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Vikings history is as extensive as the people it studies. The seafaring Vikings (in Danish, the Vikinger) were a group of people that came from the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. They made an enduring name for themselves in the eighth through the 11th centuries for existence tactical warriors, smart traders, and daring explorers. In fact, they arrived in America 1,000 years before Columbus ever did, and archeologists have institute some of their remnants scattered as far e as Russia.

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Vikings History: The Viking Age—An Overview

Viking is a Verb, Not a Noun

When the quiet monks on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne saw the dragon ships approaching, they didn't know what was coming. They were fully unprepared for the ferocity of the warriors, armed with sword, axe and shield. The assault and plunder of Lindisfarne, a rich and unprotected monastery, echoed throughout the side by side 300 years of European history. The Viking Age had begun.

Historians use the term the Viking Age to describe the turbulent expansion of the Scandinavian people into Europe and Russia. Beginning in A.D. 793 with the Lindisfarne raid, Norwegians, Swedes and Danes set to raiding. Whatsoever unprotected customs was a target. Vikings attacked places all forth the coasts of Scotland, England, Ireland, France, Italia and inland Russian federation. They terrorized, plundered, traded, explored and finally settled and farmed all over the lands they encountered.

Who Were the Vikings?

Just put, the Vikings were Norwegians, Swedes and Danes, men who were usually farmers, traders, blacksmiths, and craftsmen. For various reasons, they took to raiding towns, churches and monasteries. Many of the places they attacked were on the coasts as they were easiest to reach. With their swift and hands landed ships, the Vikings could quickly swarm over the communities, killing and annexation, and merely equally fast return to their ships and leave. They were gone before any defence force or counter-assault could be made.

Strangely enough, for nigh of the men who went a-viking, information technology was simply part time. When a Viking wasn't busy farming, planting crops, for instance, they left their farms and went raiding. They often returned in time for harvest in the fall. Raiding was very assisting, however, and many farmers became full time pirates and raiders.

The people called Vikings were also fearless explorers who really reached Due north America, making them the get-go Europeans to observe America. They settled Iceland and tried to colonize Greenland. They were also shrewd and competent traders and merchants. They traded all the goods of the due north – furs, amber, atomic number 26 and timber – for all the appurtenances of the south – silver, golden, silks and spices. And all along the trade routes, the Vikings traded in slaves. Read our articles to explore these aspects of the incredible culture of these intrepid and dangerous men.

Why Scandinavians Left their Homelands

Scholars debate why the Scandinavian people began to go raiding in the late 8th century. Most probable it was a combination of factors that lead to the Vikings setting off in their long boats to raid other communities. Nosotros'll discuss these reasons in articles you'll observe here, explaining why they left their farms and blacksmith forges to first attack and finally settle all over Europe and Russia.

Viking Ships and Navigation

The Vikings' advanced ships and navigation techniques provided the ways and skills for sailing not only over open up ocean out of the sight of state merely also far up inland rivers into the interior of other countries. Viking ship technology made the fearful Viking raids possible.

Special transport construction techniques made the long ships and larger dragon ships versatile enough to sheet not bad distances, behave upward to 200 men, withstand rough seas while however being lite enough to drag over country or comport through portages. Explore with us every bit we consider Viking send building and navigation skills. Contemporaries of the Vikings were awed past their ships and sailing skills. Find out why by reading farther.

Impact of the Viking Historic period

The Scandinavians changed the history of Republic of ireland, England, Russia and other European countries. They established new territories in Iceland, Greenland and temporarily, North America. From A.D. 793 to 1066, Vikings raided, traded, challenged, conquered and settled in many lands. Popular movies and novels give you a glimpse into their lives, simply usually show but a part of the impact these energetic people had on the known world of the time. Reading here volition requite you a much meliorate grasp of their affect on other cultures.

Viking Civilisation

Nosotros volition explore Viking culture and the construction of their lodge, the roles of men and women and the daily life of the time. Hither you volition find manufactures on women and children in that warrior culture. You lot'll notice how they lived, what their homes were similar and what they did for fun. Examine their stunning artwork and jewelry, also as their weaponry and armor. The brave among you can read about a Viking raid from the point of view of the victims. Come with us as we take ship with Vikings to explore the new lands of Iceland and Vinland. We'll explain Viking ship edifice and their remarkable navigation skills. Find out what your name would look like in runes, the Viking writing organization. Explore with us the mythology and literature of the Viking era.

Vikings History — Why Did the Viking Age Happen?

While the Vikings had the runic alphabet, they didn't have written history. Thus, we don't know exactly why the Vikings began raiding in A.D. 793. Scholars have many theories about the reasons why the Scandinavians began leaving home on extensive raids, trading missions, explorations and settlement, which include:

• population pressures and not enough good farmland
• too many landless younger sons
• like shooting fish in a barrel targets of unprotected, wealthy church properties and towns
• trade imbalances between European Christians and the pagan Vikings
• competition amongst chieftains in their native lands
• the lure of adventure in foreign lands

Population Pressures

Nearly scholars today agree that the population pressure theory doesn't hold weight. As the Viking Age raids and trading brought more wealth into Scandinavian, the growing prosperity might have led to greater population growth. But a burgeoning population probably wasn't a cause of the Viking Age.

Landless Younger Sons

The Vikings skilful primogeniture, which ways the eldest son inherits everything and any younger sons nothing. Without land to farm, younger sons would demand to find a mode to make a living. This theory seems probable at least as one of the factors leading to the Scandinavian expansion into Europe.

Easy Targets

Vikings were not Christians, therefore, they saw no hindrance in attacking ecclesiastical centers such as monasteries. Notwithstanding, even in warfare, Christians did non attack properties of the Church building—at to the lowest degree not often—and so Church properties were unprotected. No doubtfulness Vikings did see church properties as easy pickings, equally the Church had grown very wealthy and ordinarily had more wealth than even kings or merchants.

Merchandise Imbalances

While in previous times, Scandinavians had traded with Europeans readily, as Europe became more than Christian, Christian traders began to refuse to merchandise with pagans or Muslims. This created problems for the Vikings, and perhaps they saw raids as a style of fixing those problems.

