Vikings, in pop culture are generally synonymous to marauding, Norse gods and savage huntsmen. The sight of a Viking ship in ancient times, would make Europeans tremble with fear because it held some of the greatest warriors of the time. ‘Vikings’ were people from Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark) between the 8th – 11th centuries. They are also known as Norsemen. The young men form these tribes would sail out to other lands in search of all kinds of trade opportunities and resources, but most importantly, for finding treasure. Though the exploits of these men are recorded grandiosely in Viking sagas, their real lives and stories still remain shrouded in mystery. The Viking people didn’t write and everything documented about them is written either by their enemies or their victims. Due to this, they gained a very harsh and violent image. We explore today, the lesser known instance of a Norse sailor who chanced upon America in the search for Greenland as well as what it was like to live in this supposedly savage tribe!

     Vikings were initially pagan, and the tribes would target and raid Christian monasteries due to poor defence and wealth, though this targeting is believed to be not religiously motivated. By the 12th century, however, Christianity was well-established in Scandinavia due to the efforts of the Christian missionaries. As for the ancient pagan practices, they are practically unknown to us to this day as they were not recorded until the 13th century, 200 years after the conversion to Christianity, thus diluting their authenticity greatly.

     The Viking men majorly hailed from Norway and due to the inhospitable climatic conditions of the region, were used to enduring the elements. They would venture into sailing in their early teens and by the time they grew up, were capable of travelling farther than any of the Europeans at the time. Their navigation techniques would be passed down generation to generation and were perfected during their time at sea, as they conquered new lands. 

     In 986 AD, Bjarni Herjolfsson, a Norse-Icelandic trader, set sails to Greenland in search of resources to add to the colony. After finding nothing but frozen, barren land, they sailed further, thinking it would only take a few days to reach habitable land. However, despite several weeks passing, nothing showed up. At last, the sight of seagulls enticed the hungry and delirious sailors as it held the promise of a landmass nearby. Drawing closer, they saw impossibly high mountains and beneath the mountains was a plethora of potential, to build more ships in the form of timber. These men were not in Greenland anymore. They had sailed southwards and west, falling off the map of the known world, and reached all the way to North America!  As far as medieval sagas go, Bjarni and his men were the first Europeans to arrive in North America. This land came to be known as Vinland. More than 400 years, later, Christopher Columbus reached the same coast.

     ‘Skraelings’, or simply, Native Americans, however, imparted the end of the American colony of the Vikings by outnumbering them. Using the North American shore as a guideline, the sailors then reached Greenland again, once more to find a massive land almost entire void of trees. A couple of decades later, in the year 1000 AD, Leif Erikson was the first Viking to establish a proper, working colony in America, which failed after 3 years due to the hostility of the natives. During the same time, the Vikings were launching similar missions all around the world in a similar manner, creating one of the first inter-connected northern European systems for the first time, which for many historians, is the basics for the modern world. 

In the bronze age however (about 2000 years before Bjarni’s advent), the brave Vikings were not given this regard by their Greek and Roman counterparts. They were instead known as illiterate barbarians known for warfare (an image that is intact to this day and forms a big part of the representation of Vikings in popular culture). In truth, the Vikings of the time were capable of trade and seafaring and had collected resources and artefacts from halfway across the world. This was the start of the Bronze Age, as well as that of modern civilization and trade. 

     As for the Vikings staying back home with their families, daily life would look nothing short of bizarre to the modern man. For instance, beer was a usual drink for everyone, including the children! This beer however, had about 2% of alcohol content and had a sweet honey-like taste. A drink with higher alcohol content was consumed on special occasions and reverentially so because its effects were said to take the Viking men “closer to God”. Today, we call it getting drunk, of course! 

     The average Viking dinner too was devoid of meat, as meat was scarce and thus, expensive; they often ate fish too. Some stranger types of meat include whale, seal, horse and goat meat. They grew their own food and would bake with the produce. In their past-time, Viking men enjoyed swimming, wrestling and horse-racing and in the winters, they played games similar to skiing and ice-skating. Archaeological evidence shows children had wooden dolls and small model boats. 

     Life in a Viking tribe was a constant battle against harsh natural conditions, and this probably contributed to enhanced physical endurance within the people. Most importantly, in the Viking days, the reputation of the family was very important. The parents would teach their children the life skills they would need to survive and in times of trouble, the family would take refuge in safe, protected places. So, would you be a stay-at-home Viking or a sailor Viking?