leif ericson viking ship norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and...

12
Norseman News Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norseman What’s Inside Modern Day Viking Part I . . . . . . . .2 Note from the President . . . . . . . .3 Gift Ideas . . . . . . . . . . .3 Visit to ScanFest . . . . .4 Sons of Norway Presentation . . . . . . . . .4 Instruments in Viking Age . . . . . . . . . .5 Modern Day Viking Part II . . . . . .6-7 Word Search . . . . . . . .8 Teaching at Cardia Learning Center . . . . .9 Instruments (Ct’d) . . . .9 Viking Weapons . . . . .10 Leif Ericson Day ‘08 .11 Book Review . . . .Cover LEVS Mission Statement 1. To educate Americans about Leif Ericson as the first European to discover and settle on the North American continent. 2. To promote knowledge and a realistic historic image of Viking people as merchants, naviga- tors, shipbuilders, artists, explorers and warriors. 3. To provide sail training and practice in recreat- ing the experience of traveling on water as Vikings did a thousand years ago. Distributed 3 times a year Vol. 17 No. 1 Winter 2009 Edition www.vikingship.org A Modern Day Viking “Roughs It”... and Survives!! (Part 1) – by Karen Johnson This summer season, we had not just one, but TWO opportunities to camp over night as part of our event – and I lived to tell you all about it! Part one is about the Sasafrass Crew Sail in August, part two is later on in this newsletter. Our first event was our Sassafras Crew Sail; this event is a non-costumed event, and allows crew members to get on-the-ship training on how to… well, sail the ship. It’s also a casual event with lots of food and conversation, and it’s a lot of fun. Folks made their way down to Mary and Dave Segermark’s house on the Sassafras River early on Saturday. Jim and Judy Thornton, Aaron and Maia Holt, Steve Clarke, Karen Lesley and her own mini crew of her husband Ron, her brother, and two youngsters and I all came for the first day of sailing. We were met by Captain Dave and a pho- tographer who was there to take pic- tures for the article that came out in the October edition of the Main Line Today magazine. With the help of the crew, Dave and Steve got the ship in the water and tied up at the Segermark’s dock so we could enjoy lunch! In the early afternoon we began sail- ing to the spit of land eight miles down river. Luckily the weather was perfect and the wind behaved, so that other than adjusting the sail when needed, we could sit back and relax. Eight miles doesn’t seem like very far nowadays, but it takes longer when your only power is the wind. The time went by as we envied the waterfront homes, cursed motorboats that flew by without regard to others, and posed for pictures and answered questions shouted at us from boats circling at a distance. We landed a bit later at the spit of “...with one last bathroom break and a longing look at the spare bedroom, I headed out with Steve, Aaron and Maia to the campsite.” Getting close to our destination Continued on page 2

Upload: others

Post on 26-Jul-2020

3 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman NewsLeif Ericson Viking Ship Norseman

What’s InsideModern Day Viking Part I . . . . . . . .2Note from the President . . . . . . . .3Gift Ideas . . . . . . . . . . .3Visit to ScanFest . . . . .4Sons of NorwayPresentation . . . . . . . . .4Instruments in Viking Age . . . . . . . . . .5Modern Day Viking Part II . . . . . .6-7Word Search . . . . . . . .8Teaching at CardiaLearning Center . . . . .9Instruments (Ct’d) . . . .9Viking Weapons . . . . .10Leif Ericson Day ‘08 .11Book Review . . . .Cover

LEVS Mission Statement

1. To educate Americansabout Leif Ericson asthe first European todiscover and settle onthe North Americancontinent.

2. To promote knowledgeand a realistic historicimage of Viking peopleas merchants, naviga-tors, shipbuilders,artists, explorers andwarriors.

3. To provide sail trainingand practice in recreat-ing the experience oftraveling on water asVikings did a thousandyears ago.

Distributed 3 times a year

Vol. 17 No. 1 Winter 2009 Edition www.vikingship.org

A Modern Day Viking “Roughs It”...and Survives!! (Part 1) – by Karen Johnson

This summer season, we had not justone, but TWO opportunities to campover night as part of our event – and Ilived to tell you all about it! Part one isabout the Sasafrass Crew Sail inAugust, part two is later on in thisnewsletter.

Our first event was our SassafrasCrew Sail; this event is a non-costumedevent, and allows crew members to geton-the-ship training on how to… well,sail the ship. It’s also a casual eventwith lots of food and conversation, andit’s a lot of fun.

