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Vikings: the gory crusaders of the first millennium have earned themselves (not to mention their horned hats) their own special spot in modern day pop culture. But were the Vikings //really// just bloody murderers with hearts of stone? Join us as we dive deep into the mysteries of the past, and discover the REAL VIKINGS.

Big 6 1.2 Ten Essential Questions
The Vikings were people from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden in the medieval times. They earned themselves a bad reputation with their name because in old Norse, the word "Viking" meant pirate, which referenced their murders and robberies.
 * 1. Who were the vikings and what did they do for a living?**

The Vikings appeared around 750 AD, with the attack on the monastery in Lindisfarne to the Viking Diaspora in 1050 AD. Other scholars believe these two dates are 793 AD and 1066 AD. As stated in the previous questions, they came from the area of Europe known as Scandinavia, which consisted of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. However, by the end of the Viking age (circa 1100), they had spread throughout Greenland, Iceland, Northeastern North America ( North America was originally discovered by Vikings, a fact unknown to many), and parts of Russia and the Middle East.
 * 2. Where and when did the Vikings live?**



They did wear the helmets, but they did not have horns on them. They used helmets for protection. They were round, and smooth curved surfaces. They liked to wear jewelry, and even poor vikings would buy their jewelry even though they could afford anything else. In the winter, they would bundle up their furs and woolen clothing. In summer, they wore silk and thinner woven wool. The clothings are different between rich and poor vikings. The rich vikings wear clothings made from linen, wool, and sometimes silk from Asia. The poor vikings wear wool and linen because they couldn't afford silk.
 * 3. What kind of clothing did the Vikings wear?(did they really wear those ridiculous hats with horns on them?)**

Vikings enjoyed violence and saw it as a healthy way of life. However, not all the things that Vikings did were bad; many were simply traders or farmers, who sailed to different parts of the world to get land. It is simply a common misconception that all Vikings were violent, gory, blood-loving creatures.
 * 4. Did Vikings enjoy doing those horrible things? If so, then why?**

There are viking poetry and stories, called sagas by the Norsemen, found. They also played board games such as Chess and Kings' Table (somewhat like chess, but with only one king, one team wanting to capture him and the other wanting to defend him). Other Viking activities included racing, swimming, wrestling, skiing, horse fighting, and curling. Young Viking children would have played with dolls made of wooden spoons or pinecones, wrapped in cloth; older children and adults may have played with balls made of wood, leather, or cloth stuffed with sheep wool.
 * 5. What did Vikings do for enjoyment (other than pillage people)?**

The vikings had many gods, but they worshiped two main groups: the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir primarily consisted of of Odin (chief god of wisdom/war/death/magic/poetry/prophecy), Frigg (Odin's wife, goddess of sky/love/motherhood/marriage), Thor (god of thunder), Baldr (killed young), and Tyr (Odin's son, god of single combat). The Vanir were made up of three main deities: Njordr (god of wind/seacoast/seamanship/sailing/fishing), Freyr (goddess of agriculture/weather/fertility), and Freyja (goddess of love/beauty/fertility/war/battle/death/magic/prophecy/wealth). During Ragnarok (translated roughly as "fate of the gods") a final battle was waged between the Aesir and the Vanir, and many of the gods and giants were destroyed. The fact that they were Pagans turned many people against them; however, later on, most Vikings converted to Christianity. The Vikings believed that after death, they would travel to the next life in a ship (rich Vikings had themselves buried with ships to make it easier for them to pass on). The Vikings took part in religious celebrations that included frequent sacrifices.
 * 6. What was the Vikings’ culture/religion? Did they believe in God/gods?**

The vikings had an important need to rise up their social classes. They didn't believe in an afterlife, so they only had one chance to get as much fame as possible. To a Viking, the greatest honor was to have your name remembered. Therefore, they had to rise above everyone else by violence. When a Viking returned home with treasures and slaves, he then gained a higher social status compared to those who stayed home. They also believed their day of death would be chosen by the gods on the day they were born. Therefore, they could not lose anything by raiding since their death was already determined. Everything they did in life was up to them and the way they would be remembered in the future was determined by what they did. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain by raiding villages.
 * 7. Did Vikings believe that they had a good reason to kill people? Was it, in their opinion, not a sin?**

Some of the vikings ate meat (such as deer, beef, lamb, goat, pork, and whale), poultry (chicken, wild goose, duck, pigeon, etc.), fish (cod, flat-fish, oysters, eels, salmons, etc.), nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, etc.), fruits (plums, apples, blackberries, rasberries, cherries, etc.), dairy products (butter, milk, eggs, etc.), grains (wheat, oat, barley, etc.), vegetables (wild carrots, wild celery, turnips, etc.), herbs/spices/medicines (horseradish, poppyseeds, etc.), legumes (peas, and fava), and breads (ingredients found are rye, wheat, oats, spelt, etc.).
 * 8. What was the Vikings’ main diet?**

The vikings spoke Old Norse. Old Norse is a North Germanic language which was spoken in Iceland, Greenland, and other northern European areas. Their written language consisted of many different runes, which each represented a different phonetic sound; however, each rune could also represent a word or idea. Old Norse bears a remarkable similarity to Old English, since both are derived from Proto-Germanic.
 * 9. What language did the Vikings speak?**



