por He origin of the vikings It is found in the Nordic maritime peoples originating from Scandinavia, famous for their raids and pillaging of Europe between the 8th and 11th centuries. They were characterized by their skill as navigators, extending their incursions to the Mediterranean coast, the Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa. Its expansion also achieved the dissemination of Nordic culture in those places.
It is believed that the term viking comes from the norse word vik, which means «small bay, inlet or inlet». Another theory indicates that it may be the demonym of the Norwegian district of Viken (Vikin), so they would simply «originate from Vikin». However, this theory was dismissed since in ancient texts, those who belonged to that town were called «vikverir, people of Vik».
It is also thought that the Viking name derives from the term vikingr, the word for «pirate» in Old Norse.
The runic inscription of the term indicates that a Viking was a man who left his homeland to gain fortune and adventure and returned with new wealth and fame. The word exists as a noun: “vikingr”, an individual who travels on adventures, and also as a verb, “víking”, to travel or participate in those adventures.
The Germans called them «ash men», after the solid wood of that tree with which they built their ships. The Franks called them «Northmen» or «Danes,» and so did the English.
The Vikings are classified as Anglo-Scandinavians, a term used in an archaeological and historical sense for the period between the 8th and 11th centuries (800-1066). During that time, the Scandinavian peoples were the ones who moved and carried out the occupation of what are now the British Isles.
viking age
The Viking Age begins in about 790, when they began sailing south through the Norwegian Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Due to their extensive expeditions, the Vikings cannot be assigned only the Scandinavian territory, which currently corresponds to Denmark, Norway and Sweden, but also many places in Great Britain.
They managed to dominate politically a large number of territories, including among them Iceland and Greenland and the Shetland, Orkney and Faroes Islands, located between Great Britain and the southwest coast of Norway.
It is documented in history that they reached the Byzantine Empire, where they served as mercenaries. An order of imperial bodyguards made up of Scandinavian men was also created, which became known as the Varangian Guard.
Scandinavian soldiers were trustworthy, as they upheld the Viking tradition of absolute fidelity, until death if necessary. They served as the emperor’s personal guard and their main weapon was the double-edged axe.
In addition, there are historical data on the arrival of the Vikings in Baghdad, the center of the Islamic Empire. They are also known to have navigated the waters of the Volga River to trade their wares. Among them, seal blubber to seal the ships and waterproof them against water, skins, tusks and slaves.
The Vikings expanded their lands to the north and west. The Norwegians came to Scotland, Iceland, Ireland and Greenland and the Danes to England and France.
The Swedes reached the east and founded the Kievan Rus’ federation, which unified all the modern states of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. A territory that stretched from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south.
During the Viking Age, the nations of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark did not exist, separated only by geographic boundaries. That is why the Vikings formed a single and great culture, very similar in language and customs, although there were different kingdoms.
At the end of the period of Viking conquests and expansions, these countries acquired their own identities with the process of Christianization.
Expansion and invasion of the Vikings
The Vikings sailed in their fabulous ships, built of solid wood, with capacity for rowers and crew and a single square sail, which gave them great maneuverability, speed and efficiency.
They became navigators of the North Atlantic shores, reaching as far as eastern Russia, North Africa, the capital of the Byzantine Empire (Constantinople) and the Middle East. Some even reached North America, settling in what is now Canada (Newfoundland), during the Middle Ages.
The Vikings were famous for their raiding and pillaging, but also for their trading alliances and for working as mercenaries if required.
In their culture, it was popular to return to their homeland with the wealth they had achieved, but later they began to settle in the places they invaded or conquered.
However, its expansion into continental Europe was limited. This is due to the strong kingdoms that inhabited the area, such as the Saxons, located in what currently corresponds to northern Germany.
The Saxons were a combative people who often came into conflict with the Vikings. However, the Vikings managed to establish their presence in the Baltic Sea. It is said that there were several reasons why they decided to start an expansion campaign around the world.
One possible explanation is the reign of Charlemagne in Europe, who terrified all pagan peoples with conversion to Christianity or execution. The Vikings would have decided to resist and thus protect themselves from Charlemagne.