Power Struggles in Viking Lands

The Ynglinga saga, written past Iceland'south Snorri Sturluson, and based on earlier writings of Norwegian skalds, states that when Harald Fairhair brought Norway under his control, many minor chieftains decided to go out rather than live under the king's dominion. It seems likely that this was 1 of the causative factors of the Viking Age, as Vikings decided to get raiding or settle elsewhere.

Lure of Chance

Vikings were bold, brave people who no doubt felt the lure of adventure in foreign lands. A potent Norse pagan belief was that each person's fate was set by the Norns, and that death in battle is not only honorable, but the warrior will be taken to Valhalla past Odin, the god-begetter. With these beliefs, why not take chance into your hands and go raiding? Later the first raid, the profitability would have been obvious to all.

Vikings History — From Pagans to Christians

While Charlemagne "converted" pagans to Christianity by the sword, the conversion of Vikings to Christianity occurred without violence for the most part. In the early Viking Age, Viking traders noted that they suffered losses in trade contracts and deals considering the other party was Christian. Christian traders tended to give more business and meliorate deals to other Christians, discriminating against pagans and Muslims. A Viking trader might then habiliment a cross when he was amongst Christians merely to modify it back to his usual Thor'southward hammer upon returning abode. As long as the Viking trader wasn't baptized, he could practise both religions, a common do in Scandinavia for the adjacent few centuries.

At first, the Viking Norse didn't take to Christianity. They loved their own gods and were content with them. English language and Frankish Christian priests and monks had begun missionary tours to the Viking lands from the 700s to 800s. However, the conversion of the Vikings took identify over centuries. Even when a Danish or Swedish king became Christian and proclaimed his people were Christian, many still practiced their infidel means and held to the one-time gods. By the end of the Viking Age, yet, nearly Vikings had become fully Christian and were baptized and cached in that faith.

Denmark

While an earlier Danish Viking king, Harald Klak, had been baptized in 826, it wasn't until Male monarch Harald Bluetooth was baptized in 965 that Christianity took a firmer hold in Denmark. Harald Bluetooth raised the Jelling Stone proclaiming that he made all Danes Christian, although the new faith lived side by side with the old for the next few hundred years. Danish Vikings accepted Christianity slowly. By 1110 the first stone cathedral was begun in Denmark's oldest city of Ribe. Information technology was finished in 1134. Past and so, most Danes had become Christian.

Kingdom of norway

Although a few earlier kings had adopted Christianity, it wasn't until 995 when Olaf Tryggvason led a successful revolt against the pagan king Hakkon Jarl that Christianity came to Norway. Olaf Tryggvason became King Olaf I and proceeded to catechumen Norwegians to Christianity by force. He burned heathen temples and killed Vikings who wouldn't convert. Through these tearing methods, every part of Norway became Christian, at least in name. Various kings' sagas attribute the Christianization of Republic of iceland and the other Western islands to Olaf's efforts.

Sweden

During the later Viking Age, Christianity began making inroads in Sweden, with Episcopal sees being established during the 11th century. Conflict and violence also attended Sweden's gradual conversion to Christianity, but generally the sometime and new religion co-existed for many years. Most Swedish Vikings of this time favored a gradual transition to the new religion while continuing some of the quondam faith'south rituals. By the twelfth century, all the same, Sweden was predominantly Christian.

Vikings History — Order: Men, Women, and Children

Within the male-dominated Viking social club, women had a certain corporeality of personal power, depending on their social condition. When Viking men were abroad from home—raiding, angling, exploring or on trading missions—women in Viking order took over all the men's piece of work as well as doing their ain. Women were valuable members of the society and information technology was shameful for a man to harm a adult female.

Women's function was domestic, taking care of the family, preparing food, laundry, milking cows, sheep and goats, making butter and cheeses, preserving nutrient for wintertime, gardening, cleaning and the almost time-consuming task of all, making the family unit's clothes. Spinning, carding, weaving, cut and sewing took a long time. It could have a Viking woman 35 hours to spin plenty yarn for a day'southward weaving, to give you some idea of how much time it took to brand clothing.

Viking women married young—as early as 12 years old. By the age of 20, near all men and women were married. Life expectancy was most l years, just virtually died long before reaching 50. Only a few lived to 60.

Marriages were arranged by the parents of the young couple. A marriage was a contract between two families: the groom's family paid a bride toll to bride'due south family when the couple was betrothed. At the marriage, the bride's father paid a dowry. Since both families had a financial investment in the new couple, a spousal relationship was equally much a matter for the families as it was for the people involved.

Viking children did non go to school every bit we know it today. Rather, the boys learned all the men's work, taught by their fathers, brothers and uncles. Girls worked along with their mothers and aunts learning how to cook, garden, have care of the domestic animals and make clothing. By the time they reached adulthood at 12 to 15, both boys and girls could effectively run a household and a farm.

As is e'er the case, there were exceptions to these general societal rules of beliefs. When the men went to settle Republic of iceland, Greenland and Vinland, women went with them. Vikings settled in England, Ireland and France as families. However, just men went raiding and trading while women stayed home and minded the subcontract.

Women in Viking society had more power than nearly other European women of the time. They could divorce their husbands, own some belongings and sell their own handicrafts. Some women became wealthy landowners. Others participated in trade—scales used for weighing silver used in merchandise have been found in women'south graves. Even a few weapons were found in female person graves, giving the notion that some women were fighters along side of their men. Most women in Viking society, withal, lived and worked in the domestic realm of the household.

Vikings History — Norse Mythology

In the earth of Norse mythology, we find gods and goddesses, giants, strange and powerful creatures, elves, dwarves and land spirits. Information technology is difficult for a 21st century person to excogitate of the worldview of the Vikings, brimming equally information technology was with such a variety of spiritual beings.

