The Tradition Of The Century Viking Wars

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.

Coming from Scandinavian countries, predominantly Denmark and Norway, the Vikings began raiding the British Isles in the late 700s (James). The Vikings primarily targeted monasteries, because that is where most of the wealth was concentrated (Loughrey). These raids were very violent, people were killed, and the survivors were sold into slavery (Loughrey). These violent raids earned the Vikings the reputation of barbarians, much like the Mongols a few centuries later in Asia. After some time, once the Vikings exhausted most of the wealth in the monasteries, they turned their interest into settling the British Isles (James). By the late 9th century the Vikings had conquered most of England (James). However, even though these Viking kingdoms did not last very long, the Scandinavians who resided there stayed. These Scandinavians would go on to change the British Isles in many ways. Despite the violent and negative impacts of Viking raids on the British Isles, once the Vikings settled down, they had a significant and positive peaceful impact on the British Isles culturally, politically, and economically.

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 strengths of the Vikings surely was the most significant factor in enabling them to be successful in terms of their strategies and tactics. Their strategies for example included the ‘Great Army’ which consisted of small forces therefore allowing them to use the element of surprise to their advantage and so raid completely undetected. They first gathered in East Anglia (866/7) and were skillfully able to live of this land by taking horses and supplies from the locals. The success of these Great Armies is clearly represented by their ability to destroy 3 kingdoms including Northumbria, Mercia and East Anglia. The Great Army was certainly key as it was believed to have been able to ‘dramatically change the political and demographic

     Breakfast was usually eaten around 10 A.M. It might have consisted of cornbread with butter, cold meat, cider or beer, or maybe coffee or tea. The main meal was eaten around 4:00 P.M. This would be the lavish meal. When it was time to eat the man and his older sons would take their places at the table. The wife would sit next to her husband while the oldest daughter would serve the meal. Any young children would stand, not sit at a separate table and were not allowed to speak. (John F. Warner – pg.50-54)

The best place to begin the discussion regarding the family meal and how it has changed is to discuss where the idea of dinner originated. A fairly new concept, dinner came about roughly 150 years ago. While many people consider family mealtime to be a “natural phenomenon; it is a social construction.” (Carroll, xvi) During colonial times the family functioned as one unit, with everyone in the family having a

It was 1930 at the railhead on Fort Bragg; they had completed loading the equipment on the big black iron monster of a train, and covering them with heavy black tarps, which they secured to the flatbeds. Colonel Lambert was no longer running the combat train; he remained back in Washington D.C. with his command, the 3rd Infantry Regiment. With the Army of the Potomac less than thirty miles out of the capital it was time for him to return to his duties. He placed Major Reese Sales in charge of this particular mission; it was of the highest importance and no doubt would make a huge difference in the fight against General Magnus and his Army. There were only a few people aware of the cargo that was being transported north, the Major of course, Colonel Lambert, Brigadier General Clayton – who’s idea it was, and the post commander of Fort Bragg.

In addition, Romans had amazing food and dining utensils that they used for their dinner parties and elaborate meals. During Ancient Rome, “Romans waited until the main meal of the day, the cena, (Tingay and Marks 38) to truly eat. The cena came in three courses, the appetizers, the main course, and the secundae mensae. When the food was served, it came with plenty of wine. This was because Romans had two hundred varieties or more from all over the empire. In the cena, “Food was served on dishes. Most were made of glass or pottery, but if the family was very rich there would also be ornate platters of gold and silver (Tingay and Marks 39). The Romans had spoons and knives but they preferred eating with their hands and fingers. As the slaves brought the food out on various dishes they would also pour the wine from the amphorae into a jug for easy pouring during meals. At many of the meals the host would normally have three couches, the summus, medius, and imus. (Top, middle, bottom). “The diners were seated according to their social status” (Tingay and Marks 39). When the guest arrived at the host’s house for the dinner party there would be couches surrounding the tables and musicians, jugglers, acrobats, dancers, and conjurers performing. The hosts hired entertainers to the meal to make it more enjoyable and entertaining. The first course was mainly consisting of salads, seafood, eggs, and mulsum. (Wine sweetened with honey). Next, “the main

In the two years following the German invasion of Norway in 1940, Norwegians around the world struggled to find ways to help their homeland.

One king was known for his elaborate feasts; that was King Henry VII. At his banquets, he served huge wild animals with spicy sauces (Albala 167). All the animals served were only hunted by appointed knights and nobles (Albala 167). One meat that was very crowd-pleasing was called Red Deer. It was a hunted deer that was baked in a shell of eggs, flour, butter, and water (Albala 168). This was a favored dish served at many banquets. Haggis, was a popular pudding that was served. This was a mixture of organ meats and fat all boiled in a sheep stomach (Albala 169). It seems like an unpleasant dessert, but it was not served as a dessert. In fact, only in the U.S. is pudding known as something sweet (Albala 169). Even though it may sound like an undesirable meal, it was very common and well-liked cuisine. In addition to having parties, and eating, many foods had a unique way of being prepared with their particular

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.

For the Eat like a Viking History class I started the class by introducing the students to the Viking saga. One of the most famous of these is the story of Beowulf. I told them the story and pointed out a few characteristics of the story that presented examples of viking culture. After the story I discussed with the class the types of food that the Vikings ate. We then moved on to the actual eating part. During the part of the class where the students get to eat the food brought in I try to find the table etiquette of the time period. Eating the food of the time period while at the same time trying to follow the same rules of behavior give the students a glance at the people and places they are learning about. For this class before students

Jack and Annie discover the horrible world of the Vikings in ' The Attack of the Vikings' by Mary Pop Osborne, when they were searching for the super old story about Serpens Magna. They find out that the words are in Latin which was used in the 'Dark Ages' in Europe for writing. The' Dark Ages' was a time period when schooling and culture nearly diapered in Europe. Although,the Irish Monks kept Western civilization present, while Jack and Annie went off to search for the ancient story. They also found out the answer about the Serpens Magna at the end, when they were rescued by a great serpent who lived in the sea. The sea serpent was named Sarph, a Celtic creature who was associated with the Milky Way.

Brown, M. (2013). Eating Food - Manners and Etiquette. Retrieved January 31, 2015, from http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/behaviourfood.html

Eating brings people closer together everyday, and for everyone, there are important memories that have been created because of food. Whether it’s a formal dinner, or an informal picnic, there will always be special bonds between people because food was involved. We need to have traditions with food because they form and strengthen the bonds between us.