Life as a Viking wasn't easy, but there was more to it than legend makes it seem.
It wasn't all pillaging and looting and fighting — there were also bears, sports,
and beauty products. Here's a look at all the things that the Vikings couldn't live without.
When you think of the Vikings, the first thoughts that come to mind are that of
ferocious fighters — sword and shield in hand, leaping off ships, and immediately into combat.
And that was true to an extent. According to the National Museum of Denmark, weapons were, quote,
"indispensable on plundering raids and for self-defense" — a crucial part of Viking lives.
But few Vikings could actually afford swords, as they cost a lot of money.
Only the most elite Viking warriors carried swords — most entry-level
Vikings instead used axes or lances, as they were much more readily available.
And that's important, because by the late Viking period, it was actually the law that
free men had to own their own weapons. Which makes sense, considering that the Viking
religion taught that death on the battlefield meant eternal life in Valhalla. As a result,
many Vikings sought out death on the battlefield rather than wait for disease or old age.
"...Valhalla!"
While spring months focused on peaceful tasks such as planting crops and farming,
according to the BBC a Viking summer primarily consisted of exploring and raiding towns.
So, how were the Vikings so successful at plundering? Well,
it couldn't have been done without the help of their primary mode of transportation: elephants.
Just kidding! Vikings, of course, were famo us for their ships and their seamanship.
The revolutionary design of their longships allowed them to make both short
and long journeys by sea with equal ease. And their ships had personalities all their own,
with each vessel adorned with a carving of a snake or a dragon.
Vikings didn't just use longships, though. They also used cargo vessels to carry trade goods, as
well as things like livestock for longer journeys like their 9th century settlement of Iceland.
And because Viking ships had no interior shelter, voyages were saved solely for summer;
if they were stuck at sea overnight, Vikings would just use the sail as a tent. Hardcore, huh?
The Ancient Egyptians adored cats, while 18th-century European nobility preferred
lapdogs, so what sort of animal did the Vikings enjoy keeping as pets?
Sure, felines were also present on seafaring journeys, but as one would imagine,
Scandinavian folk enjoyed a much more ferocious beast — the bear.
Yes, alongside fellow exotic animals such as hawks, falcons, and ravens,
bears were common pets for the Viking people. Brown bear cubs,
in particular, were prized, as they could be domesticated and raised as house pets.
Big, big house pets — these bears often became a public nuisance,
and Vikings were regularly fined for letting their bears mess up other people's property.
It wasn't just brown bears that were turned into house bears, though. According to Viking Voyagers,
the Vikings of Iceland and Greenland also domesticated polar bears, which
we really don't recommend. Even at the time, it was seen as a bit ostentatious, like the Viking
equivalent of a miniature giraffe. Vikings often traded their trained bears to European royalty
as gifts as a result, because what says "I love you" better than a gigantic carnivorous monster?
It's easy to be under the impression that Viking men were fierce warriors who spent
their days raiding villages while women tended to farms.
But what exactly did their children do? As it turns out, they were an essential
part of Viking lives, as kids under the age of 15 made up half the population.
That's because the average life expectancy of the Norse population during the Viking period
was around 20 years. That meant there was no time to waste getting kids involved in working for a
living; children of all ages were expected to work around the farm, for the good of everyone.
So, was there any time for play? Well, kind of.
As Exploring the Vikings reveals, there weren't that many toys available, and those that did
exist were mostly just kid sized versions of weapons, and ships — essentially training
kids for their future lives. Befitting their tough, short lives, kids were encouraged to
embrace independence very early, with the most rebellious kids actually being praised the most.
So basically the opposite of high school!
Vikings held religion in the highest regard, though unlike Christianity, most of their rites,
rituals, and beliefs weren't written down, as the Vikings relied on oral tradition instead.
But while it's true that Vikings had their own complex belief system, the idea that they rejected
Christianity isn't really true. While it is true that Vikings did conduct raids of Christian
churches and monasteries in search of both wealth and slaves — educated monks were in high demand —
Vikings had a natural curiosity about Christianity that frequently bloomed into something more.
According to the BBC, Viking settlers in Christian lands often quickly adopted Christianity as their
new religion. Or at least as a part of their old religion — after all, with a whole pantheon of
gods like Odin and Thor, what was the harm in adding one more god for good measure?
As the Vikings further settled close to their Christian brethren, they would start to mix
their cultures through marriages, with their children growing up in mixed religion households.
Vikings also often showed their devotion outwardly through jewelry, such as Thor's
hammer, so the adoption of the crucifix as a new symbol fit right into their lifestyle as well.
This can be seen in the coinage of the British city of York, which during the Viking age was
ruled by Vikings — coins from this era feature both pagan and Christian symbols,
an outward declaration by the powers that be that it was fine to worship either or both.
While their ships were undoubtedly the most powerful tool during raids,
how did the Vikings know exactly where to go? Well, during the day,
they utilized a simple sun compass, which was just a circle with a pin in the middle. This
basic navigation tool was enough for season Viking sailors to find their way across vast oceans.
But they also had another innovation at their disposal:
crystals. Davy Cooper, head of development for the Shetland Amenity Trust, told the BBC
"They used a crystal that, when turned in a certain direction it goes dark,
and when it goes in another direction it goes light.
