50 Things You Should Know About Vikings
When you recall about Vikings, you probably don't recall about skiing, skillful hygiene and gender equality. Instead, y'all probably imagine long beards, lots of concrete brutality and barrels of alcohol. In short, all these things played a role in Viking society at one time.
As a culture, Vikings were really much more than complex than nigh people realize. In fact, much of their society paved the way for lodge today. You might be surprised to learn some of the lesser-known truths nigh how Vikings lived. Check out these 30 rare facts nigh the legendary Viking civilisation.
The Days of the Week Come up from Viking Gods
Apart from Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the days of the week are named after Norse gods — the gods of the Vikings. The inspiration behind Tuesday, the Norse god Tyris is a god of war and the heavens (comparable to the Greek god Ares). Wednesday is named afterwards Woden, supreme male parent of the Norse gods (also called Odin in some cultures).
Thursday is based on Thor, the god of thunder, and Friday comes from Freya, the goddess of dearest and dazzler. It's an interesting twist to have most of the English days of the week derive from Viking culture.
Historically, "viking" meant "pirate raid" in Old Norse. When Scandinavians went on their barbarous raids, information technology was referred to every bit "going viking." Throughout history, they went viking ofttimes and enjoyed substantial success. Eventually, Viking became a proper name used to refer to the Scandinavian warriors themselves.
If you had met Vikings in the past, y'all would take chosen them Norsemen, Norse or Danes, only never Vikings. Today, of course, the name is common, and nearly people would probably mistakenly think you were talking near Danish people if you referred to Danes.
Fact or Fiction: Horned Helmets
You probably imagine Vikings as burly men conveying heavy shields, big swords and axes and wearing impressive looking horned helmets. Get prepare to be shocked: There is no evidence to prove Vikings wore the iconic horned helmets you see on TV.
Information technology's believed the false interpretation originated with 19th-century paintings that depicted Vikings based on ancient descriptions from northern Europeans. Ancient Greeks and Romans oft described Vikings in derogatory means, and these inaccurate references likely seeped into fine art created by professional painters. Centuries after, people took these artistic renditions as truth.
Sipping from the Skulls of Their Enemies
Vikings certainly weren't afraid to pillage and kill, simply at that place'due south no historical proof they used the skulls of their victims as cups. The first evidence of a culture that drank from homo basic actually came from a Greek historian, Herodotus, who wrote almost Eurasian nomads who drank from skulls. Vikings can't take credit for that gruesome bit of history.
Vikings did drink from horns (similar the one pictured). With their many cattle, they ever had an aplenty supply of horns to use every bit goblets. This may exist the practice that started the skull-sipping rumor.
A Honey-Based Drink of Option
Vikings didn't drink from skulls, but they did like to drinkable. They didn't have grapes to make wine, but they had honey, and they used it to brand mead, a favorite fermented beverage of the time. It was a sweet, versatile drink that could be customized with spices similar cloves, rosemary, ginger and thyme.
Vikings were crazy for mead — and not just considering information technology got them drunk. It also had a handful of health benefits, like improving digestion, immunization and cleaning the claret — all thank you to the antibiotic components in dear.
No Need to Hold Your Nose
With all the raiding and the drinking, y'all might call up Vikings would have smelled like death. Wrong. They had significantly higher hygiene standards than most other European societies at the time. The artifacts they left backside, including tweezers, combs, razors and fifty-fifty ear cleaners, serve as proof.
In that location is as well evidence that Vikings done once a calendar week and engaged in frequent hot spring sessions. Compared to other aboriginal cultures, that qualifies them equally downright clean freaks! It certainly creates an understanding of what they valued.
Blondes Had More Fun
You may think of Vikings equally big, brawny blondes, and this asset of information has some connectedness to the truth. They did covet blonde hair and find blondes most attractive, probably considering the most common pilus colors were dark-brown, ruby and black, and blondes were rare. If you were born blonde, yous had instant adoration.
