VIKING HOUSE: THE WORLD’S FIRST VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE BASED ON THE SAGAS

The sagas are stories written down nearly 1,000 years ago, but in many cases, they are much older than the written version. Throughout the centuries, saga literature has been experienced as timeless and powerful, regardless of the era or the reader's geographical location. Facing a generation that has grown up in the age of video games and streaming services—with CGI effects and technological developments that would have been unimaginable just a few decades ago—the challenge of capturing the attention of a demanding audience is an exciting one.

From the start, we have been focused on utilizing the creative opportunities this represents. This way, we can convey the sagas to a much broader audience, within a much larger and more varied demographic field than was previously possible.

This was one of the ideas behind the creation of Viking House, established by co-founders Baard Titlestad and Line Murphy. Viking House is the world's first saga-based Virtual Reality project. The film "The First King" (script by Baard Titlestad and scene and character design by Anders Kvåle Rue), produced by the Irish VR company Emagine, tells the story of Harald Fairhair and the Battle of Hafrsfjord as presented in the sagas. Both Norwegian and Icelandic sagas were used: Histora Norvegiæ, Ágrip, Fagerskinna, Morkinskinna, Heimskringla, and of course Flateyjarbók.

Through Viking House, this story of Norway's origins has reached thousands of people from all over the world. Just like in the old days, when the "twilight hour" was the time in the evening when families gathered to tell stories, we have created a place where children, youth, and adults of all ages can come and experience the saga tradition as if they were witnesses to the events themselves. Such is the VR technology's ability to stimulate the audience's imagination. VR represents a rebirth and renaissance for the Norse sagas.

The Saga Heritage Foundation will continue to utilize VR technology in its dissemination efforts. Based on our experience from Viking House, we know that this will stimulate a universal interest in the sagas on a global scale.

From the Viking House grand opening (Photos by Ferdinand Bart Alst):