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Medieval History. The Vikings. Where did the Vikings come from?. Viking Explorers.
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Medieval History The Vikings
Viking Explorers Toward the end of the 8th century CE, Viking seafarers from what we now call Norway (A), Denmark (B), and Sweden (C) embarked on a series of daring voyages for trade, colonization, and sometimes even plunder. Over the next 250 years, they planted settlements in Europe — from the British Isles (D) and France (E) to Italy (F) and Russia (G). Vikings from Norway, in particular, became the first Europeans, ever, to establish a passage across the Atlantic to North America. They did it in stages, setting up bases, as they went, in the Shetland Islands (H), Faroe Islands (I), Iceland (J), Greenland (K), and — for just a few years — in the place they called Vinland (L).
How do we know about the Vikings? Examining the Sources. • In the year 793, the pagans [Viking] from the North came with a force of ships to Britain like stinging hornets and spread out on all sides like terrible wolves, robbed, tore and slaughtered, not only beasts of burden, sheep, oxen, but even monks and nuns. And they came to the Church of Lindisfarne and laid everything to waste. They plundered, they trampled upon holy places with filthy feet, they dug up the altars and seized all the treasures of the holy Church. They killed some of the monks, and took others away with them in chains; they drove many out, naked and loaded with insults, and some they drowned in the sea. Symeon of Durham, twelfth century AD
Examining the Sources • The lady of the house spread an embroidered cloth of white linen on the table and placed loaves of white wheaten bread on it. Then, she set out many dishes of fine ham and roasted fowls as well as silver jugs containing wine. They ate, drank and talked until the day was done. Egil’s Saga This Viking carving comes from a cart found onboard the longship Oseberg. It displays the detail and intricacies of Viking wood carving. (Photo Credit: Werner Forman/CORBIS )
Examining the Sources • In this temple, richly decorated with gold, the people worship the statues of three gods… Thor has a throne in the middle. Woden and Frey have places on either side. Priests offer sacrifices to the gods for the people… It is also custom to have, every nine years, a general feast of all the provinces of Sweden. On this occasion, this is the sacrifice: they offer nine heads from every living thing that is male… they hand the bodies in the sacred grove next to the temple… Even dogs and horses hang there with men. Adam of Bremen, c 1075
Viking Bracteate This thin, disk-shaped pendant is known as a bracteate. Common in early Scandanavian civilizations, bracteates were produced by pressing thin sheets of gold over carvings. (Photo Credit: Werner Forman/CORBIS )
Examining the Sources • A nation dwelling far from our country, barbarous, unwatched, unchallenged, has suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, like a wave of the sea, poured over our frontiers and like a wild boar has gobbled up our people as if they were grass or straw or a crop. Babies were torn away from breast and milk and life itself, their mothers were slaughtered, and animals, oxen, horses and fowl. There lay an ox and a man by its side; a child and a horse found a common grave; women and fowl stained each other with blood. Everywhere dead bodies. Photius, ninth century bishop of Constantinople
Viking travels and settlements Routes taken by the Vikings See also: Wikispace: Trade routes
Oseberg Longship A royal ceremonial Viking longship, the well-preserved Oseberg was built some time during or before the 9th century. It is kept on display in Oslo, Norway. (Photo Credit: Christophe Boisvieux/Corbis )
Examining the Sources • [The Vikings] were a strange mixture, both savage and yet civilised. Very skilful as soldiers, sailors and farmers, they were also very vain. They bathed frequently, changed their clothes often, combed out their long golden hair and delighted in wearing silks, soft furs, fine linen and jewellery of silver and gold. Yet in battle they were wild to the point of madness, burning and killing for pleasure even defenceless women and children. In particular, they delighted in robbing and destroying churches and monasteries. John Bareham, Changing World History, 1976
Examining the sources • They have no villages, estates or fields. Their only occupation is trading in sable and squirrel and other kinds of skins, which they sell to those who will buy from them. They take coins as payment and fasten them into their belts. They are clean in their clothing, and the men adorn themselves with gold arm-rings… • They have many towns . They are generous with their possessions, treat guests honourably and act handsomely towards strangers who take refuge with them, and all those who accept their hospitality. IbnRustah, early tenth century AD
Religion and Rituals of the VikingsGods: The Vikings believed in many gods. They thought these gods helped their crops to grow and helped them in battle. There were two families of gods:
Festivals • The Vikings made sacrifices to the gods, especially during the three main festivals: At these festivals people ate horsemeat and drank bowls of wine. Sometimes animals given to the gods were not killed, but were dedicated to the god and the owner could still use the animal.