If Vikings didn't win the pilus color lottery, they sometimes used harsh soap with lye to lighten their hair, and it worked to a sure caste. Information technology also helped kill head lice, which further contributed to their proficient hygiene.
The Teeth Tell the Tale
Teeth carving, notching and ornament were status symbols in plenty of cultures throughout history. The Vikings apparently engaged in some of these practices, merely archaeologists and anthropologists have had a hard time figuring out just what information technology meant. Skeletons were discovered with teeth notching that displayed a horizontal even filing, usually but seen in societies around the U.Due south. Not bad Lakes.
What did the notching mean for the Vikings? Some theories are that it represented an achievement or served as a style choice. Whatsoever the purpose, it was an interesting archaeological find.
Masters of the Water
On land, the Vikings were powerful, but in the water, they were about invincible. They had ships that were strong and resilient, and they knew how to navigate. Even when faced with thick fog, storms or poor visibility, the Vikings could all the same manage to reach their destinations.
They always used the sun and stars to guide them, merely it's besides believed they used compasses. When these options weren't bachelor, historians believe they used a lord's day-shadow board. Thanks to their prowess on the seas, Vikings were able to travel to faraway lands and merchandise with afar civilizations.
Waging War with Women
Although it wasn't a mutual exercise, evidence exists that female warriors sometimes fought alongside men. One historian called these female warriors "shieldmaidens," and confirmed they dressed as men and trained every bit men in swordplay and battle. This information mostly comes from Viking texts and accounts from surrounding communities.
Some writings also refer to women who accompanied men on raids that were called Valkyries. (The term is besides used for mythical warriors who helped the souls of dead soldiers enter Valhalla.) This sharing of the battlefield indicates Vikings practiced a certain amount of gender-equality — specially when compared to other societies.
Dublin: The Viking Foundation
The Vikings really founded the Irish urban center of Dublin. They had established settlements in Canada and Iceland, and they raided sites on the fashion to these settlements, including locations in Great Britain. Considering of the frequent traveling back and forth, the Vikings decided to set up posts.
In the early ninth century, they invaded Republic of ireland and created a post called Dyflin. It became a hot spot for trading and a stronghold in Republic of ireland, eventually transforming into the city of Dublin throughout the years. The Vikings ruled the urban center for 300 years.
A History of Human Trafficking
The Vikings referred to their slave labor as "thralls," and they were forced to do farm and housework. Thralls were generally captured in Viking raids. As with the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, the Vikings participated in human trafficking to detect workers and every bit a profitable venture.
Thralls were usually women and boys kidnapped from their homes in Northern Europe during raids. The Celtic, Slavic and Anglo-Saxon people were all popular targets for raids, simply any hamlet Viking gangs came beyond was fair game. A lot of Vikings got rich ownership and selling laborers during this time.
Ill Children Were Given the Boot
It's true that Vikings valued physical forcefulness to a higher place all else. A lot of things in their society depended on it, including raids, farming and sailing. Good wellness was necessary for a Viking to survive, and it was something they took seriously.
If children were built-in with defects or became ill, the Vikings would abandon them. Whatever status that meant physical dependence on others was seen as unacceptable. This certainly wasn't a positive aspect about the Viking fashion of life, and it'south a prime example of why they are seen as a cruel and ruthless civilization.
Expanding the Boundaries for Trade
The Viking order depended on trading, and they were pioneers in the field. Many trade routes and connections were established considering of the Vikings and wouldn't have adult without them. They are fifty-fifty believed to be the start Europeans to arrive in Northward America.
Viking burial sites have included items from incredible distances abroad, including Arab coins dated between 750 and 950 AD, silks from China and jewelry from Persia. The diversity of objects acquired by the Vikings reveals how complex their trading system must take been and how highly they valued it.
A Justice System That May Seem Familiar
If you call up of Vikings as brutal, you might exist surprised to acquire they handled justice in a like way to the mod world. Their culture established government and laws, and free men gathered to create laws and make up one's mind cases. These gatherings were called tings, and they included a jury, a accused and a plaintiff.
