Vikings In Control
Vikings In ControlThe Vikings were fierce, heartless Barbarians who seized and looted many
European lands from the 800�s to the 1000�s. They made their sneaky attacks at the
crack of dawn killing anyone who came axe length away. Yes, this included innocent
babies, defenseless children of all ages, and helpless women.
You may think that such evil beasts came lurking from the firery pits of hell, but
their ancestors are actually Germans. The Germanic people migrated to Scandinavia,
which today includes the countries Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
During their time, these people never called themselves �Vikings.� This name
isn�t even meant to be the name of a group, but an activity. The base word vik was
simply another name for a pirate. Therefore, to go a-viking meant to fight as a warrior.
The Northmen, which is another name for Vikings, lived in small communities
that were ruled by either a king or a chief. People were divided into three classes being
noble, freeman or slaves. The nobles were usually considered Kings, Chiefs of just
people who were wealthy. The freemen were farmers, merchants and people who served
the ruler. Last, but not least slaves were Scandinavians whose ancestors had been
enslaved.
Each community had a governing council known as a �Folkmood� or �Thing.�
This association had higher rulings than the king and or chief. Here decisions of war
were made, trials were held and they decided who was in what social class.
Parents usually arranged the marriages of Northmen. Even though the husband
was in charge, Viking women had more rights than European women. Some of their
rights were they could own land, share their husbands wealth and even get a divorce at
anytime.
Vikings had their own religion where they worshipped gods Odin, Thor, and Frey.
Odin was the king of all Norse gods and goddesses. He is believed to live in a home of
gods called �Asgard.� Vikings believed that if they died in a battle; they would be sent to
a hall they called �Valhalla.� Thor was the god of weather and was important because
weather had a great affect on the lives of people. Frey was the god of agriculture and
love.
When death occurred, people were buried with possessions they had and may
need it the afterworld. A poor man would be buried with just a knife, but a rich man
would be buried with luxury items. A rich man�s slave or dog may even be buried alive
with him.
Many historians believe that Vikings were the best ship-builders of all time.
They made durable ships out of wood. The largest of these ships could hold 300
warriors. However, most ships held about 30 to 50 warriors. The amazing thing about
these ships is that they could weigh up to 20 tons and still be able to sail in only three feet
of water.
The Vikings made their gory...
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