Viking board games

Viking Historical Board Games - Tafl and Hnefatafl. Although physical contests and games were probably paramount among the Vikings, board games were also popular. Their game boards have been preserved in graves or on the lids of ship chests – the Vikings used these games to pass the time during long voyages. The ability to play board games well was highly valued among the elites. The most well-known game was probably "hnefatafl," originally just "tafl" ("table"), as numerous literary sources attest – the added first word meant "fist" and referred to the central king piece.