Yggdrasil and the Ix Worlds

The center of the Vikings' creation is the ash tree Yggdrasil, growing out of the Well of Urd. Yggdrasil holds the Nine Worlds, home of gods, man and all spiritual beings. The gods live in Asgard and Vanaheim and humans inhabit Midgard. Giants live in Jotunheim, elves in Alfheim and dwarves in Svartalfheim. Another is the primordial world of ice, Niflheim, while Muspelheim is the world of burn. The concluding world comprises Hel, the land of the expressionless, ruled by the goddess Hel.

Gods and Goddesses

The gods and goddesses venerated by the Vikings are Odin, Thor, Loki, Baldur, Frigg, Freya, Freyr and Njoror. There are many other gods and goddesses in the Norse pantheon but these received the primary attention in the sagas and eddas.

• Odin, the allfather, the one-eyed seeker of wisdom, god of magic, war and runes, hung himself on Yggdrasil for nine days and nights to find wisdom, brought the runes to mankind
• Thor, with his magic hammer Mjolnir, protects flesh and his realm of Midgard, god of warriors
• Loki, a unsafe half-god, half-behemothic trickster always wreaking havoc among the gods
• Baldur, son of Odin and Frigg, a beautiful and gracious god, love of all, killed by Loki'due south trickery
• Frigg, wife of Odin, practitioner of magic, goddess of the home, mother of Baldur
• Freya, feather-cloaked goddess of love and fertility but also of war and death
• Freyr, her blood brother, god of farming, agriculture, fertility and prosperity
• Njoror, powerful god of the bounding main

Giants, Elves, Dwarves and Land Spirits

Behemothic is not a skillful name for these spiritual beings; call up of them every bit devourers, out to destroy gild and return the world to earliest chaos. They are the enemies of gods, but also their relatives. Giants are unsafe to flesh, which is why Thor often hunts them. Elves and dwarves appear in the sagas, just are different from what we might flick them to be. Dwarves are miners and smiths and live surreptitious. They are invisible, powerful spiritual beings, not short humans. Elves are as well spiritual beings, demi-gods who can mate with mankind and have children with them.

State spirits inhabit everything on the land—copse, herbs, stones and bodies of water. The state spirits (landvaettir in Erstwhile Norse) concord considerable power over the well being of the land and those who alive on it. People took intendance to accolade and placate the landvaettir. In the outset law of Iceland, Vikings were told to remove the dragon heads from their ships when budgeted land and then they wouldn't frighten the land spirits.

Norse mythology is intricate and circuitous and nosotros've presented just the barest bones here. See the resource folio for further information on this fascinating attribute of the Vikings' belief organisation.

Vikings History—Symbols

Viking symbols play a large role in their iconography, simply equally they practise in all societies. Symbols are cultural shorthand, a sign that conveys layers of meaning near the civilisation. The pagan Vikings used symbols to correspond their gods, beliefs and myths.

Cultural symbols can take any form, such every bit sounds, gestures, words, pictures and images. Most of the Vikings symbols we know about were carved on runestones, swords, axes and other items precious to the Norse people. The sagas refer to amulets the people wore, such as Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. In the commodity on Viking art, we learned that the Vikings loved decorating the items around them, their weapons, bowls, tools and combs. They used their symbols in the decorative arts, in weaving, bone carving and in jewelry.

While some Viking symbols remain mysterious in that we don't know exactly what they represent, but others have clear meanings. Many Vikings wore Thor's hammer on thongs effectually their necks. Jewelry, runestones and valuable weapons were oft engraved with the symbols that resonated the almost with the Vikings: The Valknut, the Captain of Awe and Thor's hammer.

The Valknut

In the illustration you can see two Valknut symbols: three interlocking triangles that correspond Hrungnir's heart or the middle of the slain. Hrungnir is a legendary giant, discussed in Snorri Sturluson'southward Eddas. The Valknut probably signifies the afterlife. The nine points of the three triangles symbolize the nine worlds of the Vikings, which will be discussed in the section on Norse mythology. The Valknut is representative of Odin, the father God of the Vikings, and his power of life over death. The Valknut is ofttimes carved on funerary steles and memorial runestones.

The Captain of Awe

The term aegishjalmr means the helm of awe or terror. The symbol was used most often in magic to induce delusion or forgetfulness. A special course of magic called seior was used to create illusions or to prevent people seeing things as they really are. Thus, this symbol was used to hide someone from his or her pursuers. It is mentioned often in the sagas as being used by women who performed this kind of magic. The Captain of Awe might be engraved onto a goatskin, which was then thrown over the caput of the fugitive. Even after the appearance of Christianity, conventionalities in the aegishjalmr persisted.

Thor's Hammer, Mjolnir

Mjolnir ways lightning, and Thor's hammer indicates the god's power over thunder and lightning. Mjolnir, a magic weapon, e'er came dorsum to Thor when he threw it. Wearing Thor'south hammer equally an amulet of protection was quite common every bit this was probably the about popular of all the pagan Viking symbols. Even during Christian times, from A.D. k on, Vikings wore Thor'south Mjolnir also as a cantankerous on a concatenation or thong effectually their necks.

Vikings History — Sagas and Stories

Viking culture was rich in stories, tales and poems. Kings, dauntless heroes, beautiful women, unsafe journeys, battles, fearsome dragons and otherworldly creatures were all subjects of tales told by skalds and everyone else. In the Viking Age, no one wrote them downwards, but everyone knew them, mostly by heart.

Long winters when people were cooped upward inside were fertile soil for these stories of old. For centuries, they were kept alive in the hearts of Scandinavians past storytellers. Notwithstanding, the neat literature of the Viking Age was in danger of being completely lost as time went by, erstwhile folks died and younger people didn't recollect. Finally, with the advent of Christianity in Iceland, Christian churchmen taught the Icelanders to write. Educated men in Iceland saved all of information technology, from the poetry to the family legends and feuds, by writing it down. Most chiefly, at present no one would now forget this rich heritage.

