The norse invasions by the vikings terrorized Europe during a period known as the viking age. Perhaps the place most affected by the adventures of these great and dangerous travelers was England, where they began their adventures in Northumbrialocated to the northeast, and being known as danes. However, what do we know about these mythical men and women of the north?
The Vikings are an essential part of the history of the Scandinavian countries. Vikings are usually associated with the image of a powerful and muscular warrior, with a horned helmet, ax and shield in hand, without fear, the mere presence of him inspiring fear… But who are the Vikings really? Where did they come from? What was this curious people like and how did they live?
Like any good story, let’s start at the beginning. The purpose of this text is introductory, with the idea of continuing with a cycle of articles developing in depth the history of these men from the north.
Coming to the matter, the Vikings were not known by that name in their time. I do not want to get lost in the etymology of the term, however, I feel compelled to give some reference in this regard. In this case, various hypotheses are considered, on the one hand, it is believed that “Viking” comes from the Nordic word “vík”, which could mean something like “small bay, cove”, but the option that it was the gentile of those from the Vík district; On the other hand, the most accepted option is that “Viking” comes from certain runic texts that include the term “víkingr”, a term that aims to designate sailors from the Norwegian area and that would later be used in a war and piracy context. . The word was lost to reappear during romanticism, a time in which the concept of Viking was idealized, just as piracy had been idealized.
The most famous names they received were Dane (Danes) in the Anglo-Saxon area, Varangians if they acted in areas of Eastern Europe and Nordmanni, from which it would derive to Normans, whose translation is “men of the north” by the Franks and Carolingians. In general, they were known as “northern men”, referring simply to the geographical area from which they came. In fact, due to the looting and attacks on the territories of the English coast, the prayer became famous: “A furore normannorum libera nos domine” (“From the fury of the men of the north deliver us Lord”), which the monks recited. that they knew first-hand the modus operandi of these foreigners if they decided to loot their monasteries.
The Vikings descended from Germanic peoples and the Norwegians, Danes and Swedes were identified in this way, peoples whose life revolved around their ships, their farms, trade, but also war and looting. We know that they had advanced maritime technology, which led them to travel long distances by sea and to the early discovery of the New World, Greenland and Iceland, as well as being feared throughout Europe for their raids and looting, reaching the Iberian Peninsula even going up the Ebro River. They lived in self-sufficient agrarian communities, in which they dedicated themselves to agriculture, livestock, fishing and hunting and the extraction of iron, as well as other minerals to develop their tools. Also of vital importance for them was the trade of certain products, such as salt. This clashes with the typical conception of the Vikings, but we must consider that most of the texts we have are from religious European authors, who unflatteringly described them as bloodthirsty pagans.
The role of women in Viking society is also remarkable: they were in charge of the farms, the organization of the home and its provisioning. They were also the link to transmit beliefs and traditions to the new generations, as well as those in charge of teaching them moral values, such as their religion, stories and legends of their brave people, the art of war and the vital importance of honor and worth. It is also surprising to find that they not only educated their children, but also orphans or foster children from other families.
In this society, women were not male property or assets (with the exception of slaves) and if a free woman was raped, the aggressor was sentenced to death. They could also ask for a divorce if the marriage was not satisfactory, as causes could be considered if the husband was impotent, did not satisfy them sexually, due to mistreatment, due to poor economic management… But not only that, upon divorce, each party recovered his dowry And if it was the husband’s fault, the women could also demand their share.
To honor the importance of women among the Vikings, it is enough to take a look at mythology, Freyja and Frigg, major goddesses and the most revered, and the famous shieldmaidens or skjaldmö (female warriors who accompanied men on their raids or battles), without forgetting the Valkyries, who accompanied the brave warriors fallen in battle to the halls of Valhalla.
The Vikings began exploring to the west of their settlements, without renowned leaders, groping small-scale coups, with few men and resources.
The Viking Age is officially considered to have begun with the sack of Lindisfarne monastery in Northumbria on June 8, 793, and ended with the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. Related to the sack of the monastery Anglo-Saxon, I want to quote the text left by Alcuin of York, a scholar, in this regard: “This year terrible warnings came over the land of Northumbria, terrifying all: these were immense beams of light crossing through the sky, and whirlwinds, and fierce dragons flying in the sky. These mighty evils were followed by a great famine: and not long afterwards, on the sixth day before the Ides of January of that same year, the ghastly incursions of heathen men wreaked woeful havoc upon the church of God on the holy isle, by means of looting and massacre”. The east coast of England was thus the first affected by the Viking raids.
At the end of the 8th century Charlemagne was creating a powerful empire on the European continent, however, England was divided into seven kingdoms, Wessex standing out among them. Under these circumstances, some ships with armed men could land at points on the coast of that territory, loot monasteries, which housed great wealth, and obtain slaves without resistance, surely seeing the ease of the company, they chose to reiterate looting in the area. In fact, in the years following the action against Lindisfarne monastery, many other monasteries and territories were looted.
From this moment on, the annals and chronicles are full of stories about the Northmen. In more or less numerous groups, they attack and plunder European coasts, go up rivers in France and Spain, entire armies conquer a large part of Ireland and large areas of England, they even settle on the banks of Russian rivers. In the beginning, they were only fleeting attacks, but colonization gradually took place, mainly in Ireland and England, to give an important example, the Irish capital of Dublin has its origins in a Viking settlement that grew and adapted to the culture of the area. In France, the king even handed over the land of Normandy to a Viking chieftain named Rollo (does Rollo from the Vikings series ring a bell?) in exchange for keeping other Vikings away.
This colonization process was favored by the administrative and social skills of their leaders. They established political regimes in conquered territories, developed fortified enclosures with great precision and efficiency, and their maritime technology dominated their entire age. The boats of these brave men and women were not only necessary for trade or conquest, but also to carry out this colonization: entire families, with their belongings and animals, set sail to arrive and take possession of some foreign land where they could prosper. In addition, with the passage of time, Viking society is changing, preponderant families have been obtaining power and wealth in their territories, thus laying the foundations for the appearance of cities.
It is necessary to highlight in this period the actions of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, who defended England from the Danes, either in bloody battles or through intelligent peace treaties. After a long campaign, they surrendered and left the island around the year 897.
Towards the year 1000 the expeditions of the Vikings were decreasing, it is at this time that Christianity expands strongly among them, which together with the defeat in the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings marked the end of this great Age. Viking.
I leave myself without mentioning the legendary chieftains and kings among the Vikings, who performed feats beyond what was imaginable for the time, nor have I spoken about the tragic and poetic mythology that surrounded these formidable men and women of the north at all times, nor It has deepened in the advanced navigation techniques that they had, or in what their army and their powerful warriors were like. But with this introduction I hope the starting point is clear and what they really were so that I can soon carry out more exhaustive analyzes on this exciting time and for which I feel an interest and an attraction without equal.
-To Laia San José Beltrán, author of the blog «The Valkyrie’s Vigil», for her informative work, for the passion and care with which she writes all her articles and because she made me fall even more in love with the world of the Vikings. Thanks.
Bibliography
San Jose Beltran, Laia. The Valkyrie’s Vigil Retrieved from: https://thevalkyriesvigil.com
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle at Project Gutenberg – Public Domain Copy
Boyer, Regis. The daily life of the Vikings (800-1050). 2nd ed. Jose Olaneta
Dumville, David N. (2008), The Viking WorldStefan Brink and Neil Price (ed.), Routledge (publ.), New York, ISBN 0-203-41277-X
http://www.nationalgeographic.com.es/historia/grandes-reportajes/la-aje-de-goldo-de-los-vikingos_8863/7