Viking History Tote Bag | Halfdan Runes & Lindisfarne 793 AD

Vikings left their mark on history, sometimes literally. This organic cotton tote carries two true stories from the Viking Age, one on each side.

The first side is a runic inscription in Hagia Sophia, the great church of Constantinople. On a marble balustrade in the south gallery, a Scandinavian visitor named Halfdan carved his name in runes, and the graffiti is still there. The design pictures a slab of runes in front of the domes of Hagia Sophia, with the caption “Halfdan carved these runes.”

The second side jumps to 793 AD and the raid on the monastery of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumbria. Many historians treat the attack as the start of the Viking Age, and the scholar Alcuin of York wrote letters in shock about it. The design shows a longship pulling up to a burning shoreline, with a monk in the corner and a one-star “review” of the visit: “Terrible customer service. Took the relics. Would not recommend.”

Both designs are printed in antique gold and parchment tones on black, with Norse dragon and knotwork borders.

The bag is 100% certified organic cotton in an 8 oz 3/1 twill. It measures 16" x 14.5" x 5" (40.6 cm x 35.6 cm x 12.7 cm), roomy enough for books, a laptop, or a day of museum-hopping. It suits readers of Viking and medieval history, reenactors, students, and anyone who enjoys history with a dry sense of humor. For more, browse Viking finds for history readers or history with a sense of humor.