Vikings: emergence, first campaigns, expansion into Europe, religion and moral principles. Vikings (Vikings), who are these mysterious northern people? Who are the Vikings and Varangians

The mystery of the disappearance of the Vikings

The history of the campaigns of these early medieval sailors fits into the period from the 8th to the 11th century. The Vikings were nomadic tribes that inhabited the lands that today are Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

There is a version that these sea robbers, who were called not only Vikings, but also Normans, and in Rus' - Varangians, tried to settle in the largest island on Earth - Greenland. Although a few centuries later there was almost nothing left of the Viking civilization.

"People from the Fjord"

Historians believe that the warlike tribes of the Normans differed not only in that they annoyed the population with their countless attacks. medieval Europe. The Vikings are considered among the pioneers who mastered the North Atlantic and founded Normandy. It was they who, according to some sources, first set foot on the lands of modern America.

Nevertheless, always and everywhere these nomadic invaders were perceived as pirates or "people from the fjords." Rogue - this is how the word "vikingar" is translated from Old Norse.

Captivated by the "Green Land"

At the beginning of the first millennium new era the most advanced of the Scandinavians, Eric the Red (Eirik Thorvaldsson), discovered new uninhabited lands in the west of Iceland. Severe Norwegian guys at first did not perceive Greenland as a territory where an independent state could be created. Nevertheless, their isolated civilization existed there for several centuries, until the 16th century. And then there was practically no trace left of the Scandinavian colony. Europeans who arrived on this island in late XVI centuries, found only dilapidated buildings.

Why is Greenland deserted?

There is a version that the Vikings mixed with the Eskimos, and therefore disappeared as entos. However, the Icelandic geneticist Gisli Palsson, who compared the DNA of the Inuit of Greenland and Canada, claims that there are no European haplogroups there. Other scientists have not found a similar relationship.

Historian Jared Diamond believes that the mixing of races through interethnic marriages is most likely not the reason for the disappearance of the Vikings in Greenland, since neither they nor the Eskimos experienced a particular need to find spouses "on the side." no evidence mass extermination Scandinavians were also not found as a result of clashes with the Eskimos in Greenland. This is confirmed by modern archaeologists.

Historian Thomas McGovern is sure that at some point the Greenlanders simply could not stand the harsh climatic conditions that prevailed on the island. But the American biologist and anthropologist Jared Diamond is convinced that the Viking civilization disappeared due to the fact that they were deprived of many benefits of life (for example, iron and other resources) and were unable to establish water communications with other countries, since sea routes due to iceberg piles were impassable.

The Vikings did not develop either cattle breeding or arable farming in Greenland, this fact was also clarified during archaeological excavations.

Scientists believe that the Vikings and their descendants simply gradually left the island, because the habitat there for permanent residence became unacceptable for them. They settled throughout Scandinavia, thus forming entire states. Some modern historians express the opinion that today's Russia would not exist if the Varangians had not participated in the fate of Rus' at one time. But this is nothing more than a version. http://russian7.ru/post/zagadka-ischeznoveniya-vikingov/

The calling of the Varangians. V. M. Vasnetsov

How are Varangians different from Vikings?

Some believe that the Varangians are just a Russian designation for the Vikings. In fact, there are many significant differences between the Vikings and the Vikings.

Origin of names

The concepts of "Viking" and "Varangian" have completely different origins. Most historians believe that "Viking" originates from the word "vík", which is translated from Old Norse as "bay" or "fjord". However, there are other versions. So the doctor of historical sciences T. Jackson claims that the name "Viking" comes from the Latin "vicus" - a small settlement of artisans and merchants. This word was used even in the Roman Empire. Such settlements were often located on the territory of military camps. The Swedish scientist F. Askerberg stated that the basis for the noun "Viking" was the verb "vikja" - to leave, turn. According to his hypothesis, the Vikings are people who left their native places in order to earn a livelihood. Askerberg's compatriot researcher B. Daggfeldt suggested that the word "Viking" has much in common with the Old Norse phrase "vika sjóvar", meaning "the interval between the change of rowers." Therefore, in the original version, the term “víking” most likely referred to a long journey by sea, involving a frequent change of rowers.

