There is some interesting research into a viking saga about a guy named Fredrick Four-Fingers. According to a historian by the name of Dr. Jackson Crawford the Vikings may have independently discovered gunpowder because of the volcanic activity on Iceland and their love of eating disgusting shark snacks...

So when do we get that in the game?

viking guns... you say... This Is My Boomstick!

its an april fools joke

+1 for sharks and shark snacks.

Even if it wasn't an April Fool's joke, I don't know that I would take much stock in his speculation on the matter. His area of expertise (nor any of the people on his team) isn't metallurgy, chemistry, history, or archaeology. Its linguistics and Scandinavian studies (specifically the Old Norse language and the Norse myths). He translates the language and can read the runes. He gets his funding through his Youtube videos and patreon so I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he sensationalizes and embellishes things for clicks.

Originally posted by knighttemplar1960:

Even if it wasn't an April Fool's joke, I don't know that I would take much stock in his speculation on the matter. His area of expertise (nor any of the people on his team) isn't metallurgy, chemistry, history, or archaeology. Its linguistics and Scandinavian studies (specifically the Old Norse language and the Norse myths). He translates the language and can read the runes. He gets his funding through his Youtube videos and patreon so I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he sensationalizes and embellishes things for clicks.

it was a april fools joke on something ppl know is fake..... he has a PhD in Scandinavian Studies and many other degrees besides.... multiple videos on why he left university setting for youtube... lol

Originally posted by Vazkulator:

It is found on a gold piece of jewelery from the 4th century depicting a portrait of a man described as "Oden's man".

Originally posted by Pat Fenis:

Odin was a thing in roman times my man. Germanic pagans.

Yes, that instance of Odin's name is merely the oldest known definite mention of his worship.

rituals, runes, mounds, tools and etc
https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1221652/FULLTEXT01.pdf
the same symbols can be found in both sweden and spain from various petroglyphs dating back 2500 years ago with what has been interpreted as sailors transporting some sort of cow whilst theyre doing acrobatics over the animal

bohuslän; (like in picture references)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Kart_over_Viken.png
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaner

the most likely origins of "álfr" & beowulf in between sweden & norway by Sweden's west coast and Alvhem is also known for the Jätteberget petroglyphs
http://wadbring.com/historia/undersidor/jatteberget.htm

Boguslav is also a location in Ukraine, rough translations in russian can be surprising but most likely just a coincidence

Friendly reminder that it is the first of April.

since we're on the topic of history, maybe not everyone has heard that the viking age is getting a couple hundred years older than previously estimated
https://www.facebook.com/nationalmuseet/videos/749650573551665/
It is found on a gold piece of jewelery from the 4th century depicting a portrait of a man described as "Oden's man".

so far the oldest find where Odin's name is mentioned.
The runic inscription has been the most difficult to interpret in my 20 years as a runologist at the National Museum, but the discovery is also absolutely fantastic. It is the first time in world history that Odin's name is mentioned, and it takes Norse mythology all the way back to the beginning of the 4th century.
'The man may have been called Jaga or Jagaz'

- Runologist, Lisbeth Imer

The gold is imported from the south, and the bracteates are also modeled after the Romans,
suggesting a strong network down through Europe.
https://natmus.dk/fileadmin/user_upload/Editor/X13._Runer._Udsnit._Lille.jpg

Odin was a thing in roman times my man. Germanic pagans.

Very interesting video, would worry about firing something with a barrel that thin, but it looked workable.

Very interesting. Thanks for the link!

I'll have to check out some more of his videos. The filming location looked very familiar, and looking at the contact address we could be neighbors. :-)