Monks
prayed while anticipating the arrival of their foreboding doom. A clairvoyant
monk had a premonition about impending danger. The other monks followed his
lead and started praying. The monastery referred to as the church of St.
Cuthbert was nestled on the banks of England in Lundisfarne. Religious
institutions were not protected from outside marauders in Europe. These places
of worship were usually never in danger. The monks realized they were sitting
ducks. A few of the monks took a break from praying and looked towards the open
water and could not see anything but the spray of the sea as it hit the bank
crashing into the rocks and sandy shore. They were willing to pay the price of
man’s amassed sins without question. It did not mean they met their demise
without trepidation.
Early Viking raids began in 793.
Many unsuspecting victims fell prey to the plunder of the harrowing, blood
thirsty explorers. The first known Viking incident occurred at the Lindisfarne
monastery off the coast of Northumberland in northeastern England, which marked
the beginning of the Viking era. The Norwegians did not destroy the monastery
completely, but the raid greatly upset the European inhabitants. The intruders
appeared to have no respect for religious institutions.
The monastery was situated near the
shore. The monastery was soon spattered with the blood of some of the priests
and its ornaments and sacred objects were confiscated. The monastery was held
in highest regard in Britain. This unnecessary act of violence gained notoriety
all over Europe and beyond, and the villains were considered barbarians
(Chartrand, Durham, et. al., 2016).
“Look at this. You put it in water
and it shows you the direction to travel,” said Brynhild. He was demonstrating
to Leif, a boat builder, how they could sail west by using the small round
device. Halvor, Brynhild’s brother, grabbed the device and placed it in a
bucket of water. It shifted momentarily and then the main dial moved and faced
north. Brynhild moved the bucket and the dial turned around and faced north
again. No matter how the bucket was placed the dial always pointed north.
Navigation on the water would involve following the direction of the clever
device. Brynhild held up a shard of glass which served as a prism. It glowed
brightly when it faced the sun which rises in the east and it was early in the
day. Leif was impressed.
A few hundred years before the first
Viking raid, the area in which they lived was hit by meteors. The sky blackened
during that period of time. Food was scarce and fighting occurred amongst the
inhabitants due to the uneasiness of the constant darkness and lack of food.
When there was only darkness, they did not have a growing season. The people of
the north relied heavily on the fish in the water and the planting and
harvesting of food. Because of the scarcity of food and the fighting that
ensued due to a lack of resources, aggression towards others as
self-preservation was ingrained with the inhabitants, later referred to as
Vikings.
They were taught to defend themselves
and became fierce warriors, even the women. The inhabitants discovered and
explored some of the sites where the meteors had fallen and found some rocks
that appeared to have magnetic properties. Some of the rocks were broken up and
used in various ways. The make shift compass was one of the inventions.
“We know our lord will not be happy
with our wanting to travel west instead of east to plunder other lands, but I
feel very optimistic about traveling west,” said Brynhild.
“We will need to be sneaky when we
leave for our adventure,” replied Leif.
“You mean to tell me you are going
to let us use your fine boat,” said Brynhild. He was astounded con-cerning
Leif’s generosity.
“Under one condition, I get to go
with you on your adventure.” Leif had constructed a sea worthy vessel that
could accommodate up to 50 men. The boat was built with consideration of the
open seas and the possible turbulence of the ocean.
“I told my wife we will pretend we
are going fishing for the bigger fish which will require us to go further out
to sea,” said Brynhild.
Halvor and Brynhild climbed aboard
Leif’s boat and admired the sail and other parts of the boat. They were elated
things were falling into place regarding their adven-ture.
The Northmen were of hardy stock and
were known to endure harsh weather conditions that ensued during the long
winter months. Surrounded by water, lakes and streams, they were no strangers
to sailing. It was their nature to be on the water. Denmark had 50 islands and
traveling between the islands and the mainland proved to be a challenge at
times. The boat builders became masters at constructing boats that could handle
the harshness of the waters. The boats were streamlined for speed.
Oak trees were used for building
because oak was considered a very durable wood that could withstand the
harshness of waves and possible attacks from enemies. Out of dire necessity
they were forced to use other woods such as ash, willow, pine and birch when
oak was not readily available. Each ship was approximately 66 to 82 feet in
length. Thousands of the Viking long ships were constructed during the Viking
era. A master shipwright was an honorable trade and a master shipwright had a
team of artisans working under him. The skill for the building of ships was
passed down from one generation to the next (LaFay, 1972).
