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Cincinnati Museum Center partners with Xavier University to expand knowledge of Vikings

Gallery talks enhance Vikings: Beyond the Legend exhibition

CINCINNATI – The image surrounding Vikings for decades has been that of a ruthless and barbaric invader. However, the mysterious Norse are being redefined with the worldwide, ocean-spanning exhibition Vikings: Beyond the Legend at Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC). Experts from Xavier University are joining the fray by collaborating on a special event April 8.

On Saturday, April 8, CMC is presenting Xavier Galleries Day and hosting Xavier faculty and students as they share their expertise on Vikings with a variety of informal talks. The gallery talks are included with admission to the exhibition.

Xavier Galleries Day will be set up as a series of informal talks from noon to 2 p.m. Guests are welcome to move from one to another, as the Q&As take place concurrently. Topics and experts include:
Tolkien, Lord of the Rings and Vikings – Dr. Stephen Yandell, associate professor of English, will explore Tolkien’s unexpected Viking inspiration.

Origins of the Viking Horned Helmet – Dr. Marita von Weissenberg, assistant professor of history, will evaluate where the myth of Vikings wearing horned helmets came from.

Seeresses and Prophecy – Grace Bailey, a student majoring in international studies and public history, will lead a discussion on Viking prophecies.

Viking Burials, Afterlife and the Soul – Cassie Delicath, a student majoring in history and theater, examines what Vikings believed about the afterlife and how this related to their burials.

Changing Ideas about Norse Weaponry in Scholarship – Alex Reitz, a history and environmental studies major, will assess the shift in ideas of weapons used by Vikings.

Norse and Greek Myths Compared – Julie Klusmeier, a public history specialist, parallels the myths surrounding the Vikings and ancient Greeks.

Norse Weapons: Swords, Axes and More – Sam Newton, president of the history club and student of the department, examines the weapons of the Vikings and how they were constructed.
Economic Underpinnings of the Greenland Settlement – Grant Paulson, a student majoring in finance, dives into the first Viking settlement in the New World and how it evolved from economies back in Scandinavia.

Leif Erikson and the Discovery of America – Jeremiah Van Auken, a student majoring in history, examines how Leif Erikson’s discovery of America was emphasized as a protest against Italian immigration at the turn of the 20th century.

Vikings: Beyond the Legend features more than 500 original artifacts from the Swedish History Museum, plus interactive displays and hands-on challenges. The exhibition features four Viking ships, including 21-foot and 27-foot reproductions, a “Ghost Ship” consisting solely of the ship’s original iron rivets and, for the first time ever in North America, the Roskilde 6, the longest Viking ship ever discovered.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.cincymuseum.org/vikings