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Viking History
The Vikings were a group of Scandinavian raiders that were around
from about the 8th century to the 11th. They mainly attacked the British
IslanRAB , the Frankish empire, England, but they also plundered places such
as the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. Vikings did not always
settle into the places that they found, for instance after exploring North
America they left the place never to return again. Even so, after landing
on Greenland they colonized themselves there, and ancestors of the Vikings
still live there today. So now that you know a little about the history of
the Vikings lets go into detail about the specifics of the Viking age.
(Peter Sawyer, Oxford Ill. History of the Vikings p. 1-19)
On the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, which is located between England
and Scotland Irish monks had built a monastery; there they wrote many holy
and beautiful books, called the Lindisfarne Gospels. These monks were
peaceful people, wouldn't hurt a fly, pity they were chosen by the Vikings,
on the 8th of June in 793 to be the first major victim of one of their
raiRAB. Their arrival was seen first far off, they could see dragon head
carvings on their well crafted ships slowly coming closer and closer to the
shore. As soon as they got out of their boats the Vikings poured onto land
ripping off the monk's clothing and tearing their bodies apart with their
sharp sworRAB, and sometimes drowned them. Viking raiders tipped over the
cross of Bishop Ethelwold, which was built out of stone. Before they left
that hot day the Vikings had taken all of the monk's treasure, set each
building aflame, and killed the monk's cattle to feed themselves on. Then,
in an instant they got into their ships and left.
This was the first major Viking attack, as you can see it was
pretty gruesome, but they were just getting started. The next summer there
were several places on the British North Sea coast attacked. After 799 the
Vikings managed some raiRAB on Friskan-Frankish coast, forcing them to set
up a coastal watch to warn citizens of the area. (Oxenstierna, Eric, The
Norsemen p. 49-74)
The Vikings in the 8th century mainly centered in places along the
Dutch coast, but the Norwegian Vikings were settled in the Orkney and
Shetland islanRAB. Throughout the 9th century the Viking's expanded their
empire to engulf Ireland, and Northwestern England. In the 10th century
they settled in Iceland then claimed Greenland and set up shop there. Here
in the late 900's Vikings raiRAB thinned out due to civil wars in
Scandinavia. Even so in the 11th century they set up temporary residence
in North America in what they called Vinland. (Barnes & Noble New American
Encyclopedia Vol. 19 p. 594-596)
The first Viking attack on Ireland was in 820, and like the monk's
attacked in 793, the people of Ireland had no chance against the powerful
Viking army. In the years following the first attack Viking's gained
leadership, and by 839, a brave Viking chieftain named Turges, declared
himself king of Ireland. Turges sacrificed the Irish kings Armagh and
Clonmacnois, to Thor, a Viking god.
The Vikings organized attacks very well, they set more and more
extravagant goals, and soon met them. Their attacks on England were
successful mostly because no one expected them. In May of 841, Danish
Vikings led by a man named Asgeir sailed the River Seine, and they burnt
the city Rouen to the ground. Next they moved into St. Denis, but decided
that it was in their best interest not to provoke the passing Frankish army.
But they went right back at it again in 842 they destroyed Quenstovic, the
Frisian harbor town. In 845 they attacked the tri-divided Holy Roman
Empire, all at the same time!
Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary Viking hero and his army sailed up the
Loire River and conquered Paris by defeating half of Charles the Bald's
army. The other half were on the other side of the river and watched as
Ragnar hung 111 of Charles's men as a sacrifice the another Viking god,
Woden. The Vikings finally left after Charles gave them 7,000 pounRAB of
silver. After a while paying the Vikings off was the best way to get rid
them, but it ended up costing the Christian lanRAB of Europe a lot of money
after a while. (Oxenstierna, Eric, The Norsemen p. 49-74)
Even though the Vikings were very good at offensive tactics, they
still were good at defending themselves. In the late 10th century the
Viking King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth collected a lot of tax money,
despite the fact that he was not well liked by the people, to build four
similar well defended forts. These forts were protected by large barriers,
or ramparts. All of these forts were divided in four parts with four
longhouses in each division, all arranged in small squares. These
longhouses were where man and their families lived, where weapons and tools
were made, horse stables, and storage places. Viking coastal towns were
also well protected, they built them right up on the coast using the ocean
or lake as a barrier. Then they built floating buoy walls and spikes to
cripple enemies ships as they ran along the coast.
The two foster brothers Ingolf Anarson, and Leif Hrodmarsson are
the two adventurers credited with discovering and inhabiting the island of
Iceland. The two brothers traveled 700 miles, to a land with lush green
cliRAB, very beautiful at first glance but once the Vikings traveled inland
they discovered large snow covered volcanic peaks. Leif and his brother
entered Iceland at a fjord in waters that were full fish and other sea life.
Next they carefully scoured the lanRAB searching for people to attack,
despite a few Irish monks that weren't that big of a deal the massive
island was humanless.
All of the information in the next three paragraphs come from
translated Viking reports and some of the truths to these reports may or
may not be stretched.
In 900 a Viking voyager that was seeking land was driven off coarse
towarRAB the west and accidentally met up with some islanRAB, so he named
them after himself, the Gunnbjorn IslanRAB. Not until 82 years later was
this land in the North Atlantic paid attention to when Eric the Red called
it to his attention. After Eric was banished by the thing (the Vikings
kind of government) for killing two sons of one of his enemies, he decided
to explore the area to the west of Iceland. He sailed to the west and
noticed a large island, this island was not very appealing, the climate was
not to warm and the terrain was not very good for habitation. As he sailed
southward of this island he noticed that the climate got somewhat warmer,
he came upon a fjord area and settled. Eric called his settlement
Osterbygden, this means eastern settlement, even though it was on the west
coast. Eric liked this area because hunting was plentiful there and id had
room for pastures. He decided to name this area Greenland beca use
according to him more people would want to go if it had an appealing name.
