Vikings!
Well--I mean, they certainly wouldn’t have called themselves Vikings back in the day--given
the fact that they were a complex and intricate civilization that went by many different names,
ruled by warring families and many different ancient lines of Kings and Queens--but the
Nordic History of Scandinavia is certainly a period in the annals of myth and legend
that are worthy of note.
The thing is though, the Viking’s weren’t just a horde of ravenous warrior berserkers--but
instead a complex and mysterious civilization who relied just as much on the mysticism of
the otherworldly as they did on the sharpness of their axe.
So, let’s take a look at some of them, shall we?
Hello horror fans, what’s going on--and once again, welcome back to the scariest channel
on YouTube--Top 5 Scary Videos.
As per usual, I’ll be your horror host Jack Finch--as today, we curiously take a look
at the Top 5 Scariest Stories From Ancient Nordic History.
Roll the clip.
Woah woah woah.
Calm down a little there Ivar, you’ve got the wrong Shield Maiden.
For the curious amongst you though, of course--that clip was from the absolutely fantastic History
Channel series, Vikings--which details the legendary life of Ragnar Lodbrok, and the
many sons that follow him--Bjorn Ironside, Ivar the Boneless, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye--you
get the picture.
The point is, not only is that series absolutely brilliant--it also details one of the most
important periods of the Viking Age--a time where history was as much fact as it was fiction.
So keep that in mind throughout this series--the Vikings were brilliant at spinning a worthy
yarn.
Kicking off at Number 5--Vinland
And no, not the Scandinavian nation of Finland--although, that awesome country has as much deeply seeded
history as the best of them--this story is about a much more different destination.
You see, the Viking’s were remarkable explorers--and the art of experiencing the unknown parts
of the planet was perhaps one of the most important figures in Viking society.
So then, it would make sense that the Vikings managed to make landfall in North America
nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus was even born, right?
In fact, it is widely considered that the legendary Viking explorer, Leif Eriksson,
lead the first ever European voyage to touch North American Soil.
You see, by the year 985 A.D--Greenland had been relatively settled by Leif’s father--Erik
the Red, who had been banished from Norway for committing manslaughter.
Leif grew up with a thirst for exploration--and it was around 1000 A.D that he turned his
sights toward the mystery of the West.
After crossing the Atlantic, he discovered what is now Canada--a rocky and barren land,
which could of been Baffin Island--but the Vikings dubbed it Helluland.
Norwegian for Stone Slab Land.
Eventually, when they got further inland--they discovered a much more lush and bountiful
region--filled with salmon and wild grapes--that they named Vinland--Wineland.
They spent a winter or so here--before returning home, telling everyone how awesome it was.
Now, because of that--several parties tried to sail there and settle permanently, the
most famous of which being a site at the Northernmost tip of Newfoundland, at L’Anse aux Meadows--where
archaeologists have discovered numerous evidence of their settlement.
You see, after all of this exploration though, the Vikings hadn’t paid much attention to
the natives that had lived there for thousands of years already.
First, Leif’s brother Thorwald Erikkson was killed in a skirmish with a nearby native
tribe--and then several years later, another group of vikings were mercilessly killed in
the Battle of Viland in the year 1010.
As an old legend goes, the final nail in the coffin for the Viking’s time in North America
came when a small group of fishermen woke up in their coastal camp--only to find that
their leader had been beheaded in the night by the natives--his head skewered on a stake
as a warning not to return.
Swinging in at Number 4--The Death of Hadingus
Now--while there are many legendary Danish Kings from history--the majority of them are
renowned for their lives as bloodthirsty warriors and daring tacticians.
Hadingus though, this guy is far more renowned for his death more so than anything else.
Although--to give him credit, he was a pretty legendary warrior and leader either way, it’s
just that--well, you’ll find out.
From the off, Hadingus was thrust into a life of violent circumstance.
His father, King Gram of Denmark, rocked up to the wedding of a Finnish Princess, Signe--and
her intended husband Henry, King of Saxony.
Obviously, it was love at first sight--as Gram killed Henry on the spot and then took
Signe back to Denmark--where she eventually gave birth to their son, Hadingus.
