibit hall while videos of our research experiments were shown next to the Viking weapons in the museum's collection.

National Museum of Iceland

18-Aug-2022: Icelandic: the battle language of the Vikings. A lecture by Reynir A. Óskarson and William R. Short to Icelandic language students at Háskólasetur Vestfjarða (University Centre of the Westfjords) on how our research into the ancient language of the Vikings informs us about Viking combat and about how the echoes of that combative society linger in the modern Icelandic language.

University Centre of the Westfjords

17-Aug-2022: Experimental archaeology: putting theories to the test, a presentation by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson at Hrafnseyri to archaeologists excavating Viking-age sites around Arnarfjörður this summer.

Hrafnseyri

13-Aug-2022: Experimental archaeology: putting theories to the test, a presentation by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson at the Saga Centre in Hvolsvöllur. A lecture on Hurstwic's use of experimental archaeology in our research, drawing on example from our Viking combat research and Viking iron smelting research.

lecture at Valhalla

8-May-2022: A lecture by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson at the East Iceland Heritage Museum on the research for our book Men of Terror.

Lecture at Minjasafn Austurlands

3-May-2022: Experimental archaeology: putting theories to the test, a presentation by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson at the National Museum of Iceland. The lecture is about the use of experimental archaeology in historical research, using experiments in settlement-era iron-making in Iceland as the example to explain the concept. The introduction is in Icelandic, while the lecture is in English.

30-Apr-2022: Opening of From Mire to Metal, a special exhibition of Viking-age iron smelting at the National Museum of Iceland, which runs through 29-Jan-2023. The exhibit features Hurstwic's research on iron smelting in the Viking era and showcases our iron-making festival, held jointly with Eiríksstaðir in 2019. William R. Short was a co-curator for this special exhibit.

30-Apr-2022: A reception for the opening of the From Mire to Metal special exhibit. William R. Short offered some brief remarks on the use of experimental archaeology in our research at Hurstwic.

iron exhibit reception

11-Apr-2022: INLUS Author's Corner — Men of Terror, a webinar with William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson about our new book, Men of Terror, on behalf of INLUS.

8-Apr-2022: An interview with William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson conducted by C.J. Adrien about our new book, Men of Terror, for the podcast Exploring the Viking World.

26-Mar-2022: A presentation at a Viking boat-building workshop sponsored by Odin's Warrior Tribe, with material drawn from our Men of Terror book.

boatbuilding seminar

23-Jan-2022: William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson were interviewed by Alain Guillot for his podcast. We discussed the topics covered in our new book, Men of Terror, how we came to write the book, and our unique approach to researching the book.

Alain Guillot podcast interview

22-Jan-2022: A presentation at Scandinavian Cultural Center on Viking combat based on the material in our book Men of Terror.

Lecture at Scandinavian Cultural Center

3-Dec-2021: A presentation at Northborough Historical Society on Viking combat based on the material in our book Men of Terror.

18-Nov-2021: Dr. William R. Short presented at the Worcester Art Museum Master Series lecture program on the research behind our new book, Men of Terror as it connects to a newly acquired Viking sword just added to the museum’s collection.

Worcester Art Museum lecture

4-Nov-2021: On-line virtual presentation about Viking-age Weapons and Combat at Quinebaug Valley Community College.

19-Sep-2021: Dr. William R. Short presented a lecture at the Ashokan Sword seminar of the New England Bladesmith Guild. The presentation covered aspects of our research on swords described in our new book, Men of Terror.

lecture at Ashokan sword seminar

1-Sep-2021: William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson lectured at Háskólinn í Reykjavík (University of Reykjavík) to physics students on the physics and science behind our research on Viking weapons.

HR lecture

31-Aug-2021: William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson met the President of Iceland at his official residence at Bessastaðir to present him with a copy of our new book, Men of Terror and to discuss with him some of the intriguing research results detailed in the book.

President of Iceland

30-Aug-2021: A lecture by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson about the research results in our new book at Vínlandssetrið.