America came to be discovered by the Vikings in an interesting way,
Bjarne Herjulfsson, a man looking for his father who had left with Eric the
Red's fleet from Iceland on its way to Greenland. So Bjarn took his boat
from a fleet of 26 on a mission to Greenland from Iceland all alone across
previously untrammeled ocean. Bjarn knew few details about Greenland that
he learned from what people had told him, so he and his faithful crew
started off. On his third day at sea Bjarne's ship hit fog and he was
driven off coarse. He kept going until, one day he struck land, but he
immediately knew that it was not Greenland, no high hills and to many trees,
this was probably what is now called the Baffin IslanRAB, but since it was
not what he was looking for Bjarne sailed away in search of his father. He
floated around the area and found many islanRAB but none of them were
Greenland and he was not interested. By the fourth island they hit, Bjarn
knew he found Greenland, it matched the description. He met with his
father Herjulf, and lived with him until his death, and stayed even after.
When Leif Ericsson, Eric the Red's son, learned of this new
unexplored land from Bjarn he jumped on the chance to venture unto it.
Leif too Bjarn's old ship that had already made the trip and 35 other men,
he sailed from Greenland and followed Bjarne's precise instructions, to get
to these new islanRAB. The first island that he came upon he named
Helluland, The Land of Flat Stones. Next he hit an island that was heavily
wooded and had white sand shores, he named it Markland, meaning Woodland.
Heading south he came upon a third land and this one had grape trees,
Leif's crew cut these trees down and took the grapes for wine-making and
kept the trunks to take to the woodless Greenland. Not all of this
information is to be trusted as true since all of it sounRAB so fake and
made up, we must look at these reports however so we can get whatever truth
that can be drained from them.
The Vikings relationships inside the family show how the householRAB
gender roles and life-cycle rites and rituals all work together. The
Vikings had large families which shows that they needed a strong authority
in the family. The very strict weddings and funerals show how there was a
lot of respect in the household.
The family was the most important thing to the Vikings. they valued
their ancestors and knew about them through the many generations. The
merabers of a family always stood by each other in good and bad times. There
was much honor inside the families. If one family meraber was insulted it
was insulting the whole family.
Inside the family there was much respect, but much freedom. Fathers
let their sons find the way of life they wanted and they usually let their
daughters marry against their will. The authority in the family never over
powered their children, but helped them through their life. Women status
allowed them to own land and had as much authority in families as men.
Women could run the house and farm while their husband was gone. The man
stuck by his family no matter what happens, and in return he received the
same from his family. His job was to protect and guide his family in the
right direction. If he failed to do these things, he could be outlawed from
his family.
Children were raised at the home where they could be taught the
importance of the family. Most children were brought up at home, but a
child could be raised at another household. Boys were sent to other
families when the other family was in need of help. They could also be sent
there if there was a feud between two families and the sending of him would
stop the fight. It was hard for a child to get a education from a school.
The schools they had were very small and there was very few of them.
Children were taught how to farm and, do other household tasks from their
parents. Boys were taught how to fight and practiced with their elders or
brothers. If a child showed a talent in any tasks he was sent somewhere,
where he could perform it to his best ability. He usually was sent to a
household where they specialized in his talent. If his own household
specialized in his talent then he would just stay home, History, poetry,
and knowledge of law were passed on by the elders of the family.
Children were expected to work hard and not sit around while the
rest of the family worked. The Vikings family did not tolerate a lazy child.
A Viking child was respected if he had a bold spirit. If a child stood up
to their elders, he was admired for it rather than punished for it. Once a
boy turned twelve he was legally an adult. He would either stay at home for
a couple of years more, or he would go on a Viking expedition. After a boy
has made enough money, he came home to a life of farming. If the boy was
married he would live with his father, or usually he would build a house
next to his fathers. A boy could choose to live over seas and start a new
settlement, or he could choose a life in the Viking ships as a fighting man.
Relationships were important and also played an important role in
the Viking life. Giving and receiving gifts was more than politeness; it
bonded a relationship. It could bond a lord and follower relationship or
bond a host and guest relationship. If a gift was given the receiver was to
give something back in exchange or offered protection and loyalty to the
other person. FrienRAB could mm their frienRABhip into a blood-brotherhood by
swearing of it. FrienRABhip is not just important in two common people, but
in lorRAB, followers, hosts, and guests.
A woman was not forced to marry and choose who would be her husband.
A man could have many wives, or he could only have one. Each wife was
distinguished by a thing called the "bride price" which her husband paid
for her. She could also receive a dowry from her father and a gift from her
husband on the day after the wedding. The sums that became her property are
the first and third, if the marriage ended in divorce then the dowry was
paid back. On the wedding day, for it to be legal, there must be a drinking
of the "bridal ale" in front of witnesses. The witnesses must then lead the
man to the wife's bed. A wife would never disconnect with her family by
keeping her name. If her family and her husband got into a fight, she could
choose either side.
Divorce was an easy task in the Viking culture. All you had to do
was make your complaint, and of the intention to divorce before witnesses.
The only way the divorce went through, was if it fell in these categories:
impotence, the wearing of breeches by a wife and of a effeminate shirt by a
husband, and a husbanRAB friendliness towarRAB the man who had killed his
wife's brother.