Another explanation is that they wanted to take advantage of the moment of weakness in some regions. The Vikings took advantage of the breaches and divisions to attack and loot the coastal cities.
Countries that did not have an organized maritime navy made it easy for the Vikings to take control of most of the navigable routes, either by raiding or trading.
The level of invasions and raids that the Vikings carried out in Europe was unprecedented in history. It was the only known town, at that time, capable of carrying out this type of campaign and managing to enter the regions.
Even in the 11th century, the king of Denmark became king of England. Other invasions also led them to settle in northern France.
During the 9th century they tried to occupy Ireland as well, gaining a slight advantage in the 10th century, but never fully succeeding due to fierce resistance from the Irish.
viking culture
The legacy of the Vikings continues to this day. They created writing symbols (runes) that possibly constituted an alphabet. With the runes they wrote in the language of ancient Scandinavia – Old Norse.
Some of its words were acquired by English and are used today. Leather, knife, husband, hell (“leather”, “knife”, “husband”, “hell”) are some examples. The English word for Thursday, thursday, It is a Nordic word in honor of the god Thor, which means «day consecrated to Thor, god of thunder» (Thor’s Day).
At the end of his golden age, certain writings in Latin or Old Norwegian began to appear, giving us more details of his interesting way of life. Their traditions were known by the skalds, a kind of Scandinavian bards who recited epic poems –known as sagas– recounting the adventures of Viking kings and lords.
The Vikings were pagans and had a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses, which, as in most ancient cultures, represented some aspect of the real world.
Although Scandinavia received Christian influence like the rest of Europe, its influence was slower and its original religion lasted longer. It should be noted that the Vikings personalized their beliefs from one place to another, adapting them to the realities of each locality.
The central pillar of their religion was based on two sets of gods. The Vanir and the Aesir, who for a time were at war but were eventually able to come to an agreement through a hostage exchange.
The main gods are the Aesir, who together with Odin, the father of all gods, lived in Asgard, a divine realm that was connected to the earth, called Midgard. The connection was established through a rainbow-shaped bridge known as Bïfrost.
Along with Odin, the main gods were Thor, the god of thunder, and Freya, goddess of beauty and fertility and queen of the Valkyries. In the Viking religion there is also a large number of minor characters, and giants, dwarves and dark elves are mentioned.
The Valkyries, for their part, were also important within the pantheon. They were female deities who served Odin to find the bravest warriors who died in battle and take them to Valhalla, a huge hall in Asgard compared to paradise.
There, the fallen soldiers became einherjer. That is, warrior spirits who would fight alongside Odin in Ragnarok, the great battle at the end of the world that would occur in the twilight of the gods.
In Viking society, men were warriors and also the ones with the greatest political and economic power. Women enjoyed greater freedom than in other contemporary cultures, and although they generally engaged in the private sphere, nothing prevented them from going to war or assuming an important political role.
When a powerful or wealthy Viking died, his body was to be burned according to a ritual, which included a ship where he would leave most of his possessions. Even slaves and pets were sacrificed and buried or burned along with the Viking.
Whether or not they made human sacrifices is controversial. In the event that this was the case, these were volunteers among their slaves at the time of their master’s death, as is found written in different documents.
Viking military practices and technology
The Vikings were known for being great military strategists and conquerors, with their spectacular ships, which could accommodate 40 or 60 men.
Viking ships had a unique design. Some of them, like the gokstad, were also used for the funeral ritual. The gokstad was 23.3 meters long and 5.25 meters wide. The advantage and characteristic of this ship was its lightness, being much more maneuverable than other rigid ships.
Their looting and robbery activities were feared by all the towns. Above all, because of the torture techniques they practiced on their enemies. One of the most famous is the «Blood Eagle», where the chest of the enemy was cut and his ribs were extracted along with his lungs, forming a kind of winged angel.
These tortures symbolized a gift to the gods and to Odin, as a sign of the victory obtained.
In addition, there was an important loyalty between the warriors and their lords, with whom they were committed to the death. However, many Vikings, being professionals in war, worked as mercenaries for different masters.
In times of peace, the warriors of a lord were in charge of being messengers, forming embassies, collecting tributes and other activities. In war, they were the heart of the…