https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Sweden in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Why is Sweden called Sweden? Why is Sweden so depressing? Why is Sweden so rich?  In this series of articles, The Local answers some of the most common questions that appear when you type "Why is Sweden..." into the Google search engine.   https://www.thelocal.se/20210628/why-is-sweden-called-sweden Mon, 28 Jun 2021 18:08:06 +0200 why-is-sweden-called-sweden Ah, Vikings, the ruthless Scandinavian warriors who pillaged and plundered? Think again, because that reputation is only part of the picture. Here are five facts you maybe didn't know about Vikings. https://www.thelocal.se/20210312/did-you-know-the-scandinavians-never-spoke-of-themselves-as-vikings Fri, 12 Mar 2021 12:03:34 +0100 did-you-know-the-scandinavians-never-spoke-of-themselves-as-vikings Valheim, a Viking-themed video game designed by a tiny Swedish games studio, has quickly risen to worldwide fame, with millions of people riding the waves, swigging mead and slaying the enemy. How did the game and genre become so successful? https://www.thelocal.se/20210312/how-a-viking-themed-swedish-video-game-became-an-unexpected-smash-hit Fri, 12 Mar 2021 09:54:30 +0100 how-a-viking-themed-swedish-video-game-became-an-unexpected-smash-hit In the popular imagination, the Viking warriors who plundered northern Europe from the 8th century were as tall, fair and Scandinavian as they were murderous. In fact, according to a new study, they were far more diverse than previously thought. https://www.thelocal.se/20200918/why-not-all-vikings-were-blond-haired-and-blue-eyed Fri, 18 Sep 2020 11:30:15 +0200 why-not-all-vikings-were-blond-haired-and-blue-eyed Researchers believe Sweden's most famous runestone may have been erected by Vikings who feared another 'catastrophic' winter. https://www.thelocal.se/20200109/did-vikings-erect-this-runestone-in-fear-of-another-climate-crisis Thu, 09 Jan 2020 12:37:18 +0100 did-vikings-erect-this-runestone-in-fear-of-another-climate-crisis The Vikings invaded England in the 9th and 10th centuries. They plundered, raped and burned towns to the ground. Or at least, this is the story we know from school and popular culture. https://www.thelocal.se/20190128/the-anglo-saxons-were-more-menacing-the-vikings-and-the-english-language-can-prove-it Mon, 28 Jan 2019 18:27:55 +0100 the-anglo-saxons-were-more-menacing-the-vikings-and-the-english-language-can-prove-it When Briton Matthew Gentry began taking Swedish lessons, he didn't expect it would help him rediscover his own roots. https://www.thelocal.se/20181228/the-viking-mark-on-my-language-and-landscape Fri, 28 Dec 2018 08:59:59 +0100 the-viking-mark-on-my-language-and-landscape A Swede from Gotland has been awarded thousands of kronor for discovering lost Viking treasure comprised of hundreds of silver coins. https://www.thelocal.se/20171206/swede-makes-thousands-after-discovering-buried-viking-treasure Wed, 06 Dec 2017 16:35:06 +0100 swede-makes-thousands-after-discovering-buried-viking-treasure Swedish researchers have found references to Allah and Ali on woven silk from ancient Viking graves, a discovery which gives new insight into the link between the Vikings and the Islamic world. https://www.thelocal.se/20171012/why-viking-burial-clothes-contained-inscriptions-to-allah-and-ali Thu, 12 Oct 2017 14:10:34 +0200 why-viking-burial-clothes-contained-inscriptions-to-allah-and-ali When a Swedish neo-Nazi group staged a demonstration in the country's second largest city last weekend, they were by far outnumbered by counter-demonstrators. https://www.thelocal.se/20171006/we-cant-let-racists-re-define-viking-culture-far-right-runes-swedish Fri, 06 Oct 2017 17:32:34 +0200 we-cant-let-racists-re-define-viking-culture-far-right-runes-swedish Here's a list of English words you probably didn't know came from Old Norse. https://www.thelocal.se/20170711/ten-words-you-didnt-know-came-from-the-vikings-language-sweden Tue, 11 Jul 2017 18:52:07 +0200 ten-words-you-didnt-know-came-from-the-vikings-language-sweden "We will crush the myths about the Vikings," one of the people behind the new museum told The Local. https://www.thelocal.se/20170428/in-pictures-get-a-sneak-peek-of-stockholms-new-viking-museum-sweden Fri, 28 Apr 2017 14:34:33 +0200 in-pictures-get-a-sneak-peek-of-stockholms-new-viking-museum-sweden An ancient Viking ring carrying the inscription "for Allah" has revealed evidence of close contacts between the Nordic warriors and the Islamic world – more than a century after its discovery on a Swedish island. https://www.thelocal.se/20150319/viking-bling-reveals-ancient-islamic-ties Thu, 19 Mar 2015 09:06:33 +0100 viking-bling-reveals-ancient-islamic-ties Precious artifacts from the Viking era were stolen from the Lund University Historical Museum after the thieves smashed a window and made off with several items, including ancient jewellery. https://www.thelocal.se/20131022/50936 Tue, 22 Oct 2013 13:27:00 +0200 50936 What is the quintessential Swedish stereotype? Blonde, blue-eyed, beautiful and bearded? More importantly, how do Swedes react to these claims? The Local took to the streets of Stockholm to find out. https://www.thelocal.se/20130306/46572 Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:44:00 +0100 46572 With picturesque cobblestone streets, cozy cafes and an abundance of history, Gamla Stan island is, with good reason, one of Stockholm’s main tourist attractions. https://www.thelocal.se/20090519/19550 Tue, 19 May 2009 13:28:00 +0200 19550 A fire-breathing Swede is receiving praise after saving a man from a burning tent at a Viking market in southern Sweden early on Sunday morning. https://www.thelocal.se/20080922/14482 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:59:00 +0200 14482 Six grave sites dated from late in the Viking era have been uncovered in Lännäs outside of Örebro in central Sweden. https://www.thelocal.se/20080912/14284 Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:31:00 +0200 14284 Visitors to Stockholm will someday be able to take a virtual ride with a boatload of marauding Vikings if the head of the Museum of National Antiquities (Historiskamuseet) has his way. https://www.thelocal.se/20080604/12232 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:50:00 +0200 12232 A bout of torrential rain left a surprising legacy in the garden of one Swede: a Viking treasure trove. https://www.thelocal.se/20070914/8484 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 10:30:00 +0200 8484