VIKINGS lacking These bands would negotiate the seas in their longships and mount hit-and-run raids on cities and towns along the coasts of Europe Their burning plundering and killing earned them the name vikingr meaning pirate in the early Scandinavian languages Their expression for these campaigns of swift cruel attacks was to go a-viking The fierce reputation of the Viking warrior has survived the centuries Some attributes are myths such as their nonexistent horned helmets However some truths are more bizarre than any thing that could be fabricated such as the berserkers the Viking warriors who put themselves in a trance of rage before battle biting their shields and howling like animals Besides warriors Vikings were artisans craftsmen and traders Vikings were some of the earliest pioneers trekking across the Atlantic Ocean to Iceland Green land and North America They traveled throughout Europe and as far east as Central Asia They ex changed their goods such as honey tin wheat wool wood iron fur walrus ivory and fish for silver silk spices glass jewelry and more Slaves were also a part of the Viking trade Much of our understanding of the Vikings comes from accounts from cul tures other than the Scandinavians often cultures that have been raided or con quered Some of these biased reports understandably paint Viking warriors as violent brutal aggressors The 8
INTRODUCTION English cleric and scholar Alcuin the Elder wrote of the Vikings in the late 700s Never before has such terror appeared in Brit ain as we have now suffered from a pagan race While formi dable the people known as Vikings were a complex civilization who contributed much to European society even while spreading terror and chaos Through travels and trade they helped connect distant cultures spreading goods as well as ideas 9
CHAPTER 1 VIKINGS AT HOME The word Viking has come to be the label applied to the people and culture of Scandinavia during the Viking Age even those who were not marauders Vikings more or less looked much like people of today though perhaps a bit shorter because of poorer nutrition BEAUTY AND FASHION Most cultures have a standard of beauty and Vikings were no different Blonde hair was preferred Men and women used strong soap containing lye to bleach their hair including the men’s beards Ahmad Ibn Fadlan a tenth-century Arab traveler called the Vikings the filthiest of God’s creatures But at least wealthier Vikings were known for their cleanliness Tweezers razors combs and ear-cleaning tools made from animal bones and antlers have been found at excavation sites Viking men wore jackets and pants Women wore dresses Both wore a long cloak fastened at one or both shoulders over their clothes Cloaks fashioned over one shoulder made it easier to car ry and use a weapon Wealthier people wore silver or gold brooch es on their cloaks Shoes were made of calf or goatskin Vikings wore skates or spikes on their feet to cross ice-covered surfaces in winter 10
This image shows an artist’s imagining of Vikings It is an illustration of a story in which they aid an old Irish woman 11
