THE HOUR OF YOUR DOOM IS SET: Viking Death and Burial Across Scandinavia and the Viking Diaspora

Abstract

This thesis looks into the impact that immigration and assimilation of Scandinavian peoples into the Viking diaspora had on both local and Scandinavian funerary practices. With emphasis on the contrast between Vikings in Scandinavia and Vikings in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Kiev, the goal of this paper is to understand the ways in which cultures interact with each other in regards to even the most personal of traditions. Despite common misconceptions regarding Vikings and the notion that they were part of a fixed, unchanging culture, the culmination of this research sees the conclusion that Vikings were just as influenced by wider European society as vice versa