Folks made their way down to Maryand Dave Segermark’s house on theSassafras River early on Saturday. Jimand Judy Thornton, Aaron and MaiaHolt, Steve Clarke, Karen Lesley andher own mini crew of her husband Ron,her brother, and two youngsters and Iall came for the first day of sailing. Wewere met by Captain Dave and a pho-tographer who was there to take pic-

tures for the article that came out in theOctober edition of the Main Line Todaymagazine. With the help of the crew,Dave and Steve got the ship in the waterand tied up at the Segermark’s dock sowe could enjoy lunch!

In the early afternoon we began sail-ing to the spit of land eight miles downriver. Luckily the weather was perfectand the wind behaved, so that otherthan adjusting the sail when needed, wecould sit back and relax. Eight milesdoesn’t seem like very far nowadays,but it takes longer when your onlypower is the wind. The time went by aswe envied the waterfront homes, cursedmotorboats that flew by without regardto others, and posed for pictures andanswered questions shouted at us fromboats circling at a distance.

We landed a bit later at the spit of

“...with one last bathroom break and alonging look at the spare bedroom,

I headed out with Steve, Aaron and Maia to the campsite.”

Getting close to our destination Continued on page 2

Page 2: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 2 Winter 2009 Edition

LEVS Norseman NewsThe Norseman News is dis-

tributed 3 times a yearthrough mailings, our web

site, and handouts atevents. Our readers consist

of mainly Scandinavian-Americans including mem-

bers, friends and otherswho have shown interest in

our mission, Vikings andLeif Ericson.

Reproduction of theNorseman News is prohibit-ed without prior written per-

mission.

Newsletter EditorKaren Johnson

[email protected] you would be interested

in downloading current issues of the Norseman Newsfrom the website after an email

notification, please email the editor.

The Norseman News isnow accepting ads! Advertising rates are:

Insert, supplied by advertiser . . .$300/issue(8.5X11” 1 or 2 sides) Full page ad . . . . . . . .$200 (7.5”x10”) Half page . . . . . . . . . .$125(7.5”x5”) Quarter page . . . . . . . .$75(3.65”x5”) Business card ad . . . . .$25(3.5”x2.5” or 2.5x3.5”) Paper submissions of artwork

will not be accepted. All artworkmust be grayscale or black andwhite. Please submit electroni-cally as a BMP, TIF, EPS, orJPG to the newsletter editor.

For layout services, add 50 percent.

We reserve the right to rejectany advertising at our sole dis-cretion. Deadlines for submis-

sion are Jan. 15 (Spring Issue out in Feb.),

Apr. 15 (Summer Issue out inMay), Jul. 15 (Fall issue out

in late Aug.). Please make checks payableto LEVS, Inc. and mail to theaddress listed on the cover.

We landed a bit later at the spit of landwhere Steve, Aaron, Maia and I weregoing to be spending our night. (Wewere the only crazy ones.) MarySegermark had driven to the location, totake us back to their house for dinner, butI got a bit nervous her first words were,“Watch out for the poison ivy – it’s grow-ing in the path up the hill.” The site itselfwas beautiful! You couldn’t tell fromlooking that we were near two marinas; itfelt like we were in the middle ofnowhere.

We set up Steve’s tent, and then head-ed back to the Segermark’s for dinner.Mary Jean and Dale Clarke had joined usby this time, and the food and conversa-tions flowed! The moon had risen ratherhigh before, with one last bathroombreak and a longing look at the sparebedroom, I headed out with Steve, Aaronand Maia to the campsite. Getting thereis an adventure; the land is part of a CSAfarm, and so we drove around cornfields,

past fruit trees, and bounced aroundsome corners to get there.

Maia had brought the makings fors’mores, so we quickly got a campfiregoing while the “menfolk” got our gearinto the tent. We told silly stories andgenerally made ourselves sick on thes’mores, and finally decided that it wastime to go to bed.

The moon was incredibly bright, so itwas actually a bit difficult for me tosleep. Oh, and remember how I men-

tioned how close we were to the mari-nas? They had dueling bands playinguntil around one in the morning!! Whenthat finally stopped, I sighed out of reliefand prepared to doze off, only to hear acricket chirping. Where was that blastedthing???

We finally got up at the crack of 7:30when Aaron sat up and did a BobGothwaite impression (you had to bethere), then we headed back to theSegermark’s for breakfast. After a littlebit of luxurious sitting around, we head-ed BACK to the site to break downSteve’s tent, then we sailed back (or in allreality motored back, since the wind wasblowing in the wrong direction) andpulled the ship back out. All in all, it wasa fun weekend, and more importantly – Isurvived! Without any poison ivy!