The version about the origin of the term "Varangian" was one of the first to be expressed by Sigismund von Herberstein, the Austrian ambassador, historian and writer. He suggested that the name "Varangian" is associated with the city of Vagria, where the Vandals lived. From the name of the inhabitants of this city "Vagrov" came the expression "Varangians". Much later, the Russian historian S. Gedeonov considered that the word “warang”, which means a sword and which he discovered in the Baltic-Slavic dictionary of Potocki, is the best fit for the role of the primary source of the term. Many historians associate the "Varangian" with the ancient German "wara" - an oath, a vow, an oath. And the linguist M. Vasmer considered the Scandinavian concept of "váringr" - fidelity, responsibility, to be the progenitor of the "Varangian".

Miscellaneous activities

The concepts of "Viking" and "Norman", according to historians, should not be identified, since the Normans are a nationality, while the Vikings are rather just a way of life. In particular, the Irish researchers F. Byrne and T. Powell also speak about this. Byrne, in his book A New Look at the History of Viking Age Ireland, argues that only the term "pirate" can be equated with the term "Viking". Because robberies were the main source of income for the Vikings. The Vikings were not sedentary and did not comply with the laws.

The Varangians were a kind of social stratum of society. A sort of warriors for hire, guarding the borders of Byzantium from the raids of the same Vikings. Eldest daughter Byzantine emperor Alexei Komnenos Anna wrote about the Varangians in her work called "Alexiad". The princess argued that the Varangians understand their service to protect the state and its head as an honorable duty that is inherited.

Peaceful merchants who carried goods along the path, called at that time "from the Varangians to the Greeks", were also called Varangians. This path ran through the water from the Baltic Sea to the Black and mediterranean sea. Moreover, the Baltic Sea then had a different name - Varangian. And, according to the Soviet historian A. Kuzmin, the Vikings used to be called absolutely all the inhabitants of the sea coast.

Different religions

The Vikings, no doubt considering themselves warriors, but not pirates, worshiped the god Odin, like all Scandinavians. Odin's eternal companions were ravens - birds that were not favored in Rus' because of their tendency to devour carrion. In addition, since ancient times, Russians have considered ravens as symbols of all kinds of dark forces. But it was the raven that was depicted on the flag that adorned the ship famous leader Viking Ragnar Lothbrok.

A sacred bird for the Varangians was a falcon, which honestly hunted for live prey. The falcon was the bird of Perun himself - the pagan Slavic god, in whom the Vikings believed. Since ancient times, the falcon has been revered as an image of courage, dignity and honor.

An entire era in European history is named after the Vikings. These merchants, sailors and robbers were known in every medieval state. The Vikings are considered to be the inhabitants of the countries of Scandinavia, who made sea trips to other lands. They founded settlements in Greenland, North America, they settled in Iceland.

Why were the Vikings called differently?

The Vikings were known to most European states. They served local rulers, conquered new lands, founded dynasties and traded. At the same time, the Vikings were called differently. To understand why the different peoples they were called differently, the following names should be indicated:

The very word Vikings is of Scandinavian origin. So these sailors called themselves. The word means "dweller of the bay". After all, Scandinavia is known for its narrow bays - fjords, from where Viking ships sailed;
Slavs called them Vikings. Even the Baltic Sea was called Varangian in the 9th-11th centuries. However, this word refers to all the pirates of the Baltic. At that time, not only people from Scandinavia, but also Slavs were engaged in piracy. Their settlements on the island of Rügen and the southern coast of the Baltic Sea are well known. Therefore, the word "Varangian" meant everyone who arrives from the Baltic Sea;
Europeans called the Vikings Normans, that is, northern people. After all, they sailed from the North. This title gave its name to the Duchy of Normandy founded by the Vikings;
in Byzantium they were called varangas. It is believed that this word is a distortion of the Slavic "Varangian". The Vikings were well known to the Byzantines. They were the personal guard of the emperor.