Lecture at Vínlandssetrið

29-Aug-2021: A lecture by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson to folklorists and the general public about the research results described in our new book, presented at Sauðfjársetur á Ströndum.

Lecture at Hólmavík

27-Aug-2021: A lecture by Reynir A. Óskarson and William R. Short to Icelandic language students at Háskólasetur Vestfjarða (University Centre of the Westfjords) on how our research into the ancient language of the Vikings informs us about Viking combat and about how the echoes of that combative society linger in the modern Icelandic language.

lecture on language

26-Aug-2021: A lecture by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson at Hrafnseyri presented to a group of archaeologists excavating in the area and to the general public about the new book.

lecture to archaeologists at Hrafnseyri

26-Aug-2021: A lecture and training/demonstration by Reynir A. Óskarson on the evolution of Glíma from the empty-hand combat method of the Vikings to the national sport of Iceland today. Presented at Hrafnseyri to a group of archaeologists excavating in the area and to the general public.

Glíma

25-Aug-2021: Viking Weapons and Combat, Part 2, an interview with Dr. William R. Short conducted by Dr. Jackson Crawford on topics from the new book, Men of Terror,.

22-Aug-2021: A presentation by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson to a private group of Viking enthusiasts in Reykjavík about the research results discussed in our new book.

private group lecture

21-Aug-2021: A presentation by William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson at Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, the National Museum of Iceland, interpreting the artifacts on display in the light of the research in our book.

National Museum of Iceland presentation

20-Jun-2021: Strange Science: Uncovering Viking-Age Combat presented on-line for the Unitarian Universalist Society of Martha's Vineyard.

21-Nov-2020: Viking Naval Combat, a lecture by Dr. William R. Short presented on-line by Mystic Seaport Museum, part of the museum's annual Viking Days event, presented virtually this year.

16-Nov-2020: The Blood of Ymir: Viking Combat at Sea, an interview with Dr. William R. Short conducted by Dr. Jackson Crawford.

Sadly, the audio is somewhat garbled. The presentation just above covers much of the same ground, and in a lot more detail.

3-Nov and 6-Nov-2020: On-line virtual presentation about Viking-age Weapons and Combat at Quinebaug Valley Community College.

QVCC lecture 2020

20-Oct-2020: Firing Up Ancient Secrets, a lecture by Dr. William R. Short on Hurstwic's research in how iron was made in Viking-age Iceland. The lecture was presented on-line by the Massachusetts Archaeological Society Gene Winter chapter.

20-Jun-2020: Uncovering Viking-age Combat: Strange Science?, a lecture by Dr. William R. Short presented on-line by Mystic Seaport Museum, part of the museum's annual Viking Days event, presented virtually this year.

5-Mar-2020: Félag fornleifafræðinga (Icelandic Society for Archaeologists) presented Viking-age Weapons and Combat: Archaeology and literary sources put to the test, a lecture by Dr. William R. Short and Reynir A. Óskarson of Hurstwic at Háskóli Íslands (University of Iceland).

FF lecture

15-Feb-2020: A video interview with Dr. William Short conducted by Dr. Jackson Crawford on Viking Weapons and Combat.

11-Jan-2020: Presentation on Hurstwic's iron-making research at the Society for Historical Archaeology annual conference.

Hurstwic did a show-and-tell of our iron-making experiments in Iceland, talking about our research and displaying the materials we used, as well as some historical excavated samples from Icelandic Viking-age iron-making sites.

SHA 2020 conference

7-Nov-2019: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Quinebaug Valley Community College.  
6-Nov-2019: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at West Boylston Historical Society.  

30-Sep-2019: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, part of the Digging Into the Past series of lectures.

