*GODWIN Vikings Intro

• The period of North Germanic expansion, lasted from the earliest recorded raids in the 790s until the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, is commonly called the Viking Age.

How did the Vikings travel so far from their homelands?

The Viking Longboat

The Viking Longboat

• dragon ship• 2 men per oar • tall mast • square sail• shields provided

protection

Fearsome Figureheads

• figureheads, often fierce animals, were used to frighten enemies

• they were on both the front and back of the longboat

Constructing the Longboat

• sturdy yet flexible• from 28 to 70 metres• overlapped oak

boards with animal fur to keep it waterproof

• planks called ‘ribs’ inside to give strength

*The skinny…

• Scandinavian: Norway

and Sweden

• Farmers and fishermen

• Greenland/Iceland

• Mysterious peaceful

but hopeless life

*Bad boys for life-

• Quick, efficient ships• Blitz krieg style raid• Show me the $$$• Paying off the bad guys

“Viking” ladies?

• The word “Viking” refers to the men who were warriors, but not the women.

• Women in Viking society kept the children and the home much like in other societies at the time.

What if god was one of us?• Odin: chief of gods.

Overthrew the giants to create the world. Wife is Frigg (aka: Freya). Sacred animal is the raven. One-eyed. Will eventually die…

• Wednesday is named after his German name.

…

• Loki: god of mischief,gives humans “gifts” like fire. All the gods will die eventually because Lokiwill lead the giants against the gods. • Ragnorak

…

• Thor: god of war. Son of Odin. Often shown with his hammer. Popular with the lower, warrior class. Second in importance only to his father.

…

• Freya/Frigg: Odin’s wife-blonde hair, blue eyes, Friday is named after her.

• Asgard: where gods live…

Famous Vikings

• Erik the Red: banished from Iceland for murder, sailed west and discovered Greenland. Explored for 3 years. Returned to Iceland and led a settlement group back to Greenland. His wife is Christian.

• Leif Eriksson: Erik’s son. Lived in Iceland, supposed to convert Greenland to Christianity but blown off course-found North America instead.

Where are they now?

• Vikings eventually convert to Christianity. They welcomed the idea of Jesus because he was a human sacrifice for the souls of everyone else. Vikings were familiar with this kind of trade due to their “gift giving” belief system…

Questions?