Thus, the peoples called the Vikings in different ways. This is due to the territorial specificity. After all, the designations "northern people" and "Varangians" are strongly associated with geographical specifics.

What did the Vikings do

The Vikings became famous as warriors and robbers. But they were fearless sailors. Only they sailed the northern seas. Therefore, the Vikings were able to get to Svalbard, settle in the Shetland and Orkney Islands. They were not afraid of difficulties and dangers.

The last two centuries of the first millennium were an extremely turbulent time for the emerging Christian states in Europe. main reason This was the countless raids of the Vikings - fierce and warlike pagans who came from the Scandinavian Peninsula, where the ancestors of modern Danes, Norwegians and Swedes then lived. The level of danger was so great that, starting from May 888, in many Catholic churches in Europe, during each prayer service, the priests, turning to God, asked for "liberation from the fury of the Normans." Describing the people known in the Middle Ages as Vikings, Wikipedia points out that their name comes from the word vi'k ("bay"). But were they just sea robbers, either coming from the “wiki”, that is, the bay, or hiding in it, or are we talking about a larger phenomenon?

Reasons for the emergence of the Vikings

Answering the question of who the Vikings were, who they were and where they came from, it should be noted that we are not talking about representatives of some people alien to the inhabitants of the rest of Europe. These were the same heirs of the ancient Germanic tribes, like the Franks or the Burgundians. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes also had a common origin with the Vikings, who V-VI centuries conquered almost all of the British Isles. Probably, they, in any case, could easily understand each other's speech. Studying what language the Vikings spoke, scientists came to the conclusion that it was common to all the tribes that lived in Scandinavia. This follows, in particular, from the fact that the samples of ancient runic writing used by the Vikings that have survived to this day are equally understandable to modern Danes, Norwegians and Swedes.

The difference between the inhabitants of the Scandinavian Peninsula and those who lived in the territory of modern France or England was determined by the following two factors:

Religion. The Franks and Saxons by the 9th century AD (that is, by the beginning of the "Viking Age") managed to become Christians, while the ancestors of the Swedes, Norwegians and Danes retained the pagan religion with all its features;
The level of development of feudalism. Europe was already going through the Middle Ages, while in early medieval Scandinavia many elements of the tribal system were still preserved.

Of course, this was still not enough for the Vikings to appear. Historians still argue about the reasons why people who until recently did not leave the borders of Scandinavia began to increasingly go on long trips. One of the possible versions is overpopulation and the associated economic crisis. Archeology, however, indicates that on the eve of the "Viking Age" the Scandinavian settlements were not poor, but rich.

It is possible that overpopulation did take place, but not “general”, but “elite” - rich people had many sons, of whom (in accordance with ancient law) only one had the right to inherit, while others had to look for some then other ways to "increase welfare." One of these ways could be trade - but not any, but only the most profitable, and another - direct robbery.

Attempts to redistribute wealth first led to constant strife, and then splashed out in the form of raids on neighboring lands. It happened almost immediately after the Scandinavians learned to manage sailing ships.

An additional factor that made the emergence of the Vikings possible was the Arab expansion in Europe, which culminated in the 8th century with the capture of part of the Iberian Peninsula. As a result of this event, the trade routes that passed through the Mediterranean Sea were lost, and there was a shortage of silver, which could be a kind of "last straw" that prompted the Scandinavian warriors to go to foreign shores.

Viking ships and their art of navigation

Despite the fact that sails, as is known from history, were widely used already in ancient times, Scandinavian ships for a long time moved exclusively by oars. One of the reasons for this was that the early boats built, for example, in the second and third centuries of our era, did not have a keel. Lack of this important element makes the sailboat extremely unstable - the first strong gust of wind will simply capsize it.

The first vessel with a “rudimentary” keel, according to historians, was the “Kvalsyn Ship”, created in Scandinavia around the year 700. In particular, on the island of Gotland, archaeologists managed to find several images of a boat sailing carved on stones. These monuments were made at the beginning of the 8th century.

