The Vikings were an amazing people, but life was very hard for them. Every year, many Vikings died from influenza, or starved to death because of food spoilage or insufficient food stores to last throughout the long, harsh winters.
The Vikings adapted their lifestyle to these winters. The “longhouse” was “long” because it was easier to chop down an entire tree and drag it into a long, central fire pit, than to chop it into logs. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Residents of the longhouse had “sleeping cupboards” and long open benches along the sides of the longhouse. In winter, couples shut themselves up inside their sleeping cupboards – a loft type area with doors that closed – to gain warmth from one another’s body heat. There was little privacy of course, but physical intimacy was considered a routine aspect of everyday life.
In the kitchen of a Viking longhouse, foods such as yogurt, grain, and dried fish were stored in barrels buried into the ground and covered with wooden lids that were floor-level. The coldness of the ground helped to preserve the food, and being in the ground, much space was conserved in the kitchen. A problem many early people had was getting food to last over the winter. What does one do with a large mammoth, for instance? It can’t be eaten all at once. The Vikings had an unusual solution: They dragged the mammoth into a pond or lake, and weighted it down so that it remained on the bottom of the lake. The water temperature and the ice above preserved the meat until spring, when it was brought out and roasted for a huge celebration.
The typical landscape of the Vikings – rocky lands, steep mountains and fjords, and long winters – made agriculture a challenge. While many Vikings were simple farmers and shepherds, it was difficult to find enough land to sustain everyone. The Vikings got their reputation from the marauding tribes that sought to find better and more hospitable lands. Yet many Vikings viewed the behavior of these select few as the salvation of their group, because if they were unable to secure new lands upon which the tribes could settle, the Vikings at home would starve.
Perhaps as a result, Viking families rewarded aggressiveness and praised violent traits in their children. People who traveled through the Viking territories wrote accounts of what they saw. In reading these accounts, it is surprising to see a mother praising a son for using his axe to kill a rival tribe’s boy, for instance.
Not only were Viking boys (as well as girls) encouraged to fight, but there was special training and preparation involved. Before a battle, the Vikings often took a hallucinogenic stimulant that enabled them to fight with almost super-human vigor, endurance, and fearlessness. Tales of the Vikings’ ruthlessness and prowess at battle is what struck fear in the hearts of those who heard about Viking warriors and their attacks.
The Vikings were clever in domestic matters as well. They invented a process for braising a thin, extra-sharp and flexible sword that has never been replicated, in addition to a type of knitting that allowed a sweater to be cut, but not frayed at the cut. This was very important for fishermen who wore the woolen clothing at sea and frequently torn their clothing on fishing equipment.
Highly “religious,” the Gods played an extremely important role in the life of the everyday Viking. We see this in the new Thor movie, which very cleverly brings Thor into the present time. This contrast between the tried-and-true Viking Thor, and modern life, is extremely entertaining. Thor, of course, is quite the captivating superhero who easily appeals to female fantasies of herodom and romance. I just love the scene where they bring him into the hospital.
With Halloween fast approaching, you might like to pay tribute to Thor by celebrating the season in one of the Thor costumes for women, Thor costumes for Teens, or Thor costumes for girls that are available at Superhero Costumes for Women. I hope you enjoyed reading about the amazing Vikings. Go Vikings!