The Vikings were just brutal raiders
By Taylah Wells
From the late 8th century to the mid-11th century the Vikings explored, raided, traded, colonised and conquered. They were brutal and savage. They killed anyone who got in there way even innocent people and their family.
The Vikings came from three countries of Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The Scandinavians left their homelands permanently to settle abroad are still the subject of debate. There is no evidence to suggest that they had to leave to find new land on which to settle their growing population, as studies have shown that there was sufficient land available in Scandinavia.
The Vikings conducted extensive raids in Ireland at first, they founded Limerick in 812, then established
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Who would do that. When you think about how would you feel if these brutal savages came into your country and killed your family I would be horrified. During the first 40 years, the raids were conducted by small, mobile Viking groups. From 830 on, the groups consisted of large fleets of Viking ships. From 840, the Vikings began establishing permanent bases at the coasts. Dublin was the most significant settlement in the long term.
The Vikings stole anything they could. Including Artifacts made of Glass, Gold, amber, would be happily stolen away. Together with slaves, weapons, and the lives of their enemies. The Vikings stole cattle and church bells with the intention of melting them down. The Vikings took women and other inhabitants to use or sell as slaves. It did not take long before the Vikings became synonymous with pillaging and killing. The Viking long ships embellished with carved dragon-heads evoked fear. Not only were the Vikings brutal raiders, pillagers, and savage pirates, they were some of the greatest contributors to sea travel, and tools. They weren't mindless barbarians, but they were fierce fighters who sought wealth and prosperity. Among their fighting skills lay politics, craftsmanship, and poems. Still the way they killed and raped innocent people and their families just so they could steal their treasures to
David W. Blight's book Beyond the Battlefield: Race, Memory and the American Civil War, is an intriguing look back into the Civil War era which is very heavily studied but misunderstood according to Blight. Blight focuses on how memory shapes history Blight feels, while the Civil War accomplished it goal of abolishing slavery, it fell short of its ultimate potential to pave the way for equality. Blight attempts to prove that the Civil War does little to bring equality to blacks. This book is a composite of twelve essays which are spilt into three parts. The Preludes describe blacks during the era before the Civil War and their struggle to over come slavery and describes the causes, course and consequences of the war. Problems in Civil War memory describes black history and deals with how during and after the war Americans seemed to forget the true meaning of the war which was race. And the postludes describes some for the leaders of black society and how they are attempting to keep the memory and the real meaning of the Civil War alive and explains the purpose of studying historical memory.
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Idleness and pride tax with a heavier hand than Kings and Governments.” The same can be said about the pride of the major characters in the epic story “The Saga of the Volsungs” (translated by Jesse L. Byock). Every prominent figure from Sigi, to the last sons of Gudrun, suffers from his/her own pride. Pride causes a rippling effect that leads to jealousy, betrayal, and revenge throughout the epic. A hero’s own excessive pride leads to his own jealousy if challenged or leads to the jealousy of others who do not have as much wealth and power. Pride causes some characters to betray oaths, husbands, wives, and even other family members. When pride finishes driving jealousy and betrayal, pride then fuels the lust for revenge. As a part of their very culture, the people of Norse stories must seek out vengeance and/or wergild for broken oaths and killed family members as a matter of what? Pride. Envy, betrayal, and vengeance may be the driving factors behind the great epic: “The Saga of the Volsungs,” but where those three themes begin? What about the Norse culture makes these three sins so common and easily brought about? Pride. Pride is the catalyst for the three major themes of the story and the catalyst that leads to the end of the Volsungs.
The vikings first made contact in eighth century Shetland. From there they made their way south to Orkney and Caithness, eventual...
The Vikings are famous for their violent ways when they pillaged and plundered villages of Northern Europe. Their dramatic exploits commenced during 800 – 1050 A.D, The first being the raid on Lindisfarne Monastery in 793, followed by a chain of attacks all over the coast of northern Europe during the next 200 years. As the years went on the frequency of Viking attacks increased as they became bolder. They were opportunists, raiding when the villages were off–guard or weak and trading when they were powerful. The speed and tactical advantage of the Viking longships allowed them to slip quietly ashore, pillage the village and make a fast getaway via water before the village can summon an army. By this time some Viking plunderers would stay over winter in a village. Soon their raiding camps became settlements and Viking control over Europe began to grow, it was not long before Vikings overran most of England.
In When Blood and Bones Cry Out: Journeys through the soundscape of healing and reconciliation (2010), John Paul Lederach, together with his daughter Angela Jill, study the use of metaphors from sound to foster new pathways of conflict transformation and healing. They ask the question “How do people express and then heal from violations that so destroy the essence of innocence, decency and life itself that the very experience penetrates beyond comprehension and words?” (2010, p. 17). In the Lederach’s perspective, aural properties found in music, poetry, story-telling and creative dance, with their regard for repetition and capacity to resonate diverse sounds, offer alternative facets for conflict transformation and broadminded dialogue. These ideas, linked with aural and sonic metaphors, give voice and sound to societies needing to express the atrocities incurred at the hand of violence. Together, the Lederach’s propel the reader to envision another approach to social healing in settings of protracted violence.