A Modern Day Viking ”Roughs It” (Part I) Cont’d

Steve and Aaron at our campsite

Making s’mores at our site

Aaron Holt and Mary Jean Clarke at dinner

Part 2 continues on page 6

Page 3: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 3 Winter 2009 Edition

Need GiftIdeas?

Check out some of theexciting and fun Viking-themed gifts we have avail-able for you to purchase!(You can also buy a year’smembership for someone!)

Our catalog can be foundin this newsletter, so that youcan place your order. If youwould like your gift forChristmas, please also con-tact us via phone so that weknow to look for your order.

Here are just some of thefun items you can get.Thanks for your support!

The Viking Game $25

“Leif theLucky”puppet

$25

The Viking Puzzle $12

As October moves intoNovember we find our “sea-son” coming to an end... or so

you would think!We usually begin our “season” in

late April with an event in Ashville,Ohio that has been a favorite for a fewyears now. At the opposite end,around October 9th, we usually callLeif Ericson Day our final event ofthe “season”. This “season” to whichI refer is our sailing season, the timewhen the Norseman is out and about,going to Festivals, Fairs, sailingevents, etc.

Within the past 2 -3 years, we havedeveloped a second “season”... one inwhich we go out to schools and otherlocations making our PowerPoint pre-sentations to schools and organiza-tions, even trying to set up somemembership recruiting “meetings” tointerest new people in joining ourorganization. Sometimes we willbring the Norseman and set her up toshow what a Vikingship looks like.Other times a few of us will go to alocation, in costume, and put on ourpresentation for the group assembled.It is another way of making friendsand getting our message out that “LeifLanded First”!

I can recall going to my kid’sschool to give a very bad Viking“talk” many years ago. I wasn’t muchof a speaker to groups and the thoughtof having to do this really upset meterribly. Hopefully, it didn’t show toomuch. I know that many of our othercrew and board members did the samething and probably felt the same wayI did. A couple of years ago, we dis-covered the PowerPoint program and

learned how it can help us with ourpresentations and with some tweak-ing, we have become pretty good withit, being able to adjust it for differentgroups (kids vs. adults, ships vs. cul-ture, etc.) and we are now making thatoffer to you.

If you would like to sponsor a“Members night” at your local library,home, church, or other meeting placeplease contact me to work out thedetails. We do charge a small fee forschools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipmentrequires maintenance, but we try tokeep it between $50 – 100. If it is a“recruiting” effort solely for LEVS’benefit, there is no charge. So e-mailme at [email protected] or call410-275-8516 to arrange a date toimpress your friends and acquaintanc-es, or to bring it to your Lions, Rotary,or other group. See if your schoolsystem would like to expand their stu-dent’s knowledge with a “LivingHistory” presentation. Then you willbe helping us meet our mission.

It is my opinion that our volunteersserve the mission of Leif EricsonViking Ship, Inc. admirably and withfeeling! Please support us with yourdonations and consider becoming oneof the group! We are NOT a closedsociety and encourage new, activememberships!

Dave Segermark, PresidentLeif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc.www.vikingship.org

Page 4: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 4 Winter 2009 Edition

Our Visit to ScanFest at Budd Lake - by Hilde Lindstrom

About 50 years ago I traveledto the Vasa Lodge at Budd Lake,New Jersey with my family. Notreally that much has changedover the years….the swimmingpool looks exactly as it did backthen when I was a child. Thebuildings are newer, but the peo-ple are just as friendly as ever.

Four hardy souls, StevenClarke, Charlotte Berg and hergrandson, Victor Berg and I setout about six thirty in the morn-ing from the shipyard inWilmington, Delaware for whatwas going to be a great return toScanfest held every year on theSunday of Labor Day weekend.For several reasons, we have notbeen able to attend this event, butwhat a homecoming it was!

We were greeted immediately bythe organizers of Scanfest as wepulled the Viking Ship Norsemanonto the property and were directed

to a prime location near the mainstage and the entrance to the Park.

The weather could not have beennicer and we were soon joined byour friends Mitch and Karl Spalinfrom New Rochelle, New York, LenGustafson and his lovely wife fromPrinceton and a surprise arrivalfrom Trappe, Maryland … ourfriend Emilie Knud-Hansen.

No one could miss us if theytried and we were constantly sur-

rounded by interested atten-dees….learning about the shipand seeing artifacts that Stevenhad set up around the Norseman.When they were finished at theship, they came over to the sell-ing tent and were intrigued bythe books, shirts and games thatwe bring to sell. If they did notknow before, when they enteredthe park, they knew that "LeifLanded First"! Our mission wasaccomplished.Time passed quickly and soon

we were packing up to leave forhome, very happy to have returnedto the Vasa Lodge at Budd Lakeonce again.

