Summary
Introduction to the Viking Era
A Viking historian introduces the term “Viking,” which literally means raider or pirate, derived from Old Norse words. The Viking era roughly spanned from the late 8th century to the late 11th century, starting with known raids such as the 793 AD attack on the Lindesvan monastery in England.
Origins and Settlements
The Viking age originated in Scandinavia, specifically Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, dating back to the 8th century with international trading sites in Denmark as early as 700. The Vikings settled in various regions, including the British Isles, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and parts of Russia and Ukraine, creating a broad Norse diaspora. While Viking raiders were mostly male, women played crucial roles in the Viking age, such as producing textiles for clothing and ship sails, and were essential to the continuation of the era.
Viking Culture and Lifestyle
Vikings did not wear horned helmets, instead, they wore colorful clothing with shades of ochre, red, yellow, blue, and green. Their hairstyles were distinctive, often short and shaved at the back with long hair at the front. Some male Vikings also filed their teeth with horizontal lines or half moons, although this was not a common practice among all Vikings. Over 130 bodies with filed teeth have been found, mainly associated with the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea, but also in Denmark and England.
Viking diets varied by location, with seals and reindeer eaten in North Greenland, pigs in some areas, and fish in others, depending on the region and availability of food sources. Their drinks included beer, mead, milk, and wine. Viking houses also differed, with prosperous chieftains having larger farmhouses and those in colder climates, like North Greenland, having smaller, thicker-walled homes for insulation.
Social Structure and Slavery
Around 1000 AD, 20-30% of Scandinavia’s population was enslaved, including those born into slavery, in debt, or taken on raids. The Vikings had a complex social structure, with slaves playing a significant role in their society. Contrary to popular belief, Vikings were not dirty and valued cleanliness, with Saturday being known as “bath day” or “washing day,” and they utilized natural hot springs.
Viking Ships and Navigation
Viking long ships were cutting-edge technology, featuring clinker-built planks that made them flexible and able to cross waves effectively. Viking ships were stable, flat-bottomed, and able to navigate shallow bays, making them suitable for trading and raiding. They featured beautiful, striped sails that required significant labor to create, with women playing a crucial role in their production. Viking navigation relied on a combination of oral information passed down through generations, as recorded in Old Norse sagas, which included detailed descriptions of expeditions and landscapes.
Ancient navigators used various methods to guide themselves, including observing the stars, sun, clouds, and signs of land such as migrating birds, whales, and smells. They may have also used a “sunstone” to determine direction, although this is not supported by archaeological evidence.
Viking Warriors and Battles
The term “Viking” refers to raiders, but not all people during the Viking age were raiders. The term “Viking” was occasionally used as a given name, and being called a Viking didn’t necessarily mean someone had participated in raids. Viking warriors would often praise their opponent’s weapon as a final act of coolness before dying. The Vikings used various weapons, including swords, axes, spears, bows, and knives, as described in saga stories based on oral traditions from the 13th century.
Viking berserkers are legendary figures known for their battle fury, but by later centuries, they were banned and viewed as outdated. The Viking sagas are a mix of real and fictional stories, passed down orally before being written, making it difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, with a blend of historical characters and supernatural elements like dragons and zombies.
The Viking concept of religion, known as Old Norse, was a way of life that encompassed customs, rituals, and behaviors, with a cosmology and mythology featuring gods like Odin, Thor, and Loki. The Norse world had a complex cosmology with familiar elements like Thor’s hammer, and lesser-known aspects such as land spirits and various gods worshipped for specific reasons. Around the year 1000, the official conversion to Christianity began, but it didn’t immediately end the Viking age, and many people blended their old beliefs with the new Christian faith.
The Vikings’ invasion of England began with minor raids, including a notable one at Portland and the major raid on Lindisfarne in 793 AD. However, it wasn’t until 865 AD, with the arrival of the Great Heathen Army, that a full-scale invasion occurred, leading to the fall of several Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The invasion ultimately resulted in a peace treaty in the late 870s, allowing the Vikings to control parts of eastern and northern England, known as the Danelaw.
The Viking age legacy remains in the British Isles, with Scandinavian DNA still present and around 700 Old Norse words surviving in modern English, including everyday words like “die”, “window”, and “cake”, as well as grammatical words like “they” and “their”. The Vikings also left their mark on history, with the Vinland sagas recounting their discovery of America around the year 1000.
Viking expeditions reached the edge of the North American continent, with a sailor named Biatney drifting off course but not landing. Leif, son of Eric the Red, led the first intentional expeditions, building overwintering camps and exploring the coastline, discovering areas they called Helluland, Markland, and Vinland, with enslaved people, including a German named Tir and Scottish slaves Haki and Heca, playing a key role in the exploration and discovery of the new land’s resources.