“I promise you we will hit land and
find vast treasures,” Brynhild stood above the men who were sitting listening
to his speech.
“What kind of treasures?” asked
Reynard.
“There will be gold and silver in
abundance,” Brynhild replied.
“The lord will be angry with us and
may chop off our heads,” said Barnard.
“We will have to make sure we bring
back plenty of treasures so he would not be upset with us,” said Halvor.
“Do you really think we will find
land in the west?” asked Barnard.
“I am sure of it,” responded
Brynhild.
The men were drinking mead while
they were pondering Brynhild’s request.
They were sitting on rocks near the
harbor. All of the men explored Leif’s boat and they were very impressed with
the vessel.
As the night wore on, they began to
be persuaded to go on the adventure as they drank more and more mead.
The waves of the ocean were large and
rolling. Water was splashing over the sides of the boat and everyone was
getting wet. Leif’s boat was holding up nicely against the tumultuous sea. Many
of the men were sleeping wherever they could find a place to rest their weary
bodies. Only a few of men, Brynhild included, were manning the direction of the
vessel along with the men rowing the boat. It has been days and they haven’t
seen any sight of land.
The sun was beginning to rise. The
men started stirring. One grumbled and turned over to block the sun from his
eyes. Some of the men looked out over the vast water with apprehension. Many
were giving up hope they were ever going to see land as they traveled further
west. Brynhild was beginning to feel discouraged. They released two ravens from
cages and if they return they were not close to land. The birds flew off
towards the west and did not return. Soon they saw seagulls. Everyone cheered.
That meant they were close to land. They were approaching a shore.
Several of the monks approached the
doorway to the monastery and saw a boat emerging out of the fog near the shore.
The sight of the massive structure was intimi-dating. They bowed their heads
and began praying again. Some of the monks were trembling.
The boat easily glided close to the
shore. The anchor was set and the men got out of the boat and headed to the
shore. The sandy embankment was easy to navigate. They spotted a large building,
which ended up being a monastery. Brynhild motioned for them to get closer to
the structure.
Some of the monks tried to run for
cover but could not get away from Brynhild and his crew.
Several of the monks were murdered
brutally immediately after coming into contact with the Vikings. The intruders
needed to set an example of what could happen if others resisted. Some of them
were spared to take back as slaves.
The Vikings saw the vast amount of
gold and silver such as a large gold cross with a dead man on it. They frowned
and placed it in a netted basket.
“Why does their god require so much
gold? He appears to be a greedy god,” said Halvor.
The men gathered more valuables:
challises, more crosses and plates. They felt they hit a vast amount of treasure
in just one building. What could the rest of the land produce?
The slaves were bound and led to the
boat. Most of the monks were trembling and praying silently. One of the monks
actually died of fright on the voyage back to the Baltic Sea area.
After their return, Lord Henry was
crushed to learn that Brynhild was right about finding land to the west and
they were able to bring back treasures. He gladly accepted the treasures but
his ego was dinged considerably. He felt he was made to look foolish. Nothing
can raise the hackles of a ruler more than to have his pride suffer under the
tute-lage of his subjects.
The Lord pointed to the treasures on
the table and looked directly at Brynhild. “What do you want to take as payment
for your service?” asked the lord.
“I want the priest,” replied
Brynhild adamantly. Brynhild was impressed with a specific priest who could
speak the Norsemen language. He had plans to be taught the priest’s homeland
language to be more prepared for his next visit to the lands in the west.
Meanwhile, after the ceremony of
welcoming the Norsemen upon their return from their voyage, the lord began
plotting to get back at Brynhild. His deeds could not go unpunished. The lord
had to instill fear back into his subjects and demand their utmost respect.
Phillip, the priest, was skeptical
about his new forced assignment of serving as a slave. He knew the Norsemen
were considered barbaric and unruly. A memory of the time some of the English
visited one of islands of Denmark to spread their religious beliefs. They were
greeted with hostility and had to leave immediately soon after their arrival. The
Vikings’ beliefs were vastly dif-ferent from his Christian beliefs. He began
praying silently in his head for redemption. He clutched his Bible close to his
chest when he laid on his bed made of straw at night.
