Viking-inspired wedding themes are growing in
popularity. Some couples choose a Viking décor based on ancient Norse and
Celtic history that include things like drinking mead from traditional
drinking horns and tying the knot by handfasting.
But for those who want to take their wedding beyond the usual accoutrements,
incorporating one or more of the following long-forgotten ancient Viking
wedding traditions may add that unique flare you’re looking for.
Get Married on a Friday
This first Viking wedding tradition isn’t something
you see, but something to be experienced Set the wedding date for a Friday.
Since Friday was considered sacred to Figg (Frigga), the wife of Odin, the
highest ranking of the Aesir goddesses, Viking weddings were held on Fridays.
Exchange Swords and Rings
The Viking groom presented his bride with the family’s ancestral sword along with the wedding ring on its hilt. The bride then presented the groom with her family’s ancestral sword with his ring on the hilt. Where did the groom’s family sword come from? Before the wedding, the groom broke into the grave of an ancestor to retrieve the sword. As he entered the grave and emerged with the sword, it symbolized his death as a boy and his new life as a man. |
Grooms had to enter grave and emerge with ancestoral sword.
Escorting the Bride
Another custom involving the family sword deals with
who escorted the bride. Instead of the father walking the bride down the
“aisle,’ a younger male family member escorted the bride. This young male
carried the sword to be presented to the groom.
Sounding of the Horn
This tradition works well for couples getting married
at a lakeside venue. Historically the Viking groom went out on the lake in a
boat with ten of his friends before the wedding. When the hunting horn sounded,
they came back to shore to take part in the wedding. For a little added
authenticity, you can look for a Viking boat to rent for the occasion but they are hard to find.
While most people don’t reenact ancient wedding traditions exactly, it can be fun to modernized them for today. Getting married on a Friday is the easiest wedding custom on this list, and finding a young man of the family to escort the bride won’t take much work, but no one is going to rob a grave for a sword, so including the sword ceremony will require buying swords and rings (unless you have an ancestral family sword).
The fun part for people who do introduce the sword ceremony into their wedding is that they will have a family sword to pass on to their children. And as for the boat arrival of a groom, this one takes the most work and requires a lakeside wedding venue, a hunting horn to blow, and the availability of a boat. Any boat can work, but if you really want a Viking replica, the Karvi, with 13 rowing benches is about the right size. These wooden boats have a shallow draft hull designed for speed that can make beach landings and can navigate waters only a meter deep. The problem is that Viking boats for rent are hard to find in the States, but you can find Viking boats for hire in the UK. If you know of other places to find Viking boats for hire, please let me know in the comments.
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