Obviously, Gram had quite a few enemies and was quickly killed in turn--but Hadingus was
smuggled out in secret to Sweden, where he was fostered by a giant--Wagnofthus, and his
daughter, Harthgrepa.
This is where the story turns up a notch.
You see, all Hadingus wanted to do was be a warrior--but the giant Harthgrepa had other
desires.
Despite being his wet nurse, she eventually seduced him in his adolescence and became
his lover.
When he came of age, Hadingus decided to head back to Denmark--and the giantess came with
him.
On the way, they spent a night in a house whose inhabitants had just died--but as Harthgrepa
was a sorceress, she cast a spell that caused the corpse to speak.
Well, the corpse wasn’t too happy--and cursed them for eternity--telling them both how they
would die.
Not long afterward, Harthgrepa’s death came true--she was torn to pieces by her fellow
giants in a bloodthirsty frenzy.
Hadingus went on in silence though--and became the legendary King that he was worthy of being.
His death he kept secret--seeking wisdom from his new patron, Odin.
Eventually, after partaking in some mythical acts and winning countless wars until his
old age--he brought his subjects to a forest to witness his revelation.
He claimed that only Odin knew his death--and then he hung himself.
Next up at Number 3--The Curse of Andvaris Ring
And for this one, we’re going to dip a little into Norse mythology--because let’s face
it, the history of the Scandinavian people was shaped by the skaldic tales that they
formed their culture upon.
And what if I also told you--that the Curse of Andvari’s Ring is also one of the many
inspirations of none other than J.R.R Tolkein’s--The Lord of the Rings.
Yeah, cursed ring--Lord of the Rings… alright, okay--maybe you saw that one coming.
But still!
In the original legend, one that is scarcely told but is integral to the Volsunga Saga--the
story focuses on the eponymous ring--Andvaranaut--or Andvari’s Gift--a fabled item that had the
ability to make gold.
It’s creator, Andvari--which is Old Norse for Careful One--was a dwarf that lived beneath
a waterfall, who had the primal power to transform himself into a fish at will.
Using the power of the ring, Andvari stockpiled great wealth--but it drew the jealousy of
the trickster god himself, Loki.
You see, being the resourceful type, Loki used a charmed net to capture Andvari whilst
he was transformed into a fish--and on condition of letting him go--demanded the ring and his
horde of gold.
You see, whilst Andvari reluctantly agreed--he also cursed the ring, so that misfortune and
peril would befall whosoever possessed it.
And that’s where the real bulk of this tale begins--because as so far as misfortune goes
in Norse mythology, Andvari’s Ring is chasing the heels of Ragnarok in terms of individuals
affected.
First, Loki passed on the cursed ring to Hreidmar, King of the Dwarves--for accidentally killing
his son when he was transformed into an otter.
Yeah, Dwarves and transforming into animals is a pretty key motif.
Hreidmar was quickly hit by misfortune though, when his own son Fafnir killed him and stole
the ring--where he fled to the mountains and transformed into a firey and fearsome dragon
to protect his horde of gold.
Hmmm, where have we heard that before?
Fafnir didn’t last long though--because soon enough the Great Hero Sigurd hunted down
and killed Fafnir the dragon, taking the ring with him--who he gave to his beloved, Brynhildr
the Shieldmaiden and Valkyrie--where the both of them spend years befallen with tragedy
after tragedy.
Eventually, Queen Grimhild of The Dwarves tricked the couple into marrying into her
own family--therefore bringing the cursed of the ring full circle.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Rock and pool is nice and cool--our only wish, to catch a fish.
Makes a bit more sense now, right?
Coming in at Number 2--Lindisfarne
Alright okay, less mythology now--and more actual historic atrocity.
Lindisfarne, in many ways--is perhaps the most important date on the Viking Calendar.
In more ways than one--it was the birth of the Viking Age--it was the precursor to the
many times that these Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Warriors would step foot on the shores
of Britain--or, well--not quite Britain just yet.
Not the mainland, anyway.
You see, the Holy Island of Lindisfarne is a tidal island just off of the Northeast Coast
of England in Northumberland.
Here it was the site of an incredibly important church in Pagan Christianity--it was a peaceful
and quiet place, dedicated to the production of scripture by it’s humble monastery.
In the year 793, it was said that several months before, foreboding omens came over
the land of the Northumbrians.
