The focus of the project is the power of the ruler and the ideology of rulership in the Nordic countries from 800 AD until 1200 AD. An interdisciplinary research group representing the disciplines of History of Religion, History, Philology and Archaeology has examined the ideological, symbolical and empirical traces of power and how this changed within the Nordic culture and societies from the Viking to the Medieval Age.

With ‘Nordic societies’ is meant the formation of societies within the geographical area of modern Norway, Sweden, Denmark as well as Ireland and the North Atlantic islands. The period studied encompasses the change of religion in the late Viking Age and this has, in turn, made terms such as change, transformation and continuity in the expression of power important.

A few examples of the problems that has been encountered and the analyses which are carried out are: the ideas, the myths and the ritual apparatus surrounding the ruler; the genealogical traditions of the ruling families; halls and grave mounds as institutional elements in the cultural landscape; symbols of dignity manifested in artefacts and iconography; gender aspects tied to the sphere of power; connections between the formation of society and rulership in the Nordic mainland kingdoms and in Ireland and the islands of the North Atlantic. Questions regarding the construction of identity among the different peoples through the ideology of rulership have been posed.