Thanks to men like Snorri Sturluson, an Icelandic writer, a groovy flowering of Viking Age literature was produced in Iceland in the 13th century. Sturluson himself produced many of these works: Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, books about Norse mythology and heroes, the Heimskringla, a book about the kings of Norway, Scandinavian history and most probable, Egil'south saga. Sturluson was a lawspeaker at Iceland's Althing, a poet, historian and politician. Virtually of what we know about the Viking Age comes from these Icelandic collections of poems, tales, sagas and stories.

All of this Norse literature was written in the colloquial, the language of Republic of iceland, which was unusual for medieval times. Latin was used past educated people and was the usual language employed when writing anything from laws to fairy tales. Viking literature in the vernacular is the merely other body of writings in the people'southward language besides the Irish hero tales.

Of Norse poesy, there are two varieties: skaldic poetry and eddaic poetry. Skalds were the Viking'south poets and wrote complex, compelling verse unremarkably honoring a king or patron. Eddaic poetry was anonymous and could be about anything—its subjects were humorus, scathing, bawdy, romantic, heroic or brusquely insulting.

Sagas are stories, somewhat like historical fiction. While many of the characters and event are real, saga writers took poetic license in describing them. The events themselves took place a few hundred years before, which is why they should be considered fiction, non fact. Sagas are prose, occasionally with poetic stanzas in the text. The subjects are tales of men's deeds, battles, journeys, feuds and fights. The subjects could be Christian or pagan, realistic or fantastic, tales of giants or saints or heroes or even regular people.

Vikings History — What Did They Consume?

What did Vikings eat? The Vikings farmed crops, grew gardens and raised animals, every bit is typical of food produced from a feudal economic system. They ate what they produced on their farms or what they could chase, fish or gather. Viking farms were generally small, simply large enough to keep the family or extended family well-fed in good years. Their food was seasonal, so they might have a lot of food available to swallow at some times of the year and very petty to eat at others.

On a typical day at the farm, the family would eat two meals. One, the dagmal, or day meal, was served an hour afterwards rise. The family ate the nattmal or dark meal at the end of the working day. For breakfast, the dagmal, the adults might eat a bit of some leftover stew still in the cauldron from the dark before, with bread and fruit. The children would accept porridge and dried fruit or perhaps buttermilk and bread. The evening meal could be fish or meat, stewed with vegetables. They might besides eat some more dried fruit with beloved as a sweet treat. Love was the merely sweetener the Vikings knew. Vikings drank ale, mead or buttermilk daily.

Feasts would include the same foods—meat, fish, fowl, vegetables, wild greens, bread and fruit, but in a greater variety than usual meal and more of it. Vikings enjoyed drinking ale and mead at feasts. Mead is a stiff, fermented drink fabricated from dear.

Women cooked meats, vegetables and breads over the hearth—an open burn pit in the eye of the hall. A Viking wife either roasted the meat on a spit over the burn or boiled information technology in a soapstone pot or iron cauldron. Vikings loved rich stews, so ofttimes meats, vegetables and wild greens were stewed in the cauldron with h2o. Breads were baked on flat stones or fe griddles over the burn down. Salt and pepper were available to most Vikings while costlier spices were imported and added to the foods of wealthier Vikings.

This of course omits the more than exotic foods that Vikings obtained by trade.

Crops and Gardens

Barley and rye were the grains that grew best in the northern climate, forth with oats. From these grains, Vikings made beer, bread, stews and porridge. Barley was used mostly for beer, with hops to flavor it. Flatbread was the daily bread of the Vikings. A simple dough was made from ground oats or barley, water was added and and then the dough flattened out on a griddle and baked over the fire.

Vikings consumed a variety of vegetables including cabbage, onions, garlic, leeks, turnips, peas and beans. These garden crops were sowed in leap and harvested in tardily summertime and fall. Women and children gathered wild plants and herbs, mostly greens. These wild vegetables included nettles, docks, cresses and lambs-quarters. Vikings besides grew some herbs such as dill, parsley, mustard, horseradish and thyme.

What Did Vikings Eat? Meat, Fowl and Fish

Scandinavians raised cows, horses, oxen, goats, pigs, sheep, chickens and ducks. They ate beef, goat, pork, mutton, lamb, chicken and duck and occasionally horsemeat. The chickens and ducks produced eggs, so the Vikings ate their eggs too every bit eggs gathered from wild seabirds. . Considering most Vikings lived on the coast, they ate all kinds of fish, both ocean-going and freshwater fish. In fact, fish was probably a expert 25 percentage of their nutrition.

Dairy

Almost Viking cows lived long enough to raise a calf and were so slaughtered for meat. Some cows, nevertheless, lived to near x years erstwhile, showing that they were milk cows. While Vikings enjoyed drinking milk, whey and buttermilk, they also used the milk to brand other dairy products including cheese, skyr, a soft, yogurt-similar cheese, curds and butter. Sour whey was used to preserve cooked meats in the winter.

Fruits and Nuts

Viking farms included apple orchards and such fruit trees as pears and cherries. Wild berries were harvested in the summer, including sloe-berries, lingon berries, strawberries, bilberries and cloud-berries. Walnuts were imported, but hazelnuts grew wild and nuts were a favorite treat.

Seasonal

In summer and autumn, Vikings ate well as these were the seasons of plentiful, fresh food. Information technology was of import to preserve and shop foods for winter and spring, when fresh foods were gone. Fish, fowl and meat were dried, salted or smoked. Vegetables and fruits were dried and stored for winter. Grains were footing and the flour made into bread, which was preserved and stored as well. Even though fresh foods were hard to come by in winter and jump, archeological studies reveal that Vikings didn't suffer from vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

Vikings History — Explorations and Settlements: Iceland, Greenland and Vinland

When the Vikings outburst out of their homelands starting in the 8th century, they raided, fought and settled in many parts of Europe and Russian federation, but they also took off on voyages of discovery beyond the Atlantic Ocean. They moved into Scotland and Republic of ireland and almost of the Atlantic Islands—Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides. Vikings shortly settled in the Faroe Islands likewise and later discovered Republic of iceland through a sailing mishap. Over the side by side two centuries, Viking explorers settled in Republic of iceland, Greenland and Vinland, in what is at present Newfoundland.

