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The Vikings. Viking Intro. Vikings were from Scandinavia which incorporates the modern-countries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. (Also Iceland and Finland.) Spoke “ old Norse” which is the mother-tongue of modern day Nordic languages.
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Viking Intro • Vikings were from Scandinavia which incorporates the modern-countries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway. (Also Iceland and Finland.) • Spoke “old Norse” which is the mother-tongue of modern day Nordic languages. • Vikings were raiders which were like pirates. They later became full-fledged invaders. • Reasons for invasion not entirely known: theorized that Christian expansion and lack of farmland could have sparked raids. Also, since they mostly lived by the coast expansion via ship was a natural choice versus terrestrial expansion towards the inhospitable northern climates. • The Viking threat influenced the shape of medieval European society – especially feudalism. • The image of the Viking persists today – movies, comics, video games, sports teams.
Pop culture, cont’d… • The Vikings endure today; not only in the modern Scandinavian countries but in imagery in sports franchises, books, video games, and movies. • They are generally depicted as tough, violent, vicious invaders.
Weapons / Armor • Vikings fought with Iron and Leather equipment. • Common Viking weapons were Axes, Swords and Spears. • Common Viking armor included Helmets, Ringmail and Shields. • A popular myth is that Vikings had horned helmets – this is false! Some Gods had winged helmets.
Viking Longship • Viking = “Raider” • Used to cross both seas and rivers (could travel in shallow waters and transported on log rollers over land). • Very fast • Held 70-80 Vikings
Grooming • Saturday = Washing day • Aside from their weapons, Vikings valued their combs! Combs were very common in burial chambers of Vikings. • According to a Islamic academic who visited the Viking settlement of Hedeby – both Viking Men and Women wore eye makeup.
Scandinavia – on a world map. • Scandinavia is found in Northern Europe.
Includes the modern countries of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
Geography • Located far North, Scandinavia (especially the Northern regions) is extremely cold and dry. • Climate is varied, however, and some southern regions may not get any snow in the winter. • Contains a vast coastline, and most of the population lives in the South and along the coast.
Viking Settlements • Vikings (along with most other peoples throughout history) preferred to build their settlements along water. • Their favorite locations were at the end of fjords, which are long narrow inlets with steep sides or cliffs. • This forced invaders to approach from one direction along the water – and allowed Vikings to see them coming.