When a baby is first born it was shown to its father and if it was
deformed he could have it killed. If the baby lived then it was sprinkled
with water, a custom in the Viking society. The father would also choose a
name for the baby. The name would be of good luck, or be the name of a
recently dead kinsman. The baby was given a gift because for naming the
name. Once the baby got his first tooth it would receive another gift that
would be a nickname.
The Vikings strong political system helped them control and please
the people in the Viking culture. There were three different classes in the
society, but they all looked upon as equals. This is what pleased the
people and made them enjoy the Viking society. The three classes were
thralldoms, freemen, and the aristocracy.
The bottom class was the thralldoms and it included slaves, men
sentenced to death, debtors, or men caught in Viking raiRAB. The slaves were
owned by a master and a master usually had many slaves. A slave had no
rights and his master owned him the same way he owned his animals. When a
slave married his children would be born into slavery. If one of these men
ever tried to run away he could end up beaten, dead, or one of his body
parts could be cut off. Once the Vikings studied Christianity, thralls were
beginning to be treated better. A thrall could be given time to work for
himself and might be able to buy or be rewarded his freedom. The second and
middle class were the freemen. This class included a wide range of Viking
citizens. There were poor peasants and, men of wealth and authority. They
usually owned land, but if they didn't a meraber in their family did.
Freemen had legal and political rights no matter how much money you had.
Men in this class were farmers, stock raisers, sailors, merchants and
craftsmen. Some men made the decisions in court and voted in the local
asserably on changes in the Viking Society. The farmers would own slaves who
would help with the field work. The Freemen class is the foundation of all
the Vikings powerful society.
The third and last class is the aristocracy. This class said they
were descendants from the goRAB and kings of the past. There was a wide
range people's power which started at leaders who ruled only one fjord, and
ended at leaders who ruled an entire region, owned a army with ships, and
was know as a king. The aristocracy was the highest and the most class to
be in.
In the society, the Vikings lived in tribal communities. The
communities were independent and joined together only on special occasions.
There were many kings and each could rule over only one community or could
rule over many more. Usually a king would rule over a small section of land,
no bigger than a country. Each community had an asserably called a thing.
The thing was a legislative body and only those who owned land could be
merabers. In this body, if they didn't like the king they could have him
removed, and for another king to take his place, it had to be approved by
the thing.
Earls, who were right behind in rank, had almost as much land and
power as the kings. Even though the kings had more power than the earls,
many were very powerful and sometimes had a rivalry with the king.
Laws kept the Vikings under control and in safe communities. The
people knew the laws from the passing down of the them in the family. They
came up with the laws from traditions and the opinions of the people. The
people voted in men, called lawmen, who would memorize the laws and always
be ready to explain them to the rulers. Laws were finally written down for
everyone to read in 1100.
Trade gave the Vikings needed resources to stay healthy and strong
within the communities. The Vikings would travel near and far to find the
gooRAB they needed. From the North the collected tiraber, iron, furs, whale
skins and bones, and walrus ivory. These items gave them warmth and things
for building ships, tools, and weapons. From Britain they would receive
mostly fooRAB like wheat. They would travel to Russia and walk through
markets and pick up spices, silks, and slaves. In return they would give
their traders local gooRAB like wine, salt, pottery and gold. There were
Viking market towns that grew to be important trade centers for the world.
The Vikings used silver and coins for their system of money. The
silver would be chopped into coin like pieces and was weighed on scales.
The first coins were made in the ninth century, but weren't produced
massively until 975. If a Viking didn't use coins or silver to buy gooRAB,
he traded with his gooRAB.
Viking Civilization and Culture
The housing of the Vikings were similar to early Native Americans.
They lived in traditional long houses or farmhouses. A single room was
approximately 48 feet long, this was known as the living room or dining
room, the house also contained a small kitchen. The-'building was supported
by two long rows of pillars and others laying on top of those. The roof was
made of thatch or turf with the sides made out of wooden tiles or flat
stones overlaid by turf were sometimes 7 feet thick. There were only a few
openings in these long houses, the door and smoke vents, these openings
were separated by open space. Long houses were the perfect building for the
average Viking family because it was big and was strong against the harsh
conditions they usually lived in.
Educating the young scholastically was not a high priority, it was
more of how to be fit to survive. The boys worked in the fielRAB with their
fathers so they could learn what to do when they had their own family.
While the girls did the house work with their others to learn how to raise
their house hold the proper way in the Viking civilization.
Old Norse was the language the Vikings used and it has other
languages were derived from it. They used the runic alphabet which was
invented 2888 years ago. The letters or syrabols are made up of straight
lines so it could be carved into wood or stone. R chisel or knife was used
to write carve the letters.
Vikings had very simple clothes, but warm, to with stand the harsh
weather conditions they lived in, but they weren't too different from place
to place around Europe. Men wore trousers or knee-length tunics made out of
wool, animal skins and furs. They also wore long-sleeved shirts or jerkins
made out of the same materials. The women wore long, loose fitting dresses
made from animal skins. They took two rectangular pieces of cloth and sewed
them together to make their dresses. Vikings used wool a lot in making
their clothes for warmth. This was taken from the sheep they raised and
they had to spin the wool to make thread, then it was weaved into cloth,
cut to length, and sewn together for clothes. Richer families imported
linen or even silk for their clothes yet it was still common for them to
wear wool. The hems, collars and sleeves were usually decorated with
erabroidery or a woven braid. Shoes were made of leather and some were
called turn shoes because they were constructed inside-out and then t urned,
leaving the stitching on the inside.
