Same Styles As The Viking Ships example essay topic
As they rode the waves of the Atlantic Ocean to many different lands, the warriors struck terror into the hearts of people throughout the many countries they raided. Just the sight of the long, carved beasts at the bows of their ships slinking toward the shores through the mist was enough weaken even the strongest soul. However, while being vicious, inhumane barbarians, a different lifestyle prevailed in their homelands as they faced the same daily struggles as any other society. They were farmers, traders, explorers, and accomplished shipbuilders. There followed laws and customs for which there were punishments if those laws were not followed. They prayed to their Gods and loved their families.
In the end, the Vikings traveled over most of the world and left a lasting impression that still excites our imaginations to this day. Social Structure and Aspects of Everyday Life of the Vikings By Wendy Lati more Vikings were a fierce and barbaric society... or were they? Most Vikings were farmers and traders. They hunted and fished and grew the foods they needed to sustain their families. According to Ingmar Jansson, a professor of archaeology at Stockholm University in Sweden, 'The Norsemen were not just warriors, they were farmers, artists, shipbuilders, and innovators.
More than anything, they were excellent traders who connected peoples from Baghdad to Scandinavia to the mainland of North America. ' (web 040217 vikings. html) The definition of the word 'Viking' is highly disputed. The definitions range from "pirate", describing the actions of the raiders from Scandinavia; some say it is a reference to the people from Vixen (Oslo Fjord); still others use the word to describe the entire ethnic group originating in the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden. (web 040217 vikings. html) The word "Viking" is actually derived from "the Old Norse word viking ar" and "is exclusively applied to men, usually those who sailed from Scandinavia in groups to engage in the activities of raiding and trading in Britain, Europe and the East". (web 01.'s html) Even though the definition suggests that women could not be Vikings, evidence suggests that women maintained an honored and important role in their society, remaining behind while the men went trading, Viking, or hunting to keep the children and homesteads safe. The women had to ensure that their food would last through the long, cold winters of their homelands. They were expected to have a thorough knowledge of herbs for medicinal purposes and were responsible for the success of the farm while the men were away. (web) Fortunately for the women, who married between the ages of 12 and 15 years, "the Vikings lived in large groups" and extended families were common. (web) Many generations of several families, sometimes up to 20 people, lived in one lodge and the oldest son was expected to be responsible for the well-being of all who entered his lodge, whether family or slave.
His young wife held responsibilities that today's society would never dream of placing on a 15 year old child. Marriage was more of a business proposition than a matter of love and courtship was "frowned upon by the woman's family as unseemly". (web living / text /Demographics. htm) However, emotions did have at least some effect on the arrangement because "While... poems of praise were prohibited by law (Gr " ag'as K 238), there are plenty of examples of them, so the law must have been routinely ignored". (web living / text /Demographics. htm) Marriages were arranged to form alliances to ensure greater protection and distribution of wealth to the next generation. The betrothal was the initial contract bound only by a handshake and the woman was not required to agree with her guardian's choice of husband. The dowry, known as a bride-price or. ".. consisted of three payments: from the groom would come the mund r and morgen gifu, while the bride's family provided the herman". (web) The couple was betrothed for one to two years before the marriage and, barring climactic difficulties, weddings were held on Friday, or "Frigg as Day", in honor of the Goddess Freya, Goddess of Fertility. Of the many customs involved in a Norse wedding, most interesting are that they exchanged swords. "The ancestral sword signified the traditions of the family and the continuation of the bloodline, while the sword given to the groom by the bride symbolized the transfer of the father's power of guardianship and protection over the bride to her new husband". (web) A Norse marriage was binding until "at least six witnesses saw the couple openly go to bed together (Gr " ag'as St 58)". (web living / text /Demographics. htm.) The day after the marriage, the husband presented his wife with the keys to his lodge and, while he was responsible for the people, she effectively owned everything inside.
Divorce was not unheard of in Norse society. Either the husband or the wife could obtain a divorce, however there were strict rules as to reasons for divorce and property rights were generally in favor of the wife and children. The Norsemen had an advanced democratic legal system in which all men were able to speak freely and women were given substantial rights with regard to property and business ownership. Slaves, however, had no rights and were treated like livestock. The use of slaves contributed greatly to the wealth of the upper social classes which existed even then. (web 040217 vikings 2. html) In addition to being ahead of their time in many legal and personal aspects, the Vikings were also leaders in industry and commerce. They "were master craftsman, shrewd businessman, and fearless explorers.