Iceland

Norwegian Vikings first discovered Iceland. The first was Naddod, who was blown off course sailing from Norway to the Faroe Islands in 861. He called the new island Snowland. Naddod returned to Norway and told people of his discovery. 6 years later, Floki Vilgerdarson was the first Viking to set out for Iceland and detect it. Floki gave the island its nowadays proper noun of Iceland. All the same, it wasn't until 870 that people arrived to settle in Iceland.

When Harald Fairhair strong-armed Norway nether his command, many people fled—some settled in Scotland, Ireland, Orkneys and Faroe Islands and Iceland. A Norwegian chieftain, Ingolfur Arnarson brought his family to Iceland in 874, settling on the southwest peninsula in a place he chosen Reykjavik or Cove of Fume. Many other families from Norway, Scotland and Ireland followed. The Icelandic sagas and Landnamabok or Book of the Settlements, written 200 years after, describes the early settling of Republic of iceland. For the next threescore years, settlers came and picked out arable state to subcontract.

Greenland

Icelanders discovered and settled in Greenland starting in the 980s. Erik the Cherry-red, an adventuresome and belligerent man, was exiled from Republic of iceland for killing a man. During his three year-exile, Erik explored the southwest declension of Greenland. When he returned to Iceland, he bragged of the adept country he had found, calling it Greenland to concenter settlers. Icelanders settled in 2 chief areas, the Eastern Settlement and the Western Settlement.

Farming was difficult, merely settlers were able raise livestock and enough grain to feed them. Greenland was able to export furs, wool, sheep, whale blubber and walrus ivory. Due to the advance of the Little Ice Historic period, withal, the colony declined during the 14th century. Life had go too hard, shipping too hard due t o growing water ice. Past 1408, all the settlers were gone.

Vinland, North America

A trader named Bjarni Herjolfsson was sailing to Greenland. He was blown off course and sighted lands to the west. He successfully completed his journey to Greenland where he described his adventitious find to Leif Ericson, son of Erik the Carmine. Circa A.D. m, Leif and a crew sailed across 1,800 miles across open sea, following Bjarni'south clarification of his voyage. The Greenlanders made a pocket-sized settlement in the land they called Vinland. Due to hostile natives that the Vikings called skraelings, the settlement eventually failed.

In the 1960s, a Norse settlement was plant at Fifty'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland by an archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad and her husband Helge. Whether this is the Viking settlement mentioned in various sagas is nonetheless in dispute, but archeology proves the Vikings discovered North America 500 years earlier Christopher Columbus.

Vikings History — Ships for State of war and Trade

The technological innovation in Scandinavian send building gave the Vikings the tactical superiority they needed to raid and subdue near of Europe and Russia during the Viking Age. Viking longships were fast, strong enough to cross open ocean, light plenty to carry over portages and easy to maneuver with a shallow draft that immune beach landings and river navigation. With these ships and the tactics that grew from their use, Vikings successfully raided, traded, conquered and settled all over Europe and parts of Russia. To the Vikings, their ships were symbols of power, capable of transporting them to state of war, to afar shores and even to the afterlife, as some Vikings were buried in their ships.

The unique design element of Viking ships were the overlapping planks of the hull using the lapstrake or clinker method of shipbuilding. Europeans used the carvel method of boatbuilding, where strakes or planks were fastened onto a skeleton of the send'southward ribs, and the plank edges butted upwardly smooth from seam to seam. In any size or blazon of Viking ship, Norse ship builders laid the keel outset, and so added strakes or planks and fitted internal timbers equally the last footstep. Planks were riveted together with strong fe rivets. The overlapping planks made Viking ships lighter and far more flexible than a aforementioned-sized carvel built ship.

Vikings used different ships for war and merchandise. The war ships were longer, shallower and narrower than the large, broad knarr, the boats built for trade and exploration. They also had smaller boats for conveying cargo, fishing and ferrying. The two main types were the longships for war and the knarr for merchandise and exploration.

Longships

Ships built for raids and war had shallow drafts that allowed for landings without the demand for a harbor. Bigger-keeled European built ships needed deeper waters and a harbor for landing and unloading. The shallow typhoon of Viking vessels also permitted river navigation; Vikings could row or canvass 100 plus miles inland in club to raid or set up an impregnable base on a river island or harborless bounding main island. At that place they were rubber from enemy attacks, even deep within the interior of a country. Longships were also fast, maneuverable and powered by both current of air and oars. They were symmetrical and double-ended, which allowed them to opposite direction without turning around. Viking longships had an average speed of 5 to 10 knots, but could reach a height speed of fifteen knots.

Knarr

Ships built for crossing the Atlantic were deeper, broader and sturdier, with room for people, livestock and tools. Smaller, coastal ships for trading expeditions were built to carry cargos of trade goods and light plenty to carry overland. One such ship of the 11th century was 45 feet long, 11 feet broad and could carry iv.6 tons of goods. Trade and exploration ships relied primarily on wind for power and used oars only to maneuver for landings.

Vikings History—Vikings as Traders

Viking traders went west as far equally Newfoundland in the New Globe, and East as far every bit the Volga River, downwards to Constantinople. When the Vikings left their homelands in the first of the Viking Age in the 790s, they didn't only become to raid and loot. Many of them prepare out to discover or open new trade routes, to constitute a more secure foundation of future income. In general, the men of Sweden went east to Russia while Norwegians and the Danes went to the w to Ireland and Scotland, England and France. All along the way they traded the goods of the north such as fur, amber, iron and walrus tusks for goods they needed from other places. They also traded in slaves.

Western Merchandise

Vikings raided, traded and settled all along Europe's coasts. For 300 years, churches would pray to be spared the "wrath of the Norsemen." The Vikings were equal opportunity traders and raiders. If they establish an unprotected church or monastery, they'd raid. If they came to a well-defended boondocks, they would set upwardly trade. Early in the Viking Age, trade was done past straight barter. Eventually, Viking traders obtained a cracking deal of trade silver and Arabic coins, which then was used to buy goods.

