Viking Art

What Is Viking Art?

Viking art flourished from the late 8th century to the 11th century, during the age of Norse expansion, seafaring, and storytelling. More than just decoration, Viking art was an expression of identity, mythology, and power—etched into weapons, carved onto ships, and worn like protection.

Unlike the religious focus of medieval church art, Viking art sprang from pagan beliefs, ancestral honor, and a warrior's view of the world.

Viking Art Periods

Historians divide Viking art into distinct stylistic phases, each reflecting shifts in design, religion, and culture:

1) Oseberg Style (c. 775–875 AD)

Found in ship burials like the Oseberg Ship, this early style features twisting animal forms, tightly interwoven, almost abstract in detail.

2) Borre Style (c. 850–950 AD)

Named after a burial mound in Norway, it used geometric interlace and gripping beast heads — fierce, compact, symbolic of strength.

3) Jellinge & Mammen Styles (c. 900–1000 AD)

These styles emerged with the rise of Christian influence. Art became more symmetrical, filled with ribbon-like animals and delicate detailing.

4) Ringerike Style (c. 1000–1075 AD)

This was the beginning of the shift toward more elegant, flowing forms—lions, serpents, and abstract foliage.

5) Urnes Style (c. 1050–1150 AD)

The final Viking style: elegant, almost Gothic. Serpents and beasts spiral in graceful arcs, hinting at the fusion of Norse and Christian art.

Key Characteristics of Viking Art

  • Interlacing Beasts & Knots: Dragons, wolves, and serpents wind around weapons and jewelry. They symbolize chaos, power, or protection.
  • Runes & Symbols: Viking art often includes runes, an ancient alphabet used for names, spells, or memorials. Common runes include ᚠ (Fehu) for wealth, ᛏ (Tiwaz) for victory, and ᛟ (Odal) for heritage.
  • Natural Motifs: Waves, trees, stars, and ravens—linking human life to nature and the gods.
  • Tool-Based Mediums: Most Viking art was carved—into wood, bone, stone, or metal. Rarely was it painted.
  • Portable Power: Much of Viking art was made for movement—brooches, sword hilts, helmets, ship prows, and runestones.

Common Themes

  • Odin, Thor & the Aesir: The gods appear not as portraits, but as symbols—ravens, hammers, spears, or wolves.
  • The Afterlife: Imagery of Valhalla, Yggdrasil (the world tree), and serpent-ridden hellscapes.
  • War & Fate: Swords entwined with destiny; shields bearing runes; armor that told stories.
  • Cultural Pride: Art on burial ships, memorial stones, and personal items preserved family names and local legends.

Why It Still Inspires?

Viking art speaks to those drawn to the untamed, the mystical, and the eternal. It’s raw yet refined, violent yet sacred. These symbols—carved long before modern nations existed—still feel alive.

At Medievaly, we honor that legacy. We bring Norse legends, rune-laced patterns, and beast-shaped tales into the now—printed on cloth, reawakened in ink.