Their activities stimulated political changes in Europe and Russia; created lasting new societies in Iceland and Greenland; and led to the discovery of North America 500 years before Columbus". (web) Although only the men were considered the warriors of the Norse society, there are historical accounts of women who fought with or led armies during the Viking Age. One of these female warriors was "Frey dis Eiriksdottir who took part in an expedition to Vinland, defended herself from Skraelings using a sword while heavily pregnant, and personally murdered several 'inconvenient' people later in the expedition, is described in Erik the Red's Saga" (web) Some Viking writings discussed Saxon laws that held that women should not fight in battle leading some to believe that there must have been women fighting or there would not have been a need for the law. Archeological evidence has also been unearthed that has shown the extended role of Viking women as warriors. In one excavation, "a Viking Age grave containing a single skeleton with oval brooches (characteristic of a woman's grave) and a 'sword like item' was discovered in Sant on Downham, Norfolk, England". (web) Still another uncovered "a skeleton buried with a needle case (characteristic of a woman's grave) and a spear". (web) Stories and findings such as these provide proof that Viking women could hold their own in battle. This would undoubtedly hold true as the Vikings began their migrations to new lands.
Many Norse women remained behind to care for the families and farms, however "there is evidence that Scandinavian women reached most parts of the Viking world, from Russia in the east to Newfoundland in the west". (web 01.'s html) Vikings and their women were talented in the various aspects of commerce that was necessary to expand their civilization. Just as with immigrants from later times, whole families, including livestock, made the treacherous journeys to new lands seeking more fertile and less densely populated areas to settle. The colonists would have had to rely on the society's diverse abilities in commerce, hunting, fishing, farming and various other forms of business in order to establish new homes. The only written descriptions of Viking society were made in the runic alphabet, which is seldom used or understood today outside of those who still practice the old ways of the As atru.
For that reason, we must rely on the many sagas of the Vikings as the most accurate historical record of the Norse civilization. In some places such as Iceland, these sagas are "celebrated both for their historical record and their narrative artistry" (web 040507 iceland sagas. html) and completely contradict the information provided by clergy, who, having been attacked by the Vikings, "described the raiders as savages". (web 040507 iceland sagas. html) Were the Vikings vicious, blood-thirsty raiders who burned villages, stole everything, and raped every woman in their paths; evil heathens capable of barbaric raids against any and all who stood in their way? Absolutely. Were the Vikings more than that?
Yes. According to Arn i Bj", the former head of the ethnological department of the National Museum in Reykjavik and an expert on the sagas, 'The vast majority of the settlers were farmers, who wished to live in peace, free from pirates and taxation by kings in their homes. ' (web 040507 iceland sagas. html) Although there is much evidence to support the depiction of the Norsemen as peaceful, the fears of the clergy were justified through the waves of violence brought by the warriors to places such as the attack on Lindisfarne Monastery, England in 793. (web) These fears were only made worse by their lack of understanding and fear of the Pagan Gods and Norse way of life. Viking Religion Jamie G rooters During the beginning of the first raids on Christian societies, most Vikings were still Pagan. Although this is well known, the popular belief that all Vikings hated the Christian church was false. In fact, "attacks on Christian churches had nothing to do with religion, but more to do with the fact that monasteries were typically both wealthy and poorly defended, making them an easy target for plunder". (web) Christianity spread quickly through the Vikings because during the raids they came into contact with people of faith.
Even though the Vikings were not Christians they still believed in many Gods. They could also accept the Christian God along with their own. Not much is known about the Viking religion before Christianity, except for tales left to later generations. The Edda was a set of literary works that tell of old pagan beliefs. This book also told stories of the struggles between the gods and giants. There were four main Gods in the pagan religion of the Vikings.
Odin was the God of war and leader of the Norse Gods. Odin is the "father of all gods and men and of everything that he and his power created". (The Prose Edda, p. 37) Thor was the God of thunder. Balder was the God of light. "Another son of Odin is called Bald, and there is nothing but good to be told of him. He is the best of them and everyone sings his praises".
(The Prose Edda, p. 51) Frey is the God of fertility. "Frey is an exceedingly famous god; he decides when the sun shall shine or the rain come down, and along with that the fruitfulness of the earth, he is good to invoke for peace and plenty". (The Prose Edda, p. 52) Viking burials were a major part of their pagan religion. Before the conversion to Christianity the Vikings would bury their dead along with every thing they would need for the afterlife, much like the Egyptians.
"Pagans buried their dead with grave goods, but Christians normally didn't, and this makes it relatively easy to spot the change in religion". (web) Poorer Vikings were put in chambers in burial mounds. Wealthier Vikings were buried with horses, dogs and servants, which were killed for this purpose. The wealthiest people were also placed in ships to "carry them to the next world". (Viking, p. 54) These ships were covered in dirt or set on fire. One famous ship was the Osenberg ship discovered in 1903. Only fragments of the ship was left but archeologists were able to figure out that the dimensions of the ship were 70 feet, 6 inches long and had 15 oar ports.