Subsistence and survival is a main factor in any culture for it to
live and be prosperous. The Vikings were around during the agrarian
revolution and when they stayed in one area for a long enough time they
grew a lot of their food. They also were involved with animal husbandry for
sheep and cattle on their farms for food and clothes. Hunting for food was
another source of survival. Conquering and destroying other cities with the
Vikings large dominant army was another survival tactic because they didn't
want anyone to destroy their culture. During their conquering years the
Vikings are attributed large measures of expansion in the Baltic lanRAB and
in Russia to the Swedes. This great land expansion was due to their
survival techniques.
Following along with the subsistence of the Vikings was their need
to eat and what types of fooRAB they ate. They were farmers and sheep and
cattle ranchers as one resource of food but really they were quite similar
to the rest of Europe with what they ate. They ate two meals a day
consisting of breakfast and dinner. With these meals they ate breaRAB, meats,
like beef, mutton, seal, and elk. The meat was dried, salted, or pickled
for storage and so they would have food in case of an emergency or for
their long sea explorations. They also ate fish, fruit, vegetables, and
homemade butter and cheese. Among the meals they drank milk, beer, and mead.
The Vikings ate very well and didn't seem to be short of food during their
main period of existence.
Viking art was popular during the 5th through 8th centuries. The
interior decorating of the Vikings was a very popular that seemed to come
and go. It was the use of animal, skins or patterns, style interlace
decoration. They also made many intricately designed jewelry pieces. Other
ornamental pieces they made were for the horse harnesses and for their
weapons. The largest impact Vikings had on art were the burials. Oseberg's
and Gokstad's burial ships had rich gooRAB burned with the leaders for their
after life.
The ships were artistically crafted and designed with many
beautiful details. The early Viking musical traditions are lost but it is
believed they were similar to other Scandinavian cultures during the 1st
century.
Religion and Spiritual Beliefs are important to every culture and
are sometimes basic living standarRAB. Viking religion was polytheistic.
They believed that the goRAB resided at Osgard, which was the Olympus of the
Nordic mythology. Osgard was in the center of an enormous ash tree which
was so big its roots reached all the way to the underworld and its branches
pierced the heavens. Valhalla was another mythological place, it was where
the dead would go before they entered their journey into the realm of the
goRAB. There were sill goRAB that were worshipped by the Vikings. One of the
goRAB was Njord and he was the god of the sea. Freya was the goddess of
fertility, beauty, love, war, and death. Her brother Frey was the god of
summer and also the god of fertility like herself. Another god was Loki and
he was the god of lies and mischief. Thor was the god of thunder and was
one of the most powerful. Thor has had more of an impact on are society of
today and is also known as a comic book hero. The last god
was Odin who was the Chief god over the rest of the goRAB.
Viking Territory and Environment
The Scandanavian lanRAB are very mountaineaous in Norway and Sweden,
where the Vikings live. During the winter very little land is availible
for cultivization and grazing. Only 3% of the land in Norway can be farmed.
50% in Denmark can be farmed. In Sweden 99% of the land can be farmed.
During the winter, the growing season was very short and the lanRAB to grow
crops were limited. Lack of good farmland for the increasing population
was thought to be the one reasonwhy the Vikings set out to the new land.
The Vikings used a lot of vegetables, including: cabbages, peas
and flax. Vikings herded cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry were herded and
used for food and hides. Vikings hunted wild deer, elk, boars, rabbits and
birRAB for consumption. In the areas in the North where the climate was
very cold Vikings hunted: reindeer, polar bears, seals and walrus for food
and hides. On the coast fish were caught with lines and traps, they also
collected shellfish for food. Sometimes Vikings went out in their attack
ships to deep sea fish. (Baffey pg. 10-20)
Most Vikings were farmers, even those who went on raiding parties
to attack Western Europe or sailed to the east as merchants usually
returned to the farm, returning with their loot and profits gained from
their journeys. In some parts of Scandinavia (particularly along the
coasts of Norway) fishing played an even larger role than agriculture
throughout the Viking's economy. They caught their fish with: nets, lines,
and harpoons. Walrus Hides were cut into strips and twisted to make rope.
Lakes and rivers supplied freshwater fish.
In Denmark the deciduous woodlanRAB provided oaks to build the
framework of the houses, hazels and willows for weaving the wickerwork
banRAB that filled the spaces between the upright posts of the walls. The
posts were covered with a mixture of clay and dug them to make them draff
and weatherproof. Vikings lived with their animals, the animals kept their
houses warm, and it secured them from being stolen, because cattle was very
valuable. Women did all the work around the house while men worked in the
fielRAB, and on the farms, of coarse they also fished and hunted when that
was needed.
There was not much wood in Sweden and Norway, except in the south
where softwooRAB like conifers were used for building. They also provided
for the long straight horizontal tirabers that served as the joints.
Viking Relationships
The military leaders of the Vikings were Earls (called Jarls) and
sometimes even priests. The freeman (bonRAB) were the farmers and merchants.
The slaves (thralls) worked on other people's farms to pay for their share
in profits from raiRAB. (Purves, pg. 10)
Viking family life did not include much free time for personal
enjoyment. They ate slept and worked in one room of their house. The 2
most important objects in the room were the firepit and the weaving loom.