The TV series Vikings takes creative liberties with historical events, combining elements from several centuries and incorporating legendary material. However, the show’s depiction of Norse culture, clothing, weapons, and lifestyle is highly accurate, thanks to the involvement of experts and thorough research, including the creation of music inspired by archaeological findings and old Norse texts.
The Viking age didn’t end abruptly, but rather transformed over time through cultural, political, and social changes, including invasion, settlement, exploration, and the adoption of Christianity, eventually becoming something else. The Viking settlement in Greenland, established around 985, lasted until the 1400s, with records of a witch burning in 1407 and a wedding in 1408, after which the fate of the remaining inhabitants remains unknown.
Key Vocabulary
| Term | Definition | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Viking | A term referring to raiders or pirates, derived from Old Norse words. | The Viking era was marked by numerous raids and invasions across Europe. |
| Old Norse | The language and culture of the Viking people, including their customs, rituals, and mythology. | The Old Norse sagas provide valuable insights into the Viking way of life. |
| Scandinavia | A region in Northern Europe that includes present-day Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. | The Viking age originated in Scandinavia, where the Vikings developed their distinct culture and lifestyle. |
| Norse Diaspora | The spread of Viking people and culture to various regions, including the British Isles, Ireland, and Iceland. | The Norse diaspora had a significant impact on the cultural and linguistic development of these regions. |
| Berserker | A legendary Viking warrior known for their battle fury and strength. | The Viking sagas often feature berserkers as heroic figures, but their historical accuracy is disputed. |
| Clinker-built | A method of shipbuilding where overlapping planks are used to create a flexible and sturdy hull. | The Vikings’ clinker-built long ships were renowned for their speed and maneuverability. |
| Runestone | A stone slab inscribed with runes, often used to commemorate events or individuals in Viking culture. | Many runestones have been discovered in Scandinavia, providing valuable insights into Viking history and culture. |
| Thor’s Hammer | A symbol of the Norse god Thor, often depicted as a hammer or axe. | Thor’s hammer is a prominent feature of Norse mythology and has been found in various Viking artifacts. |
| Danelaw | A region in eastern and northern England that was under Viking control from the 9th to the 11th centuries. | The Danelaw had a significant impact on the cultural and linguistic development of England, with many Old Norse words still present in modern English. |
| Vinland | A region in North America that was discovered and explored by the Vikings around the year 1000. | The Viking sagas provide valuable insights into the discovery and exploration of Vinland, which is now believed to be located in present-day Canada. |
Watch The Video
Vocabulary Quiz
1. What does the term “Viking” literally mean?
A) Warrior or soldier
B) Explorer or navigator
C) Raider or pirate
D) Leader or chieftain
2. What percentage of Scandinavia’s population was enslaved around 1000 AD?
A) 10-20%
B) 40-50%
C) 20-30%
D) 50-60%
3. What was the name of the day when Vikings valued cleanliness and utilized natural hot springs?
A) Friday
B) Saturday
C) Sunday
D) Monday
4. What was the name of the material that ancient Viking navigators may have used to determine direction?
A) Moonstone
B) Sunstone
C) Starstone
D) Skystone
5. What was the name of the area in England controlled by the Vikings after the peace treaty in the late 870s?
A) The Danelaw
B) The Viking Territory
C) The Norse Land
D) The Scandinavian Region
Answer Key:
1. C
2. C
3. B
4. B
5. A
Grammar Focus
Grammar Focus: The Use of the Past Perfect Tense
Grammar Quiz:
Choose the correct answer for each question:
1. By the time the Vikings arrived in England, the Anglo-Saxons ____________________ their kingdoms for centuries.
A) had established
B) establish
C) were establishing
D) establish
2. The Viking age ____________________ by the time the Vikings started exploring other continents.
A) had not begun
B) begins
C) had begun
D) begin
3. The Vikings ____________________ their ships with beautiful, striped sails before they set sail for other lands.
A) had equipped
B) equip
C) were equipping
D) equipping
4. By the time Leif, son of Eric the Red, led the first intentional expeditions, the Vikings ____________________ the coastline of Helluland.
A) had explored
B) explore
C) were exploring
D) explores
5. The Viking settlement in Greenland ____________________ until the 1400s, with records of a witch burning in 1407 and a wedding in 1408.
A) had lasted
B) lasts
C) last
D) lasting
Answer Key:
1. A) had established
2. C) had begun
3. A) had equipped
4. A) had explored
5. A) had lasted