VIKINGS

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VIKING LONG SHIP -- 
IN THE GREENWICH
 MARITIME MUSEUM

For over 200 years between the 9th and 11th century AD you could hear the chilling cry ' The Vikings are coming.' All along the shores of Christian Europe from the top of Scotland to bottom of Italy. The Vikings installed a reign of terror. They were sailing from Scandinavia in their dragon-prowed.

The mast was slotted into a massive piece of timber which was called a mast fish. The mast could be raised or lowered without being taken out of its socket. The mast was about 10m tall and made of pine which bends in strong wind.

The deck was made of loose planks, with room below for stowing oars and other equipment.

The ship was stirred by a rudder about 3m long. Attached to a block on the hull, it could be hauled upwards in seconds.

The sail was hoisted on a yard (horizontal pole) about a 15.5m long and was made from strips of coarse woollen cloth.

Measuring 23m long and 45cm deep, the keel was made of oak which gave strength and stability to the ship.

Shields were hung from the sides of the ship but on ceremonial occasions. Normally they would be stored in a rack when not in use.

VIKING CUSTOMS

The Vikings came from Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Originally they were known as Norsemen or Northmen. The name Viking came from their own language which was Old Norse. The word meant a robber who travelled by sea or a pirate. They definitely lived up to that name.

It all started about 780 AD. A group of Danish and Norwegians Vikings sailed over to the coast of the British Isle and Western Europe. They raided and plundered all along. Then they went even as far as through the Strait of Gibraltar and raided and plundered all along the coast of North Africa.

They also went down the Rhine, Seine and Loire to raid and plunder the inland cities.  It is known that on Easter Sunday 845 Paris was plundered by the Vikings travelling more than 160km up the river Seine.  When King Charles the Bald paid those 3000kg of silver they withdrew.  After that the idea spread amongst and France and England paid bribes times and again.  It becomes known as Danegeld or Danish money. 

In the east the Swedish Vikings, also called Varangians, sailed into Lake Ladoga, and sailed down south the rivers Volga and Dniepers to the Caspian and Black seas.  They robbed and plundered the Slavic settlements along the river-banks and took the inhabitants to the slave markets of Constantinople. 

The Vikings' success came through their longships.  The longships were fast, light, strong narrow keel and a shallow draught which is the depth of the vessel in the water.  The sail was large and square.

VIKING LONGSHIP

Their longships were the Vikings most valued possession.  They decorated them with gilded trimmings and exquisite carved prows.  The prows were shaped into a dragon's head which was meant to strike terror into the opponents.     

                                        
                                        DRAGEN HEAD FROM OSENBERG LONGSHIPS

VIKING WARRIOR

The Vikings were fearless fighters because of their belief that if they die courageously they go to Valhalla, the great hall of the war of god Odin. When they went into battle, the Vikings were wearing a chain-mail shirt or leather jerkin, a circular wooden shield which some of them were re-enforced with an iron centrepiece. They mostly fought hand-to-hand combat, with a spear, sword or battle-axe. They look utterly wild and their appearances were evidence for their bloodthirstiness.

The most feared Vikings were the berserkers. They were warriors who fought like possessed.  It is assumed that the berserkers' may have chewed fly agaric which is a poisonous toadstool.  It could also been caused by drinking too much ale or wine.

On the other hand, Vikings were not only warriors. They were hunters, fishermen, and farmers. The only time they went raiding was after sowing and harvesting. In winter, when they couldn't raid or farm, they had leisure time and told poems, stories (sagas) of gods and heroes. They held great feast and were singing and dancing.

VIKING AGE LONGHOUSE -- RECONSTRUCTED

An Arab trader came to the Danish port of Hedeby. He wrote later that he never heard such terrible singing. It sounds like a growl which comes from the throat. Like a baying of a dog or even more like a wild beast. He also wrote about the filthy streets and terrible smell of decaying animals hung on poles outside the thatched houses.

In 860 the Vikings started to conquer because they didn't have enough of good farmland. They settled in Orkney, Shetlands Island, and some part of Scotland, England, Isle of Man and Ireland.

In 911, King Charles the Simple gave the Viking chieftain, Rollo the Fat, the area around Rouen. They soon became know as Normans and the province became Normandy.

The Varangians took over a vast area beyond the Baltic. They started the city-states of Novgorod and Kiev. They also laid the foundation of Russia.

The real adventurer was the Norwegian Vikings. They sailed uncharted waters and colonized the unknown territories of Iceland and Greenland.

In 1002 Leif Eriksson led the last expedition. He sailed from Greenland looking for the land which sailors talked about when blown off course and saw far distant land in the west. The land these sailors saw was North America. They landed at Newfoundland which is on the east coast of the continent. When Eriksson saw how fertile the land was he called it Vinland which means the land of the vine.

Between 1009 and 1012 the Viking settlers were driven out by the Indians.

VOYAGE TO VALHALLA

When a Viking chieftain died he was placed into a longship.  This was then either buried or set alight and pushed out to sea.  The belief was that his soul was carried to Valhalla which was the dwelling place for dead heroes.

The custom was that a slave girl was often sacrificed so that she could still serve her master.  The chief's followers were beating their shields and an old woman, called the angel of death, would thrust her dagger into the heart of the girl. 

Furthermore, his beloved horse or dog would also be killed to be with its master on the final journey.  Then there were food, drink, clothes, weapons and jewelleries put for the final voyage.