Hwæt, /r/AskHistorians we are a team of flaired users who all specialize in different aspects of the Viking Age! With the recent release of the latest Assassin's Creed game, set in the period of Viking raids on England in the 9th century, we decided to come together and answer any questions you may have on the time period in question!

If you want to know why the Viking Age started, the intricacies of Norse religious traditions, the arms and armor of the Anglo-Saxons and Norse, or any other topic that tickles your fancy sound off with a question!

(Note, if you have a very specific question about a certain aspect of the game it might help to include a screenshot or relevant video for context, we don't all have the game nor have we all finished playing it!)

Today, joining us we have

/u/bristoneman A doctor of archaeology and medieval history, and who wrote their thesis on English defensive infrastructure during the Danish invasions, and its role in the unification of England

/u/kelpie-cat A PhD student in Celtic and Scottish Studies with a degree in medieval history, wit a focus on Christian conversion and early Christianity in the Insular world; Insular art; women in England, Scotland and Ireland; and the Picts.

/u/textandtrowel A PhD in history with a focus on the Viking slave trade.

/u/mediaevumed Is game (pun intended) to talk to the Norse Diaspora more broadly, questions of gender, religion, raiding etc. They are also keen to discuss the topic of medievalisms: how Vikings get reinterpreted and used in media (esp. Video Games) and how and why AC flirts with (or diverges from) reality.

/u/goiyon Can answer any questions you have about the cultural cousins of the Anglo-Saxons in Frisia!

/u/thefeckamidoing Mainly focused upon the Viking impact on Ireland and the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles.

/u/eyestache Who focuses on Anglo-Saxon and Norse material culture and weaponry.

/u/sagathain Their focus is on the imagined Vikings, both in medieval texts and in modern medievalisms, including games.

Finally, myself /u/Steelcan909 I'm a moderator here on AskHistorians and I usually answer questions on Norse and Anglo-Saxon society/culture generally, though my actual focus academically is on Anglo-Saxon legal history.