Vikings established domicile bases and merchandise centers in both Dublin, Ireland and York, England. Not only did these towns attract international traders, but many Viking craftsmen settled at that place. Their workshops produced cups, tableware, glass beads, pottery, drinking spectacles, bone and antler combs, leather appurtenances, jewelry, and cloth. Blacksmiths and armor makers produced swords, battle axes, chainmail and armor.

During the Viking Age, Norsemen traded all upwards and down the coasts of Europe, establishing new homes in many locations. They took over and settled Normandy in French republic and southern Italia. They settled on all the Atlantic islands, the Orkneys, Shetland, Hebrides, Scilly and Isle of Man. Eventually, these Vikings intermarried and settled in permanently.

Eastern Merchandise

Vikings had always traded around the Baltic Sea, simply in the eighth century, they began to venture into Russia, looking to establish profitable trade routes. The Norsemen, mostly Swedes with some Danes and Norwegians, found they could go south past river routes. The two main trade routes were via the Dnieper River down to the Blackness Body of water and the Volga River route to the Caspian Body of water. Vikings established trade centers and towns along the way, notably Novgorod and Kiev. Another trade town was Bulgar, where the Volga Bulgars ran the merchandise along with the Rus, every bit these Vikings came to exist chosen.

Vikings took slaves in their raids and after battles. These slaves were always welcomed in the slave markets of Constantinople and Baghdad. During the Viking Age, slave trading was extremely profitable; slaves might be Irish, British, Franks, Slavs or any of the other tribes that came in contact with Vikings.

Vikings fostered shut ties with Constantinople, becoming the Varangian baby-sit to the Byzantine emperor. From Constantinople, Baghdad and maybe even Persia, the Vikings could obtain appurtenances from the Far East. Timber, atomic number 26, furs, amber, soapstone, whetstones and slaves were carried south past Viking traders. On return trips to the north, the cargo contained Arabic silverish, coins, fabrics, spices, silk, fruit, vino and other goods of the due south. By the finish of the Viking Age, Norsemen had created a trading empire, roofing nigh of the known world.

Vikings History — Games and Entertainment

Viking games and entertainment occupied the time of these people between conquest raids and trade journeys, and they were quite complicated. While Vikings worked hard, they besides played difficult. From grave appurtenances and the sagas, nosotros learn that Vikings played lath games avidly, carved wooden dolls and toys for their children, played dice and gambled and played rough sports at their feasts and gatherings.

The board game enjoyed most oftentimes past Vikings was Hnefatafl, which they took with them to Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Republic of ireland and Great United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Unfortunately, we do not know the rules of the game except that information technology was a game of strategic skill. Two players of unequal strength engaged in the game. One player was past far the strongest, with the most pieces. His task was to corner the king, who was defending his castle with a much smaller force. A diversity of Tafl games existed in many areas, but during the Viking Age, hnefatafl was the almost popular. It lasted until the 12th century when chess was introduced into Scandinavia.

Other indoor games including drinking games with man/woman teams. Each team would drink, so boast, tell rhymes and insult the other team. The 2nd team would and so try to out-drink and out-insult the first team. The object was to run across who could drink the most and remain articulate and witty. After meals, adults might bring out the dice and run a risk or they might sing and tell stories.

Outdoor games were greatly popular. Based on Viking warrior skills, at that place were competitions in archery, wrestling, stone throwing and sword play. Horse fighting was as well popular; ii stallions would exist goaded into fighting. Occasionally mares would be tied upwardly around the field, inside the sight and smell of the stallions. The horses would battle until ane was killed or ran away.

Vikings engaged in running, swimming, tug-of-war chosen toga-honk and wrestling. Vikings as well played a ball game with stick and ball. Information technology wasn't uncommon for someone to go hurt or even killed, every bit Vikings played rough. Women did non participate in these games, merely they would assemble to lookout the men.

Children played with wooden toys their parents carved, or they played ball and also engaged in child versions of adult games. Child-sized replicas of weapons such as swords, shield and spears were found buried with other grave goods.

This picture of Vikings at leisure and play helps to circular out the impression of Vikings equally raiders and killers, left to us by their victim monks. In their leisure time, Vikings liked to play equally much equally whatsoever other people of the time.

Vikings History — Art

Viking fine art is emblematic of the surprisingly ornate textile civilisation of the Northerners. Vikings loved elaborate decorations and they decorated many of the things they used: weapons, jewelry, runestones, ship woodwork and even their common, everyday items. They loved abstract and intricate animate being designs and multiple interlacing lines. The animals depicted in their art include serpents, horses, wolves, birds and unreal, fantastic animals. Equally the Viking Age progressed, craftsmen varied the designs and 6 distinct but overlapping art styles adult. Each mode is named for an area where a decorated object was constitute. We'll take a look at each of the art styles.

Oseberg

The Oseberg mode lasted near of the ninth century and appears in some Viking religious iconography. Its main characteristic is the gripping animate being motif and sinuous animal forms. Paws grip borders, the neck of the animate being, other creatures or other parts of its trunk. The gripping beast must have echoed something in the civilization of Viking art every bit it stood fast for a good 150 years.

Borre

The Borre mode was named for a set of bridle mounts from a ship burial at Borre, Norway. The Borre overlaps with the Oseberg and the Jelling styles, periods specific to the Viking Age. While the gripping beast remains, the sinuous creature of the Oseberg manner at present boasts a triangular head, a cat-like face with round eyes and protruding ears. This style appears to exist purely Norse with no exterior influences. It has appeared in Iceland, Russia, England, which shows Viking art existed wherever they went. Borre was prominent from the end of the 9th century to the middle of the 10th.

Jelling

The Jelling style appears from the start of the 10th century and continues for almost 75 years. Stylistic animals are S-shaped and intertwined, with profiled heads, spiral hips and pigtails. Borre and Jelling overlap and occasionally both are used on the same object.

