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| Peter Dennis - Box art Perry Miniatures |
Vikings were raiders and seafarers who mainly spoke the Old Norse Language and followed Norse Mythology. They traded and raided their way to prosperity from their own Norther European homelands and Central, Eastern and Western European areas during the late 8th-11th centuries. The Vikings had interesting ways to do things and their traditions and customs were brutish but also interesting. The so called 'Vikings Age' was the period of military, trading and demographic expansion that forms an important element in the history of Scandinavia, the British Isles, Estonia, France and many more.
Not barbaric?
The Vikings are portrayed as ruthless and barbaric folks who wore huge horn helmets and killed for the sake of it. In reality their way of doing things and their culture goes far beyond. The term 'viking', means 'pirate raid' in the Old Norse language. Scandinavian people used the term as a verb to describe the tradition where men would leave their homes in the summer in expeditions and go 'viking'. These expeditions didn't always include raping women and raiding villages and towns. The usual motive was to look for new lands and trade.
It is Catholic propaganda that has led to most of the modern misconception surrounding Vikings. The church lost many treasures, relics and facilities to the Vikings hence they created the idea of vikings being barbarians and pagans.
Skilled boat builders
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| DEAGOSTINI/GETTY IMAGES |
Boats and ships formed an important part of the Viking culture and traditions. The most famous being the
longships which were used in warfare and expeditions equipped with agility and speed with several oars on both sides to complement the sail. The sides of the boat would serve as a sort of hanging place for the viking shields. Vikings built many types of unique watercraft . The
knarr served mercantile and trading purposes and could carry cargo in bulks. Facilitated by advanced sailing and navigation skills with skilled boat-making, the vikings were able to extend their activities.
Burying the dead in boats
The Scandinavian culture were extremely superstitious and sometimes over the top. Following their traditions and maybe their love for boats, vikings ceremoniously buried their dead in boats. It was considered a great honour for the person to be finely dressed and to be laid to rest on a ship. The vikings believed the ships would act as vessels to transcend the dead into afterlife. Those who had earned this right, such as skillful warriors or highborn lord or ladies were laid on ships with ornaments and valuables. It was also common for an archer to light his arrow on fire and aim and shoot towards the ship floating in the distance, hence burning the body.
Viking women
While at times viking women were forced into marriage and tend to the household and livestock while their men went off to explore new lands and adventures. These women did enjoy freedom & certain rights that were not common in different parts of the world around this time. These included right to inherit property, file for divorce or right to reclaim settlements if the marriage failed. Some women, called 'shield maidens' would take up arms and fight along with the men and also join the expeditions. However, existence of shield maidens is heavily debated but certain stories, sagas and artwork seem to indicate that they in fact, existed.
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| Ullr |
They knew how to ski ?!
The Scandinavian people about 6000 years ago actually developed their own skis and used them for several purposes like entertainment, hunting and travelling in snow. And yes of course they even had a god of skiing, named Ullr. Skiing was also organised as a competitive activity where the winners received prizes as well.
The Norse heaven "Valhalla"
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| By Emil Doepler - Doepler, Emil. ca. 1905. Walhall, die Götterwelt der Germanen. Martin Oldenbourg, Berlin. Photographed by Haukurth |
Valhalla, pronounced as "val-hal-uh" or the hall of the fallen was where Odin housed the dead whom he seemed worthy of being with him. Chosen by Odin, half of those who fall in combat travel of Valhalla while the other half goes to the goddess Freya's field. In Valhalla, the warriors feast and fight everyday accompanied by legendary kings and warriors as they prepared to aid Odin during the events of '
Ragnarök', the end of the world. Basically, a brutal and fun version of our conception of heaven.
Violence & Warfare
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| A still from season 4 of Vikings, Historytv18 |
The warfare and violent nature of the Vikings was fuelled by their strong belief in the Norse religion, focusing mainly on Odin, the all-father and Thor, the god of thunder. The Vikings mostly fought in a disordered & furious style of combat. Vikings struck fear in the hearts of their enemies with their berserk like state, which may have been achieved by ingestion of substances or hallucinogenic mushrooms. All Norse men were required to own weapons, these weapons indicated the social status of a Viking. Their strong beliefs in their religion and gods accompanied by their their furious nature in combat probably led to the terms such as 'barbarians' or 'heathens' being attached to them, and of course the church was responsible for spreading these adjectives and misconceptions.
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