Lejre of the Legends (Sagnlandet Lejre)

“Hail the travellers! Guests have come hither!” Japke raises a welcoming hand and beckons the visitors towards her. She’s in the midst of preparing freshly caught salmon as she tells the story of the god Thor’s famous fishing trip. At Ravnebjerg Viking marketplace, all are welcomed in true Viking style. Immerse yourself in the customs and traditions of Lejre of the Legends, where the market buzzes with life. You are invited on a journey back to daily life a 1000 years ago. A visit to the beautiful Ice Age landscape is also a great nature experience and this time odyssey also brings visitors through reconstructed environments before and after the Viking Age. Here, Vikings do craftwork, cook food and buy or sell goods; sometimes they find time for weapons training and combat. The Viking gear and equipment are replicas of archaeological finds and some are manufactured at Lejre of the Legends’ historic workshops. Take a look in and observe today’s craftsmen and scientists as they reconstruct large and small items, and help interpret the findings and understand the world of the Vikings. At Lejre of the Legends, the living and the dead live close to each other on two separate hillcrests. At the highest point in the area is a reconstruction of the Gl. Lejre stone ship, which at 90m is one of Zealand’s largest. Volunteers from associations, companies and "Friends of Lejre" joined forces for the operation, which was dubbed the biggest team building project in Denmark ever. Many tons of heavy stone had to be moved into place in the same way, it is assumed, the Vikings created these impressive monuments. A sense of dread and awe spreads. Horse hide. The skull of an aurochs. Amulets and grain from this year’s harvest are laid out at Lejre’s sacrificial bog to please the gods in the hope they will send prosperity and settled times. An atmosphere is recreated here that puts one in mind of Thietmar’s dramatic account of the sacrificial festivals at Lejre in the latter part of the Iron Age, towards the end of the legendary Scylding dynasty’s hegemony. Viking summer holidays In the first two weeks of August, there’s a chance to go 1000 years back in time and find out if you can handle the Viking way of life. Lejre of the Legends offers Viking holidays for children and parents and/or grandparents; a kind of summer folk high school with activities every day in the forge, kitchen, warrior training, horse-drawn carriage tours and Viking Age sailing. Great fun, a unity of purpose and bonding at a relaxed pace.