Seljord Folkehøgskule, a Norwegian Folkehøgskole in the remote and mountainous area of Seljord, Norway, has received international media attention for offering a class on “vikings” (outlets include for example, Time.com and the internet extensions of the Guardian and Russia Today). The course is nine months long and seems primarily focused on crafts, with some time spent in York, England, a major trade center controlled by the Norse during the Viking Age.

According to Arve Husby, head teacher of the school, the program has also received a significant response from potential students, perhaps motivated by modern popular culture:

Portrait of N. F. S. Grundtvig by Constantin Hansen. Grundtvig, an iconic figure in Danish history, was the ideological founder of the folk school concept, which is now widespread in Scandinavia, Germany, and Austria. The concept has also inspi… — Portrait of N. F. S. Grundtvig by Constantin Hansen. Grundtvig, an iconic figure in Danish history, was the ideological founder of the folk school concept, which is now widespread in Scandinavia, Germany, and Austria. The concept has also inspired scattered schools throughout the United States.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response to our Viking course,” said Husby. “I think it appealed because there’s a real interest from TV shows like Game of Thrones and Vikings. Plus we’re in a proper Viking location, surrounded by what many people call ‘Norway’s most beautiful mountains’ – we call them ‘hills’ – and overlooking Lake Seljord, where the Seljord monster is supposed to reside, like Norway’s Loch Ness. So Seljord is just as it would have looked in Viking times.”

For more information regarding the program, see Seljord Folkehøgskule's official site for the course:
http://www.seljord.fhs.no/linjer/viking