Offering a sip of water to a fellow raider while resting in an Anglo-Saxon village.
Near Current-Day Hampshire, UK ; Latter half of the 10th Century. "Go where you're appreciated and do not linger in places where you are not. Never settle. It is when you feel that you are not worthy of better that the opposite could not be more true."
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Showing off the spoils of the raid.
Near Current-Day Hampshire, UK ; Latter half of the 10th Century. While precious trade goods like silver, gold and jewels were certainly major targets during Viking raids, simpler items like food, cloth, and home goods were equally as important, especially among the lower-class raiders. As a result of this, our Dane has managed to snag a silver bracelet, a long length of wool, and some smaller trade goods (carried in the satchel over his shoulder). Rushing into action, this Danish warrior rapidly approaches an Anglo-Saxon village on his first-ever raid.
Such raids would have been fast and violent, with the Vikings attacking in full-force, often quickly eliminating the defending forces, or causing the inhabitants to flee for safety. Anglo-Saxon Britain had seen some time of peace after Eric Bloodaxe was driven out in 954AD, however, starting again in 980, Danish raiders (or "Vikings") began their raids once again. The Anglo-Saxon leader, King Aethelred (often dubbed "Aethelred the Unready") had been combating rumours of his participation in his half-brother, Edward the Martyr's, death, thus creating a great deal of difficulty in rallying those under his command to stave off the Viking threat, creating prime real estate for plunder. The king would later be heavily criticized by other Anglo-Saxon leaders due to his tactic of appeasement to the invaders, often choosing to simply pay them off, rather than combat them and drive them back into the sea. These raids in 980 would start with relative ease, as many of the villages and towns attacked would have been poorly-defended and otherwise unsuspecting of such attacks, and as such, very slow to defensive action. Near Current-Day Hampshire, UK ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Preparing to depart to the West in search of untold riches. Recent power struggles in the western islands (now current-day Britain) have yet again created gaps in leadership and military might, and thus leaving the region ripe for plunder and raiding yet again.
Little does this Dane know, the events unfolding before him will set in motion battles and power seizures that will shape the core of Britain for centuries to come. Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Our Dane is now on his way to becoming a true Viking Warrior! “But that doesn’t look like a Viking,” you might say, and you would be mostly correct. Despite our modern vision of what most Scandinavian men that went a-Viking (as in, the act of Viking, more on that in another article) might have looked like, they were not these overly armor-clad warriors with giant axes and covered in war paint, but rather most of them were average farmers and citizens of Scandinavian - in this case Danish - society, much in the way that if one were to set off today on such a quest (though we don’t recommend it), they would probably take what was available to them and what they were comfortable with, rather than just something to look cool and intimidating, which back then more than ever, many would have known that that is nothing more than a quick way to get killed!
So what makes this man a “Viking”? In short, nothing, save his future actions. Much in the way we refer to those who go pirating as “pirates,” the action of going Viking, as a verb, meant one was going on a raid, and the term was simply used as both a verb or a noun, meaning the ones who went on said raids were also Viking. One common misconception is that everyone in ancient Norse society was referred to as “Vikings” - which is simply not true. To refer to anyone living in the various regions of Scandinavia during the entire Early Medieval Period as “Vikings” is no different than referring to anyone living in the American colonies between the 16th and 18th Centuries as “Pyrates!” It should also be stated that there is much debate if the term “Viking” was even in use during this period, or if it was in fact a future creation during the Medieval, or perhaps even later, periods to describe this small percentage of the Scandinavian population. It is thought that during the “Viking Age,” many would have simply described them as raiders or some other loose term, rather than labeling them with their own terminology. As stated, it is merely his actions that make the man a “Viking,” rather than his place of origin or equipment. That said, one would certainly need a good degree of useful items when going on said trips, this much we know, as these excursions could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, and even longer perhaps, depending on the place being traveled to, how difficult the raids were expected to be, the route taken, and the weather. Just as anyone traveling a long distance today would have had to plan for the worst, but hope for the best, so too would have been the case during this period. The most obvious items of war are those of a shield and spear, as it would be fruitless (and most likely a death sentence) to go on these raids unarmed. In many instances, the raids would take place somewhere that the inhabitants would be trying desperately (and sometimes successfully) to defend. Since our warrior is of the lower class, he would not have the funds to acquire fancy swords, or purpose-built war axes, but rather a simple spear would suffice. A shield would also be necessary to protect the user from all various degrees of handheld and projectile attacks during the raid, as well. He also has a leather costrel water bottle and shoulder bag. The costrel would be used to transport clean drinking water over distances if none was expected to be present, and the shoulder bag (copied off wooden bag opening finds from Haithabu and Sweden) would not only be used to carry necessary goods such as a fire steel and striker and food, but also any additional items picked up during the raid that could be transported back and used for trade value when returning home. The final unique item to his kit is that of a sleeping mat. As with today, people during the Viking Age most likely new of the dangers of sleeping on the bare ground. Contrary to what we see in movies where hardened men are sleeping directly on the cold, hard ground in the dead of winter (or even summer months for that matter), these are quite wrong, as anyone who has actually attempted this can attest. As it turns out, it is far harder for you to heat the entirety of Earth at night than it is for the Earth to cool you down! This means anyone sleeping outside would need something to sleep on, which is why modern day military and outdoorsmen usually carry some form of sleeping mat to put between them and the Earth’s surface. Whether it is an expensive foam or inflatable mat, or in our Viking’s case, a leather and sheep’s wool hide, this would be a more than valuable tool when staying for extended times in camp on land if no indoors lodging was present. The hide has been smoke-tanned, which makes the leather side very hard and stiff, while the wool side is still soft and comfortable to sleep on. The mat has been rolled up and secured using braided grass rope, which allows it to be slung across the shoulder for transportation. So with these added items in his inventory, our Dane is officially ready to fulfill his capacity as a true Viking. And see what riches lie ahead in new lands! "And how many times have I prayed?
The angels would speed me away. Dream with the feathers of angels stuffed beneath your head, The regulator's swinging pendulum, Come with me and walk the longest mile..." Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Waiting patiently for warmer weather and for Skaði to carry us successfully through another Winter.
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Once the weather begins to clear, combat training to use the spear and shield will commence.
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. Though spring is almost here, it certainly doesn't look or feel like it!
Haithabu, Current-Day Germany ; Latter half of the 10th Century. |
AboutThis part of the site will look at the various aspects of life on Viking Age Danish people. From what they ate, to how they may have fought. Archives
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