Communing with the ancestors at Birka

When someone told me, you don't want to go to Birka, there's nothing there but scenery and a bunch of old stones, that of course made me desperate to get on a boat and head out into Lake Mäler to Birka, the oldest known Viking town in Sweden. and a  UNESCO World Heritage site.  There's no town of Birka today; the trading center only lasted for about 200 years, from the late eighth- to the  tenth centuries.  However, there are still plenty of graves (middle; see the circle of stones?), many excavated for their amazing pagan grave goods.  Like the Egyptians, the Vikings thought you had to take it with you.  And if you love old rocks like me, you'll be delighted to find plenty of piles of them, the remains of Viking buildings (right)

In 829, a Benedictan monk named Ansgar came to this rocky place to convert the Vikings from their pagan gods.  Alas, the Vikings were not any more interested in Christianity then than their descendents  are now.  There are a few graves marked wtih crosses, but most people still had themselves burned in a boat with the hammar of Thor adorning their grave - better to hedge their bets.  Today, Ansgar is remembered with a stone cross (left) on the highest point on the island.

     

Today, there's a working settlement on Birka, where we watched the blacksmith and sailmaker at work (upper right), as well as the boat-building team (above).  Hugh tried his hand at archery (far upper right);  he was better than the reenacter!  He made an amulet of tin with the help of a metal artist.  To the right, he's pressing the bellows to melt the tin over an open fire.