These groups of men probable came from powerful families, and guilty individuals were either fined or outlawed. If outlawed, their holding were forfeited to the customs, and they were banished forever without assist. In Viking times, banishment often meant expiry.
Women Actually Had Some Rights
Beyond the women allowed on the battleground, what was life like for the women who stayed at abode? Surprisingly, it was better than in near societies at the time. Scandinavian Viking women had the right to ask for a divorce and reclaim dowries in poor marriages, and they could own property in their own proper noun.
If a woman'south husband died, she was expected to accept over his duties to support the family. This allowed her admission to certain parts of gild that women in other cultures would never accept experienced and gave her economical opportunities that were unheard of for women.
They Beat Columbus to the Punch
It's believed that the true "discoverer" of North America was Leif Erikson, a Viking. If you've heard of Erik the Blood-red, Leif Erikson was his son, and he supposedly stopped in Due north America while trying to travel to Greenland. He chosen the place he docked Vineland, which afterwards became the surface area known as Newfoundland.
Legend has it that the country was beautiful and fertile, with grapes growing in abundance. Leif was more than interested in raiding and trading, however, and so he hopped correct back on the boat and headed for dwelling house.
The Soup That Decided a Warrior's Fate
The Vikings had an interesting method for treating wounded warriors. Sometimes the women caring for them didn't know if they would survive. In these cases, they had a trick for determining if a wound was fatal.
The women cooked a soup of onions, leeks and other pungent herbs and fed it to injured warriors. Once the warriors ate the soup, the women checked the wounds to come across if they could smell the soup through the wounds. No smell meant the warrior would survive. If the scent of onions and herbs seeped out of the wound, nonetheless, it meant the warrior wouldn't make information technology.
Going Berserk on Purpose
It's no clandestine that the Vikings weren't afraid of a petty bloodshed, but some were deliberately more barbarous than others. These men were called berserkers, and they were meant to be feared. They seemed to feel no pain and would even bite on their shields. Their status every bit berserkers meant they wore bearskins and were blessed by the god of war and the heavens.
Their battle frenzy was believed to ignite supernatural powers and help them in battle. Historians today accept theorized that the men snacked on hallucinogenic mushrooms to work themselves into a hypnotic, murderous state.
Punch Back the Vitrify
Movies and television promote the idea that Vikings were all broad-shouldered, thick-muscled, burly men who were larger than life. That fantasy isn't based on truth. Certain, the all-time raiders were probably very strong, just the majority of the Norse were a mere v-feet 7 inches to 5 anxiety ix inches in height and built of lean muscle.
Not all Vikings engaged in raiding. Instead, virtually of them were humble farmers who spent their time in the fields. That means yous need to retrieve of the average Viking equally average size instead of equally a hulky warrior.
Not Every Warrior Was Assail Fire
The pop concept of a Viking burial consists of strapping the body to a gunkhole, launching it out onto the water and shooting a flaming arrow to set it on fire. The Vikings didn't actually practice this class of burial, at least not to a pregnant caste. Instead, they cached their dead with ships — if they had a high enough social ranking.
Of class, not but anyone got that privilege. Not surprisingly for a seafaring culture, they placed a high value on their ships. They also believed the ships helped the dead reach the afterlife.
Marriage or Negotiation?
In the fourth dimension of the Vikings, marriage was more of a negotiation than an act of love. It was seen every bit a contract between two people that connected them for life, and Viking women didn't want to get stuck with someone who wouldn't do well economically.
If two families agreed on a matrimony between their children, the human delivered a bride price for the woman (who was ordinarily between 12 and xv years of age). The father of the helpmate paid the groom a dowry, and families would oftentimes negotiate — like a prenup! — what would happen should the couple divorce.
Mixing Things Up
Given all the traveling, raiding and trading the Vikings did, it's not surprising that the men often mingled with the local people they encountered. Viking men got around and may take fifty-fifty taken women from faraway lands home with them. National Geographic indicates DNA findings imply a Native American woman hitched a ride to Europe with Vikings. And this was all 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
It's hard to know how many foreign women traveled to Europe with Vikings, merely historians practice know that Vikings intermarried with Celtic women in Ireland. Afterwards all, the ocean must get lonely at times.