 

30-Aug through 1-Sep-2019: Járngerðarhátíð at Eiríksstaðir in Iceland

A 3-day festival of experimental archaeology sponsored by Hurstwic and Eiríksstaðir, with a focus on making iron in Viking-age Iceland. The festival was the culmination of nearly two years of research by Hurstwic and William Short to uncover the lost secrets of how iron was made in Iceland’s early history. We succeeded, and smelted what is probably the first iron in 700 years (near right photo) made from all Icelandic materials in Icelandic-style furnaces (far right photo).

Information about the festival, and a slide show of the adventure, and a look at the festival broadcast on Landinn on Icelandic RÚV television.

iron festival

1 and 2-June-2019: Three lectures at Viking Days, Mystic Seaport Museum

  • The Viking Belief in the Afterlife
  • The Making of Iron in the Viking Age
  • Trolls and Zombies: the paranormal creatures that inhabit the world of the Vikings

Mystic Seaport Museum lecture

11-Apr-2019: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas for students and staff of Fjordane Folkehøgskule during their visit to Iceland.

Fjordane Folkehogskule

11-Apr-2019: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas with hands-on training for students at Waldorfskólinn Sólstafir, Reykjavík, Iceland.

Waldorf school lecture

4-Mar-2019: Hurstwic Heathen study group presentation: The Icelandic Runes

HSG Rune lecture

13-Feb-2019: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Massachusetts Archaeological Society.

19-Jan-2019: Hurstwic Old Norse Language Bootcamp instructor.


5-Jan-2019: Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training Introductory Workshops
21-July-2018
7-April-2018
18-January-2018
30-Sep-2017
6-May-2017
14-Jan-2017
17-Sep-2016
2-April-2016
9-January-2016
10-Oct-2015
6-June-2015
7-March-2015
10-January-2015

Viking combat training workshop

8-November-2018: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Quinebaug Valley Community College.

27-Jun-2018: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at The Marlborough Historical Society.

16-Jun-2017: Presentation on Religion in the Viking Age at Mystic Seaport Museum Viking Days.
17-Jun-2017: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Mystic Seaport Museum Viking Days.

Mystic Seaport Museum lecture

2-April-2018: Presentation on Trolls in the Viking Age at the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group.

29-January-2018: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Cape Cod Academy.

26-January-2018: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at St. Mark's School.

11 and 12-November-2017: Hurstwic Old Norse Language Bootcamp instructor.

Hurstwic Old Norse Bootcamp

9-November-2017: Presentation on Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Quinebaug Valley Community College.

6-November-2017: Presentation on The Poetic Edda at the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group.
16-April-2017: Instructor and presenter at the Asfolk Viking Martial Arts open house. Asfolk open house
3-April-2017: Presentation on The Walking Dead in the Sagas: Zombies of the Viking Age at the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group.
27-February-2017: World Premiere of Hurstwic's film The Final Battle of Grettir the Strong at Tjarnarbíó cinema in Reykjavík, Iceland Premiere of The Final Battle of Grettir the Strong
14-Jan-2017: Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training Introductory Viking Combat Workshop for Younger Vikings
9-January-2016
2-April-2016
10-October-2015
Viking combat training for younger Vikings
7-December-2016: Interview on Awaken the North Podcast.
7-November-2016: Presentation on The Coexistence of Heathenry and Christianity in the Viking Age at the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group.
August-2016: Film shoot on location in Iceland for Hurstwic's film based on Grettis saga. Film shoot on location at Drangey, Iceland
14-July-2016: Presentation on Life After Death in the Viking Age at the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group.

11-April-2016: Presentation on Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas of Icelanders at Southern New Hampshire University.

4-April-2016: Presentation on Religion in the Viking Age at the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group.
28-Mar-2016: Presentation on Religion in the Viking Age at UMass Amherst. UMass Amherst 2016 magazine article

3-December-2015: Presentation on Viking History, Culture, and Society at Henry E. Warren Elementary School, Ashland, MA.

Ashland

22-November-2014: Presentation and Demonstration of Viking Combat at Nesmith Library, Windham, NH, USA.

18 and 19-October-2104: Presentation and Training Session at Swords Through the Centuries in Wolcott, CT.

