Welcome back everyone - its been too long since Ive done a Viking video on this channel
which doesnt make sense because you guys always seem to love them.
Why is that?
I don't blame you, I also love Vikings - theres always something new to learn about them.
Every year, historians peice together a bit more of the Viking picture - its always interesting
- but sometimes its very dark - theres a reason why the Vikings strike fear into the hearts
of people even today - and its because of these facts youre about to hear - my name
is Danny Burke and this is the Top 10 Scary Viking Facts.
Right before we get into that I wanna talk about Vikings: War of Clans.
This game was inspired by the top PC strategy and RPG games of the 90s - it reminds me a
lot of old Age of Empires - its all about building up resources, influence and experience
to crush your opponents.
You can also forge alliances with any of the 20 million online players - these clans can
be the difference between glory and ruin.
Play the game your own way and be prepared for it to constantly evolve as you fight over
resources and compete in live events.
Support Most Amazing Top 10 by downloading Vikings for FREE only from the links in the
description box and get the special bonus of 200 gold coins and a protective shield!
Starting off at number 10 we have Berserkers[a].
These guys are where the word berserk comes from - and for good reason.
They were fierce Viking warriors who worked themselves up into an uncontrollable, trance
like frenzy and made them believe they were invincible.
Wether or not that was true, it was said to be enough for them to not only perform superhuman
feats of strength but also scare their enemies into submission.
Stories describe them as screaming, red faced and even howling.
Before the battle, they would bite at their own and shields and skin - they didnt even
feel the pain because of the state they were in.
Why was this?
Well, its thought they worked themselves up into this hysteria - but others have suggested
it could be drugs, alcohol, a mental disorder or even sorcery.
Whatever it was, their enemies would be running the other way …
Next up at number 9 we have Child Sacrifices[b].
Its well known that a lot of ancient cultures, including the Vikings, sacrificed animals
as part of their religious rituals.
However, a study in 2015 seemed to confirm the rumour that it wasnt just animals that
were being killed.
At the Viking fortress of Trelleborg in Sweden, archaeologists found human and animal skeletons
in 5 water wells, together with jewellery and tools.
They believed the human remains were due to human sacrifice.
If that wasnt enough - they also found that 4 out of 5 of them were young children aged
between 4 and 7.
Its thought that they were killed and thrown in the well due to the importance of wells
in Viking culture.
They believed that the God Odin gained wisdom from drinking at Mimirs well.
In exchange, he had to sacrifice one of his eyes.
As such, these Vikings must have thought that sacrificing a whole human would have brought
untold gifts from the Gods - perhaps even more so if the victim was a child …
Moving on to number 8 we have Slavery[c].
For many years, the topic of Viking slavery was often glossed over or underplayed.
Recently though, studies have suggested that not only did the Vikings keep slaves - they
were ingrained into their very way of life - they had a slave economy.
This wasnt anything new to Scandinavia though - there is evidence of of it dating back to
the first century, before the Vikings.
The Vikings did it on a much bigger scale though.
Writings describe the slave trade in the 10th century as extending across the Mediterranean
from Spain to Egpyt.
Others recorded that slaves were brought to the Viking homelands from as far away as Russia,
Turkey and Iraq.
Over the years, there have been a number of theories about why the Vikings had such a
need for slaves.
Some say it was to produce textiles for their sails, to sacrifice slaves to the gods or,
in the case of female slaves, to make up for a lack of eligible women in the Viking homelands
…
Next up at number 7 we have Holmgang[d].
Thats the name of this dangerous viking duel that was used to settle disputes.
It started with a challenge - if someone felt they had been dishonored, they had 3 to 7
days to issue a challenge.
The person who had been called out had to show up on the given day - if they didnt,
they brought shame to their entire clan.
The name -Holmgang- can be translated as -to go to a small island- … thats because the
duel would normally place on a cloak or piece of fabric placed on the ground to mark out
the arena.
In the old Holmgangs, it was not uncommon for one of the fighters to be killed in combat.
Because the person was killed due to a Holmgang, no murder charges would be brought about.
The matter was considered settled.
Can you imagine if thats how we all lived today?
I think there would be Holmgangs kicking off every day …
Moving on to number 6 we have The Teeth[e].
The Vikings used to file their teeth.
