A Place Among Equals

In 1903 a miraculous discovery was made in western Norway.  Under a large mound on a small farm in the Vestford region, there was unearthed a massive Viking ship.  Its treasures and contents were so large they are still being studied today. The Oseberg ship burial, as it has come to be known, gives us important information on Norwegian Viking culture.   This essay will look at the history of its discovery, the ship itself,  its objects, the intriguing carvings, the intricate fabrics, and of course, the bodies .  By studying the Oseberg burial ship we can learn about burial practices, Norwegian Viking diets, Norwegian dress and decoration, shipbuilding practices, arts, and religion.

Erik the Red was a Norwegian Viking that was born in the 10th Century C.E, and his life contributed significantly to the outstanding legacy of the Vikings through his explorations. It is through the discovery of Greenland and its later settlement that cast Erik the Red’s legendary adventures into folklore. These two events are how Erik the Red played his role in Viking history, not through warfare, but through explorations. The adventures undertaken, and the feats achieved by Erik the Red cement his place in Viking History.

The Vikings were Norse seafarers, who mainly spoke the Old Norse language. They raided and traded from their Northern European homelands across wide areas of northern, central and eastern Europe, during the 9th to 11th century. The Vikings originated from Scandinavia, and the beginning of the Vikings expansion often originates from the raid of the Lindisfarne Monetary on 8 June 793. The Vikings were the first Westerners to sail to Iceland, Greenland, and over to the New World. However, the story of the Vikings is also an important story for the development of the Christian world in the West. Throughout this essay, I will explain the importance of Viking religion, Viking trade, and how the Viking age had an impact on the way Western and

The Vikings were a very successful group of warriors from Scandinavia. They started raiding and violently attacking other places because of their lack of resources. The Viking homeland was rural and people worked as fishers or farmers. Scandinavian people got their fish from the sea, but because the soil in that area was not very fertile, there wasn’t enough grain being grown to feed the rising population. “As Scandinavia's population grew, food shortage became a common problem. Looking for new sources of food and wealth, some Viking leaders decided to take what they needed from other people” (Doc. A). When the Vikings attacked cities, they took everything they could and then burned what was left of the destroyed city. “And the Vikings came on them just like a storm and cut them down, carried off everything, and burned the place” (Doc. B). Because of this, there was no one left to come after them, or anyone to avenge

When one sees the word Viking, the mind firstly shifts to men who are uncivilized and unprincipled. Using evidence of achievements and victories will not only show how much they impacted Europe, but how sophisticated Vikings actually were. As Charlemagne’s empire ended, the people of Europe showed extraordinary resilience toward the new movements of the era. From 800 to 1200 CE, Vikings ruled medieval Europe. These Vikings, along with thick soil, are credited with shifting Europe from endemic violence toward cooperation and legal order. An attack on the Lindisfarne monastery off the coast of Northumberland in northeastern England marked the beginning of the Viking Age. Vikings began to appear in Europe due to Scandinavian raiders repeatedly visiting the Christian countries of Europe. At first they were content with just raiding lands, but soon they began to seize land and proclaim rule. They sought riches, not land. With this established rule, Vikings promised safety and began to reform the lands they had acquired. The people agreed due to starvation and possible attacks from eneimes. The new lands had a need for settled agriculture, defensive warfare and commerce. As the Vikings began to fulfill these needs they saw an expansion in cooperation and rule of law among the villagers.