Phillip worked in the garden and
took care of the livestock for Brynhild’s family. He worked hard and prayed
whenever he could for salvation.
Brynhild told Phillip he could run
if he wanted. Brynhild smiled when he did not run.
Another voyage to the west was being
planned. Brynhild told his wife she could go with him. She was surprised. The
women of the north were highly trained as warriors. Helka was a fierce warrior.
Brynhild knew he could count on her if they were in battle. She has defended
their homestead and children from other aggressive men from the north. Phillip
was instructed to watch over their farm and children while they were away.
“Leif, we need to go on another voyage. I
feel it in my blood. I know I will find even more treasure,” said Brynhild.
Lief was prepared for a request for
further travel west. He had started the construction of another vessel so more
men could travel west.
“I believe you are right, my
friend,” replied Leif.
Leif began examining the vessel to
make sure it is seaworthy.
Brynhild elated about the impending
venture, started approaching the lord to gain his blessing.
The lord regretfully told Brynhild
to go ahead with the voyage. His greed superseded his pride. Brynhild’s haughty
attitude was more than the lord could handle. He always appeared to have a
smirk on his face. He seemed to have a hidden agenda behind his actions.
“Say Valhalla,” ordered Brynhild.
“Valhalla,” stuttered Phillip.
Brynhild was teaching Phillip more
of the Viking language and Phillip in return was teaching the language from his
homeland. They spent hours working on this task. Both became fluent in each
other’s language. Brynhild was ready to make his second voyage to England.
The inhabitants residing near
Lindisfarne were warned about possible future invading barbarians. They were
prepared to fight the interlopers upon their arrival. A lot of confusion
occurred when Brynhild could speak their language. They scratched their heads
and held their swords in front of them ready for an attack.
Halvor became inpatient and charged
the Englishmen standing in front of them. The fighting began harshly and did
not end well for the English.
The lord sent his brother, Arvid, to
keep an eye on Brynhild. Arvid was discovered by Helka raping an English woman.
She pushed him off the woman and a fight ensued between Helka and Arvid. Arvid
was trying to tear Helka’s clothing off her so he could rape her. Helka kneed
him and he fell hard to the floor. She stabbed him in the neck.
The Vikings discovered a vast amount
of treasure in the castle. They managed to capture more men and women to take
back as slaves. They headed back to the Baltic Sea area with their loot.
Brynhild was taken away in chains
because he admitted killing Arvid when asked where the lord’s brother was.
Brynhild had a smirk on his face. Tears were running down Helka’s face because
she was afraid she was going to lose her husband.
Public court was held the next day.
Brynhild was on trial for the death of Arvid. One of the Norsemen rules were if
the killer admitted to the crime of killing, the sentence would be lessened.
Since the lord had it in for Brynhild, he wanted Brynhild to be beheaded for his
crime.
Brynhild stood before the court and
admitted to the killing again and then said, “Arvid was killed because he tried
to rape my wife.”
Helka approached the lord and told
him she killed Arvid because he tried to rape her.
“Now we have a man and his wife
colluding to a crime they both supposedly committed,” said the lord.
“I killed him to protect my wife and
I should not be punished for doing so,” said Brynhild.
Halvor approached the lord and said
he was a witness to Arvid’s crime and witnessed Brynhild killing Arvid to
protect his wife.
The lord was forced to release
Brynhild. He was furious.
The next day, the lord sent his
soldiers to kill as many of Bynhild’s friends and comrades as they could and
burn their properties. Brynhild was hunting and heard the commotion. He managed
to kill many of the lord’s men with the help of some of his comrades. He took a
fierce stab to his chest and deep lash to his leg. His family and Phillip were
waiting for him in a boat. They were laying down in the boat so they would not
be spotted.
Phillip dove in the water to rescue
Brynhild. The injured Brynhild was brought to the boat by him. His family was
glad to see he was alive. They headed to Leif’s home to seek his help. He lived
across the river.
Brynhild took a few months to heal
from his injuries. Then he plotted revenge against Lord Henry. A fight occurred
between the Lord’s and Brynhild’s fol-lowers. Lord Henry faced Brynhild. The
others stopped fighting. Henry fought a valiant fight but finally lost to
Brynhild. Lord Henry’s lady declared Brynhild the Lord.