Mammem

The Mammem Viking art way emerged from the Jelling style and was prominent in the last one-half of the 10th century. Almost naturalistic lions and birds are featured too as serpents and foliate patterns. The name comes from a small ax head from a grave site in Mammem, Kingdom of denmark. The ax head was carved, then inlayed with silver. On one side of the axe head is a foliate pattern and on the other is a stylized, ribbon-similar bird with tendrils on wings and tail.

Ringerike

The first one-half of the 11th century featured the Ringerike style in Viking fine art. Lion-shaped beasts still appear as well as found motifs and foliate patterns. As well during this time, runestones became more prominent and were busy in the Ringerike fashion. Ringerike animals are exceedingly curvy and sparse with almond-shaped eyes and thinner, longer tendrils.

Urnes

The Urnes style dates from 1050 to the 12th century and gets its name from a stave church in Urnes, Norway. Carved wooden panels reveal sinuous animals interlacing and looping, with long eyes pointed frontward. Snakes and plants are also featured. The greyhound-like animate being appears to be fighting with a serpent.

Vikings History — Weapons and Armor

In that location are a few things to keep in listen every bit you lot read near Viking weapons and armor. Showtime, costless, developed male Vikings were ever armed; they hung their weapons by their bed at night, inside easy reach. In an accolade-based society such as the Vikings, men stood gear up to defend their honor and good proper noun at whatsoever moment. Feuds and duels were a fact of life in Viking times.

Considering iron was hard to dig out of the ground, weapons could be costly. Only the richest Vikings would ain the complete set of bachelor weaponry: sword, sax (a short sword), axe, spear, bow and arrows, shield, helmet and chainmail. Poorer Vikings would deport an axe or a spear and a shield. Even the poorest Vikings had access to the ax he used at the subcontract.

Women, children and slaves in general did not comport weapons, although free women and children carried the knives they used in farm piece of work. Slaves were prohibited from conveying weapons of any type.

Swords

The near expensive weapon was the sword, as information technology took the most iron to make. Rich men owned swords, the virtually prestigious weapon. Swords were double-edged and nigh 35 inches long. Most were design-welded, which means wrought iron strips and steel were twisted together and so hammered into a blade with a hardened edge. Swords were frequently highly busy and many had names such as Blood-hungry or Leg-biter. Vikings carried their swords in scabbards, worn over the shoulder and ever accessible to the correct hand.

Axes and Spears

More Viking men carried axes or spears. Battle axes had long handles, were light, well balanced and deadly. Battle axes had a diversity of head shapes with a cutting border from 3 to half-dozen inches. Afterward axe heads were much larger, from 9 to eighteen inches long. The long handle allowed the warrior a longer attain in a fight. Axe heads as well as swords were richly busy. The Mammen axe dated to 971 fifty-fifty had gold and silver inlay.

Spears were probably the most common weapon, taking the to the lowest degree amount of iron to make. They could be thrown or used to thrust at the enemy. Spear heads came in a variety of shapes and sizes from long and sparse to spear heads with a fly shape about the shaft. Spear heads were besides made of fe and many were decorated. Bows and arrows were also used in boxing.

Defensive Weapons

All Viking men would carry a round shield for protection. How rich a Viking was adamant his defensive weapons. A rich man might also own chainmail and an iron helmet. Chainmail was difficult to make and no incertitude quite expensive. Helmets were basically an iron bowl that protected the caput, and many had a nose piece to protect the face. Poorer Vikings without admission to chainmail wore thick, padded leather garments which gave some protection from edged weapons.

Viking shields could exist upwards to a meter wide. They were made of wooden boards riveted together with an primal hole for a hand grip. Shields were also highly busy and some were painted with patterns or mythological heroes.

With these simple but constructive weapons, Vikings were able to conquer major portions of England, French republic and Russian federation. Muscles from hard work and ferocity in boxing won Vikings their reputation equally feared warriors.

Vikings History — Police force and Regime: The Affair

During the Viking Age, the Norse had an oral culture and simply rune writing existed. However, the Vikings had both law and regime even without written law. All gratuitous men of the Vikings would assemble in their communities to make law and to decide cases in a meeting called a Matter. Each community had its ain independent Thing.

Rather than have all disputes settled past duel or family feuds, the Affair was instituted to both write Viking police force and to decide cases of disputes within the law. The Thing met at specific, regular times. Each Matter had a law speaker who would recite the law from memory. The law speaker and the local chieftain would approximate and settle the cases of dispute they heard, although all costless men of the customs had a say. Things were virtually probable dominated past a local, powerful family unit or families.

At the everyman level were the local, community Things. The customs Thing was then represented at the adjacent higher level Thing. In Iceland, disputes and laws were finally settled at the national Thing, or the Althing.

Malefactors who were tried at the Thing and institute guilty were either fined, alleged semi-outlaw or fully outlawed. To be an outlaw was a dreadful penalisation for a Viking. That person was put outside of Viking law, banished from society and his property confiscated. They were to receive no assist, no food and no support from anyone. Also the terrible loneliness, these people could exist killed by anyone. They oft fled the country and tried to settle in some other location.

Besides the proto-court of the Matter, disputes could too be settled past arbitration, where both parties would agree on an objective tertiary party to judge between them. A dispute could likewise exist settled by the holmgang, or duel, which was fought either to offset blood or to expiry. If the dispute was taken to the Matter, the loser could be subjected to a fine, which would be paid to the injured party or to fractional outlawry, which would terminal for 3 years or to complete outlawry equally described above.

The Affair had both judiciary and legislative powers, but no power to bear out a judgement. The injured party's family would carry out the sentence. Politics, community decisions and new laws were also functions of the Affair. These meetings generally lasted several days, often with a festive temper. Traders would bring their goods for auction and merchants would set up booths for their wares. Things were held where h2o was easily obtained, there was grazing for animals and fishing or hunting would provide nutrient for all. Mash masters brought barrels of ale and mead. During the Affair, marriages were arranged, alliances were crafted, news and gossip exchanged and friendships established and renewed.

