Before we can begin analyzing the ritual practices and the afterlife belief systems of the Vikings, we have to identify who the Vikings actually were.
This is not a Viking, and neither is this.
The Vikings were a group of people from Scandinavia who for upwards of 300 years in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries A.D. pillaged and plundered much of the northwestern part of Europe extending as far wast on Constantinople, as west as Greenland and as far south as the Strait of Gibraltar. In the late 8th century the people who are known as the Vikings began small invasion in search of wealth and power (Sawyer 1982). Initially the kings were not involved in the invasions of the Vikings, but as the expanse of the Viking wealth and influence grew the Kings began to take their share (Sawyer 1982).
After a prosperous Bronze Age, the Iron Age trade network of riches to the Scandinavian peninsula was much depleted because the early methods for making iron goods and weaponry failed at latitudes as far north as most of the peninsula (Jones 1968). This as a result meant that the wealth of the Viking nations was quickly depleted and they were forced to make do with what they had, or invade the most prosperous, southerly nations. Despite the Viking inferiority in metalworking, they developed and refined boat technologies that allowed the Vikings to easily roam the North Atlantic and to sail up river (Sawyer 1982).
In the archaeological record we have a rich history of Viking ships because there were several instances where a ship was buried as a funerary ritual to honor a dead high in status (Gould 2011). Many of these burials were rich in grave goods, and as we can tell from Ibn Fadlan's account of a Viking burial, there was as much happening ethnographically that is lost to the archaeologist as can be re-discovered in the ground (Pearson 1999). These Viking burial ships are like the great tombs of Egypt, survive the test of time and are saved for the elite.
They say that 'history is written by the winners' and this is one case where it is really true. Must of what we have in terms of written primary sources from the age of the Vikings comes from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, the Icelandic Saga, and a few other sources from France, Rome and other sources. The Vikings did not write down their own history. There are instances where runes, a type of writing, were left on stones, grave markers and swords that can be helpful in our discovery of Viking beliefs and their extent of influence on culture, but without archaeological context, they are of little use (Page 1971).
Over the centuries the Viking influence on Northern Europe grew and at points parts nations were divided into Viking rule and native rule. In this blog we are going to look at the burial practices of the Vikings. Over the course of the next few months we will look at ship burial sites such as Sutton Hoo and Oseberg as well as other burials that are lower in rank. We will examine the influence of Christianity on Viking burial and the influence of Viking beliefs and customs on the people whose home were invaded. Not all of Viking history is characterized by invasion, and we will take a look at the burial rituals for King Cnut and his successors. The real question we hope to answer is not what did the Vikings do, but what can it tell us about who they were?
Sources:
Page, Raymond; Parsons, David. How long did the Scandinavian Language Survive in England? The Epigraphical Evidence. Runes and Runic inscirptions: collected essays on Anglo-Saxon and Viking runes. (1971) p. 183
Jones, Gwyen. A History of the Vikings. Oxford University Press. (1968)
Gould, Richard. Sailing Ships of the Middle Ages. Archaeology and the Social History of Ships. Cambridge University Press. (2011) p. 171
Sawyer, P. H. Kings and Vikings: Scandinavia and Europe, A.D. 700-1100. Methuen & Co. ltd. (1982)
Pearson, Mike Parker. Archaeology of Death and Burial. Texas A & M University Press. (1999) p 1-3
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