Denmark

  • Lejre, a seat of power

    Lejre, located a few miles southwest of Roskilde in Zealand, was known as a village as early as the 6th century. According to mythology, this was the place of Denmark’s first royal dynasty, i.e. the Sköldungarna (Scyldings), and several archaeological… Continue reading

  • Runestones of Scandinavia

    Runestones rightfully fascinate many. They are a voice from a bygone era that often tells of a loss in the sense that they have mostly been raised by a parent or other relative of someone who no longer exists. There… Continue reading

  • The massacre at Visby ring wall

    ”In the year of the Lord 1361, King Valdemar of Denmark captured Gotland and Visby, where he killed about one thousand eight hundred peasants in a battle the day before St. James’ Day.” The words are found in the yearbook… Continue reading

  • Queen Elizabeth’s Swedish Lady-in-Waiting

    As I previously wrote, Cecilia Vasa had a following of around a hundred people when she arrived in England for her unsuccessful stay at Queen Elizabeth’s court. One of these was Helena Snakenborg, born in 1549, daughter of the castle… Continue reading