So when turned to a light source they discovered that it even worked in fog if they knew where the
sun was – meaning they could figure out what direction they were traveling in."
Using these crystals, the Vikings could navigate even at twilight,
despite not being able to determine the physical position of the sun in the sky.
When you think of the Vikings, you don't exactly think of them as lawful
people — yet they had a set of rules that are strikingly similar to those in modern cultures,
such as the concepts of not killing or stealing. The major difference, of course, is that these
laws were not written down. So how did Vikings uphold the law if there was no written law?
Well, that's where the Thing comes in.
"...perfect."
No, not that thing. In Viking cultures, the "Thing" was a gathering where Viking leaders and
judges would gather to discuss laws and cultural guidelines. People who were accused of breaking
a law would be tried and judged by their peers, with fines or even banishment resulting if they
were found guilty. And there were Things at various levels of society. Local Things would
send representatives to regional Things, and regional Things would send representatives to
national Things — or, in later times, to the King and court in Norway or Denmark.
Things weren't just about trials and criminals, though. They were also
about discussing and debating new laws, and served as an excuse for a social gathering.
Hey, we've heard of far worse ways to run a country!
“Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords
is no basis for a system of government! If I went round saying I was an Emperor just
because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!"
Although it seems shocking by today's standards, according to the National
Museum of Denmark the slave trade was a major part of Viking commerce — and daily life.
Scandinavians enslaved people from throughout Eastern Europe and the British
Isles, either trading them for various products or
alternatively using them as labor for large scale construction projects.
While most slaves weren't treated very well, literally sleeping with the livestock and
given derogatory names, some fared better. Male slaves who were particularly skilled
craftsmen could live in good conditions and achieve respect, while some female slaves
could also rise to higher station — though still unquestionably slaves, with all that implies.
As one example, much of Iceland was settled by male Vikings,
but most of the women who came with them were actually Scottish or Irish slaves.
It wasn't until Christianity took firm root in
Viking society that slavery finally began to decline.
When Vikings came back from their various long and harsh raids,
they loved to celebrate with ale or mead. And what exactly is mead? Well,
it's nickname "honey wine" might tip you off, as mead is actually made from fermenting honey.
Honey was viewed by the Vikings as a treasure valuable as gold,
and they became expert beekeepers, incorporating honey into not just wine,
but other foods and desserts as well. Vikings also recognized the marketability of their
honey and traded it far and wide — and do mean wide, as evidence shows that Viking
trade routes extended throughout all of Europe and even into Central Asia and the Middle East.
This trading brought Vikings as much if not more wealth than their raiding, as it allowed them
to get exotic and rare goods from most of the known world. Not bad for the humble honeybee!
Tenth century Arab Muslim author, Ibn Fadlan, once mused of the Vikings, quote,
"I have never seen people with a more perfect body build." So how did these fierce Scandinavians
manage to stay fit when they weren't off on summer raids? Simple: they were really into sports!
Today, Norwegians are known for the obsession with and skill at skiing.
But that deep rooted desire to go zipping down a snowy mountain traces all the way back
to the Viking period. Norsemen didn't only see it as a way to have some fun, though;
it was also a really convenient way to get around their snowy homeland. And of course,
since they had gods for just about anything, the Vikings even worshiped a skiing god, Ullr.
Vikings weren't just into skiing, though. They also had other sports to keep them occupied,
including the mysterious sport called "Knattleikr," which
literally translates to "ball game." Mentioned in several Icelandic sagas,
the sport often became violent due to player conflicts. But other than that — and the fact
that a ball was somehow involved — nobody really knows how "Knattleikr" was played,
as no rules or equipment have survived to today. Authors and historians have speculated that it
might have been close to hockey, or possibly rugby, or cricket. Or maybe lacrosse? Basically,
nobody is sure — which makes it entirely possible that ancient Vikings actually invented quidditch.
"The only thing I want you to worry about is this."
The Vikings must have been exceptionally dirty, what with all of the time spent on ships,
terrorizing communities, and doing farm work, right?
Wrong!
It may come as a surprise, but it turns out that Vikings were unusually keen on personal hygiene.
According to the National Museum of Denmark, archaeological finds have turned
up Viking grooming kits that included combs, tweezers, and ear picks. Plus,
analysis of Viking skulls show that they also used some kind of toothpicks as well.
Interestingly, Vikings actually bathed much more regularly than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts,
who thought Vikings were crazy to bathe as often as they did — reportedly at least
once a week or more. As a result, Viking men allegedly did very well with women,
as they were clean, smelled good, and took pride in combing their hair and dressing well.
While these trendsetting metrosexuals certainly made heads turn with the opposite gender,
don't be fooled into thinking they still didn't offer up some traits to scare their opponents,
too. According to History, archaeological finds suggest that some Viking men also
may have filed their teeth like vampires to scare their enemies.
Unfortunately, this apparently led to widespread problems with their teeth — as you might expect.
So if you were thinking about adopting some Viking cleansing rituals,
maybe leave out the tooth filing. Your teeth — and your enemies! — will thank you for it.