The records in the mid 9th century talks of destruction, war, criminals, and poverty. This Document also supports my claim that there were dark times during this time periods that were devastating. Travel was difficult there were negative experiences going on. However, this happens during many if not all time periods because we are all humans attempting to figure things out. This document might also have a bit of a religious bias because they are referring to the Vikings north as “Heathens”. They wouldn’t even refer to them as a tribe, but a group that is not in their

The Vikings lived about one thousand years ago in the lands that we now call Iceland, Lapland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. To most people the Vikings were raiders that got in their longboats and sailed somewhere and then went from town to town killing and pillaging. This is not completely true, because the Vikings were also

Quite regularly, Vikings are thought to have been savage warriors that possessed no respect for religion, however, the Vikings had a very rich belief system which is most evident when taking a close look at their burial rituals and view of the afterlife. Most often, Vikings buried their dead in boats and would either cast them off into the ocean, bury them in underground chambers or cremate them. Like the Egyptians, Vikings were usually buried with items that were thought to be of use during the afterlife, such as daily clothes, personal belongings, food, drink, and weapons. It seems that the most respectable way to depart life was by dying in battle, which guaranteed them a place in Odin's grand hall, Valhalla, where they would partake in

Viking history and culture have been depicted in many movies, television series, and stories. Vikings are commonly known as barbarians that raid villages and intimidate others with huge ships with dragon heads, and horned helmets. This information is based on facts, but has been distorted and exaggerated over many years and tales. Viking history spans from the years 780 until 1100, which is the time span of the Viking raids. Not every Scandinavian was a Viking; Vikings were known as the men that conducted raids and bloody battles. The old definition of Viking was synonymous with the term pirate. The modern definition is relevant to the Scandinavian medieval culture, to include farming, crafting and trading.

He drew and lifted his knife high to reflect the light. “They used bows with arrows that could pierce shields. Look. He passed his knife to a man who passed it on to the others. “Steel is harder than flint. These Norse people decided they liked it here and wanted to stay. The Algonquin said they would permit them to live beside them if they shared their weapons and animals. The Norse people said no and war followed. The Norse had better weapons but fewer people. At the end, the Norse got back on their big canoes and went away.”

Vikings throughout history have created a false sense of identity over time. Usually in medias and stories the Vikings are depicted as savage barbarians bent on destruction, but never as structured civilized people who had a well formed and organized military. The Vikings were a collective clan of people, that stemmed from northern europe during the middle ages. They engaged in many activities that were propounded in other countries, those being trade, exploration, and colonization. They founded many cities on three different continents, several of which are still occupied.

Vikings were just brutal raiders all they did was kill and steal I mean try being the people who got raided you would get killed of torched for a long time I mean stuff that. “This Viking raid on the island of Lindisfarne, just off the Northumbrian coast, was not the first in England. A few years before, in 789, ‘three ships of northmen’ had landed on the coast of Wessex, and killed the king’s reeve who had been sent to bring the strangers to the West Saxon court.” http://www.english-heritage.org.uk. In Lindisfarne, the Viking barged

It is widely believed that the Vikings were little more than barbaric and brutish warriors that had little to no lasting influence on European societies. This belief, however, is wrong. The viking age lasted approximately from 800 CE - 1100 CE and created a lasting influence on things such as art, technology, cultures, trade and currency. There is still currently a firm hold of the concept of Vikings in Danish societies and there are traces of Scandinavian dialect in places like Scotland and North England. The Vikings, while they did have an excellent military system, were more than a violent society of people and they have made many last influences on modern society and were a prominent and important empire in early Europe.

'Ravagers, pagans, ruthless," Time magazine claims on the Vikings. They were more than that. Without them history wouldn't be the same. They had trade routes from Iraq to the Canadian Pacific. They were Metalworkers. they were explorers "whose restless hearts brought them to North America some 500 years before Columbus." They were warriors. They were Democrats. Many people think of them as the men who worshipped Thor and had horned hats. Well one of these is wrong. Vikings never wore horned hats. They had great Hygiene. They slave traded. Much like Sparta their women had rights. Vikings were known also for farming.

I believe that Vikings weren’t just brutal raiders. Instead of raiding they sometimes liked to spend time with their family, manage their farms and learn poetry. But when the Vikings were raiding they were so brutal and absolutely terrifying. When Vikings came people were helpless, they couldn’t do anything. They would have to just run around and hope for the best. Not many people survived Viking raids, but if you did there must have been a miracle. However, despite the fact that Vikings liked to raid and kill there were some good in them.