Hyderabad: The International Viking Day is observed every year on May 8. The Viking Age began in the year of 793 with an attack on the Lindisfarne monastery in England, which is the first known Viking raid. The event that marks the end of their glory days is the slaying of King Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.
Raids, looting, colonisation, and trade brought the Vikings to many destinations in the known world and beyond. In the beginning, only a few seafaring Vikings survived the rough voyages, but the fleets grew over time, and there were soon hundreds of vessels known as long-ships.
They sailed across the Baltic Sea and down Russian rivers as far as the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to Byzantium and the Caliphate of Baghdad. Vikings were also the first Europeans to reach Greenland and North America. In fact, the Viking explorer Leiv Eiriksson arrived on the shores of North America around the year 1000, 500 years before Christopher Columbus.
- Who is the most famous Viking of all time?: Leif Eriksson is the most famous Viking of all time. The reason for this is that he led the expedition that discovered North America. His voyage made him and his crew the first Europeans to reach the New World.
- Language: The Vikings spoke a North Germanic language called Old Norse. Old Norse is the ancestor of modern Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, and Faroese. Scholars know a great deal about this language thanks to the many runic inscriptions found throughout Scandinavia, as well as the vast literature that was written in Iceland during the late middle ages. Medieval Icelandic was more or less identical to the language spoken by the Vikings. In fact, of all the modern Scandinavian languages, modern Icelandic is the closest to Old Norse. Originally, Old Norse was written using a runic alphabet called Futhark, however, this alphabet was only used to create rudimentary carvings in stone, wood, and bone. As Christianity spread throughout Scandinavia, the Latin alphabet was gradually introduced.
- Vikings were known for their excellent hygiene: Between rowing boats and decapitating enemies, Viking men must have stunk to high Valhalla, right? Quite the opposite. Excavations of Viking sites have turned up tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners made from animal bones and antlers. Vikings also bathed at least once a week much more frequently than other Europeans of their day and enjoyed dips in natural hot springs.
- Viking women enjoyed some basic rights: Viking girls got hitched as young as 12 and had to mind the household while their husbands sailed off on adventures. Still, they had more freedom than other women of their era. As long as they weren't thralls, Viking women could inherit property, request a divorce and reclaim their dowries if their marriages ended.
- Viking men spent most of their time farming: Life on a Viking farm during the age of the Vikinger during the eighth to eleventh centuries required lots of hard, constant work. Most Viking farms raised enough crops and animals to sustain everyone who lived on the farm, human and animal. Most Vikings were farmers, a common fact of the medieval era, even if they also traded or fished part of the time. Viking farms were usually small, unless the owner was wealthy. While some farms were isolated, many grouped together in small farming villages.
- The Great Heathen Army: The defeat of Northumbria and the push into Mercia and Wessex was assisted by the 'Great Heathen Army' - a coalition of Viking kingdoms that arrive in England with over 200 ships of warriors. Legend has it that the force was led by three of the five sons of Ragnar Lodbrok (a Viking king who died at the hands of King Ælla), the sons included Halfdan Ragarsson, Ivar the Boneless and Ubba.
- The Viking force was described as the largest force of its kind in England, and the conquest lasted for more than 14 years. During 867, the army marched deep into Mercia and took Nottingham. The Mercian king agreed to terms with the Viking army, and the army withdrew back to in 868 and 869. In 869, the Great Army set its sights on East Anglia, conquered it and killed the king.
- In 871, the Vikings moved on to Wessex, where Alfred the Great was king. The Great Army found much more resistance in Wessex, and managed to take London with considerable effort.
- In May 878 Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Edington, and a treaty was agreed whereby the Vikings were able to remain in control of much of northern and eastern England.
Impact of the Viking Age: The Scandinavians changed the history of Ireland, England, Russia and other European countries. They established new territories in Iceland, Greenland and temporarily, North America. From A.D. 793 to 1066, Vikings raided, traded, challenged, conquered and settled in many lands. Popular movies and novels give you a glimpse into their lives, but usually show only a part of the impact these energetic people had on the known world of the time.
Fun Facts about Vikings:
- Vikings didn't wear horned helmets
- Vikings were known for their excellent hygiene
- The Vikings buried their dead in boats
- Vikings were active in the slave trade
- Viking women enjoyed some basic rights
TV Series generates special interest in Vikings: The 2013 Vikings series blends historical accuracy with fiction to keep the story moving and entertain viewers. While based on Norse sagas and records, key characters like Ragnar Lothbrok were a combination of multiple figures.
History Channel’s Vikings drew the attention of the audience for its depiction of Viking warriors, their society, and their merciless battles and raids.
The end of the Viking Age: The explorers brought their cultural identity to continental Europe, while importing foreign culture, languages and knowledge. By the 1100s, the Vikings were in decline due to a combination of domestic disputes and resistance from other European countries, which had learnt the painful lesson that they needed to defend themselves against attacks by building fortifications.
