The story behind - The Varjagen Medal!

Did you earn your Viking Medal, but are you already looking for your next challenge? At Strong Viking we get that. The next medal in line is the silver Varjagen Medal. You can earn this medal by running four Strong Viking Runs, which include at least two times the Warrior (13km) distance. So, what is the story behind the Varjagen and the pictured dragonhead?

The word Varjagen is originally a composition of the word promise (Varja) and companion (Gen). According to stories from the norse history in the 8th century the Varjagen came in their ships to the country we nowadays know as Russia. The Varjagen founded the Slavic state Kiev-Roes, so Russia even owes its name to the Vikings! Originally Rus is the name for Vikings who have made it to Russia! Later in history the term Rus became the general term for the entire Russian population. The Varjagen played an important role in history and were known as strong people. Strong people who are worthy of the silver Varjagen Medal!

So what’s with the dragon head? For starters the Varjagen often had dragon heads at the front of their ships. Dragons are important creatures of the norse mythology and appear in many different stories. The most famous dragons of this mythology are Níðhǫggr, Jǫrmungandr en Fáfnir. Every dragon has its own features and stories. But one thing they all have in common is strength and courage. Images of dragons are often used as decoration on objects of the rich and important people as well as to show off strength, power and courage. Flags with with dragons on it were often used to intimidate opponents. As you can see, these mystical beings played a huge role in the northern culture. Earning the Varjagen Medal therefore is the perfect symbol to show your strength and courage!