A Viking Way of Life

This week, I have decided to take a look at a people who lived long ago, and still remain well-known today. Over one thousand years ago, the Vikings encompassed a very remarkable culture that included many unique elements. What were their beliefs? What kinds of things did they value? What specific skills did they posses? How did these items develop? All of this made for an amazing culture; the Viking way of life.

Their religion is known as Northmen's Mythology. Similar to Greek mythology, the Vikings new numerous gods all pertaining to different aspects of creation and life. They fell into two groups; the Aesir which were gods of war and the Vanir, which were gods associated with love. Let's take a look at some specific viking gods.
Odin was the wisest god of the Aesir group. He was one-eyed and accompanied by two ravens that would inform him of the doings of the gods, giants, dwarfs, and men. It was said that he lost an eye in exchange for a drink from a sacred well full of knowledge.
Another being was Freya who was born a member of the Vanir gods. However, she married into the Aesirs by becoming Odin's wife. Accordingly, she became the goddess of love and fertility and of war and wealth. She possessed a famous necklace named Brisingamen which she received from the dwarfs by sleeping with them. She also had a cloak that allowed her to transform into a a bird, and a chariot that was driven by large cats.
From all of this, it is easy to see how the manner of Viking religion was exciting, like a thrilling story. However, the Vikings encountered a new religion, one that was spreading rapidly throughout the world.
Many Vikings had converted to Christianity by 1000CE. Very soon after, it was safe to consider any Viking as a Christian.

The language of the Vikings can still be seen in several languages today. For example, here are some words we find very familiar: anger, band, sky, happy, steak, and give. This is from Old Norse being closely related to Old English. It is fascinating to know that our cultures are linked in this way.
The ability to write for the Vikings was considered a very special skill. They believed their writing, known as runes, came directly from the gods. They did not write on paper with ink, rather they carved into wood or stone by means of knives and chisels. This influenced the letters to only be made using straight lines, giving them a distinct look.

Picture a Viking in your head. It is likely that we imagine a specific and unique object. In fact, the outward appearance of a viking today often includes them wearing a horned-helmet. However, this is the most famous misconception we have of their clothing and weapons. In reality, their close-quarters style of fighting would have made horned-helmets cumbersome and hazardous to their own comrades. Vikings used weapons such as a spear, scramseax, axe, and sword, the sword being the most prized.

These elements of Viking culture depict them as a stong and fascinating people. This is clearly the case as they were able to expand across the north Atlantic, even reaching the North American coast. Overall, they are certainly among the most extraordinary and adventurous culture in world history.