In ancient times, Scandinavia was a remote part of Europe. However, the Vikings travelled by boat as far as the Mediterranean Sea and brought home various pigments to paint their runic stones. The Middle Ages (around 1000–1500 AD) witnessed a large import of pigments for the Church, used to decorate murals, wood sculptures, baptismal fonts, and portals. The authors have analysed 993 samples of medieval pigments from Sweden. Most results have been published in Swedish, though. We now make an attempt to comprise the data and compare it with analytical results from Denmark, Norway and some European countries. Lead isotope data and secondary minerals have helped to attribute pigments to specific regions. Germany seems to have been the most important trading partner, in particular as regards pigments containing copper or lead. Rare mineral pigments from distant countries, such as cinnabar, orpiment, gold and even ultramarine, were probably obtained from trading companies within the Hanseatic League. This union was for many centuries active in the Baltic Sea and North Sea coastal areas, where Scandinavia was represented by towns like Copenhagen, Roskilde, Bergen, Kalmar, Visby and Stockholm.