Lief Eriksson is credited to actually have been the first to discover America, hundreds of years before Christopher Columbus. His father, Eric the Red, discovered and settled the area we know as Greenland. Two famous Vikings that came from an era that would be best known for its brutality, the legendary warriors and the mythology.
From 700-1100 AD, Vikings ruled the land. A strong and proud race of Nordic seafarers who traveled the Norwegian and Baltic seas in long boat, from battle to battle, from raid to raid. Viking Warriors were often seen wielding a sword and shield or a mighty ax in battle. In the old Norse language, Viking meant “pirate raid”, and that is what they were best known for. Vikings would travel to new lands to seek valuables …show more content…
Thus, the “Great Viking Invasion” began. They were able to conquer almost all of the kingdoms in northern England until they came to Wessex where the Vikings were defeated by King Alfred the Great. While defeated, King Alfred was unable to force the Vikings out of the country. Despite a peace treaty, the warring went on for many years.
As legendary as the Vikings were, nothing is more recognizable as a Viking funeral. Norse funerals were important displays of their pagan beliefs. Funeral pyres were used to cremate the bodies of their fallen friends, the smoke from the pyres bringing the spirits of their fellow warriors to where they belonged in the afterlife. Some Vikings chose to send those who fell in battle to Valhalla by placing their body on a boat, lighting it on fire creating a funeral pyre on the water so they could sail the sea one final time.
Not all Vikings were pillagers and plunderers. Many would be surprised to know that some Vikings were farmers, craft makers, potters, traders of wares and blacksmiths who rarely picked up a sword themselves. They wanted to settle on a land of their own and make a life for their …show more content…
The types of wild game they were able to hunt changed depending on where they were settled at the time. Since Vikings spent much of their times on their long boats traveling from land to land for raids or to barter, they also became efficient fishermen. Thus fish became a common item on the Viking menu.
A very surprising fact to historians who have always pictured Vikings sitting around a table ripping chunks of meat of a roasted pig that is hanging over a fire, is that Vikings actually preferred to boil their meats. Skause, a boiled meat stew, was one staple of the Viking diet, and many modern dietitians credit that as a far healthier choice than had they fried their meats. It allowed the meat to cook longer at a higher temperature to kill all the bacteria that could be present, and helped boil off some of the unnecessary
From 700-1100 AD, Vikings ruled the land. A strong and proud race of Nordic seafarers who traveled the Norwegian and Baltic seas in long boat, from battle to battle, from raid to raid. Viking Warriors were often seen wielding a sword and shield or a mighty ax in battle. In the old Norse language, Viking meant “pirate raid”, and that is what they were best known for. Vikings would travel to new lands to seek valuables …show more content…
Thus, the “Great Viking Invasion” began. They were able to conquer almost all of the kingdoms in northern England until they came to Wessex where the Vikings were defeated by King Alfred the Great. While defeated, King Alfred was unable to force the Vikings out of the country. Despite a peace treaty, the warring went on for many years.
As legendary as the Vikings were, nothing is more recognizable as a Viking funeral. Norse funerals were important displays of their pagan beliefs. Funeral pyres were used to cremate the bodies of their fallen friends, the smoke from the pyres bringing the spirits of their fellow warriors to where they belonged in the afterlife. Some Vikings chose to send those who fell in battle to Valhalla by placing their body on a boat, lighting it on fire creating a funeral pyre on the water so they could sail the sea one final time.
Not all Vikings were pillagers and plunderers. Many would be surprised to know that some Vikings were farmers, craft makers, potters, traders of wares and blacksmiths who rarely picked up a sword themselves. They wanted to settle on a land of their own and make a life for their …show more content…
The types of wild game they were able to hunt changed depending on where they were settled at the time. Since Vikings spent much of their times on their long boats traveling from land to land for raids or to barter, they also became efficient fishermen. Thus fish became a common item on the Viking menu.
A very surprising fact to historians who have always pictured Vikings sitting around a table ripping chunks of meat of a roasted pig that is hanging over a fire, is that Vikings actually preferred to boil their meats. Skause, a boiled meat stew, was one staple of the Viking diet, and many modern dietitians credit that as a far healthier choice than had they fried their meats. It allowed the meat to cook longer at a higher temperature to kill all the bacteria that could be present, and helped boil off some of the unnecessary