19/05/2026
Haelsa! F***g here, partly donning my battle wimple to tell you a little about those wonderfully colourful shields you see on the battlefield. The Vikings Society is currently made up of 48 groups from the far west of Cornwall, through England and Wales, and up to the north to Scotland. There are also groups based in Finland, France and Italy, Canada and North America, but for these upcoming posts we’ll focus on our UK warrior bands. This week we’re meeting Y’ddraig, a group based around Stoke-on-Trent and another of the long established groups formed separate to The Vikings! in 1980 and then joining the Society later on.
It seems odd that a group based in the north west of England should have a Welsh name, meaning “The Dragon”, but at the time of the Vikings Staffordshire was part of the Welsh kingdom of Powys and the group originally portrayed a band of lightly armed Welsh warriors.
After joining the Society and a new Jarl, or chieftain, the group became more focused on Hiberno-Norse reenactment, portraying the crew of a 10thC Viking longship crew operating in the Irish Sea basin which includes Dublin, the Isle of Man and the Western Isles. The Welsh name and shield design was retained from the group's initial formation, a white background with 2 red rings around the boss and the rim. These rings are the group's own warrior award and given to new warriors when the other group members believe they have earned them. A red dragon design also appears on some members shields.