The Vikings were conquerors and
unscrupulous raiders during the warm months and hunkered down with family and
other community members during the colder months. Not all of them settled in
the countries after they pillaged them. Raiding and plundering goes back in
time to the earliest inhabitants of this world. It was a quick way to provide
for someone’s village by taking things from others.
The Vikings came from the areas of
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and other Scandinavian countries. Vikings
were considered more barbaric by the Europeans and most importantly they were
not Christian. The word Viking came from a Scandinavians word meaning the Old Norse
word “vik” (bay or creek) which formed from the root word “vikingr” which meant
pirate. They were also referred to as Nordmanni
meaning Northmen or Normans. Germans
referred to them as Ascomanni meaning
ashmen because they built their ship by using the wood of ash trees. The
Spanish Muslims called them al-Madjus
which meant “heathen wizards.” They were despised and feared by many people
(Chartrand, Durham, et. al., 2016).
During the Viking Age, wealth was
amassed by conquest and from the lord’s massive land holdings. Revenue was
obtained through the collection of taxes which was collected by the lord’s
officials. The king had certain obligations such as ensuring the merchants
could carry out their transactions without being attacked. They also converged
on other regions and pillaged and raided to build up the kingdom’s wealth. The
major portion of the lord’s debt involved maintaining a standing army of
professional warriors. Expenses involved housing, training, and feeding of the
warriors.
When residing at their home
locations, the governmental structure was highly stratified and resembled a
hierarchal society. The king or lord was the highest order, then the
aristocracy, the military leaders, and the powerful landowners with much
control of the regions’ resources. It was a diverse group of individuals
filling the role of many types of jobs such as fishermen and craftsmen.
Professional warriors held a special
rank because of their ability to protect the kingdom. Social status, like other
parts of the world, was determined by the extent of the individual’s wealth. At
the base of the pyramid of control were the slaves, who were regarded as having
a little more status than animals and they were usually treated with little
respect, more like objects. Many of the slaves were abducted during raids. The
avarice and superiority of the rulers often fed the violence behind many of the
raids (Chartrand, Durham, et. al., 2016).
The religion of the Vikings was forced onto
their slaves. They believed in various deities. Sacrifices of animals, crops
and humans were often made to appease their gods. Slaves were used for the
human sacrifices. They strived to live in a world they thought was flat and
surrounded by a vast ocean. Within the ocean realm lived the Midgard Serpent.
The earth was supported by a giant oak tree referred to as Yggdrasill. The roots of this tree expanded from the
freezing depths of Hel to Jotunheim, the home of the giants. This realm existed
on the far side of the ocean at the world’s end.
The Vikings were influenced by an
ancestral group of fallen angels who encouraged their beliefs. They served as
gods when they lived in their Baltic lands during ancient times. For example,
Thor was a Nephillim and possessed great strength and abilities. Their
religious practices were fraught with supernatural undertones similar to other
religious practices including Christianity.
Odin, the almighty of the gods was
one of the strongest and wisest of the fallen angels. He provided them with
knowledge, understanding, magic and poetry. They were instructed on the tenets
of war. The worldly creatures were the wolf and raven. Every Viking warrior
wanted to die a hero’s death on the battlefield defending their country and be
chosen to be placed in Odin’s great “Hall of the Slain,” Valhalla. The legends
of the ancient gods were passed down from one generation to the next.
Weapon handling was a finely tuned
skill. Many of the warriors could throw javelins with ambidextrous skill, using
both hands and arms with equal ability. Spears were caught in the air and
returned. Archery was also an achieved skill and considered a legal
requirement. They needed to acquire and maintain strength and accuracy, skills
required in warfare. Warriors needed to employ quick thinking and reflexes to
fully utilize their warrior abilities, which was why they were able to take
over so many people from outside their homelands.
Viking women were strong, durable
and considered equal partners to their mates and pursued blood feuds. They have
ordered Viking men into battle. When a husband went on hunt or voyage he would
hand her the keys. The keys were kept on her person at all times. The most
important of the keys protected the family’s treasures. Most families had
chests which hid their family’s precious items. The slaves assisted the Viking
women with handling the daily household chores which involved weaving, brewing
drink, preparing food, spinning, stitching, making clothes and handling farming
chores.
