Video games and movies have portrayed Vikings as these ruthless savages with oversized helmets
and small brains.
But in reality, their culture and intellect went way beyond that.
In fact, they weren’t these ruthless savages that kill everything and anything.
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Alright, grab our battle axes, hop in our Nydams and pray to Thor for a good raid, because
we're about to learn about some Vikings!
1.
Pee Fires.
They used their urine to start fires.
That’s right.
Vikings managed to figure out how to turn their urine into a survival tool.
How?
By boiling touchwood fungus in urine for several days, turning it into a smoothed substance
that can be used to start fires.
Smart.
2.
Blood Eagle.
Vikings had a ritualized method of execution called Blood Eagle.
You might have seen it on a show but the process is pretty gruesome.
The victim was spread by tying up their limbs.
Digging into the rib area from the back, they would pull the lungs through an opening to
create “wings”.
3.
Scary Teeth.
Vikings were known to be seriously tatted up, but their teeth were the main attraction.
Warriors would file horizontal grooves on their front teeth and paint them with red
resin.
No one really knows what the purpose of the grooves is, but archaeologists suspect that
it might have had something to do with looking fiercer to their opponents or to show status.
Other theories suggest that the dental modifications symbolize some kind of achievement or were
seen as a mark of social identification.
4.
Children.
Norse people lived in really harsh conditions in the Nordic area of Europe, where weather
conditions were harsh and violence was just a part of the game.
Children who were ill were seen as weak and typically were left alone in the wilderness
to die or thrown into the sea.
Is that harsh or what?
The kids who were strong enough to survive the first five years were trained to fight
or work on the farm or in the home.
Generally, children were trained to contribute to the family.
5.
Eyeliner.
Vikings used their own version of Kohl as eyeliner to protect their eyeballs from the
harshness of the sun.
It was made of antimony, burned almonds, lead, oxidized copper and more.
An Arab traveler who visited Viking trading in 950 AD noted that the eyeliner that was
used was all natural and it made both the men and the women look more attractive.
6.
Being Blonde.
Vikings are known to be blondes, but a lot of them were actually either brunettes or
redheads.
As a result, many of them had to paint their hair into a lighter, blonder color, mostly
men.
They would use a bar of soap with high levels of lye that would bleach their hair.
In some places, they would even bleach their beards.
People also believed the bleach helped prevent lice.
7.
The Beserkers.
Alright, let's talk about the famous Berserkers.
The word itself means “bear-coat” and it was a special group of Vikings who went
into battle without any traditional armor.
Instead, they looked fashionable wearing animal pelts made from bears or wolves.
They believed they acquired their power through ritualistic practice, which meant spending
periods of time isolated.
There are some experts who believe that they also use to do mushrooms before going into
battle, lending to their insane appearance.
How they did those mushrooms is also a pretty interesting fact.
8.
How They Did Those Mushrooms.
Alright, we'll tell you, but keep in mind it's pretty gross and it's also a subject
of debate amongst Nordic historians.
Apparently, the magic mushrooms the Vikings had access too were too powerful to be done
by a warrior before going into battle (unless they wanted him throwing up and dancing naked
on the battlefield).
Instead, they would get a shaman to eat the mushrooms themselves, then the Beserkers would
drink the shaman's urine to get a lesser, more manageable high.
That's the way we wanted to picture these awesome, seemingly unstoppable warriors from
ancient history: drinking pee and being high on mushrooms.
9.
Horned Helmets.
Quick, picture a Viking.
What do you see?
Blonde hair and beard, battle axe, horned helmet, bear skin and cup full of pee.
Well, you're almost right, you just got the horned helmet wrong.
Yes, the most iconic piece of the Viking wardrobe isn't actually historically accurate.
Not only are there no depictions from the Viking age of the Nordic warriors not wearing
the helmets, but there is only one helmet from the Vikings that has been unearthed and
guess what?
No horns.
Painters fabricated the trend in the 19th century, perhaps taking influence from ancient
Germanic priests depicted by Greek and Roman artists.
They did, in fact, wear horned helmets.
Well, at least SOMEBODY did.
10.
Hygiene.
When you live your life on a boat and when you're not rowing around you're covering yourself
in the blood of those you raid, you'd think your body would be pretty darn smelly.
Well, if you were a Viking, then you wouldn't have to worry about stinking.
Apparently, our favorite ancient Nordic warriors were pretty darn clean.
Not only did they BATHE once a week, but things like tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners
have been discovered at their ancient sites.
Sure, they were made from animal bones, but you've gotta start somewhere, right?
11.
Boats.
They were used for crossing the oceans and apparently, they were used to send off the
Vikings' dead too.
When a prominent woman or a beloved warrior passed, they were sent off in a boat surrounded
by gold, weapons and sometimes slaves.
Don't worry, they didn't make the slaves starve out on the open sea, they sacrificed them
first.
Nevertheless, the Vikings believed that the sea vessels that served them in life would
bring them to the afterlife, where Valhalla promised a bunch of sweet parties and a lot
of booze.
Hopefully, the slaves got to go too, but we doubt it.
12.
Slaves.
Speaking of slaves, did you know that the Vikings were a huge part of the slave trade?
Yeah, apparently they got pretty darn rich doing it too!
On their raids to Anglo-Saxon, Celtic and Slavic lands, they would capture people and
take them as slaves.
Except the Nordic warriors didn't call them "slaves" they called them "thralls".
They would take these thralls and trade them across Europe and the Middle East, in some
of the world's biggest slave markets.
Oops, or should we say "thrall markets".
That meant that one day you could be enjoying your life as an ancient English priest or
farmer, then some angry blonde dude drinking pee come up and capture you, then the next
day you're in some palace in ancient Iraq serving a Sultan.
Life works in mysterious ways, doesn't it?
13.
Viking Women.
So picture ancient history from the perspective of a woman.
Your job pretty much is to toil on the farm, push out kids, praise the lord and hope your
husband to be isn't a drunk.
Well, while they still pushed out kids and presumably also hoped their husband wasn't
a drunk, Viking women had more freedom than your average girl from ancient history.
They could inherit property, they could request a divorce and if their marriage failed, they
could even get their dowry back!
Talk about a money back guarantee!
Sure, they were married off at 12, but who wasn't back in those days?
Oh, we should also probably mention that this only applied to women who weren't thralls.
Then again, we feel like that goes without saying.
14.
Canada.
Hey, guy!
Shout out to all our Canadian viewers out there, celebrating being discovered by Sir
Humphrey Gilbert and Samuel de Champlain.
But wait, hold your horses or chevaux Canadians, did you know that you were actually discovered
by our interesting Norsemen?
500 years before even Christopher Columbus discovered the continent, Vikings were turning
up on Canadian shores.
In around 1000 AD, the Norse warriors were checking out the shores of Newfoundland and
presumably left because who the heck wants to live through Canadian winters.
15.
Skiing.
(Do this is a posh, upper class, Harvard alumni voice) Care to take the children to Vermont,
Dotty?
We can hit the slopes and drink some fine Chardonnay.
(End voice) This is a phrase you wouldn't be surprised to hear during the Viking age.
Apparently, the Norse warriors liked to ski in their off time.
Some primitive skis were discovered around Viking areas.
They even had a god of skiing named Ullr.
We have a God of the slopes these days too, his name is Shaun White.
And that's it!
What did you think of our list?
Did we get all of the Viking facts?
Were there some that you were surprised about?
Did we miss the most interesting fact of them all?
Let us know in the comments section below what we may have forgotten.