The 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 sim ...view middle of the document...
? 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 fatal attacks with axes, bows and arrows, spears and swords. The axe had a long handle with a curved double blade. This was used in a chopping motion towards arms and legs.The first attack was said to be made early in the morning on a June day in 793.The Vikings trudged the sea to a small island called Lindisfarne. Unarmed monks who had just awakened to perform their daily rituals were killed at the altar and some were dragged to the sea to drown.The reason for this horrible incident was for loot. There was a Christian Monastery there in Lindisfarne that contained many riches such as books lined with precious stones, tapestries in silk and linen, ivory and golden crucifixes.This invasion pretty much broke the ice for the next 400 years. The summer after the attack on Lindisfarne the Vikings came to a place called Jarrow. Here they struck another monastery. The summer of 795 they traveled to Iona, which is off the coast of Scotland. In the year of 800, they struck another monastery south of Jarrow. Because of their controlling outtakes, the churches made a new prayer. The prayer was ?From the fury of Northmen deliver us O Lord.? Even though Vikings are addressed by one very large group, there are actually three kinds of Vikings. They are Norwegian, Swedish and Danish.The Norwegian Vikings were actually the group that began the raids in Lindisfarne in 793. They raided England, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland.Because of Ireland?s fertile farms, rich churches and monasteries, it was a big target.Norwegian pirate chief Turgeis attacked Ireland from 839 to 845. He was the founder of Dublin...
