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viking imoact on western europe
viking history and culture
the vikings history culture
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This book is a very important primary source for historians because it contains the only primary source concerning the Vikings before they converted to Islam, and many other accounts of important information including Viking raids. The book shows how the Eastern Vikings lived and how the Muslim world interacted with them. It also gives insight into the state of Islam in the tenth through twelfth century. Almost all of the information is this book is relevant to historians and the eye witness accounts are very useful concerning the people and places in this time period.
Ibn Fadlan wrote because he was keeping a journal. The book is simply accounts of his journey in a first person narrative style. Ibn Fadlan started just writing about his journey, but was later on motivated to write more about things he found startling or unusual(Inroduction,xxv). It is also possible that his journey's documentation was also going to be part of a report he had to turn in to the Caliph. This is likely because of the place the accounts were found and also how Ibn Fadlan writes. The accounts were probably found in a private library in either Merv or Jurjaniya(Note on the Texts,xxxiv). He goes out of his way many times to make himself look smart and pious which would imply he wanted to look good if someone else was going to read his accounts. He claims to be the only one in his party that realized there would be a problem with Almish, the king of the Bulghars, wanting to claim his money that a letter promised him(Ibn Fadlan,10). He is also always trying to make himself look like a good muslim by enforce Muslim practices and documenting himself saying prayers(Ibn Fadlan,11,13,38).
Abu Hamid was more focused on wonders than Ibn Fadlan(Introduction,xxvi...
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...ries to convince the Vikings to veil their women(Introduction,xxv, Ibn Fadlan,38) and is frequently disgusted with the openness the Vikings have when it comes to sex and nudity(Ibn Fadlan,12,47).
The books is a very valuable book in a world history course. It is a very important primary sources for historians for many reasons. It can tell historians many things about the culture and history of this time period. Ibn Fadlan's reports are important for Russia's history because the accounts pre-date the earliest Russian written sources(Note on the Texts,xxxv). The book also includes the earliest known mentions of the cities Mainz, Prague, and Cracow(Ibrahim ibn Ya'qub,162) and the most reliable report of the Viking attack on Seville(Ibn Hayyan,105). The book is vital because it offers some of the most important primary sources of the Eastern Vikings in this time period.
Cobb, Paul. "Introduction." Ibn Munqidh, Usama. Book of Contemplation Islam and the Crusades. New York: Penguin Books, 2008. xv-xlii.
When we hears the term Viking an immediate image of bloodthirsty men with long beards and horned helmets is conjured up in our minds. This is the image the historical sources have given us, and it is partly true. Vikings were merciless when raiding, but they were peaceful when they traded. Their navigational technology was exceptional, and the ones who settled in foreign lands contributed greatly to the lands’ culture.
Leif Erikson’s grandfather, Thorvald Asvaldsson slaughtered a man in Jæren, Norway in 960 CE. This was the age of the Vikings, but Thorvald was still banished from the land (Mandia, n.d.). So he brought his ten year old son Erik, later to be named as Erik the Red because of his scarlet hair, to Drangar in northwestern Iceland on a farm with rather appalling soil (Where is Vinland?, n.d.).
Women have always been thought of as something that needed to be controlled in Muslim culture. Their bodies are a source of shame that must be covered during prayer and also in the public (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 3). Veiling, done by a hijab or chador, is when women either wear a headscarf to cover themselves or they wear a veil that covers their entire body, excluding her hands and eyes (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 1; Mir-Hosseini 2003: 41; Berger 1998: 93; Smith-Hefner 2007: 390-391; Brenner 1996: 674; El Guindi 1999: 6). Veiling is used as a tool for oppression. By having women veil themselves, it enforces the control by the male run and male dominated society (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 7). Also, the punishment for women appearing without a veil transitioned as the concept of veiling was addressed, transitioning from seventy-four lashes, to being arrested and held between ten days and two months for being “immodest” women and offending public morality, or fined 50,000 to 500,000 rials (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 8). The oppression of veiling is perpetuated through the thought that it is a woman’s religious duty to wear one, condemning foreigners and women in society if they refuse. Although it is a tool for oppression, there was resistance the oppression. In ...
The beginning of the ninth century AD to the eleventh was known as the “Viking age”; during this time Iceland was settled by Scandinavians and CeltsCeltics. Some of the settlers were Christian while most were Pagan; together they created a culture
Ibn Fadlan and al-Andalusi both travelled much of the same land. During their travels, they wrote down their experiences with other cultures. Despite the fact that their journeys were two centuries apart, they had many similarities as well as differences in their style of writing, interests, and religious interactions. The most prominent similarity is their relationship with Islam; both of them tried to convert the people they met to their religion and their religious customs. They also share similarities in what they choose to write down about a culture. However, Ibn Fadlan was far more interested in the rituals and customs of other cultures, whereas al-Andalusi chose to primarily focus on food, animals, and the resources of other civilizations. They also have distinct differences in how they interact with others and the style of their writing. Ibn Fadlan is far more active in his writing because he describes his judgments and writes more about himself. Conversely, al-Andalusi is more passive, and writes less about himself or his opinions.
Cohat, Yves. The Vikings: Lords of the Seas. Trans. Ruth Daniel. New York: A Times Mirror Company, 1992. Print.