Further development of shipbuilding technologies led in the 9th century to the appearance of the famous drakkars - the main Viking warships. These were sailing and rowing vessels, sometimes reaching almost 20 meters in length. Their speed on the high seas when sailing sometimes reached 15 or even 20 knots. On each side there was the same number of special ports - holes for oars.

The number of rowers on the largest known drakkars was 32 people, 16 on each side. The hull of the ship was symmetrical, which allowed it to move in any direction without turning around. The bow from the stern was distinguished by a wooden sculpture installed in the front part - the image of a dragon, thanks to which the ship got its name.

Despite the fact that the drakkar's sail was an ordinary rectangle, it was possible, by turning its edges, to sail not only with the wind, but almost against it, lying in a tight hauled wind. At the same time, the ship heeled over, and it could be flooded with water through the oar ports, so over time, special “plugs” began to be made for them. At the same time, there was no pump on the ship, although devices of this kind already existed. Therefore, water, if it nevertheless splashed over the side, had to be simply scooped out.

Snekkars, drakkars and the knarrs used to transport goods turned out to be seaworthy enough for the Vikings to subsequently successfully reach not only the British Isles, but also Iceland, and then to the territory of the future Canada, thereby ahead of the famous Columbus by several centuries.

The first campaigns of the Vikings

Historians generally place the beginning of the Viking Age in 793, when the monastery of Lindisfarne, located on a small tidal island off the northeast coast of the largest of the British Isles, was attacked. Aliens from Scandinavia plundered the monastery and killed many priests, shocking the few surviving monks with their cruelty.

Subsequently, churches, cathedrals and monasteries became one of the main targets of predatory raids by Scandinavian sailors. This is explained quite simply - all these places were the concentration of a variety of valuable items, from silver and gold to various fabrics. Of course, the Scandinavians, who then remained “blameless pagans,” did not experience any reverence for the churches.

Subsequently, it turned out that four years before the attack on Lindisfarne, the Vikings landed in South-West England, near Dorset. In this case, they killed the local feudal lord along with his small retinue. Most likely, this attack was not the first. Due to the fact that the Vikings sought to destroy everyone they could meet, there were often no witnesses left and the event did not fall into the chronicle.

In subsequent years, several more monasteries in what is now England were plundered. In addition, the Vikings visited Ireland, and a year before the end of the VIII century, they first "paid a visit" to France, more precisely, to the Empire of Charlemagne. In all these cases, the raids were carried out according to the "classic" scheme - landing on the ground, a swift and brutal attack, robbery and a hasty retreat with booty on ships.

However, already in these early years there were certain signs the fact that the Vikings are not just ordinary sea robbers. In particular, having landed on the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the Scandinavian warriors created settlements there. For some time it was believed that all the locals were killed, but archaeologists managed to prove that this was not the case.

In 810, the Vikings hit the islands off the coast of Friesland. In terms of its scale, this attack no longer resembled just a predatory raid, but a large and well-thought-out military operation. It is known that the Danish king Gottfried led the invaders, and the number of ships that he brought with him, as the chroniclers assure, reached two hundred. Of course, it could not have done without repeated exaggeration.

One way or another, until 830 or even a little later, the attacks of the “northern barbarians” were relatively limited. In areas further from the coast, these attacks were often not even known.

period of large-scale expansion

Starting around 830, the activity of the Vikings began to increase - at first relatively smoothly, and then like an avalanche. In 845, Hamburg and Paris were captured almost simultaneously. King of the Franks Charles the Bald had to pay the Vikings seven thousand pounds of silver to save his capital from total destruction. Other cities were less fortunate - Rouen, Tours, Angers and Nantes were plundered and burned, a significant part of their inhabitants died.

Cruel invaders, passing along the channel of the Loire, Garona, Seine, Meuse, Ems, Weser and other rivers, devastated everything in their path. Suffered, in particular, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Angouleme, Limoges - the list can be continued for a long time. In its scale, this disaster was comparable to that experienced by those countries that four hundred years later swept the invasion of the Mongols.

