Atlanta, GA — “Vikings: Warriors of the Sea” is opening on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Fernbank Museum.

The exhibit will be on view until Jan. 1, 2024, and it uncovers the truth behind the legendary Viking culture and society, according to a press release.

Highlighting archaeological discoveries, “Vikings: Warriors of the Sea” sheds new light on the Viking Age, dispelling long-held stereotypes about its people, traditions, and influence.

“Vikings: Warriors of the Sea” shows how innovations like sturdy, light-weight ships were brought to the modern world through Viking invention. This exhibit features 140 artifacts that give a view of Viking culture, including a replica of a 21-foot Viking ship, personal equipment and weapons, jewelry, keys, silver hoards, coins, and personal grooming items. The exhibit also features a nine-foot-tall reproduction jelling stone that provides information about Viking religious beliefs and history.

Guests can play a Norse board game, build a Viking ship, test the balance between the blade and handle of a Viking sword, and more.

“Viking culture has featured prominently in film and television programming in recent years, but in many cases, the perspective is skewed towards that of the Viking warrior,” said Dr. Bobbi Hohmann, Vice President of Programming. “Through authentic artifacts, this immersive new exhibit will allow our visitors to gain a better understanding of Viking culture, innovation and achievements.”

It is through these artifacts that The National Museum of Denmark and MuseumsPartner show the world of the Vikings who raided, but also traded and generally held a more complex lifestyle than previously believed.

“With this exhibition, we hope to bring visitors up close with the people who influenced and transformed Western society. While remembered as raiders, the Vikings were also traders, craftsmen, explorers and more,” exhibit curator Peter Pentz said. “One of the most impressive items in the exhibit, standing more than 9 feet high, is a replica of the Jelling runestone, erected by Harald Bluetooth. In a way, the Jelling stone marks the beginning of the end of the Viking era. This is what the exhibition is about — the transformation of a society ruled by petty raiding and terrorizing chieftains into a pre-modern state built on common understandings and lead by a Christian king.”

Fernbank will celebrate the opening of “Vikings: Warriors of the Sea” with a Discovery Day on Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. that will feature a range of crafts and activities relating to the unique Viking lifestyle as demonstrated in “Vikings: Warriors of the Sea.” Additionally, for adults 21 and over, the museum will be hosting a Fernbank After Dark: Warriors night in celebration of the exhibit’s first full month of being open.

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