Vikings History — Life on a Viking Farm

Life on a Viking farm during the historic period of the Vikinger  during the eighth to eleventh centuries required lots of hard, abiding work. Virtually Viking farms raised plenty crops and animals to sustain everyone who lived on the subcontract, human and animal. Nearly Vikings were farmers, a common fact of the medieval era, fifty-fifty if they also traded or fished part of the time. Viking farms were unremarkably small, unless the owner was wealthy. While some farms were isolated, many grouped together in small farming villages.

Beneath is a list of the animals, crops and vegetables raised on a Viking farm:

• Cattle
• Sheep
• Goats
• Pigs
• Horses
• Geese, Ducks and Chickens
• Barley
• Rye
• Oats
• Cabbages
• Onions
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Turnips
• Beans
• Peas

Because winters were so severe in the Scandinavian lands, cattle had to be kept indoors during the winter. This meant that farmers had to grow enough hay to keep their cattle alive during that time.

As well hay, farmers grew barley, rye and oats. Women tended vegetable gardens, and some Viking farms had apple orchards likewise. Plowing, sowing the crops and harvest were all washed according to the seasons. Some tasks were year-circular: fencing and repairing fences, mucking out animal stalls, gathering wood or dung for fires, making or repairing tools, milking cows and sheep and feeding chickens and ducks. Everyone worked, from toddlers on upwards. Slaves did the hardest, almost backbreaking piece of work.

When Viking men went away on fishing or raiding expeditions, the women ran the subcontract and did the work. For that reason, women held a certain amount of power in Viking society. Children didn't go to school; boys learned the tasks of the men and girls learned past helping their mothers. Virtually Viking men returned from raiding for the harvest and to wintertime over at their farms.

In summer, cattle and sheep were oft driven to higher ground to pasture there for the season. Pigs were often set gratuitous to roam and forage in the wild until it was time to round them upwards and butcher them for the winter. Horses were kept closer to the farm every bit they were used for subcontract work and transportation. Dairy cows, sheep and goats too stayed closer to the subcontract as they had to be milked daily. Vikings appreciated cheeses, butter, buttermilk and whey and valued them more highly than meat.

Unfortunately, we don't know too much of Viking farming methods. Almost farming tools and implements didn't survive the 1,000 years between and so and now. We practise know a simple turn called an ard was used to cut grooves through the soil in preparation for sowing. Harvesting the grain required fe sickles and sharp knives for cut hay.

We besides know that Viking farms and villages didn't stay in the same place. Both farms and villages would shift one hundred meters every generation to accept reward of fresh soils. It wasn't until the transition to Christianity when Vikings built stone churches that villages remained in the same place.

Vikings History — 8 Interesting Features of the Vikinger

While video games and movies tend to portray Vikings every bit ruthless savages with oversized helmets and hollow brains, their civilisation and motives reach far beyond that. The term Viking means, "pirate raid" in the Onetime Norse language. The people of Scandinavia unremarkably used the discussion as a verb to describe a tradition where men would take off in the summers and go "viking." Contrary to popular belief, the bulk of these expeditions did non consist of raiding villages and raping women. Instead, their purpose was usually to discover new land and trade. They even had a legal organisation.

Catholic propaganda is responsible for nearly of the modern misconception well-nigh Vikings (they were pagans, not Christian) The church building lost several facilities, treasures, and relics to Scandinavian people, so they fabricated information technology their mission for many years to make them wait like wild beasts.

They Didn't Wear Those Horned Helmets

Pretty much every single Viking costume yous have seen in a picture show or video game is a lie. These warriors ordinarily went into battle bareheaded. The whole horned-helm idea came about in Victorian times when Vikings were romanticized. Painters began to depict them as glamorous savages with horned helmets; however, nothing found during the Viking Age shows this paradigm to be in the least bit accurate.

They Buried their Dead in Boats

Vikings loved their boats, and the Scandinavian culture was extremely superstitious. It was considered a great honour for a person to be mummified, dressed in finery, and placed to rest in a send. They believed that these ships would transcend the dead into the afterlife. Distinguished warriors and highborn women were often put to rest in vessels, surrounded by valuable goods and sacrificed slaves.

They Loved to Keep Themselves Clean and Tidy

Several Viking excavations have turned upwards razors, combs, tweezers, and even ear cleaners. Information technology turns out these savage warriors cared quite a lot virtually their personal hygiene. Historians also believe that the typical Viking denizen bathed at least one time a week, far more than any other European group during that fourth dimension.

They Liked to Ski for Fun

Roughly 6000 years agone, the Scandinavian people developed their own version of skis and used them for hunting, traveling, and entertainment. They even had a god of skiing, who was named Ullr. Kings and loftier lords indulged in skiing for entertainment, and sometimes had competitions where the best skiers could win prizes.

Viking Women Had Basic Rights

Vikings girls were usually forced to marry around the age of 12 and tend to a household full of kids while their husbands sailed off into awesome adventures. Withal, when compared to other women during that time, they enjoyed a wide range of freedoms. They had the right to inherit property, file for a divorce, and even reclaim settlements if the marriage failed.

They Used Urine to Get-go Fires

Vikings lived a large office of their lives on the get. Considering they did non have lighters, they would collect a tree mucus chosen touchwood, and boil it for several days in their own urine. Subsequently the mixture was washed, they would pound it into a felt like substance. The sodium nitrate found in the urine would mix with the touchwood and make the mixture hands combustible, and so they could easily offset a fire while on the road.

They Took Part in Man Trafficking

Many Viking businessmen made pocket-sized fortunes past capturing women and young men and so selling them in giant slave markets across the Middle East and Europe. These slaves were ordinarily referred to as thralls, and came from Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Slavic settlements raided by the Vikings.

Viking Men Often Dyed their Hair

During the Viking Era, having blonde hair was really "in" with the cool crowd. Therefore, brunette Vikings, more often than not men, would use a heavily concentrated lather with high levels of lye that would bleach their hair. Historians believe that aside from beingness role of their culture's dazzler ideal, the bleached hair would also help keep lice away.

Cite This Article

"Vikings History: An Overview of the Civilization and History of the Viking Age" History on the Net
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