Surprisingly, the Vikings had enough resources to simultaneously plunder the territory of the former Empire of Charlemagne to organize a separate "expedition" to the Iberian Peninsula with a visit to North Africa along the way - and this is not to mention the ongoing attacks on the British Isles.

In the same years, the Vikings again proved themselves not only as robbers, but also as colonizers. In particular, in 841, it was they who became the founders of Dublin, the modern capital of Ireland. In addition, in the second half of the century, an "area of Danish law" appeared on the map of present-day England - another direct result of the constant expansion of the Vikings. True, London was outside this area, but this city was also captured and plundered several times.

In 885, the Vikings laid siege to Paris again. Their detachments appeared in various places in northern and eastern France, as well as in the territory of such current countries as Germany, Holland and Belgium. It seemed that there would be no end to the catastrophe, but already in 890 and 891, the invaders suffered two major defeats - first in England, and then on the continent. From that moment on, the number of raids and robberies began to decline - up to 90% of all warriors who went on campaigns died.

Of course, peace did not recover immediately, with time the attacks of the Vikings resumed, but they no longer reached the same significant scale. Nevertheless, they still managed to conquer England again in the new millennium and capture London. This happened in 1013, that is, already in the XI century.

The end of the Viking Age is considered to be 1066, when King Harald the Severe, a native of Norway, who aspired to become the king of England, was killed in another battle.

Just a few weeks after his death, Britain was invaded by William the Conqueror. And although he was a duke from Normandy, he is usually not considered a Viking.

One of the numerous side effects» The expansion of the Scandinavians was the discovery and subsequent settlement of Iceland. At first, this land, apparently, was considered as a staging post on a long journey to the shores of North America, where the Vikings occupied a special territory called Vinland, but after the "Christianization" of Norway and Denmark, the cold islands turned into a refuge for those who did not want to change your religion. Of course, the "evacuation" ultimately only delayed the inevitable.

Reasons for the success and subsequent decline of Viking activity

No matter how strong and ferocious the Scandinavian warriors were, in their numbers they were much inferior to those troops that the European kings had by the 18th and 9th centuries. Therefore, the numerous victories of the Vikings in the eyes modern people look like a miracle. Nevertheless, it is relatively easy to explain the reasons for these successes.

The first raids were truly "pin pricks". Their danger was not appreciated either in England or on the Continent. Therefore, almost no measures were taken to protect the coast. On the other hand, the attacks were extremely unpredictable - most often the Jarl or a rich bond, who led the squad of the Vikings who set sail, did not even know exactly where he would rob and what would be his goal.

In those days, none of the European rulers had so many troops at their disposal to cover the coast along its entire length for any long time, which made it possible to strike at unprotected places.

Image of Rorik of Jutland, Danish king, one of the first Vikings who entered the service of the Frankish kings. According to one version, it was he who was Rurik from Russian chronicles

The success of the large-scale expansion of the Vikings in the middle and second half of the 9th century AD was largely facilitated by the crisis and subsequent collapse of the empire of Charlemagne. The defining moment here was the death of Louis I the Pious in 840. Immediately after it, the country unfolded Civil War, as a result of which, three years later, on the site of a single state, several kingdoms hostile to each other arose, which was used by the "guests from Scandinavia".

It is also necessary to take into account the "technical reasons" - the medieval feudal army needed quite a lot of time to form, arm and go on a campaign. While the “organizational measures” were taking place, the Vikings managed not only to plunder several cities, but also to return to their native lands with booty.

It was possible to extinguish the aggressive and predatory activity of the Vikings with the help of political rather than military measures. Territorial concessions became the basis of this policy. For example, the Vikings got Normandy at their disposal - they could live there and run their own household. This was not a simple "payoff" - in response, the kings and jarls actually transferred to the service of the French kings and after that acted as defenders of the coast from their yesterday's compatriots.

In some cases, the territories obtained by the Vikings became the base for raids already on Scandinavia itself. In particular, Denmark and Norway were attacked. Such raids were not considered as a betrayal - after all, the Vikings never made up any common nation, only relatives were their own for them, and even then not always.

