Vikings Reborn: The Origins and Development of Early Medieval Re-enactment in Poland

The Vikings and their culture continue to fascinate thousands of people around the world and provide inexhaustible inspiration for numerous works of art, literature, music and film in which the archaeological, historical and mythological motifs from the North are reused in a creative way. Over the last 20 years the interest in the Vikings and their times has been growing at a rapid pace also in Poland where various re-enactment groups gather both young and senior enthusiasts from very diverse social backgrounds. Contemporary Vikings meet at early medieval markets, festivals and other events to trade, fight and experience a life of adventurers, merchants and warriors. The re-enactment scene has now grown so large that for some people ‘being Viking’ has become not only an exciting pastime, but actually their major occupation and a way of life. This paper contextualises and critically explores the fascinating history of this phenomenon and the lifestyles of contemporary Vikings in Poland.