A king ruled each Viking community. The people were divided into three social classes; nobles, freemen, and slaves. The nobles included the kings, and other people who had great wealth. The free men and women included farmers, merchants, and others who served the ruler or worked for themselves. Many of the slaves were Scandinavians whose ancestors had been slaves themselves. Others were Europeans who had been captured in raids. Most Vikings stayed in one class for their entire life. The Vikings also had an organized government. Each town or settlement had a its own local court, which they referred to as the "Thing." The Thing was an early form of democracy, with normal people selected by vote making it up. Hypothetically, all the power was in the hands of the commoners, but it was the king who really had the power.
 * 10. Were the Vikings one large group of people with a single government, or were they just small bands of disorganized pirates?**

The dragon-headed Viking ships, also referred to as the //drekar,// were a major advance in ship-building technology. They were made with oak, ash, elm, pine, larch, and several other woods. The warships were made with oak. However, the only unique thing about the black-hulled viking ships was its amazing construction. Using an axe instead of a saw, they would cut oak tree trunks into long, thin planks. They attached these to a pointy structure at the base of a finished ship called a keel. Then, they overlap these two as well, making a large board. Vikings used this technique to shape the hull of the ship. Vikings then firmly joined evenly-spaced floor timbers to the keel instead of the hull; and this ensured flexibility and endurance. They then added crossbeams to provide a deck with some
 * 11. How were Viking ships made? How did they affect the development of sailing worldwide?**

The Viking Diaspora refers to the rapid spread of Norsemen throughout the 8th through 11th centuries. By the year 1000 CE, Vikings were all over the northern hemisphere, anywhere between Greenland in the north and west to Baghdad in the east and and south. This major expansion was only possible due to the Vikings amazing ship-building skills.
 * 12. What was the Viking diaspora? When did it take place?**

As explained before, many Vikings were just farmers or settlers, and women were most often required for such a lifestyle, since they had to tend for the house and farm when their husbands were away. Also, for a permanent settlement in a new land to be established, there would have to be women. Some historians believe that women may even have been allowed to be in charge of trade, and earning a living for the family. Women were allowed to become priestesses, a high and important role in Norse culture. However, the majority of women simply cooked, made clothing, and cared for children and the elderly. In certain Viking sagas, shieldmaidens, or virgins who take up a life as a warrior, are featured. However, there is speculation whether they ever actually existed.
 * 13. What was the role of Viking women?**

Perhaps the most famous Viking ever was Erik Thorvaldson, otherwise know as Erik the Red. He was born around 950 CE and died around 1003 CE. When he was around 20, he was banished from his homeland of Iceland for killing another man. Erik decided to investigate rumors of larger lands to the west, and thus Greenland was discovered. Three years later, Erik and his son, Leif, born around the year 960, returned to Iceland and asked everyone if they would like to come with them back to Greenland. Many of the Icelanders went with Erik, since times had not been good in Iceland. Later, around when he was 30, Leif Eriksson would become the very first man to sail to America. Leif died ~1030.
 * 14. Who were some famous Vikings?**



Videos
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Mr. Garrison SKAR Big 6 2.1 Determine the Range of Possible Sources (brainstorm) 12/07/06

• Google.com • Ask.com • Answers.com • Wikipedia.org • Cupertino Library's librarian(s) • Lawson librarian (Mrs. Behzadi) • Parents • Mr. Garrison • Encyclopedia Britannica/other encyclopedias • Books/videos • Articles (newspapers,magazines) • World Book(internet encyclopedia)

Mr. Garrison SKAR (Shruthi, Kentaro, Amrutha, Robert) Big 6 2.2 Evaluate the Possible Sources to Determine Priorities 12/07/07

• Google.com • Wikipedia.org • Ask.com • Answers.com • School librarian • Mr. Garrison • Parents • World Book • Encyclopedias/books

Mr. Garrison SKAR(Shruthi, Kentaro, Amrutha, Robert) Big 6 3.1 Location and Access: Where can I find what I need 12/10/07

Google.com- on the internet/computer Ask.com- on the internet/computer Answers.com- on the internet/computer Wikipedia.org- on the internet/computer Cupertino Library librarian(s)- at the Cupertino Library Lawson Librarian- at the Lawson Library Parents- at home Mr. Garrison- in classroom Encyclopedia Britannica/ other encyclopedias- Cupertino/Lawson Library Books/videos- Cupertino/Lawson Library Articles- magazines; newspapers; Lawson/Cupertino Library World Book- on the internet/computer

Mr. Garrison SKAR (Shruthi, Kentaro, Amrutha, Robert) Big 6 3.2 Find Information Within Sources 12/10/07

1. Vikings 2. Who were the Vikings and what did they do for a living? 3. Viking Professions 3. Daily Viking life 3. Viking homes 3. Viking clothing 3. Viking food 2. What was the Viking’s culture/religion? 3. Viking gods 3. Viking mythology 3. Viking religious beliefs 3. Viking holidays 3. Viking literature 3. Viking language 3. Viking ideals 2. What was the Viking's form of leadership (if they even had leadership)? 3. Viking rulers 3. Viking government 3. Viking leadership 3. famous Viking groups

Big 6 4.1 Engage the source