The church played a decisive role in the weakening and disappearance of the Vikings. Its ministers first went to Sweden, and then spread their activities to wider territories. Despite the fact that the Scandinavians resisted Christianization attempts for quite a long time, in the end the missionaries managed to achieve their goal - new religion no longer made it possible to treat robberies and murders as a feat for the glory of the gods.

The main features of the military art of the Vikings

The Vikings would never have achieved any victories on the battlefield if they were just gangs of armed robbers. Perhaps the chroniclers are not quite right when they call the numerous northern warriors who terrorized Europe for almost two hundred years a “great army”, but still we have to admit that it was a fairly organized force, even if it never had a single command.

Formation of a squad

Most of the Vikings were the so-called "bonds". So in Scandinavia they designated free landowners, and also, importantly, their children, who, perhaps, did not get their own allotment. All of them had the right to carry weapons and participate in Things - special meetings, the closest analogue of which can be considered, in particular, the well-known Novgorod veche.

The very first raids on England were carried out, apparently, exclusively by Bonds who turned into seafarers, the jarls, and even more so the kings, joined this “movement” later. When this happened, on some ships, along with voluntary participants in the campaigns, mercenaries began to appear, who received a salary for their help.

Separately, berserkers were hired - rather strange people who, even from the point of view of an ordinary Viking, accustomed to all sorts of cruelties, were extremely dangerous and half-mad outcasts. They fought not for the sake of money and booty, but only in order to get to Valhalla as soon as possible and meet Odin there.

Combat tactics

In most cases, the Vikings fought on foot, similar to the ancient Greek phalanx. This formation was called a "wall of shields". Berserkers, who served as an assault squad, fought most often outside the formation. They attacked first and apparently were often successful. However, the systematic advance of the "wall of shields" made it possible to sweep away any enemy.

The worst enemy of the Vikings was the heavy cavalry. Sometimes she managed to break through the system, and then it became very difficult to avoid defeat. The Vikings themselves rarely fought on horseback. Such episodes occurred most often as early as the 10th century, both in England and in France. Horses were captured from the enemy, since there were no means of transporting them on drakkars - at best, only one or two horses could be transported.

The Vikings fought at sea in a boarding way - the ships connected and a single battlefield arose. Maneuvering was carried out with the help of oars - the sails were lowered so that random gusts of wind would not interfere. At the same time, the ships, moving towards rapprochement, lined up in lines and carried out intensive shelling of the enemy from bows. At short distances, throwing spears and stones were used, the supply of which was specially created before the battle.

To protect the rowers from all this, on the sides of the drakkar were installed round shields. It was impossible to use them in hand-to-hand combat due to heavy weight and size, but they performed their main function well.

Main types of weapons

The armament of the Vikings as a whole differed little from the "pan-European" one. True, today it is already difficult to judge its quality. The usual "set" consisted of the following elements:

Spears. Most likely, it was the main weapon. The Viking spears that have survived to this day have a rather long tip with well-developed side blades. This means that they could be used for cutting blows;
Swords. The most versatile type of weapon. The average blade length is from 90 cm to a meter. There is also information about the use of swords with one-sided sharpening (i.e. actually broadswords);
Axes. It is this type of weapon that is usually in the hands of a Viking in modern images. There are reasons for this - archaeologists have discovered the most axes. Compared to swords, axes are cheap and also allow for a more concentrated strike.

Of the throwing weapons, bows and shortened spears were used. There is little information about them, despite the fact that in the retinue of some kings there were real "snipers" who confidently hit targets at great distances.

Protective equipment could be leather armor various types, somewhat less often - chain mail, which over the years became longer and longer. In addition, every Viking certainly had wooden shield. At first, its shape was round, and closer to the beginning of the second millennium, the shields became almond-shaped.

Vikings outside the battlefield

Many of the actions of the Vikings today look like wild and crazy antics. Nevertheless, it would hardly be correct to describe these people in an exclusively negative way, as their contemporaries did.