Brynhild’s wife, Helka, was weaving
cloth on a large loom.
“We eat when I am done with this
row. Phillip has cooked the lamb. I have roasted beans. Please be patient my
child,” order Helka.
“I am hungry,” pleaded Brynjar,
Helka’s oldest son.
Helka reached into her pocket and
handed a piece of hard cake to Brynjar. He thanked her and ran outside to play
with his sister.
The running of the household and
farm was arduous work. All family members assisted with the taking care of the
animals and gardens. The making of clothes took a lot of the women’s time and
energy. All cloth was woven by hand. The clothes were made from woolen cloth.
Lots of steps were carried out to produce the clothing. Yarn had to be spun
from fleece after removing it from the sheep and then the yarn was dyed and woven
into a finished cloth on a loom.
Helka was covered in dust and her
feet were covered in mud. She spent much of the morning practicing the art of
warfare with her oldest son. He was taught to never lose sight of his opponent
and to not waste time thinking about his next move. Brynjar needed to act more quickly.
Helka had him pinned against the wall of their home with a knife to his chest.
She made her point. She was known to be a tough and fierce warrior amongst her
people and she was highly respected.
“I taught our son a valuable lesson
today, Brynhild,” said Helka.
“What is that?” asked Brynhild.
“I taught him how to never take his
eyes off his enemy and get the best of him. He still has more to learn,”
replied Helka.
“I will continue working with him,”
said Brynhild.
Brynhild touched the fabric Helka
was weaving and smiled at her. “I like this. What are you going to make from
this?” asked Brynhild. The colors of the fabric were a light brown, tan and off
white.
“I plan on stitching you some
britches and a vestment,” replied Helka.
“I look forward to wearing them.”
Phillip placed wooden serving bowls
on the table and filled the bowls with roasted lamb and beans. Mead was poured
in the horns and handed to Helka and Brynhild. The children were handed small
wooden bowls with water to drink. The atmosphere of Brynhild’s domain was
filled with light chatter about their day as Brynhild’s family satisfied their
appetites. Phillip smiled at Brynhild’s daugh-ter, Elsi, when she told her
story about finding a frog and a butterfly.
Another group of Vikings set fire to
a monastery near the coast of Spain. The Vikings used a unique liquid to start
fires. They were pretty ingenuous with their inventions. They collected a
fungus called touchwood from tree bark and boiled it for several days in urine.
Then they pounded the material into something that resembled felt. The sodium
nitrate found in urine allowed the material to smolder rather than quickly burn
when set on fire. They placed the smoldering material around the inside of a
monastery. Some of the material was laid upon bedding made from straw which
quickly caught on fire. The clergymen were tied to posts while the monastery
was blazing (La Fay, 1972).
“I found some small pieces of gold
in the monastery before we started the fire. We need to find out if there are
more treasures to be found,” said Ivar, a Viking warrior.
“They do not speak the language we
do so we will have to show them what we want,” replied another Viking.
Ivar held up a gold coin in front of
one of the clergymen and asked where he could find more. The clergyman did not
know what he wanted so he shrugged his shoulders. He was slapped hard and asked
again. The clergyman pulled a coin from his robe and handed it to Ivar. The
Vikings ordered them to strip and hand over their clothing. No more coins were
discovered. The clergymen’s clothing was thrown on the fire of the burning
monastery.
Many of the nuns were caught and
raped by the Vikings.
Word was spreading fast about the
barbaric intru-ders. Terror was felt throughout the coasts of many of the
countries on the western portion of Europe including England and to the
northern tip of Africa.
Eric the Red, a Norwegian, was a
notorious Viking. He had a murderous streak. After his marriage to a wealthy
heiress named Thuodhild, he settled down on a large plot of fertile land. Eric
killed two of his neighbors in order to gain hold of their property. Eric was
causing dissention and chaos in many areas near his newly found territory.
Iceland’s king condemned him and he was banned from the country for three
years.
These circumstances put Eric in the
worse of moods. He was fretting and
fuming and decided to leave and explore an island west of Iceland. Eric
discovered land with fertile valleys and beautiful streams filled with fish.
Eric recruited a large host of volunteers from Iceland to join him in his newly
found land. He called his new land base Greenland. He picked the name because
more people would be drawn to the land due to what the name repre-sented.