Whirlwinds far at see--lighting cracking from beyond the waves--and fiery dragons seen flying
in the sky.
These signs were followed by a great famine--and then, on the 8th of June.
The Vikings emerged from the mist.
As a Northumbrian Scholar of Charlemagne’s court wrote--never before has such terror
appeared in Britain as we have no suffered from a pagan race.
The heathens poured out the blood of saints around the altar, and trampled on the bodies
of saints in the temple of God, like dung in the streets.
You see, the English didn’t know what had hit them.
The Vikings had perfected the art of shipbuilding and navigation--and they had sailed to a land
that they suspected would be filled with riches and resources ripe for the picking.
And when they first emerged at Lindisfarne--where they only opposition was holy men in robes--it
was like a hot knife through butter.
The massacre at Lindisfarne was unprecedented--and it many ways, it only served to further the
Viking’s bloody reputation for centuries to come.
It sent shockwaves through the rest of Europe, but as history teaches us--that wasn’t the
last of it.
The slaughter at Lindisfarne ushered in a newfound frequency of Viking raids across
the coast, as well as in Ireland and France--carving out a brand new period in Britain’s bloody
history.
And finally, coming in at our Number 1 spot--The Blood Eagle
Alright, talking of bloody history--our final entry on this list has to be perhaps the most
notorious claim in Viking history.
Throughout the many sagas of the Viking Age--one term stuck more fear into the hearts of those
that opposed the Danelaw.
Now, it’s also important to note--that the so called Blood Eagle, much like with many
things of Norse legend--is possibly as much a fact as it is in fiction.
In fact, many historians regard this particular torture method as being so bloodthirsty and
grisly, that it probably never even happened--but was instead used as a cultural myth to strike
fear into the hearts of the Vikings enemies.
I mean--that’s also not to say that there any several historical accounts--because there
are, but yeah--take this one with a pinch of salt.
Ouch.
That hurt.
As the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok explains--Earl Einar went to Halfdan and carved blood-eagle
on his back--he thrust a sword into his trunk by the backbone, and cut all the ribs away--from
the backbone down to the loins--and drew the lungs out there.
Yeah.
That’s a pretty bold statement.
You see, one of the earliest accounts of the use of the blood eagle is attributed to the
death of Ragnar Lothbrok himself.
Back in 865--King Aella, who was the then King of Northumbria--had finally captured
the legendary Viking leader Ragnar Lothbrok--and sentenced him to death by throwing him into
a pit of deadly snakes.
And before anyone says that the United Kingdom doesn’t have any deadly snakes--yes we do,
it’s the Adder.
Anyway--in revenge for his death, the Sons of Ragnar, led by Ivar the Boneless--led a
Viking invasion a year or so later with King Aella in their sites.
And once they finally found him following the battle of York in 867--viking legend maintains
that Aella was tortured to death by each of Ragnar’s sons--by method of the blood eagle,
where he was kept alive during the grizzly and bloodthirsty punishment.
You see, whether true or not--Aella was not the only one to have allegedly succumbed to
The Blood Eagle--as many other figures throughout the sagas met the same grim fate.
Either it was the most painful and vile punishment imaginable--or it was the scariest story ever
told in Ancient Nordic History.
Either way, it worked.
Well, there we have it horror fans--our list for the Top 5 Scariest Stories From Ancient
Nordic History.
What do you guys think?
Do you agree?
Disagree?
Have any more to add to this list?
Then let us know your thoughts down in the comment section below, as well as any choice
picks of your own.
Before we depart from today's video though, let’s first take a quick look at some of
your more creative comments from over the past few days.
Ambrose Morningstar says--
Until Jack, aka: TwoCoatsJack, reveals himself as the leader of his own secret organisation
with Lucy, I will not stop watching these videos.
He’ll slip up eventually.
Keep up the good work though.
-- Hey, Ambrose--thank you very much for the dedication but I’m afraid you’re gonna
have to never stop watching these videos.
I’m far too unorganised to even *be* in an organisation, never mind lead one.
Honestly….
Well, on that mysterious note--unfortunately that’s all we’ve got time for in today's
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As per usual, I’ve been your horror host Jack Finch--you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary
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