Religion of the Vikings and their moral principles

As you know, the Vikings were pagans. Their peculiar religion in its main features coincided with the "all-German". In particular, at the head of the pantheon of gods was Odin (some Germanic tribes They called him Wotan. It should be noted that many details regarding both individual characters and entire concepts appearing in Scandinavian myths could be “thought out” several centuries after the end of the Viking Age, so the poet should treat them with some caution.

Odin, according to the ideas of the Vikings, owns Valhalla - a banquet hall in the "upper world", Asgard. Only warriors who died on the battlefield can get there. The inhabitants of Valhalla feast daily - they eat boar meat and drink intoxicated honey, and then they take up swords and fight to the death - in order to then rise again and continue the feast. Such ideas of paradise life to some extent reflect the everyday ancient Germanic reality, when everyone waged an endless war with each other, generation after generation.

The "selection" in Valhalla is carried out by the Valkyries - warrior maidens, soaring in the sky on winged horses and controlling the course of battles. They decide who lives and who dies. At the same time, the feast in Valhalla is not at all eternal - Ragnarok will inevitably come in the future, the end of the world, during which all the gods, including Odin, will die. It will be destroyed by the monstrous wolf Fenrir, who is sometimes considered identical to Garmr, the four-eyed guardian of the realm of the dead.

Ragnarok, death of the gods. In the center of the picture - Odin, galloping towards Fenrir, in the background - Thor, grappling in a mortal duel with the world serpent Yermungandr

The most unusual thing in this all-Germanic religious mythology was that at the head of the pantheon of gods is not the Thunderer Thor, whose analogues are, of course, the Greek Zeus and the Slavic Perun, but Odin. The Romans believed that Mercury (that is, the Greek Hermes) corresponds to this character in their own religion. An indirect confirmation of this version can be considered the significant success that the Vikings managed to achieve in trade.

The “pushing” of Thor into the background entailed a number of consequences, one of which was the complete absence of any caste of priests or clergy among the Vikings. In fact, each bond performed the service himself and did not need any intermediaries.

It is in religion that one should, apparently, look for the origins of not only courage, but also the inhuman cruelty of the Vikings. For example, when they speared captured young children, this was seen as a sacrifice to Odin. At the same time, the spear itself was perceived as a kind of model of the "world tree", connecting different worlds.

The Vikings did not really appreciate their own life either, believing, in particular, that going to certain death in battle is an enviable fate, since here already getting into Valhalla becomes simply inevitable. Of course, such beliefs were not typical for everyone, but not only for half-mad berserkers.

Quite often the Vikings attacked each other. The reason for this was usually the desire for enrichment. Thus, ships that came with booty from England or France were sometimes looted when they returned to their own harbor.

Another motive for the attack could be blood feud. This old custom was very common in Scandinavia. The classic case of such a massacre is described in the legends of the Danish prince Amled, the prototype of Shakespeare's Hamlet - oddly enough, this man was also a real Viking.

social organization

Along with bonds, kings and jarls, a considerable number of slaves lived in Scandinavia. Their position was, of course, unenviable. Only in a few cases did they manage to occupy a more or less privileged position. Slaves were sold and bought like ordinary things, and the fate of girls sometimes became simply terrible. There were no ways to get out of a slave position, and the children of slaves were also considered private property.

At the same time, it should be noted that free women in Scandinavia had the same rights as men. Often they occupied leading positions, and if they wished, they could go on an aggressive campaign. Nothing like this was observed in the Christian states of Europe in those years.

Any of the bonds theoretically could be elected at the Thing by a jarl or even a king, having risen to a higher level in the general hierarchy. For this, however, it was required that the previous leader was seriously guilty of something. This primitive form of democracy persisted for a long time even after the completion of the "Christianization" of Scandinavia.