Swords Through the Ages

August, 2014: Film shoot on location in Iceland for Hurstwic's film based on Gísla saga. Gisla saga location shoot 2014

28 and 29-June-2014: Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training with the Montreal Viking Vig Skhol in Montreal, Quebec.

Viking Vig Skohl flyer

3-April-2014: Settlement and Commonwealth in Saga-Age Iceland lecture at Western New England University.

15 and 16-March-2014: Hurstwic Old Norse Language Boot Camp

Hurstwic Old Norse Language Boot Camp

8-March-2014: Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training Introductory Workshop

Viking combat training workshop

24-February-2014: Fellaskóli, Fellabæ, Iceland:
Introduction to Viking Weapons (for 1st and 2nd graders)
Viking Weapons in Gísla saga (for 8th and 9th graders)

Fellaskoli
14-January-2014: Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training Introductory Workshop Viking combat training workshop

6-November-2013: Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas of Icelanders lecture, part of the "Vengeance and Violence in Scandinavian Life and Culture" lecture series at UMass Amherst.

UMass Amherst flyer

2-November-2013: Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas presentation at Swords Through the Centuries in Wolcott, CT

Swords Through the Centuries logo
5-October-2013: Viking combat training team-building exercise for WPI undergraduates. Viking teambuilding for undergraduates
13-September-2013: "Using the Sagas in our work at Hurstwic and at Higgins Armory Museum", a presentation in the session on Using the Sagas in the Classroom, part of the Haustþing kennara (Fall Teacher's Conference) in Egilsstaðir, Iceland Haustthing kennara 2013

18-August through 24-August-2013: Instructor for the summer course Gísla Saga and Classical Icelandic at Háskólasetur Vestfjarða in Iceland.

Gisla saga
oldest surviving fragment of Gísla Saga
photo: Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.

8-May-2013: Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas lecture at Bates College, Lewiston, ME

3-March-2013: Viking Fighting Moves presentation at Scandinavian Cultural Center, West Newton, MA

lecture at Scandinavian Cultural Center

2-February-2013: Viking combat training team-building exercise for WPI undergraduates.

WPI team building Viking combat training

19-January-2013: Viking Day at Higgins Armory Museum, a full day of lectures, presentations, workshops, and training sessions.

Higgins Armory Museum Viking Day 2013

8-November-2012: Lecture and demonstration on Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques at QVCC.

31-October-2012: Radio interview broadcast on the program Samfélagið í nærmynd on Rás 1 in Iceland: Hvatvísir bardagamenn (although I am not sure I would use the word hvatvísir to describe my view of Vikings in combat).
(Audio may be streamed from the RÚV website, or as an MP3 file from this website.)

10-October-2012: Advisor to the Nova television documentary, Secrets of the Viking Sword.

22-September-2012: Lecture on Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Landnámssetur Íslands in Borgarnes, Iceland.

Viking weapons lecture at Landnamssetur

20-August-2012 through 24-August-2012: Instructor for Gísla Saga and Classical Icelandic, a summer course at Háskólasetur Vestfjarða in Iceland.


Dr. William R. Short leads a class discussion of Gísla Saga outdoors in the courtyard at Háskólasetur Vestfjarða

25-May-2012: Television interview on Viking history, culture, weapons, combat, and travels to Vínland. Broadcast date TBA.

Vinland interview for television

31-March-2012: Opening of Real Vikings, a new exhibition of Viking-age weapons at Higgins Armory Museum. A full day of Viking presentations, demonstrations, games, and crafts.

Real Vikings poster

25-February through 17-March-2012: Viking sword and shield introductory course, one of several Viking combat training events at Higgins Armory Museum

28-January-2012: Warrior 101: Introduction to Historical Swordplay workshop at Higgins Armory Museum

21-January-2012: Viking sword and shield workshop, one of several Viking combat training events at Higgins Armory Museum, part of Viking Day, a full day of Viking-related events

13-January-2012: Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas of Icelanders: presentation and combat demo at Arisia

10-November-2011: lecture and demonstration on Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques at QVCC.