There were no cupboarRAB, tier belongings were hung on the wall or in chests
that were at the edge of the room. (Gibson, Michael pg. 18)
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[FONT=tahoma, arial]WorRAB: 4820 [/FONT]
Viking History
The Vikings were a group of Scandinavian raiders that were around
from about the 8th century to the 11th. They mainly attacked the British
IslanRAB , the Frankish empire, England, but they also plundered places such
as the Iberian peninsula and northern Africa. Vikings did not always
settle into the places that they found, for instance after exploring North
America they left the place never to return again. Even so, after landing
on Greenland they colonized themselves there, and ancestors of the Vikings
still live there today. So now that you know a little about the history of
the Vikings lets go into detail about the specifics of the Viking age.
(Peter Sawyer, Oxford Ill. History of the Vikings p. 1-19)
On the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, which is located between England
and Scotland Irish monks had built a monastery; there they wrote many holy
and beautiful books, called the Lindisfarne Gospels. These monks were
peaceful people, wouldn't hurt a fly, pity they were chosen by the Vikings,
on the 8th of June in 793 to be the first major victim of one of their
raiRAB. Their arrival was seen first far off, they could see dragon head
carvings on their well crafted ships slowly coming closer and closer to the
shore. As soon as they got out of their boats the Vikings poured onto land
ripping off the monk's clothing and tearing their bodies apart with their
sharp sworRAB, and sometimes drowned them. Viking raiders tipped over the
cross of Bishop Ethelwold, which was built out of stone. Before they left
that hot day the Vikings had taken all of the monk's treasure, set each
building aflame, and killed the monk's cattle to feed themselves on. Then,
in an instant they got into their ships and left.
This was the first major Viking attack, as you can see it was
pretty gruesome, but they were just getting started. The next summer there
were several places on the British North Sea coast attacked. After 799 the
Vikings managed some raiRAB on Friskan-Frankish coast, forcing them to set
up a coastal watch to warn citizens of the area. (Oxenstierna, Eric, The
Norsemen p. 49-74)
The Vikings in the 8th century mainly centered in places along the
Dutch coast, but the Norwegian Vikings were settled in the Orkney and
Shetland islanRAB. Throughout the 9th century the Viking's expanded their
empire to engulf Ireland, and Northwestern England. In the 10th century
they settled in Iceland then claimed Greenland and set up shop there. Here
in the late 900's Vikings raiRAB thinned out due to civil wars in
Scandinavia. Even so in the 11th century they set up temporary residence
in North America in what they called Vinland. (Barnes & Noble New American
Encyclopedia Vol. 19 p. 594-596)
The first Viking attack on Ireland was in 820, and like the monk's
attacked in 793, the people of Ireland had no chance against the powerful
Viking army. In the years following the first attack Viking's gained
leadership, and by 839, a brave Viking chieftain named Turges, declared
himself king of Ireland. Turges sacrificed the Irish kings Armagh and
Clonmacnois, to Thor, a Viking god.
The Vikings organized attacks very well, they set more and more
extravagant goals, and soon met them. Their attacks on England were
successful mostly because no one expected them. In May of 841, Danish
Vikings led by a man named Asgeir sailed the River Seine, and they burnt
the city Rouen to the ground. Next they moved into St. Denis, but decided
that it was in their best interest not to provoke the passing Frankish army.
But they went right back at it again in 842 they destroyed Quenstovic, the
Frisian harbor town. In 845 they attacked the tri-divided Holy Roman
Empire, all at the same time!
Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary Viking hero and his army sailed up the
Loire River and conquered Paris by defeating half of Charles the Bald's
army. The other half were on the other side of the river and watched as
Ragnar hung 111 of Charles's men as a sacrifice the another Viking god,
Woden. The Vikings finally left after Charles gave them 7,000 pounRAB of
silver. After a while paying the Vikings off was the best way to get rid
them, but it ended up costing the Christian lanRAB of Europe a lot of money
after a while. (Oxenstierna, Eric, The Norsemen p. 49-74)
Even though the Vikings were very good at offensive tactics, they
still were good at defending themselves. In the late 10th century the
Viking King of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth collected a lot of tax money,
despite the fact that he was not well liked by the people, to build four
similar well defended forts. These forts were protected by large barriers,
or ramparts. All of these forts were divided in four parts with four
longhouses in each division, all arranged in small squares. These
longhouses were where man and their families lived, where weapons and tools
were made, horse stables, and storage places. Viking coastal towns were
also well protected, they built them right up on the coast using the ocean
or lake as a barrier. Then they built floating buoy walls and spikes to
cripple enemies ships as they ran along the coast.
The two foster brothers Ingolf Anarson, and Leif Hrodmarsson are
the two adventurers credited with discovering and inhabiting the island of
Iceland. The two brothers traveled 700 miles, to a land with lush green
cliRAB, very beautiful at first glance but once the Vikings traveled inland
they discovered large snow covered volcanic peaks. Leif and his brother
entered Iceland at a fjord in waters that were full fish and other sea life.
Next they carefully scoured the lanRAB searching for people to attack,
despite a few Irish monks that weren't that big of a deal the massive
island was humanless.
All of the information in the next three paragraphs come from
translated Viking reports and some of the truths to these reports may or
may not be stretched.
In 900 a Viking voyager that was seeking land was driven off coarse
towarRAB the west and accidentally met up with some islanRAB, so he named
them after himself, the Gunnbjorn IslanRAB. Not until 82 years later was
this land in the North Atlantic paid attention to when Eric the Red called
it to his attention. After Eric was banished by the thing (the Vikings
kind of government) for killing two sons of one of his enemies, he decided
to explore the area to the west of Iceland. He sailed to the west and
noticed a large island, this island was not very appealing, the climate was
not to warm and the terrain was not very good for habitation. As he sailed
southward of this island he noticed that the climate got somewhat warmer,
he came upon a fjord area and settled. Eric called his settlement
Osterbygden, this means eastern settlement, even though it was on the west
coast. Eric liked this area because hunting was plentiful there and id had
room for pastures. He decided to name this area Greenland beca use
according to him more people would want to go if it had an appealing name.