The names of the Vikings had a well-defined semantic content. Many of them are directly related to weapons and battles. Such, for example, are the names Egil (in Danish - a blade), Einar - a warrior fighting alone, Bjorn - a bear - a symbol of rage in battle. According to the all-German tradition, the names were supplemented by nicknames. But if among the Franks they were given mainly to kings (for example, Charles the Bald or Pepin the Short), then among the Scandinavians such a “second name” was assigned to almost every bond.

One more interesting feature Vikings can be considered their entrepreneurial spirit. They understood well the importance of trade. Apparently, this explains the fact that the "Varangians" managed to establish quite normal interaction with the Slavic tribes. On the territory where Ancient Rus' subsequently arose, the Vikings behaved surprisingly quietly, for a long time avoiding any conflicts. On the other hand, the Scandinavians sometimes used their trading campaigns to carry out "long-range reconnaissance", collecting information about undefended areas on the coast and choosing targets for subsequent attacks.

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What do we know about Vikings? In the minds of most people, these are mighty warriors who lived somewhere in the north. They made brutal raids, traveled the seas, wore horned helmets and heavy weapons. But what does official history say about the Vikings?

Many historical documents, chronicles and archaeological finds have been preserved that can tell about the Vikings in sufficient detail.

First of all, you need to understand that Viking is a self-name, that is, the word that the ancient Scandinavians themselves called themselves. More precisely, those people who abandoned their habitable places and went on long voyages in search of new lands of habitation.

The Vikings were sailors, people from the tribes that inhabited modern Scandinavia. The Vikings made their travels and conquests in the 8th-11th centuries. This was a period when the decomposition of the tribal way of life took place in Northern Europe and early feudal relations were formed.

Other peoples called the Vikings in different ways. In Europe they were called Normans (literally - "northern people" ), and the Russians called them Varangians. Thus, in the Russian tradition, the Viking and the Varangian are about the same thing.

How and why did the Vikings appear?

The Vikings left their native lands and embarked on risky campaigns not from a good life. The tribal system was shattered, the power of the emerging nobility increased, and many free people simply did not have enough resources to exist.

Since ancient times, the Scandinavians lived by the sea, had excellent sailing skills, knew how. It is not surprising that the most active and courageous people began to unite and embark on travels. It is known that the Vikings sailed not only in the North and Baltic Seas: they went to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea.

Viking character

According to contemporaries, the Vikings were distinguished by militancy, cruelty, and determination. They hunted by raids on the coastal lands of other peoples, piracy, and the capture of entire regions. At the same time, the Normans very quickly mixed with the enslaved peoples, mastered their language and way of life.

Initially, the Vikings were pagans, worshiped the ancient pan-Germanic deities. But gradually many of them adopted Christianity and assimilated in the conquered territories. Christian religion, setting hard feudal relations, as well as a favorable economic situation, contributed to the fact that the violent temper of the Vikings was gradually pacified, and in the 11th century the Norman conquests ceased.

viking conquests

The Vikings made their raids throughout Northern Europe, but also visited other, more remote regions. Two major Norman conquests are known: England and France.

In the 10th century, the Normans conquered northern France, which is still called Normandy to this day. As for the British Isles, Viking attacks here occurred in waves over several centuries. At the beginning of the 11th century, the King of Normandy, William the Conqueror, reigned on the English throne.

In their aggressive campaigns Vikings reached Ireland and Sicily. Completely colonized Iceland, left their traces on the American continent.

Varangian trace in Russian history

Relations between the Slavs and the Vikings developed more peacefully. There were periods when the ancient Russians fought with the Scandinavians, at other times alliances were concluded. The ancient Novgorodians invited the Vikings as military mercenaries, providing them with land to live in and a special status. Numerous Scandinavian burials are found on the territory of our country, indicating that the Vikings lived among the Slavs, but until some time they did not assimilate with them.

Many historians are adherents of the "Norman theory", according to which the Vikings were the founders of princely power and the state itself in Ancient Rus'.

viking culture

Amazing Fact: severe in disposition, unpretentious in everyday life, accustomed to difficult conditions, the Vikings created a unique cultural tradition.

We are talking about skaldic poetry and ancient sagas, which in many ways became a source of information about the Normans.