20-October-2011: Presentation, demonstration, and hands-on workshop on Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas at College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA.

beginning 15-October-2011: Viking Sword and Shield Introductory Course for adults and teens, one of several Viking combat training events at Higgins Armory Museum

6-October-2011: Lecture on Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas at Fjörukráin in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland.

Fjorukrain lecture flyer

2-October-2011: Viking combat workshop with Víkingar á Þingeyri at Þingeyri in Iceland.

1-October-2011: Lecture on Viking Fighting Moves from the Sagas at the annual conference of Saga Trail Association (Samtök um sögutengda ferðaþjónustu) at Núpur í Dýrafirði in Iceland.

Saga trails logo

26 and 27-September-2011: Lecture on Viking-age history, culture and society, followed by Viking combat workshops for school children at Hallormsstaðaskóli and at Brúarásskóli in Fljótsdalshérað, Iceland and for the children of Reyðarfjörður at Minjasafn Austurlands in Egilsstaðir, Iceland.

Viking combat training at Minjasafn Austurlands

July and August-2011: Viking Sword and Shield Workshops, with sessions for adults and separate sessions for kids at Higgins Armory Museum.

July and August-2011: Viking Combat Workshops for summer interns at Higgins Armory Museum.

21-April-2011: Viking Combat Workshop for Younger Vikings at Higgins Armory Museum. A new one-hour hands-on workshop to introduce younger Vikings to the weapons and the fighting moves of the Vikings.

12-March-2011: Presentation on Viking history and culture at Ephraim Curtis Middle School.

28-March-2011: Lecture/demonstration on Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques at Bates College.

Bates poster march 2011

27-March-2011: Viking combat workshop at Bates College.

12-February-2011 through 7-March-2011: Viking Sword and Shield Training Class at Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester, MA, USA. The class teaches the fundamentals of Viking sword and shield combat and runs on four consecutive Saturday afternoons.

29-January-2011: Viking Day at Higgins Armory Museum, with special demonstrations, presentations, and workshops.

29-November-2010: Lecture on Viking-age Iceland at Worcester State University.

Viking training video

18-November-2010: Video shoot for American Treasures, a new program premiering on the Discovery channel in spring, 2011.

On camera, we taught the two hosts of the show some fundamentals of Viking combat techniques, using our new approach to teaching historical martial arts.

More photographs of the video shoot can be seen in this album.

Viking training video

11-November-2010: Lecture/demonstration on Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques at Quinebaug Valley Community College.

QVCC poster nov 2010

24-September-2010: Viking combat workshop at SUNY Oswego.

11-September-2010: A lecture on my forthcoming book, The Warrior Code of the Viking Age, at Landnámssetur Íslands in Borgarnes, Iceland.

weapons training at Þingeyri

4 and 5-September-2010: Viking Sword and Shield combat training workshop for Víkingar frá Þingeyri in Þingeyri, west Iceland.

weapons training at Þingeyri

3-September-2010: A lecture on my forthcoming book, The Warrior Code of the Viking Age, part of the Vísindaport lecture series at Hákólasetur Vestfjarða in Ísafjörður, west Iceland.

knattleikur Minjasafn Austurlands

28-August-2010: Knattleikur returns to Iceland!

The Viking-age ball game called knattleikur was played in Iceland, perhaps for the first time in centuries. William R. Short offered brief instruction (right), and then the games festival began (left). Both knattleikur (for adults) and sveinaleikur (for children) were played. The games were part of a Viking-day event at Geirsstaðakirkja in east Iceland sponsored by Minjasafn Austurlands.

knattleikur Minjasafn Austurlands

Phoenix Swords workshop

11-July-2010: Viking Sword and Shield workshop at Phoenix Swords.

Phoenix Swords workshop

25-March-2010: Lecture on the resolution of conflicts in the Sagas of Icelanders at the University of Connecticut.