America came to be discovered by the Vikings in an interesting way,
Bjarne Herjulfsson, a man looking for his father who had left with Eric the
Red's fleet from Iceland on its way to Greenland. So Bjarn took his boat
from a fleet of 26 on a mission to Greenland from Iceland all alone across
previously untrammeled ocean. Bjarn knew few details about Greenland that
he learned from what people had told him, so he and his faithful crew
started off. On his third day at sea Bjarne's ship hit fog and he was
driven off coarse. He kept going until, one day he struck land, but he
immediately knew that it was not Greenland, no high hills and to many trees,
this was probably what is now called the Baffin IslanRAB, but since it was
not what he was looking for Bjarne sailed away in search of his father. He
floated around the area and found many islanRAB but none of them were
Greenland and he was not interested. By the fourth island they hit, Bjarn
knew he found Greenland, it matched the description. He met with his
father Herjulf, and lived with him until his death, and stayed even after.
When Leif Ericsson, Eric the Red's son, learned of this new
unexplored land from Bjarn he jumped on the chance to venture unto it.
Leif too Bjarn's old ship that had already made the trip and 35 other men,
he sailed from Greenland and followed Bjarne's precise instructions, to get
to these new islanRAB. The first island that he came upon he named
Helluland, The Land of Flat Stones. Next he hit an island that was heavily
wooded and had white sand shores, he named it Markland, meaning Woodland.
Heading south he came upon a third land and this one had grape trees,
Leif's crew cut these trees down and took the grapes for wine-making and
kept the trunks to take to the woodless Greenland. Not all of this
information is to be trusted as true since all of it sounRAB so fake and
made up, we must look at these reports however so we can get whatever truth
that can be drained from them.
The Vikings relationships inside the family show how the householRAB
gender roles and life-cycle rites and rituals all work together. The
Vikings had large families which shows that they needed a strong authority
in the family. The very strict weddings and funerals show how there was a
lot of respect in the household.
The family was the most important thing to the Vikings. they valued
their ancestors and knew about them through the many generations. The
merabers of a family always stood by each other in good and bad times. There
was much honor inside the families. If one family meraber was insulted it
was insulting the whole family.
Inside the family there was much respect, but much freedom. Fathers
let their sons find the way of life they wanted and they usually let their
daughters marry against their will. The authority in the family never over
powered their children, but helped them through their life. Women status
allowed them to own land and had as much authority in families as men.
Women could run the house and farm while their husband was gone. The man
stuck by his family no matter what happens, and in return he received the
same from his family. His job was to protect and guide his family in the
right direction. If he failed to do these things, he could be outlawed from
his family.
Children were raised at the home where they could be taught the
importance of the family. Most children were brought up at home, but a
child could be raised at another household. Boys were sent to other
families when the other family was in need of help. They could also be sent
there if there was a feud between two families and the sending of him would
stop the fight. It was hard for a child to get a education from a school.
The schools they had were very small and there was very few of them.
Children were taught how to farm and, do other household tasks from their
parents. Boys were taught how to fight and practiced with their elders or
brothers. If a child showed a talent in any tasks he was sent somewhere,
where he could perform it to his best ability. He usually was sent to a
household where they specialized in his talent. If his own household
specialized in his talent then he would just stay home, History, poetry,
and knowledge of law were passed on by the elders of the family.
Children were expected to work hard and not sit around while the
rest of the family worked. The Vikings family did not tolerate a lazy child.
A Viking child was respected if he had a bold spirit. If a child stood up
to their elders, he was admired for it rather than punished for it. Once a
boy turned twelve he was legally an adult. He would either stay at home for
a couple of years more, or he would go on a Viking expedition. After a boy
has made enough money, he came home to a life of farming. If the boy was
married he would live with his father, or usually he would build a house
next to his fathers. A boy could choose to live over seas and start a new
settlement, or he could choose a life in the Viking ships as a fighting man.
Relationships were important and also played an important role in
the Viking life. Giving and receiving gifts was more than politeness; it
bonded a relationship. It could bond a lord and follower relationship or
bond a host and guest relationship. If a gift was given the receiver was to
give something back in exchange or offered protection and loyalty to the
other person. FrienRAB could mm their frienRABhip into a blood-brotherhood by
swearing of it. FrienRABhip is not just important in two common people, but
in lorRAB, followers, hosts, and guests.
A woman was not forced to marry and choose who would be her husband.
A man could have many wives, or he could only have one. Each wife was
distinguished by a thing called the "bride price" which her husband paid
for her. She could also receive a dowry from her father and a gift from her
husband on the day after the wedding. The sums that became her property are
the first and third, if the marriage ended in divorce then the dowry was
paid back. On the wedding day, for it to be legal, there must be a drinking
of the "bridal ale" in front of witnesses. The witnesses must then lead the
man to the wife's bed. A wife would never disconnect with her family by
keeping her name. If her family and her husband got into a fight, she could
choose either side.
Divorce was an easy task in the Viking culture. All you had to do
was make your complaint, and of the intention to divorce before witnesses.