The inhabitants of Greenland ended
up depending on trading with the greedy Norwegian merchants. The colonists
needed to be supplied with iron, timber, grain, and salt in which they traded
buckskin, sealskins and rope made from walrus hides.
Freydis, Eric’s daughter, was as
bloodthirsty and power hungry as her father. She convinced her husband,
Thorvard, to kill everyone on one of their enemy’s ships. Thorvard refused to
kill the women so she took over the ax and killed the women.
Hastings was another famous Viking
who led his Danish fleet to the city of Luna between Pisa and Genoa. The
towering walls and marble buildings led Hastings to believe he landed in Rome.
He was elated. The citizens of Luna barricaded their city against the
marauders. Hastings took it upon himself to plead with the king to allow him to
enter the gates. He assured the king that he came in peace and he was in poor
health. Hastings requested to be baptized and he agreed to join in their
religious practices. Hastings said he needed the bishop’s blessing because the
end was near for him.
He headed back to his ship and had
his men place him in a coffin and had them carry him back into the city for a
Christian burial. He had his men wear armor and axes under their clothing. The
bishop was clothed in sacred vestments and carried out a prayer ceremony to
save his soul. Hastings burst out of the coffin and killed the bishop and his
count. It was a bloody massacre of the inhabitants of the city of Luna. The
people who were not killed became slaves for Hastings and his followers.
In 860, Rus, a northern warrior,
attacked Constantinople. The fighting abilities of the Vikings were admired by
the Byzantine emperors. A treaty was signed in 911 and the Norsemen were
recruited to serve as guardians of the empire of Constantinople. The Vikings
joined the empire’s royal guard and served as the Varangian Guard. Harald
Hardraada considered his role on the Varangian Guard an honor before taking on
the throne of Norway. They were regarded as loyal to the emperors and held fast
their commitment to protect the empire they were guarding. They fought battles
for the empire from Sicily to Syria. In 1066, the Guard changed when William
the Conqueror took over England. In order to avoid annihilation, the
Anglo-Saxons and Anglo Danes enlisted in the Guard. (La Fay, 1972)
The Norsemen had a soft side. A
custom of the Norsemen was the creation of elaborate poems. One Viking warrior
escaped execution because of the poem he created in short order and recited to
a lord. The lord was impressed and saved his life.
The Norsemen have taken on many
harrowing adventures and have braved the north Atlantic seas in winter. A poem
the “Seafarer” gave a rendition of their escapades.
…Lest man know not
That he on dry
land loveliest liveth,
Weathered the
winter, wretched outcast
Deprived of my
kinsmen;
Hung with hard
ice-flakes, where hail-scur flew,
There I heard
naught save the harsh sea
And ice-cold wave,
at whiles the swan cries,
Did for my games
the gannet’s clamour,
Sea-fowls’
loudness was for me laughter,
The news’ singing all
my mead-drink.
Storms, on the
stone-cliffs beaten, fell on the stern
In icy feathers;
full oft the eagle screamed
With spray on his
pinion. (La Fay, 1972)
A sleepy little village in northern
Africa was about to be awaken by sadistic intruders. The long boats of the
Vikings crept along the coast. Waiting for a sign of life along the banks, they
maneuvered their crafts along the shoreline. They saw the faint light of a camp
fire in the distance. When they got closer to the shore they saw movement from the
small village. No one appeared to be watching for any trespassers.
It was late in the afternoon. The
sun was shining brightly. Common Kingfishers, chirping, were swooping down to
gather small fish from the clear water near the coast. The birds broke the
silence of the quiet little cove. The Vikings docked their boats along the
shore and retrieved their swords from the bottom of the boats, the blades of
their swords shown luminously in the sunlight. They stealthily walked as a
group of foreboding voyagers up the narrow path through the trees to the
village.
Women were cooking over fire pits
and weaving mats of straw. They looked up at the visitors with surprise and
fear, gathered their children and tried to run into the woods on the other side
of the village. The women were stopped by a wall of Vikings. The women sat down
in a huddle near the fire pits. They were trembling and hanging onto their
children tightly.
