• Hurstwic traveled to Iceland to shoot video and pictures on location for our upcoming DVD, The Final Battle of Grettir the Strong. We traveled to the island of Drangey, where Gerttir and his brother Illugi lived the last few years of their life. We built a Viking-age turf house on the site, a short distance from the ruins of Grettir's actual house. And then, as the saga describes, Þorbjörn öngull and his men tore the house to pieces to get inside to kill Grettir and Illugi while the cameras rolled. A picture album of our adventure is here on Facebook.

• Once again, Hurstwic had an opportunity to examine, pick up, and wield historical Viking-age weapons in the Hurstwic training room. This extraordinary opportunity was offered to us so that we could do some of the research we need on Grettir's prized sax, Kársnautur, so that we can accurately portray the weapon, and Grettir's use of the weapon in our upcoming DVD, The Final Battle of Grettir the Strong. A public Facebook photo album shows our investigation of some of the weapons.

• Hurstwic held the first in a new series of monthly meetings of the Hurstwic Heathen Study Group on Monday, April 4. The study group will consist of a regular series of informal presentations and discussions on topics of interest to heathens and to anyone with a passion for Norse-related topics. Our sincere hope is that this venue might become a regular meeting place in central New England for people who share our passion for all things Vikings. We expect each session will consist of a presentation, a Q&A discussion session, and a meet and greet afterwards. Admission is free. For details of our next meeting, and to look at videos of previous presentations, please visit the study group page.

• Hurstwic's next introductory Viking combat training workshop is planned for Saturday, September 17. Join us for a hands-on introduction to the weapons and the fighting moves of the Vikings. See a public photo album of a recent workshop here.

• Additionally, a Viking combat training workshop for younger Vikings will be offered on September 17. See a public photo album of a recent workshop here.

• Hurstwic has been actively been adding videos to our YouTube channel, including this video that tells about who we are and what we do, and this video that discusses how and when Viking-age fighters might have thrown their shields in combat. Please check out Hurstwic's other videos, on training, on sparring, on training gear, on rowing Viking ships, and on other Viking-related topics.

• Hurstwic is pleased to announce a new Hurstwic affiliate group in California, Thegns of Vesturland, led by Jarl Michael Gelaude. Michael's group is the first affiliate group to come from outside Hurstwic's instructor training program, and so Michael was required to pass a grueling written test and a challenging physical test of his abilities. He has much to be proud about, and we welcome Michael and his group to Hurstwic. Michael will be offering Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training at the KV Dojo in Lake Isabella, CA.

• Hurstwic recently held a holiday open house, part of the town-wide holiday celebrations in Millbury, MA, the location of Hurstic's training facility. We opened our doors on a Sunday afternoon and invited guests in to try on Viking clothing, to check out Viking weapons and armor, to try some simple training exercises with our instructors, to see a mail-making demonstration, to play hnefatafl, the Viking board game, and to write their name in runes, among many others. See photos of our guests here in a public Facebook photo album.

• Once again, Hurstwic was a guest of the Longship Company aboard their Viking ship Sae Hrafn. We greatly enjoyed our sailing adventure with them, which included some further experiments in rowing pace, described in the Hurstwic article about Viking ships, and discussed in more detail in a YouTube video. See photos of our most recent voyage here in a public Facebook photo album.

• Hurstwic held another Old Norse Language Boot Camp recently. The boot camp is a weekend-long intensive introduction to the language of the sagas and eddas that form the basis for much of Hurstwic's research. See some photos of the last session in our public Facebook Album. Our next Old Norse Language Bootcamp is tentatively scheduled for Fall, 2016, and we expect to offer a distance learning option for students who can't join us in the classroom for this session.

• As a follow-up to the Old Norse boot camp, Hurstwic now offers a regular Old Norse Reading and Study Group. Whether you took the boot camp or not, and whether you are a complete beginner, or an experienced scholar, come join us as we read, translate, and discuss the sagas. Contact us for more information.

• Hurstwic has released its next DVD, The Final Battle of Gísli Súrsson, the first in a series of DVDs about Great Battles of the Viking Age. This new DVD tells the story of Gísli's fight to the death, in which he stood alone facing 15 armed men. The battle took place around the year 977 in Geirþjófsfjörður in the Westfjords of Iceland. Last summer, Hurstwic traveled to Geirþjófsfjörður and shot the fight scenes in the places where the fight occurred, standing in the footsteps of the men who fought and died there during the Viking age.  Watch a preview here, and look at our picture album of what happened behind-the-scenes while shooting in Iceland.

• And if that weren't enough, Hurstwic has also released a large-format picture book telling the story of Gísli's final battle in brilliant color photographs with the saga text in the original Icelandic and in English translation.

• The Jarðarmen Kindred in Montreal and Boston hosted a Hurstwic® Viking Combat Training workshop in Montreal on the weekend of June 28-29, 2014, a productive and enjoyable session for all. The photo shows a blocking drill, using a one-handed axe to block a sax attack. We all look forward to doing more training together.

• Hurstwic had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to examine, pick up, and swing some historical Viking-age weapons which, until recently, were part of the Viking weapon special exhibit on display at Higgins Armory Museum. See photos in our public Facebook photo album.

• Hurstwic traveled to Maryland in the fall of 2013 to be the guest of the Longship Company on board their Viking ship Sae Hrafn. Read more in our latest newsletter, and see photos in our public Facebook album.

• Hurstwic moved to our new training space in Millbury, MA. Read more in our latest newsletter, and see training photos in our public Facebook album.

• During the fall of 2013, Hurstwic has run several Viking combat training workshops for groups of undergraduates at area colleges. We show the students a few fundamentals and run them through some of the drills we use in our training to give them a better understanding of the Vikings, and of how Viking-age fighters used their weapons. There's a public Facebook photo album showing some of these sessions.

Spring, 2012

Summer, 2012

Fall, 2012

Winter, 2013