Yngvar’s party is invited into the city at the behest of the queen, and upon their entrance to the city are bombarded by “evidence everywhere of pagan customs” (pg. 52). As such, Yngvar, being the Christian he is and legitimately not wanting any pagan influences on his men, “forbade his men to mix with the heathen or allow any women into the hall apart from the queen” (pg. 53). When some of his men disobey this order, Yngvar kills them due to their disobedience, and the presence of pagan customs in the city is implied to have corrupted those that were executed. In contrast to what Yngvar’s actions suggest, we are never told that the heathens are anything but accommodating to the Viking expedition. There is no mention of anyone attempting to convert Yngvar’s party or have them partake in their customs, and there is no mention of the city’s women attempting to sleep with the men. In fact, the men were actually impressed by the “courtly conduct” of the city’s women. The only person trying to do any converting in this situation is Yngvar himself, as he spent a winter conversing with Queen Silkisif on the omnipotence of Christianity’s God. Yngvar’s actions in the city of Queen Silkisif provide the first insights into the hypocrisy present within Yngvar and Svein’s parties and Viking society as a
Unlike the poetic style used in Beowulf, the author of Eaters of the dead introduce his concepts in form of an ancient manuscript. This brings out the historical aspect in the text. Michael Crichton goes ahead and introduces an unbiased observer who narrates to the audience the events of Ibn Fadlan and his entire encounter with the Vikings. He used Ibn Fadlan to show the mixture of the pagan and Muslim practices. As an outsider, his way of life as a Muslim was questioned severally by the pagan group. The author used this character to bring out a more realistic view and approach of the Beowulf poem. He was able to accomplish these by using a historical figure, Ibn, together with factual
Typically, the image of a Viking is a barbaric, bearded man plundering and destroying a neighboring village. This is actually the stereotypical viewpoint. In actuality, Vikings, have a very different image. For example, Vikings did not wear furry boots or furry armor, they did not have horned helmets, they invaded Britain, and they also were the first to discover America! They were also experts in nautical technology, crafts, trading, warfare and many other skills (Jonsson 1). With all of these traits, the Vikings seem like an unstoppable force in the European continent. But, who were the Vikings? The Vikings were actually venturesome seafarers. This means that they were travelers who were constantly exploring and looking for new areas of land. There roots can be traced all the way back to 6000 B.C. were nomadic men traveled in primitive crafts up the Denmark coast. Fast forward two millennia and these nomadic people have established permanent homes, but still using the boat for food and travel. As stated before, they were not just raiders, although they did do this frequently, but they were actually expert traders, trading all around the world. It wasn’t until around 793 A.D. that a Viking explosion took place in northern Europe (Jonsson 2). Raids began to take place on neighboring villages and their places of worship. To some this is the only type of knowledge they have about Vikings. However, their culture was something to be admired. Trading, religion, and everyday life are all important parts of a Viking culture.
The primary source, The Viking Rus, provides a unique perspective on how early Muslims viewed the Vikings. The author, Ibn Fadlan, was sent to interact with the Muslim king of the Bulgars to attempt to develop an alliance. Through Fadlan, the reader see how early Muslims’ would have viewed the Vikings’ habits. As Fadlan writes, “he goes to each statue in turn, invokes it, beseeches its intercession, and bows humbly before it.”1 Watching this spiritual ritual appears insane to Islamic believers who are taught not to worship statues or pictures of Allah. While Fadlan watches the Vikings converse, trade, and preform ceremonies, he develops a bias against their behaviors. He looks down upon the ceremony with condescending eyes, however, the interpreter informs Fadlan that the Vikings view the Muslims similarly. “I asked the interpreter what the Northman had said, and received this answer: ‘You Arabs…must be...
Crowley, Roger. 1453: the holy war for Constantinople and the clash of Islam and the West. New York: Hyperion, 2005.
Pride, gloating, and other flaunting of one’s achievements is quite common in the story of Beowulf. These prideful speeches have an irreplaceable purpose in the narrative of Beowulf. When reading this wonderful classic it is imperative to consider whether or not the reader should conclude that these fantastical feats are factual, why this prideful speech was included, what value these speeches had in the society of Beowulf and, is this exultant speech pattern still used in some forms today. Overall Beowulf has lofty language which makes it such a beautiful and surviving composition.
When it came to histography, Ibn Khaldun would constantly check his use of sources (which would be many) to constitute what he says. He does greatly criticize other historians because of the fact they would be bribed to write history in the way soldiers or ...
...etween Islam and western civilization. The differences in the belief, rituals, and the culture. Islam has some common features with western civilization. Throughout this paper, the most surprising fact that I found out was the contribution of Islam to the modern world, which were geometry, algebra, geography, physics, science, trigonometry, sine, tangent, and co-tangent. The lesson that I learned from this paper would be about the five pillars. Even though, every single pillar doesn’t apply to me the second pillar which represents prayer was a great lesson to be learned. It also revealed to me how important is the role of prayer in Islam society. Overall, it was a great experience learning about the Muhammad life, Quran, Hijrah, core beliefs of Muslim, contributions of Islam to the modern world, and this research helped me to understand more in depth about islam.