Heorot (Hrothgar’s hall)   

Those who’ve found the “Medieval Times” dinner shows at popular tourist destinations to be bland and uninteresting will love the Viking Times performance every night in Heorot. Here, powerful warriors of high birth perform their nightly ritual of drinking, carousing, bragging and brawling.

          Until recently, visitors had been warned away from Heorot, due to the infestation of man-eating monsters. However, the proprietors assure us that this problem has been resolved, and that those who decide to drowse drunkenly are no longer in danger of devourings.

          The show begins after dark, but visitors are encouraged to arrive well before sunset, so as not to miss the guided tour of this mightiest of halls splendid and ornamented with gold and foremost of halls under heaven. It is a one-room structure that stands some fifty meters in length. The tour starts by the roasting pit in the center, and then proceeds around the perimeter. Everywhere the walls are hung with plunder taken by Hrothgar himself. Battle axes, spears, shields and innumerable swords catch the eye no matter where one looks. Your guide, the local bard, or “scop,” will recount in dramatic detail the glorious deed that lies behind each of these artifacts.  The greatest of these treasures, though, is hung in the rafters over the doors, and is the final stop on the tour. Here one can marvel at the terrible arm of Grendel, the local monster mentioned above, ripped from its socket by the great Beowulf beneath that very spot.

          The menu in Heorot is wild boar, hunted that very day by daring warriors, and roasted over the massive open pit in the center of the hall. This heroic viand is washed down with tankard after foaming tankard of mead (an ale made from honey). As for vegetables and sides: these are mighty Scyldings, and “such puny fare is for the meek whom we make to cower before us.”

          Having eaten and drunk their fill, the great Danish warriors begin the game of one-upsmanship called “Boasting,” the highlight of the evening. One by one, the now drunken warriors stand and tell of their great feats. However, accusations of lying and cowardice are also frequent. These can lead to bare-knuckle brawling amongst the players, so visitors may want to be careful to sit away from the main action.

          Accommodations are basic: benches for the warriors, and the floor for everyone else. Visitors are advised to make arrangements at one of the nearby farmhouses.