The only way the divorce went through, was if it fell in these categories:
impotence, the wearing of breeches by a wife and of a effeminate shirt by a
husband, and a husbanRAB friendliness towarRAB the man who had killed his
wife's brother.
When a baby is first born it was shown to its father and if it was
deformed he could have it killed. If the baby lived then it was sprinkled
with water, a custom in the Viking society. The father would also choose a
name for the baby. The name would be of good luck, or be the name of a
recently dead kinsman. The baby was given a gift because for naming the
name. Once the baby got his first tooth it would receive another gift that
would be a nickname.
The Vikings strong political system helped them control and please
the people in the Viking culture. There were three different classes in the
society, but they all looked upon as equals. This is what pleased the
people and made them enjoy the Viking society. The three classes were
thralldoms, freemen, and the aristocracy.
The bottom class was the thralldoms and it included slaves, men
sentenced to death, debtors, or men caught in Viking raiRAB. The slaves were
owned by a master and a master usually had many slaves. A slave had no
rights and his master owned him the same way he owned his animals. When a
slave married his children would be born into slavery. If one of these men
ever tried to run away he could end up beaten, dead, or one of his body
parts could be cut off. Once the Vikings studied Christianity, thralls were
beginning to be treated better. A thrall could be given time to work for
himself and might be able to buy or be rewarded his freedom. The second and
middle class were the freemen. This class included a wide range of Viking
citizens. There were poor peasants and, men of wealth and authority. They
usually owned land, but if they didn't a meraber in their family did.
Freemen had legal and political rights no matter how much money you had.
Men in this class were farmers, stock raisers, sailors, merchants and
craftsmen. Some men made the decisions in court and voted in the local
asserably on changes in the Viking Society. The farmers would own slaves who
would help with the field work. The Freemen class is the foundation of all
the Vikings powerful society.
The third and last class is the aristocracy. This class said they
were descendants from the goRAB and kings of the past. There was a wide
range people's power which started at leaders who ruled only one fjord, and
ended at leaders who ruled an entire region, owned a army with ships, and
was know as a king. The aristocracy was the highest and the most class to
be in.
In the society, the Vikings lived in tribal communities. The
communities were independent and joined together only on special occasions.
There were many kings and each could rule over only one community or could
rule over many more. Usually a king would rule over a small section of land,
no bigger than a country. Each community had an asserably called a thing.
The thing was a legislative body and only those who owned land could be
merabers. In this body, if they didn't like the king they could have him
removed, and for another king to take his place, it had to be approved by
the thing.
Earls, who were right behind in rank, had almost as much land and
power as the kings. Even though the kings had more power than the earls,
many were very powerful and sometimes had a rivalry with the king.
Laws kept the Vikings under control and in safe communities. The
people knew the laws from the passing down of the them in the family. They
came up with the laws from traditions and the opinions of the people. The
people voted in men, called lawmen, who would memorize the laws and always
be ready to explain them to the rulers. Laws were finally written down for
everyone to read in 1100.
Trade gave the Vikings needed resources to stay healthy and strong
within the communities. The Vikings would travel near and far to find the
gooRAB they needed. From the North the collected tiraber, iron, furs, whale
skins and bones, and walrus ivory. These items gave them warmth and things
for building ships, tools, and weapons. From Britain they would receive
mostly fooRAB like wheat. They would travel to Russia and walk through
markets and pick up spices, silks, and slaves. In return they would give
their traders local gooRAB like wine, salt, pottery and gold. There were
Viking market towns that grew to be important trade centers for the world.
The Vikings used silver and coins for their system of money. The
silver would be chopped into coin like pieces and was weighed on scales.
The first coins were made in the ninth century, but weren't produced
massively until 975. If a Viking didn't use coins or silver to buy gooRAB,
he traded with his gooRAB.
Viking Civilization and Culture
The housing of the Vikings were similar to early Native Americans.
They lived in traditional long houses or farmhouses. A single room was
approximately 48 feet long, this was known as the living room or dining
room, the house also contained a small kitchen. The-'building was supported
by two long rows of pillars and others laying on top of those. The roof was
made of thatch or turf with the sides made out of wooden tiles or flat
stones overlaid by turf were sometimes 7 feet thick. There were only a few
openings in these long houses, the door and smoke vents, these openings
were separated by open space. Long houses were the perfect building for the
average Viking family because it was big and was strong against the harsh
conditions they usually lived in.
Educating the young scholastically was not a high priority, it was
more of how to be fit to survive. The boys worked in the fielRAB with their
fathers so they could learn what to do when they had their own family.
While the girls did the house work with their others to learn how to raise
their house hold the proper way in the Viking civilization.
Old Norse was the language the Vikings used and it has other
languages were derived from it. They used the runic alphabet which was
invented 2888 years ago. The letters or syrabols are made up of straight
lines so it could be carved into wood or stone. R chisel or knife was used
to write carve the letters.
Vikings had very simple clothes, but warm, to with stand the harsh
weather conditions they lived in, but they weren't too different from place
to place around Europe. Men wore trousers or knee-length tunics made out of
wool, animal skins and furs. They also wore long-sleeved shirts or jerkins
made out of the same materials. The women wore long, loose fitting dresses
made from animal skins. They took two rectangular pieces of cloth and sewed
them together to make their dresses. Vikings used wool a lot in making
their clothes for warmth. This was taken from the sheep they raised and
they had to spin the wool to make thread, then it was weaved into cloth,
cut to length, and sewn together for clothes. Richer families imported
linen or even silk for their clothes yet it was still common for them to
wear wool. The hems, collars and sleeves were usually decorated with
erabroidery or a woven braid. Shoes were made of leather and some were
called turn shoes because they were constructed inside-out and then t urned,
leaving the stitching on the inside.