It would take 30 men to row it but was to frail to sail in. Meaning it was made specifically for the burial purpose. This ship was found to be dated back to the 9th century. The bones of two women were found inside, one probably a queen. There was considerable pressure to convert to Christianity. In the year 878 the treaty of Wedmore bound the Viking leader Guthrun to Christianity in exchange for land.
Viking traders would wear crosses just so they could travel freely in the Christian land. As the Vikings took over land and villages they began marrying Christian women. Their children were then raised in a partly or mostly Christian home. Prim signing was created to "induct" the Vikings into Christianity.
This was not quite a baptism, but it showed the Vikings willingness to accept Christianity. The Vikings remained loyal to their old gods until the late 10th century. They gave up the old gods when they saw that the gods did not punish the people who destroyed their statues and pictures. Churches were built all over Scandinavia as soon as the majority of the people were converted. These churches started as simple, one-story buildings but became more elaborate by the 12th and 13th centuries. The later churches had more stories and more roofs.
Building Ships, the Viking Way by Kenneth Dunn The Vikings were able to produce superior ships during Medieval European times. Whenever the site of the square sail and dragon headed prow appeared in the distance fear would take over the Europeans. During 800-1100 AD is when the Vikings developed their fast and sleek long ships that helped them become a defined superior force in medieval warfare, politics and trade. How did they come to build such ships that dominated any of their rivals? What was so special about the design and how did they do it? The Vikings built different types of ships that were designed for their needs at the time.
There was the Drear that were designed for transporting troops, hit and run attacks, and crossing open oceans. A sail was used to sail across the wide-open oceans and when they were close to undefended towns and monasteries, they would use the oars for quick and decisive attacks. The knowledge and expertise that they used to make these long ships were taken to design and build their cargo ships, the Knarr's. The ships helped the Vikings to develop trading networks between Iceland, Greenland and America. The design was similar to the warships but built higher and wider with cargo areas built fore and aft of the ship. Viking ships were thought of only being built out of Oak only but was discovered later that several types of wood were used, Ash, Elm, Pine and Larch to name a few.
The great warships were the only ones that definitely were built with only Oak because of the great strength it had and it was sacred to their Odin, the warrior god. Shipwrights were the experts that built the ships, and their expertise that enabled them to choose what type of wood required for different ships. They knew there was a different requirement between a cargo ship and fishing trawler. Shipwrights used their knowledge of the different trees to construct their ships.
One of the better techniques used was the use of trees natural joints, branches that grew from the trunk of the tree. Man made joints were not as strong as the natural joints and the use of glue or clench nails were not needed for the construction. Shipwrights reused planks that were no longer in service to repair other ships or in the building of new ships. The first process was to pick out the trees and the nto cut them down, this was done by using axes and wedges. In order for the tree to fall in the direction they wanted it to fall they would notch it on that side of the trunk. All of the branches that were on the side of the tree that would hit the ground when it fell were cut off so they would not shatter when it hit.
When the tree was down the process of trimming it began and nothing was wasted. The used everything down to the bark for dying hides and skins to twigs added to sawdust to smoke fish, meat and cheese. Splitting the trunk was next, splitting it into wedge like shapes that were trimmed to make flat planks. How they did this was by starting the split with an axe and while the axe was still in the truck a wedge is hammered next to the axe blade and then the axe is hammered with a wooden mallet. This would start a split to start down the log and another wedge would be added as the first one is hammered further in. In order for the split to be controlled the carpenter would try to select a tree that had very little to no twist in it.
They would go deep into the forest to find trees that were not affected by high winds and less susceptible to twisting. This technique is what gave the carpenter the ability to use the full strength of the wood where a saw would cut through the grain and weaken it. Not all of the tree would be split into planks; a large part of it was used for the keel, ribs or mast step. The Shipwrights would use wooden pins called Trenails to hold all of the planks, ribs and other parts together. Iron was not used because it was too expensive. Trenails were wooden dowels with a split on each end and after they were inserted into bored holes, a small wedge was driven in the small split, holding the parts in place.
Sometimes they were boiled in Linseed oil making the lock of the Trenail permanent. Ribs were lashed in place by bast fiber cords soaked in pitch to make them last longer. The cords let the hull twist when the ship was in the water so it could absorb the pressure from the waves. Very time consuming but it saved on having to use expensive iron.
