# @nordicmuseum on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DEn0sf_yAlk
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/30335822-nordicmuseum-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/98dd5b1735.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-01-09T22:51:07.000+00:00

## Caption

⚔️ Did the Vikings play hockey? Not quite—but kind of.

Modern ice hockey was invented in 19th-century Montreal, with the first indoor game played in 1875. However, Vikings played *knattleikr* (literally, "ball game"), a sport mentioned in Icelandic sagas from the 13th and 14th centuries. 

The game involved teams with captains supposedly competing on frozen surfaces, using sticks or hands to hit a hard ball. Physical contact was encouraged, and penalties—even penalty boxes—were part of the action. Sound familiar?

A modern version of knattleikr is now played as a club sport, and a brutal version of the game was recently dramatized in Robert Eggers' 2022 film "The Northman" (pictured).

🏒 Want to celebrate the Nordic region’s deep connection to ice hockey with fellow fans? Tickets are still available for @seattlekraken's Nordic Night on Jan. 23 via the link in our bio.
_
Sources: 
- Katie Rife for @vulture, “That Bloody, Head-bashing Game in The Northman Is Based on a Real Viking Sport”
- Medievalists.net, “Knattleikr: The Politics of the Viking Sport”

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 175
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 2

## Credits

These are the roles credited on Gondola. Credits may be incomplete.
A brand, account owner, or featured person is not necessarily the creator.

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National Nordic Museum | @nordicmuseum | https://gondola.cc/nordicmuseum | Non-Profit Organization |
| Carly Hinman | @carly.hinman | https://gondola.cc/carly.hinman | Marketing Specialist |

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