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Vikings Religion

Decent Essays

Vikings were people from the 8th to 11th century. They were known as traders, explorers, and warriors. Vikings were not large and heavy as they are depicted out to be. This is because of limited food sources. Living conditions in Scandinavian regions were very harsh and hardened the Vikings. However, a lot of them still suffered from the lack of resources. The Viking age lasted more than 300 years. Vikings were known as masters of the sea. They were known to be fierce and ruthless pirates and people feared them. However, a lot of Vikings were also poets, lawmakers, and terrific artists. The Viking society had three social classes; the elite with great economic power, free-holding farmers with the right to bear arms, and slaves with no rights. …show more content…

However, religion for Vikings did not come until about the 9th century. If some Vikings did not practice Christianity, they worshiped other gods such as Odin. About 1,000 years ago a Viking trader, that goes by the name of Thorfinnn Karlsefni, left the west coast of Greenland with three ships to explore a newly discovered land that was known to have extraordinary riches. On the Newfoundland, Snorri, Thorfinn’s son, is believed to be the first European baby born in North America. Vikings did not wear horned helmets. The only authentic Viking helmet found had no horns at all. Most Vikings had excellent hygiene. People have found tweezers, razors, combs, and ear cleaners from Viking sites. Vikings enjoyed skiing for fun. Some Vikings even worshipped a god of skiing. Primitive skis were developed at least 6,000 years ago by the Scandinavians. However, some people believe the Russians may have invented them earlier. People are always making Vikings seem like rough, unhygienic, vicious pirates. Vikings are much more than that. They are poets, artists, and they were a lot more hygienic and clean than most people of their time period. Vikings were very intelligent and crafty people. People do not realize how interesting and unique the Viking society was. There are a lot more to the Vikings than we

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