Theres an interesting phrase.
A Swedish anthropologist analyzed 557 Viking skeletons dating from the year 800 to 1050
and found that 24 of them had deep, horizontal grooves along their upper front teeth.
This would have given them a pretty scary look by todays standards - in fact, its thought
that the Vikings may have done this in order to scare their enemies.
The largest amount of examples of this practice was found at a Viking cemetery on Gotland.
Most of them had neat parallel marks on their two upper front teeth, which may originally
have had charcoal or other colouring rubbed in to add to the whole look.
Either way, they would have looked just that extra bit more terrifying to their enemies,
which may be the little advantage they need in battle …
Next up at number 5 we have The Blood Eagle[f].
This was a brutal form of execution deployed by the Vikings on those who wronged them - even
from their own communities.
It involved an individual being placed in a prone position, their ribs would be severed
from their spine with a sharp tool and their lungs pulled through the opening to create
a pair of wings.
The earliest account of this gruesome execution method comes from the year 867.
It described how King Aella of Northumbria in England was attacked by Viking raiders
led by Ragnar Lothbrok.
When Ragnar was defeated, Aella threw him into a pit of live snakes that killed him.
In revenge, Ragnars sons sailed to England and took the city of York.
They captured Aella and decided to perform the blood eagle on him.
A gruesome death for a gruesome death.
Moving on to number 4 we have the Draugr[g].
I think these may some of the creepiest but coolest parts of viking culture.
The Draugr is an undead creature from Norse mythology.
The Vikings believed that a Draugr is created when a corpse is not left in a horizontal
position but is found upright, indicating that the dead might return.
They also tend to be created from people who were mean, nasty or greedy in life.
Once reanimated, the Draugr would wait in their graves, often guarding treasure in their
burial mound.
If a grave robber came to steal that treasure, theyd have to fight the Draugr first.
They are said to possess superhuman strength and can increase in size at will.
One account describes a Draugr as being -swollen to the size of an ox- … They were said to
slay their victims through crushing, driving them insane or simplifying devouring them
whole and drinking their blood.
Some lovely options there.
Nice variety.
Next up at number 3 we have Infanticide[h].
There is an emerging theory that the Viking age as we know it was caused by the ritual
killing of new born babies, otherwise known as infanticide.
If that sounds crazy - let me explain.
Like many ancient cultures, the Vikings were thought to have selectively killed newborns
for religious rituals, particularly women.
The theory goes that this would have led to a shortage of women within Viking society.
They then would have been driven to sail to new lands on a sort of -marriage imperative-
… hoping to find a partner that wasnt available in their homeland.
Of course, this is just a theory - the real reason is probably much more complex - but
the infanticide aspect seems to be very much a reality of Viking culture …
Moving on to number 2 we have The Soup[i].
As youve probably already gathered so far, the Vikings loved to fight.
A lot of them were injured on the battlefields and tended to by Viking women.
Sometimes there were many men to treat and not enough healer or resources to go around
- so - they came up with a system that involved a soup.
It was made with garlic, leeks and herbs and would be given to the men to eat.
After a few minutes, they would lean in and smell the stomach of the man - if they could
smell the soup - then the wound had pierced their stomach and they were doomed.
They would be made comfortable but ultimately left to their own fate while the healers would
move on to help someone else.
Can you imagine how nerve wracking it would be if they were about to treat you, and then
they smelt the soup …
And finally at number 1 we have The Games[j].
Games should be fun - thats why many of you will find the Viking concept of games to be
quite strange I think.
There are writings that describe some brutal competitions that Vikings took part in for
fun.
One of these was a swimming competition, or rather, a drowning competition.
The entire object of the game was to hold your opponent down underwater and see how
long they could hold their breath for.
If they couldn't get up out of the water, well, then theres a good chance theyd die.
There was also another case of two boys who played this -game- … one of them lost but
survived - he was so upset however that later in the day, he smashed an axe into the back
of the other boys head - he was 6 year old.
Fun games arent all fun and games.
What a note to end on - kids bashing each others brains out with axes.
I love doing these videos because I never know how theyre going to end.
Its amazing.
Thanks again to Vikings: War of Clans for supporting us, links in the description box,
thanks to you as always for watching, my name is Danny Burke and Ill see you all in the
next video!