The men stopped cleaning fish and
charged the Vikings with their sharpened rocks and spears they were using to
catch and clean fish. Two of the men were killed instantly while the others
were tied up by the use of vines. Some of the villagers were killed and some of
the men were taken as prisoners. The male and female prisoners were going to serve
as slaves for the intruders. The Viking warriors were ravenous. It’s been days
since they had their last meal. They helped themselves to the food that was
being prepared over the fire. They began pillaging the huts to find things they
may find useful. They discovered more spears and bowls made of hardened clay.
Living a calmer and quieter
existence did not prepare the villagers for the onslaught of the invasion of
the Vikings and many communities started living in fear of brutal attacks from the
unwanted barbarians. Many of the communities settled down to an agricultural
way of life in which they abandoned their nomadic way of life of hunting and
gathering. The inhabitants were living off the land, hunting wild game,
catching fish, picking fruit and growing vegetables. They provided for their
own and did not feel the need to seek outside resources. They went from an
adventurous nomadic way of life to one of mostly peace and harmony.
Several of the villagers were
murdered one by one as the others watched to demonstrate what could happen if
they ran away or were not submissive to their new owners. Many were held
captive in little burrows dug into the side of a hill. Some of the villagers
were able to escape because they were out gathering berries for the evening
feast and heard cries of anguish as the victims suffered terribly under the
harsh lashings of raw steel as it ripped at their flesh. The survivors who were
not held captive made their way to another village to seek their assistance.
The villagers were ordered to build
homes for the Vikings. They wanted nicer homes than the ones the villagers were
living in which were grass huts with thatch roofs. Axes were used to build
elaborate houses in the trees with ladders and various levels. Feathers were
collected and added to netted mattresses to provide comfort for their masters.
During the day the slaves could roam
freely to enable them to get their work done. At night they were forced to stay
put in their rudimentary huts and guards were assigned to watch over them at
night.
The days were filled with hunting by
some of the Viking warriors. The slaves continued to build fortresses to
protect the settlement from outside invaders in the little quiet village in
Africa. They feared other Viking groups or outsiders may try to take over their
little community. The Vikings were suspicious and untrusting by nature.
After a few years went by, many of
the trustworthy male slaves were taken under some of the Vikings’ wings and
trained in combat. Some of the Vikings intermarried with the women of the
village and started procreating to build up the village. The Vikings raided
nearby villages and took those villagers to their village to build up the
population.
The village became a citadel and was
becoming a prominent settlement. The Vikings set up a government and appointed
a king who ruled over the village and the surrounding areas. Many of the women
were taken and made their wives to warm their beds at night. The Vikings, who
landed on the little plot of land ten years ago, never left to return to their
homeland in Norway. They enjoyed the weather, the availability of game and
slaves to do their bidding.
The Vikings established a prominent
trading system with many countries. They traded slaves for gold and they
purchased treasures such as jewels. The Muslims could not make slaves out of
free men and women so they purchased slaves from the Vikings. One of the most
prominent trade centers for the Vikings was Constantinople.
Fear and terror existed in many countries
as a result of the Viking era which lasted for approximately 250 years. The
mayhem ended about the year 1066. The Scandinavian kingdoms became Christian so
in essence the previous Viking culture was absorbed into the culture of
Christian Europe. The Viking legacy has been discovered in many places such as
Ireland with remnants of Viking forts. The Vikings made their way across much
of the coastline from the Baltic Sea to England, Ireland, and Sicily and as far
away as North Africa and North America. They descended on unsuspecting villages
and towns with their longboats and entered the rivers of Europe to raid
settlements such as Kiev, Cologne, York, London, Rouen, Bordeaux, Florence,
Tripoli and smaller communities. Some of the place names in the areas they
settled including northern England, France, Scotland and Russia were derived
from the Viking period. The beaches of Normandy in France were named after the
Norsemen (La Fay, 1972).
Throughout history, people of many
lands traveled to find a suitable place to reside permanently. Warfare, loss of
suitable resources such as wild game, a change in climate, curiosity, a desire
for a better life and other reasons such as cruel or unyielding governance of
their homelands caused them to travel to other lands. Suitable locations were
determined by the amount of available wild game, climate, and clean water
sources and land suitable for agriculture. Eventually, they adopted some of the
cultural and religious practices of other countries. Some of the locations in
Europe they invaded were named after this unruly group of people. Greed,
hatred, and lack of respect for human life was the driving force behind the
actions of the Vikings.
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