The builders began the construction of the ship once the timber was picked and carved. The important part of the ship was the Keel and required the best timber to be used. This being a single piece that ran from end to end and the Bow post and Sternpost connected to each end. Once positioned near the riverside the Shipwrights joined the posts to the keel with iron roves. Then the Strakes were shaped, clamped in place and then secured with iron nails to hold the Garboard Strake. The Garboard Strake is a large component of flexible planks joined to the keel.
When it came to the planks being attached, an overlapping technique was used called Clinker building. Overlapping the planks and riveting the area the overlapped created a light and flexible hull that could withstand the open sea because they would not break or leak as much. After the nail, the rivet, was driven through a washer called a Rove was placed on the end of the nail and then flattened so it could not pull back through the hole. Once this process takes place the shape of the ship starts to appear and then the ribs are added. It is known that the Vikings came up with this style of shipbuilding.
This gave the ship great flexibility but did not leave room for a solid deck so the water could run off. So did the Vikings only sail during calm weather? Are the stories told of their courage at sea just stories? I do not think they would have been able to cross the seas from Iceland, Greenland and America if they only sailed during calm weather.
The Viking mariners were sturdy men and very courageous to sail the cold and dangerous seas that surrounded them. Viking Raids By Cheryl TyiskaThe raids of the Norsemen (known as Vikings) remain strong in historical and popular imagination for their terror and brutality, but the Norsemen were not the only raiders of their time. They were simply the most successful because of the superiority of their ships, their determination to build a reputation for bravery, and for their intense desire for increasing wealth. Their contemporaries, such as Charlemagne, were as violent and brutal as any Viking raider. The Norsemen were people from the northern Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, Sweden), but not all Norsemen were Vikings.
'Viking' is a term that means a raider or pirate. Most of the Norsemen who went 'a-viking' (i. e., raiding) were young, unmarried men who wanted to make a name for themselves. A mature Norseman, on the other hand, was a settled man with a family, who had a trade or farmed the land. It is not entirely clear what caused Norsemen to begin moving away from their countries of origin and begin attacking other settlements. The motives were complex and overlapping.
Many scholars point to overpopulation as a primary cause. The lack of land made it difficult for younger sons to inherit their father's estate, so they went looking for new land (and where, eventually, new towns would be created). No doubt, the raiders were looking for new trading partners, but what they found as they traveled around a conflicted Europe that lacked defenses was 'easy pickings' in unfortified locations. It was easy to plunder and steal material goods and people to sell as slaves, particularly monks, scholars and upper class citizens who brought a good price. Returning home as a successful raider raised their status in their home communities. In addition to the desire for riches and people to steal, religious beliefs motivated the raiders.
They believed that death was predestined and the only thing that was important was how they lived their lives on earth. Their reputation for bravery and loyalty was critical, and they believed they had nothing to lose and everything to gain by being bold and adventurous. They also wanted to fight back against what they saw as a truly barbarian Christian Church (remember, this was the time when leaders like Charlemagne were growing in power). The period of Viking raids took place in phases, or waves. The first wave took place from 790 to 840.
The first raid recorded in history, against the monastery of Lindisfarne, off the east coast of England. The following year, raiders attacked the Jarrow monastery and in 795, they sacked the monastery on the island at Rath lin. For 30 to 40 years, the raiders conducted small but intense hit-and-run raids that lasted for only a few days but managed to successfully terrify the inhabitants of the raided communities. Usually the raiding parties during this period were smaller in number and involved relatively few ships.
The attacks took place seasonally, when the weather permitted, and were mostly along the coast. For example, Vikings attacked the monastery at Noirmountier every summer. The monks tried to defend it but they finally left when they realized that they were defenseless every summer. The second wave of raids took place between 841 and 875. Larger, more intense, faster raiding parties characterized this period. There were more raiders (sometimes in the thousands) and more ships (up to 350 ships at a time).
Each raiding party raided for itself, not for its community or country. Raiders sacked, pillaged, burned and plundered the communities they attacked. To them, these were not acts of theft or violence, but of bravery. The third wave of raids occurred between 876 and 911. These raids expanded from England, France and Ireland and included destinations even further away, such as Iceland and Russia.
During this period, raiders began staying in the communities they had pillaged, first for a season or two, and then ultimately they began creating permanent colonies. Raiders against Ireland were usually Norwegian, while those against the British were usually Danish. The Carolingian Empire was heavily affected, especially Frisian and Aquitaine in France. Ireland suffered immensely but not as much as England did. Initially, the raiders conducted about one major attack per year lasting for a few days. Later, as the raiding parties grew larger and the raiders erected permanent settlements, they could attack locations more frequently and stay in an area for weeks or months.
