Bjornstad Logo The Vikings of Bjornstad
Viking Trivia Quiz
The Vikings of Bjornstad put together this set of quizzes to test our knowledge of the Viking Age - its people, events, culture, clothing, weaponry and beliefs.  We thought we'd share it with you.  Each of the quizzes contains 25 questions and is intended to be challenging, fun and educational.  Please pardon the occasional discrepancies in the spelling of names taken from Old Norse; these questions draw upon many sources and they aren't terribly consistent in their spelling.  These quizzes are just questions with a set of answers to select from.  Not automated, unfortunately.  Tell us what you think of the questions, and if you have others to add.  Thanks to Kaleigh DuLac for Part 5.  Thanks also to Henrik Olsgaard, Will Lopez, Rick Mantegani, Ed Berland and Brian Seibert for contributing questions/answers.  It should be noted that our quizzes assume the sagas and legends surrounding the Vikings are established historical fact.  Regardless of your views on the issue, the quizzes just wouldn't be any fun otherwise.

Part 2 - Answers
The Vikings of Bjornstad's
Viking Trivia Quiz
Part 1 Part 1 with answers Part 1 PDF
Part 2 Part 2 with answers Part 2 PDF
Part 3 Part 3 with answers Part 3 PDF
Part 4 Part 4 with answers Part 4 PDF
Part 5 Part 5 with answers Part 5 PDF
Part 6 Part 6 with answers Part 6 PDF
Part 7 Part 7 with answers Part 7 PDF
Part 8 Part 8 with answers Part 8 PDF
Part 9 Part 9 with answers Part 9 PDF
Part 10 Part 10 with answers Part 10 PDF
Better to die with honor than live with shame.
(The Saga of the Jomsvikings, Chapter 23)

The answer preceded by *** is the correct answer to the question.

26. What is the most common object found in Viking graves?
  1. sword
  2. ***comb
  3. knife/seax
  4. Thor’s hammer amulet


27. What was the most common material we believe was used to make the sails on Viking ships?
  1. silk
  2. ***wool
  3. linen
  4. vellum
  5. cotton


28. Which battle involving a Scandinavian army is commonly accepted to mark the end of the Viking era?
  1. Battle of Clontarf in 1014 AD
  2. Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD
  3. ***Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 AD
  4. Siege of Paris in 885-886 AD


29. Where do we believe Leif Erikson's Vinland was located?
  1. Labrador, Canada
  2. ***Newfoundland, Canada
  3. Long Island, USA
  4. Calistoga, USA


30. In 885 Danish Vikings besieged a European city with 300 ships and 40,000 troops. Which city was it?
  1. ***Paris
  2. London
  3. Madrid
  4. Anaheim


31. Who was the Arab who wrote the account of a Viking burial on the River Volga?
  1. Ibn Miskawayh
  2. Jordanes
  3. ***Ibn Fadlan
  4. Joseph ben Matityahu


32. Which Danish king ruled over territory in present-day Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Britain?
  1. Sven Tveskägg (Sven Forkbeard)
  2. Harald inn Hárfagri (Harald Fairhair)
  3. Harald Hårdråde (Harald Hard ruler)
  4. ***Cnut Sweynsson (Canute the great)


33. What was the most usual means of payment in Viking times?
  1. ***Silver
  2. Gold
  3. Sheep
  4. Cattle
  5. Amber
  6. Ships


34. What was the responsibility of the Norns?
  1. Controlling the winds and tides
  2. ***Determining the destiny of gods and men
  3. Repairing the wrongs done by Loki
  4. Pulling the sun and moon across the skies


35. From which country do most of the silver coins come which date from Viking times?
  1. The Kingdom of Wessex
  2. The Kingdom of the Franks
  3. ***The Caliphate of Bagdad
  4. The mines of Blåland


36. What was the tribute called that the English had to pay the Danish Vikings?
  1. Daneprofit
  2. Danatax
  3. ***Danegeld
  4. Wergeld


37. What was the name of the rainbow bridge which joined Asgard to the land of the humans?
  1. Helväg
  2. Nagelfar
  3. Iotenheim
  4. ***Bifrost


38. What was the name of the great empty gap that existed before the world was made?
  1. Suttungagap
  2. Ymirgap
  3. ***Ginnungagap
  4. Sparkagap


39. What traces of Viking houses do archaeologists most commonly find?
  1. Wall peat
  2. ***Post holes
  3. Chimney stones
  4. Foundation stones


40. What was the kingdom of death called?
  1. Muspell
  2. Nifelheim
  3. ***Hel
  4. Svalbard


41. How large was the Danegeld paid by the English to Canute the Great in 1018, for him to pay his forces, roughly?
  1. 300,000 kilos of silver
  2. ***30,000 kilos of silver
  3. 3,000 kilos of silver
  4. 300 kilos of silver


42. In which year did the Vikings pull down part of London Bridge?
  1. 793 AD
  2. 882 AD
  3. ***1014 AD
  4. 1082 AD


43. A Russian chronicle claims that a certain Swede founded Russia. Who?
  1. Olof Skötkonung
  2. Ingvar the Far-travelled
  3. Rurik Svenska
  4. ***Oleg, ruler of Novgorod
  5. Ivan the Terrible


44. Where do the human beings live?
  1. Muspell
  2. ***Midgard
  3. Utgard
  4. Asgard


45. Which cause of death was considered especially shameful?
  1. Dying of old age
  2. ***Dying of illness
  3. Drowning
  4. Dying in battle


46. What was a Viking trading ship called?
  1. Snekke
  2. Drakkar
  3. ***Knarr
  4. Faering


47. In the Norse account, which two opposites existed before the creation of the world?
  1. The World of Ideas and the World of Feeling
  2. The World of Water and the World of Land
  3. ***The World of Ice and the World of Fire
  4. The Darkness and the Light


48. The River Volga was an important transport route for the Vikings. In which country do you find this river?
  1. Bulgaria
  2. ***Russia
  3. Ukraine
  4. Poland


49. When anyone could kill a condemned person without risk of penalty, what punishment had been imposed?
  1. Wergeld
  2. Vigilante
  3. ***Outlawry
  4. Tort


50. Viking control and influence in Ireland was centered in
  1. York
  2. Limerick
  3. ***Dublin
  4. Wexford
  5. Cork



Want to see the test without the answers? Click here.

Sources (among many others):
  © For information contact Jack Garrett at info@vikingsofbjornstad.com