Moesgård Viking Moot is an annual

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historical uniforms and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a histor ...

event in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

with a week-long viking market and mock battles. It is the largest

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

reenactment event in

and is held on and near the beaches at

Moesgård Museum Moesgaard Museum (MOMU) is a Danish regional museum dedicated to archaeology and ethnography. It is located in Beder, a suburb of Aarhus, Denmark. MOMU cooperates with the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology, Medieval and Renaissance Archaeolog ...

. There are no permanent structures in the area so a temporary tent camp with

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

s and kitchens is erected, modelled after the

Great Heathen Army The Great Heathen Army, also known as the Viking Great Army,Hadley. "The Winter Camp of the Viking Great Army, AD 872–3, Torksey, Lincolnshire", ''Antiquaries Journal''. 96, pp. 23–67 was a coalition of Scandinavian warriors who invaded ...

. On the last two days of the event, tiding

tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

, single combat contests and mock battles are performed, featuring up to a 1000 participants and an

Icelandic horse The Icelandic horse ( ), or Icelandic, is a Horse breed, breed of horse developed in Iceland. Although the horses are smaller (at times pony-sized) than other breeds, most Breed registry, registries for the Icelandic refer to it as a horse. Th ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

. The event was held for the first time in 1977. The reenactment was founded by Moesgård Museum which had previously held a weekend of lectures and crafts for children. In 1977 it was expanded to a week long event, with a market for jewellery, clothing and weapons. The market has since grown and is now the largest of its kind in Scandinavia.

2015 event

In 2015 the event attracted 1400 participants from a dozen countries and 23,000 visitors and spectators.

References

Literature

Konzack, Lars (2017). Viking re-enactment. In: Roued-Cunliffe & Copeland (ed.) Participatory Heritage. London, UK: Facet Publishing, pp. 37-46.

External links

* Events in Aarhus Historical reenactment events Summer in Denmark {{Denmark-stub