The primary victims of the raiders were educated clergy in churches and monasteries because that is where the money and precious items were located. In addition, scholars and monks sold into slavery brought high prices. Raiders also attacked fortresses of Lords, farms and easy, unprotected targets among commoners. The raiders tended to attack communities along the ocean coast or navigable rivers, and seldom attacked inland. Because of the way they built their ships, they could land on sandy beaches, move into a community and totally surprise the inhabitants, take what they wanted and get out quickly. Their ships, using a combination of sails and oars, were extremely fast.
To the victims, the raids were sudden, random and arbitrary, but in fact, the raiders planned the attacks in advance and carried them out with precision. The raiders had superior weapons, well-trained raiders and were very mobile. For these reasons, they inspired terror in their victimized communities and their reputation for violence and brutality grew. Raiders did nothing to dispel this reputation; they wanted to instill fear.
In reality, however, even communities that were particularly prone to attack by Viking raiders did not have a high probability of attack. Overall, Pierre Barthelemy identified 347 known attacks by the Vikings during the years between 795 and 1098. They were: Ireland (43), British Islands (51), Germanic area (11), The Netherlands (10), Belgium (12), Luxembourg (1), France (214), Spain (9), Portugal (1), Morocco (1), Italy (3), and Turkey (Istanbul) (1). Eventually, some of the communities that were targets of Viking raiders began to fight back. Some resisters actually beat the raiders, but for the most part the raiders faced no real organized resistance. Over time, as Europe regained its strength and particularly after the defeat of the Saxons in England, Viking raiders were repelled more frequently and ultimately the raids diminished in frequency and intensity.
The end of the Viking migrations - where they settled and their influence By Dj una PerineThe Vikings were active for approximately 300 years, from 789 AD to 1100 AD. 1 Although they conducted many raids during this time, it was also a time of great expansion. The Vikings would take journeys that could last for a year, or sometimes several years. They used these journeys to conduct many different types of business such as trade and war, but they also used these times to look for areas to settle down.
2 The Vikings were very successful in their trading efforts and eventually began to experience a population growth which was very strenuous on the Scandinavian land. 3 Therefore, they began to seek new lands for settlement around the 9th century. The Vikings were aware of the wealth of the South and East from their trade routes, making these lands promising for expansion purposes, and they began to settle in many of these areas in which they traded or raided. The End of the Viking age occurred around 1050 AD although colonies, notably Scotland and Iceland, experienced the Scandinavian culture and influences for much longer. 4 The largest concentrations of Viking settlements occurred in Britian, Ireland, Normandy, and Russia. They also crossed the Northern Seas to settle in Faeroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland.
They went to North America and made attempts to settle there, however they were unsuccessful. 5 As the Vikings settled in the east, they maintained a military presence on all the major rivers. The Swedish Vikings were influential in founding the early state around Kiev. 5 As a matter of fact, there were so many Sweden in Russia, the Swedish called it Greater Sweden! 6 After the Vikings began to settle, they brought their families from home or intermarried with the locals.
They began to experience a period of renewed creative activity. The Vikings created a rich literary collection of stories and histories in which they wrote about heroic leaders and kings of the 11th and 12th century. The more historical stories were about the colonization of Iceland, the voyages to North America, and the rise of the powerful kings who led the efforts toward conversion and political consolidation. 7 Scandinavian artists were known to be masters of metalwork and wood carving.
Objects used daily such as Viking ships and sleds were heavily decorated with figures of animals transformed into semi abstract linear patterns. Norwegian churches were heavily decorated with carved wood in the same pattern. 8 The axe is still the weapon most closely associated with the Vikings. Most Viking influence has been revealed through archaeological evidence. We know that the Norse culture was most advanced in Europe in arms, jewelry, and shipbuilding since European ships have adopted the same styles as the Viking ships.
9 The Vikings also founded many cities and towns such as York, Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Wicklow, and Wexford. They all emerged as prominent trade centers. 10 Other signs of Viking influence can be found in the languages, vocabulary, and place-names of the areas in which they settled. Through this we can determine the density of migration, how easily they assimilated, and the preservation of distinct northern institutions and usages. The place names are considered the most important evidence that show the extent of Viking settlement in Britain and Ireland. 11 The Vikings were a strong and warlike civilization.
Yet somehow they managed to lead almost dual lives as they were peaceful farmers and businessmen as well. They were skilled artisans and craftsmen, metalworkers, and farmers. The Vikings lived, laughed, loved and enjoyed life to the fullest. One has only to look past the bloodshed that was exaggerated to see a brilliant society that emerged from the mists and left its traditions for us to ponder in a new age.
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