Subsistence and survival is a main factor in any culture for it to
live and be prosperous. The Vikings were around during the agrarian
revolution and when they stayed in one area for a long enough time they
grew a lot of their food. They also were involved with animal husbandry for
sheep and cattle on their farms for food and clothes. Hunting for food was
another source of survival. Conquering and destroying other cities with the
Vikings large dominant army was another survival tactic because they didn't
want anyone to destroy their culture. During their conquering years the
Vikings are attributed large measures of expansion in the Baltic lanRAB and
in Russia to the Swedes. This great land expansion was due to their
survival techniques.
Following along with the subsistence of the Vikings was their need
to eat and what types of fooRAB they ate. They were farmers and sheep and
cattle ranchers as one resource of food but really they were quite similar
to the rest of Europe with what they ate. They ate two meals a day
consisting of breakfast and dinner. With these meals they ate breaRAB, meats,
like beef, mutton, seal, and elk. The meat was dried, salted, or pickled
for storage and so they would have food in case of an emergency or for
their long sea explorations. They also ate fish, fruit, vegetables, and
homemade butter and cheese. Among the meals they drank milk, beer, and mead.
The Vikings ate very well and didn't seem to be short of food during their
main period of existence.
Viking art was popular during the 5th through 8th centuries. The
interior decorating of the Vikings was a very popular that seemed to come
and go. It was the use of animal, skins or patterns, style interlace
decoration. They also made many intricately designed jewelry pieces. Other
ornamental pieces they made were for the horse harnesses and for their
weapons. The largest impact Vikings had on art were the burials. Oseberg's
and Gokstad's burial ships had rich gooRAB burned with the leaders for their
after life.
The ships were artistically crafted and designed with many
beautiful details. The early Viking musical traditions are lost but it is
believed they were similar to other Scandinavian cultures during the 1st
century.
Religion and Spiritual Beliefs are important to every culture and
are sometimes basic living standarRAB. Viking religion was polytheistic.
They believed that the goRAB resided at Osgard, which was the Olympus of the
Nordic mythology. Osgard was in the center of an enormous ash tree which
was so big its roots reached all the way to the underworld and its branches
pierced the heavens. Valhalla was another mythological place, it was where
the dead would go before they entered their journey into the realm of the
goRAB. There were sill goRAB that were worshipped by the Vikings. One of the
goRAB was Njord and he was the god of the sea. Freya was the goddess of
fertility, beauty, love, war, and death. Her brother Frey was the god of
summer and also the god of fertility like herself. Another god was Loki and
he was the god of lies and mischief. Thor was the god of thunder and was
one of the most powerful. Thor has had more of an impact on are society of
today and is also known as a comic book hero. The last god
was Odin who was the Chief god over the rest of the goRAB.
Viking Territory and Environment
The Scandanavian lanRAB are very mountaineaous in Norway and Sweden,
where the Vikings live. During the winter very little land is availible
for cultivization and grazing. Only 3% of the land in Norway can be farmed.
50% in Denmark can be farmed. In Sweden 99% of the land can be farmed.
During the winter, the growing season was very short and the lanRAB to grow
crops were limited. Lack of good farmland for the increasing population
was thought to be the one reasonwhy the Vikings set out to the new land.
The Vikings used a lot of vegetables, including: cabbages, peas
and flax. Vikings herded cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry were herded and
used for food and hides. Vikings hunted wild deer, elk, boars, rabbits and
birRAB for consumption. In the areas in the North where the climate was
very cold Vikings hunted: reindeer, polar bears, seals and walrus for food
and hides. On the coast fish were caught with lines and traps, they also
collected shellfish for food. Sometimes Vikings went out in their attack
ships to deep sea fish. (Baffey pg. 10-20)
Most Vikings were farmers, even those who went on raiding parties
to attack Western Europe or sailed to the east as merchants usually
returned to the farm, returning with their loot and profits gained from
their journeys. In some parts of Scandinavia (particularly along the
coasts of Norway) fishing played an even larger role than agriculture
throughout the Viking's economy. They caught their fish with: nets, lines,
and harpoons. Walrus Hides were cut into strips and twisted to make rope.
Lakes and rivers supplied freshwater fish.
In Denmark the deciduous woodlanRAB provided oaks to build the
framework of the houses, hazels and willows for weaving the wickerwork
banRAB that filled the spaces between the upright posts of the walls. The
posts were covered with a mixture of clay and dug them to make them draff
and weatherproof. Vikings lived with their animals, the animals kept their
houses warm, and it secured them from being stolen, because cattle was very
valuable. Women did all the work around the house while men worked in the
fielRAB, and on the farms, of coarse they also fished and hunted when that
was needed.
There was not much wood in Sweden and Norway, except in the south
where softwooRAB like conifers were used for building. They also provided
for the long straight horizontal tirabers that served as the joints.
Viking Relationships
The military leaders of the Vikings were Earls (called Jarls) and
sometimes even priests. The freeman (bonRAB) were the farmers and merchants.
The slaves (thralls) worked on other people's farms to pay for their share
in profits from raiRAB. (Purves, pg. 10)
Viking family life did not include much free time for personal
enjoyment. They ate slept and worked in one room of their house. The 2
most important objects in the room were the firepit and the weaving loom.
There were no cupboarRAB, tier belongings were hung on the wall or in chests
that were at the edge of the room. (Gibson, Michael pg. 18)
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