20-February-2010 through 13-March-2010: Viking Sword and Shield Training Class at Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester, MA, USA.  The class teaches the fundamentals of Viking sword and shield combat and ran on four Saturday afternoons in February.

20-February-2010: Book signing at Higgins Armory Museum, part of the Authors at Higgins special event.

30-January-2010: Viking Day at Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester, MA, USA. A full day of Viking events, include lectures, combat demonstrations, and a hands-on workshop on Viking combat techniques, as well as crafts, games, and other family activities.

20-November-2009: Lecture on Viking-age arms and armor, Worcester State College.


QVCC poster 19-November-2009: Presentation and demonstration at Quinebaug Valley Community College on Viking-age arms, armor, and combat techniques.

QVCC Viking presentation
photo: Brian M. Lynch


29-October-2009: Presentation at Fayetteville Free Library, on my book Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques.

Viking weapons lecture at Fayettevile Free Library

28-October-2009: Seminar for the Medieval and Renaissance Studies program at the Maxwell School, Syracuse University.


10-October-2009: Presentation at Micel Folcland Hearth Night on my book Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques.


Vísindaport Háskólaseturs Vestfjarða
Ísafjörður, Iceland
18-September-2009

Lecture on my forthcoming book about saga-age Icelanders.

hsvest event announcement
event announcement


Vísindagarður
Mentaskólinn á Egilsstöðum
Egilsstaðir, Iceland
15-September-2009

  • Lecture on Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques

  • Viking event for families and children at Minjasafn Austurlands

Sjonvarpid frettir
television news story
on the children's event at
Minjasafn Austurlands
broadcast on
RÚV Sjónvarpið Fréttir


Frettabladid announcement
announcement of the event in Fréttablaðið.

Landnámssetur Íslands
Borgarnes, Iceland
12-September-2009

  • Lecture by William R. Short on Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques

  • Lecture by Einar Kárason on weapons and techniques in the Sturlunga era

  • Combat demonstrations by Rimmugýgur, the Viking group from Hafnarfjörður

  • Archery demonstrations by Hringhorni, the Viking group from Akranes

  • Viking feast in the museum's restaurant

Landnamssetur print ad
print ad for the event


MetroWest Daily News article
news article about Viking Day in
MetroWest Daily News
16-July-2009
by Chris Bergeron

Higgins Armory Museum
Worcester, MA, USA
18-July-2009

Scheduled Viking events on July 18 at the Higgins include:

  • Lecture on women in Viking society at 11:30

  • Viking combat demonstration at 2

  • Book signing immediately following the combat demonstration, at about 2:30

  • Other family-oriented Viking-related demonstrations, games, crafts, and workshops will be presented throughout the day

Books are available for purchase in the museum gift shop.

Slide show of the day's events.

Vikings at Higgins Armory Museum
Publicity for Viking Invasion
at Higgins Armory Museum


Morgunbladid article
Morgunblaðið article about
the book and presentation

16-June-2009 at 8PM: Presentation at Reykjavík, on weapons and combat techniques in saga-age Iceland.
Part of an open-house at the home of writer and film director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, creator of Hrafninn flýgur (The Raven Flies).

Announcement on the Einherjar website here.


Furman poster Presentation at Furman University, Greenville, SC, USA
2-April-2009

Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques


29-September-2008 at 7PM: Presentation at Gerðuberg cultural center, Reykjavík, on weapons and combat techniques in saga-age Iceland.
26-September-2008 at 12 noon: Presentation at Vísindaport Háskólaseturs Vestfjarða in Iceland on weapons and combat techniques in saga-age Iceland.

frettabladid article
Fréttablaðið article about the presentations

Radio interview with Sigríður Stephensen on Víðsjá, broadcast on Rás 1. Listen here.
(excerpts in mp3 format)

News story on the Vísir web site here.

Summary of presentation at Gerðuberg here.

Announcement on the Háskólasetur Vestfjarða web site here.

Announcement on the Einherjar website here.


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