Toys and souvenirs

Souvenirs and memorabilia

Souvenirs take many forms, some of which appear to have little relationship to the Vikings. Ireland does not spring readily to mind when thinking of the Vikings, yet a horned hat reminds of its Norse past. A Thor's hammer necklace from Denmark seems more fitting for Denmark's Viking past, while a travel mug from Norway fuses the old and the new. No doubt Viking travellers would have loved a good travel mug! Finally, the angry Viking plushy found in a shop in Copenhagen plays up to the stereotype of the violent Viking while muting his fearsomeness by making him cuddly.

Toys

Toys based on the Vikings are both old and modern. In the old camp, small shields can be bought for the little Vikings, and modern toy ships made of wood remind of similar toys owned by Viking Age children, like examples in the National Museum of Ireland or the National Museum of the Faroe Islands. Diewke la Roi's crocheted Viking uses a technique not known to the Vikings, but cloth dolls could have been made and wooden ones are known. Newer examples like Hagar the Horrible's car seem only to have a marketing motive. Like Wickie the Wiking chicken nuggets and salami, sticking a Viking theme and lable on a Hot Wheels car helps it sell.

These toys connect modern children with Viking Age children. The toys are not all the same, but they do reflect the adult material culture of the society in which they were made. In many respects, this play prepared Viking children for their adult lives and responsibilities.