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.
Vikings originated from Scandinavia, They were well known as brutal raiders most of the time, but not always. Viking homes were mostly workshops because most of their houses have a certain job to do such as carving, quilting, cooking for trips, and storing food and a lot of other jobs that was held in the Viking houses. Most Vikings were farmers and believe it or not they were very hygienic for what they are made to do.
King Óláfr Tryggvasson a King created the ferocious and barbaric viking ship. The Viking ships allowed the Vikings to trade, raid neighboring homes, and explore. In 793 A.D Viking Raiders of the Middle Ages first raid in England they raided the monastery of St.Cuthbert. Around 870 A.D, the Great Heathen Army gained control of north-east England. Vikings failed to take control of Wessex which is controlled by Alfred the Great. In 878 they attacked Alfred's kingdom the third time but was defeated. So in 886 the Anglo-Saxons and Viking leader formed a peace treaty known as the Danelaw. In 1066 the Viking age ended, Godwinson’s men defeated the Vikings at the Stamford Bridge,the Vikings were hit by a wave of Anglo-Saxon troops. The Scandinavian were unready, the Viking left warriors and armour back at Riccall. They went to England with 300 longboats but came back with 24 boat bring back the
Actions do not always speak louder than words in literature. In the case of Roald Dahl’s “Lamb to the Slaughter”, dialogue and actions both play a major role in conveying emotional changes, rather than just the latter half. In the story, Mary Maloney undergoes major emotional changes in response to her husband’s request for a divorce. Dahl uses both Mary’s words words and actions to create a gradual shift from a satisfied, loving housewife to a calculating, remorseless murderer.
Viking raids and expansion enabled them to gain power over others. The Vikings were skilled warriors and knew exactly what places to target for maximum effect. Places such as “abbeys, monasteries, and churches were regular Viking targets because they were defended lightly, if at all, and contained large amounts of wealth” (Davis). Vikings wanted to acquire the items that could be found in places of worship in order to become wealthier. This would advance their nation over all the others, enabling them to achieve complete control. The Viking’s lust for power and wealth pulled them out of Scandinavia. As the Vikings became stronger and more powerful, they were also able to colonize different areas and expand. The Vikings were able to successfully colonize parts of England, Europe, and Greenland (“Viking Age”). Conquering nearby lands enabled the Vikings to gain rule over other nations. The Vikings wanted to gain more land and power than other civilizations, so that they could prosper. This led to them setting off on long journeys across the sea in search of new land. Their determination to secure power led them to expand into territories all over Europe and Asia. The Vikings soon became highly successful, due to their skilled warriors, allowing them to conquer and gain the most wealth possible. Their lust for power inspired them to travel in search of new
Vikings actually spent most of their time farming. Food wasn't plentiful at the time of the Vikings so they weren't the giants like most believe. When the Vikings began raiding they targeted small villages and monasteries. Over time they began targeting bigger villages and built bases where they could store loot and rest in between raids. Many of the villages along the ocean feared they would be raided and often were.
They had a substantial amount of wealth from their raids, and this wealth allowed them to build infrastructure such as buildings and ports in their towns and maintain strong and well-armed raiders. They had arguably the best navy in the world with very sophisticated ship designs that were able to make long voyages. The Viking ships were faster, stronger and more effective than those of other parts of the world and had two different types of ships which were used. They had “Langskip”, which were used primarily for war and battle, and “Knörr”, which emphasized a large cargo for carrying goods to be sold and traded. With profits from the raids, they were able to trade with neighboring countries, and even those faraway. Places such as Arabia, Spain and Russia engaged in trading and many other forms of interaction with the Vikings in result of their conquests, voyages and expeditions. These engagements were sometimes peaceful, but most of the time the warrior mentality of the Vikings would take over. Many Viking settlements began to pop up all around eastern Europe around Russia (Abram), due to a group of Swedes who were on a journey eastward and got forced to settle in the mid-European woods on their way, the group of people were called the Rus. These peoples mixed their ideologies and abilities with the native people to their regions, and brought them back to
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 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
Vikings were a fierce and barbaric society….or were they? Most Vikings were farmers and traders. They hunted and fished and grew the foods they needed to sustain their families. According to Ingmar Jansson, a professor of archaeology at Stockholm University in Sweden, "The Norsemen were not just warriors, they were farmers, artists, shipbuilders, and innovators. More than anything, they were excellent traders who connected peoples fr...