| Childhood Life as a viking child was tough. They were expected to work from a young age. Their tasks included cooking, tending the fire, caring for animals, working in the field, gathering firewood, and picking berries and other fruits in the woods. Even with this long list of chores viking children still found time to play with their toy ships, swords, dolls, and animal figurines. Childhood toys reflect the value placed on certain aspects of society. For example a spinning top taught children the movements involved in spinning thread, and a wooden sword could be used for early training. Clothing There is only fragmented knowledge of viking attire. Very few accounts and images were made of their garments, and archaeological evidence is limited. Thus leaving a lot of room for interpretation. Men typically wore tunics with long skirts, and trousers. Women wore a long shift with a suspended overdress. Both men and women wore long cloaks or jackets to keep warm. Female Roles Women did not participate in trading or raiding parties (although they clearly participated in journeys of exploration and settlement to places such as Iceland and Vínland). Women's responsibilities were clearly defined to be domestic. On one hand, a woman was, by law, under the authority of her husband or father. She had only limited freedom to dispose of property belonging to her. She was prohibited from participating in most political or governmental activities. |
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Jewelry Viking jewelry, dating as far back as 1,300 year was discovered on a farm in Denmark. "The "most spectacular" example is 2.9 inches (73 millimeters) long and shows an image of a heart-shaped animal head with rounded ears and circular eyes, writes archaeologist Ole Thirup Kastholm, of the Roskilde Museum, in a paper published in the most recent edition of the Danish Journal of Archaeology. The piece, made of copper alloy, may be part of a necklace. "The neck is covered by a beadlike chain," Kastholm writes. "Above the creatures forelegs, there are marked elbow joints and three-fingered paws or feet, which awkwardly grasp backwards to what might be hind legs or wings." The object probably had three similar images originally, but only one survives. In addition to the animal image, the item, possibly a pendant, also shows three masked figures, each with a "drooping moustache." A "circular mark is seen between the eyebrows and above this, two ears or horns emerge, giving the humanlike mask an animal character," Kastholm writes." Craftsmanship "The Viking age produced rich, diversified art forms and crafts. A good blacksmith and a good poet would be equally acknowledged in Viking society. Crafts were most often produced by local craftsmen, but specialized masters also traveled to markets all over Northern Europe. A craftsman was often buried with his tools; they were important symbols of his status in death as well as in life. Viking craft was widely recognized as fine art all over the known world in the Viking age. The Viking craftsmen, carvers, painters and poets were responsible for most of our current knowledge about the Vikings." Sagas and Poems Most Norse sagas were complied during medieval Iceland. Sagas are usually narratives, in either pros or poem form. They told the stories of voyages and the battles these voyages. The migration of people to Iceland and the feuds among various families were also common subjects. These sagas spread the stories of courageous men, and offer an insight into the values of their culture. Despite being embellished, these sagas are still valuable historical documents because they are examples of what people found entertaining, what they valued, and what they believed/ For interesting podcasts: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/english/viking_sagas Interesting Elements of Viking Art
Upon observing viking art, the common themes of abstract animal forms and geometric patterns and designs. Animals such as snakes, dragons, and other beasts were depicted in such contorting positions that they were barely recognizable. These designs were devoid of plant ornament, and were often applied to common objects. Weapons Owning weapons was a fundamental right of being a free man in Viking culture. Virtually every man owned and was familiar with the use of several weapons. Although vikings are initially viewed as a primarily raid-based culture, most vikings are in fact farmers and traders. Their culture was primarily agricultural, yet the use of weapons was a fairly common occurrence. There are two main categories of weapons, defensive and offensive. Defensive weapons consist of shields, helmets, body mail, and various other armor. Offensive viking weapons consist of swords, saxes, spears, axes, and bows and arrows. Strategy Vikings had very basic levels of discipline and tactics. Weapons training would begin at a young age, inspiring the warriors to seek wealth and fame. Their loyalty to each other formed the cohesion that was not present because of their lack of regular formations. They would create a shield wall by lining up so that their shields overlapped slightly. To initiate battle a spear was thrown over into the enemy ranks, dedicating them to Odin. For breakfast vikings would often eat leftovers from the previous day, or bread and buttermilk. For lunch vikings would often eat cottage cheese, and if they were lucky some fruit. Common fruits included wild plumbs and crab apples. They might drink water, buttermilk from breakfast, or mild ale. Special measures had to be taken to prevent food from rotting. Meat was often smoked or rubbed with salt, fruit was dried, and dairy was made into cheese. Viking food played a large role a typical day. Gathering, preparing,and preserving food was a very important time-consuming task, causing great emphasis to be placed on meals. Vikings and Christianity
At the beginning of the Viking Age, almost the entire Scandinavian population was pagan. With their polytheistic view of religion it was not a problem for them to adopt the Christian god along with their existing gods. This serves as evidence that Viking raids on Christian churches and monasteries had nothing to do with religion, but were in fact motivated by their unprotected wealth. Norse Gods Odin was the chief god, and fathered many of the other gods and many mortals. He often disguised himself as a human, seducing women. Thor was the god of thunder, sky, fertility, and the law. He had a simple way of righting wrongs: he more or less killed everything that moved. The other gods -mostly Loki- occasionally took advantage of Thor's simplicity. Loki is often called the 'wizard of lies' for his cunning and conniving nature. Frey was a fertility god. Hel was the goddess who ruled over Niflheim, the land of the dead. Hel and her ghostly army were going to support the other gods at Ragnarok, after which her domain would go out in flames. In-depth Look at Odin Despite being the chief of the Norse gods, he often ventures far beyond Asgard (his kingdom) for long, solitary journeys. He seeks and dispense wisdom; even sacrificing an eye for great wisdom. In his quest for the secrets of existence Odin sacrificed himself to himself by hanging on the world-tree for nine days and nights. Odin is often referred to as the 'Allfather' because he is considered the father of all of the gods. In addition he is listed as the divine ancestor of many families across northern Europe. An old Norse poem identifies him as 'the breath of life'. Myths and Heroes The majority of Norse mythological heroes come from the Völsunga Saga. The beliefs of Scandinavian and northern Germanic people were never encompassed under a single name, it was simply referred to as 'tradition' by people who practiced it. Christians often referred to these people as 'heathens'. |