They Weren't a United Nation
The Vikings didn't always present a united front every bit a people. Yes, there were tight-knit communities and circles of Vikings who were unified, but it was a patchwork of societies for the most part. Scandinavia was large, and there was never ane country or 1 central ruler.
Instead, Vikings belonged to different tribes that were led by their own chief. Sometimes tribes encountered i another, and it often resulted in conflict and fighting. They were a pillaging gild, so they didn't generally have well to outsiders. If they weren't raiding overseas, they were getting into scuffles with their neighbors.
Farming as a Way of Life
Even though many Vikings lived for the thrill of pillaging, many more lived calmer lives on farms. They were more preoccupied with planting wheat, oats and barley than searching for new villages to plunder. Based solely on the numbers, the Norse were actually people of the land.
Norse farmers grew crops of cabbages, beans and onions and kept animals similar chickens, pigs, geese, goats and sheep. This style of life wasn't as prone to drama and excitement as the seafaring life, which is probably why it doesn't get much attention in the movies.
They Played with Fire in Artistic Ways
If you lot have always tried to start your ain fire, y'all know it's non easy, even with mod inventions like a lighter or a firestarter to get y'all going. The Vikings didn't have cheats and had to get creative when it came to igniting a spark. Their instrument of choice was a type of mushroom (touchwood) that they let boil for a few days in urine.
Yes, the Vikings used urine to improve their flames. The dried, urine-soaked mushrooms could be used to prolong the life of a fire, equally the flames smoldered instead of burned.
Skiing as a Favorite Pastime
When the Vikings wanted to do something fun, they took to the hills for some skiing. It's hard to Imagine a Viking on skis, merely it was a common occurrence and didn't look strange to the locals. They also used skis to get around in the snow. Trivia: The Viking god of skiing is named Ullr.
The Vikings still weren't the showtime people to enjoy skiing. That credit goes to Russians, who are known to have used objects resembling skis as far back every bit half-dozen,000 BC. Side by side fourth dimension you're on the slopes, retrieve about a Viking sharing your hobby.
Sharing Rodents with the Rest of the Globe
Vikings aren't solely responsible for spreading business firm mice around the world, just they certainly played a cardinal part. Deoxyribonucleic acid research reported past National Geographic constitute a sequence that but belongs to mice that originated in Norway, the chief region of the Vikings. Scientists connected the dots and determined Vikings helped deliver the critters to faraway lands on their ships.
Evidence also suggests mice weren't the merely animals on board. Cats were popular ship companions, which could explain how Norwegian cats spread to other areas. They were also important figures in the home, every bit they kept those pesky mice under control.
The Valkyries Determined Their Fate
Female warriors on the battlefield were sometimes called Valkyries, simply the word also relates to an entire mythology. Norse mythology says that Valkyries were Odin'southward soldiers, and they are often depicted wearing chainmail and shields and covered in swan feathers.
These women were the ones who cared for fallen warriors on the battlefield and decided their fates afterward death. Would the man arrive to Valhalla, or would he be sent to Freya's (the goddess of dearest and war) Folkvang field? Only the Valkyries were allowed to determine, and only the fiercest and bravest men made it to Valhalla.
They Navigated Using Rocks
The way Vikings managed to navigate then well — even in depression visibility — has e'er been somewhat of a mystery to historians. The Viking sunday stone was first mentioned in The Saga of Male monarch Olaf, only no ane knew what information technology meant. In 1967, Danish archaeologist Thorhild Ramskou hypothesized that the sun stones could be naturally occurring crystals in Scandinavia.
The hypothesis was tested in 2011 by using the Iceland spar crystal in navigation. Researchers discovered that when the crystal was held in the heaven and rotated, the way it "polarized and depolarized the calorie-free" formed a pattern that could indicate the location of the dominicus.
50 Things You Should Know About Vikings
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