After a quick dinner at a localrestaurant, we apparently made awrong turn and needed my GPS todirect us home. All in all it was awonderful excursion enjoyed by usall. I know that I am looking for-ward to going back in 2009.

Sons of Norway Presentation - by Charlotte Berg

As Norway was our host country for the LeifEricson Day event in Marcus hook, and I amthe Cultural Director for the

Sons of Norway Restauration Lodge,I invited LEVS to speak at our Octobermeeting.

Many Norwegians know the cus-toms and culture, but not the Vikinghistory that helped create it. Dave andMary Segermark, Mary Jean Clarke

and I (with Hilde Lindstrom in the audience) presentedour Living History lecture. The artifacts and costumes

enhanced the presentation asDave talked about the ships that

made the era possible.

We all had an enjoyableevening. Don't forget, studentscome in all ages and ethnicgroups!

Page 5: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 5 Winter 2009 Edition

Instruments in the Viking Age - by Aaron Holt

Our organization is lucky in that we have members that truly love to learn for curiosity sake - they area great source for information. The rest of this article was written by Aaron Holt in response to a child'squestion to our "Ask a Live Viking" email address about what instruments Vikings played…

By far, the most commoninstrument during theViking age was the six-

stringed lyre. This instrument hadbeen in use since very early timesby many different peoples across abroad area in northern Europe.Much of the mythological storiesthat have survived into the modernera were composed in verse andsung to the accompaniment of thelyre. It was the most frequentinstrument used by the court poets,or "skaldar" (singular "skald") inthe Viking age. The lyre's stringscould be played by plucking, like aharp, or strumming, like a guitar.

Towards the end of the Vikingage (around 1000-1100 A.D.),when the bow was introduced intoEurope from the Middle East, thelyre began to evolve into more of afiddle-like instrument. This type ofinstrument is still played today inrural areas of Finland, where it iscalled a "jouhikko" and in Wales,where it is known as a "crwth".Several depictions of this type ofinstrument appear in manuscriptsfrom the era, but no exampleshave been found.

Several examples of largewooden horns called "Lurs" havebeen found, these instrumentswere known in Scandinavia sincethe Bronze Age, and are still playedin parts of Norway today. Cow

horns of various sizes were alsoused mainly for communication,but a skilled player would be able toplay a tune on one by varying thepressure.

Other instruments, like smallbone-whistles and pan flutes havebeen found, but due to the limitednumber of notes that they couldplay, it is hard to tell whether theywere intended to be used as musicalinstruments, toys, or as long-dis-tance signals.

In Falster (in Denmark), part of awind instrument was found whichDanish archaeologists named the"Falster-pibe", or "Falster-pipe" in

English. This was basically a horn-pipe; a reeded instrument made ofelder - a shrub which produces natu-rally hollow branches - with six fin-gerholes, and a resonator at the bot-tom end made from a cow's horn. Itwas discovered without a mouthpiece

so it is hard to tell if it was meantto be played by itself or if it wastied into a bag as part of a bagpipe.

In most of the areas where thehornpipe, or hornpipe-like instru-ments were played, bagpipesweren't usually very far away. Thebagpipe has been played inEurope since at least 400 B.C. Itwas known to the Romans as the

"tibia utricularis", played in Greece,and the countries now known as

From Top to Bottom:a Lyre and a cow horn. All of these,

along with the Falster-pipe were played by Vikings. Continued on Page 9

“Given how widespreadbagpipes were in ancienttimes, and how far-trav-eled the Vikings were, itwould be strange if theVikings weren't at leastfamiliar with such an

instrument.”

Page 6: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 6 Winter 2009 Edition

In mid September, Maia alertedthe crew about another LivingHistory event she had heard of inOctober. With the Sassafras Crewweekend still fresh in my mind, andthe warm September sun shining, Ivolunteered to go for the week-end… I mean, we’ve had LeifEricson Days in the 90’s, how badcould it get?

Then, as September passed, andleaves started to turn, I realized thata hot October would be a miracle. Ialso realized that we’d be responsi-ble for our own food, too…Hmmmm…. What to eat? No stop-ping at the local Bob Evan’s restau-rant at the end of the day, or crash-ing at a hotel.

What to pack? Luckily oursleeping bags didn’t have to be his-torically accurate, so I packed myflannel sheets, my fleece sleepingbag liner, and my thick sleepingbag, along with extra clothes &socks. As for food, I was told I onlyneeded to bring mushrooms for oursoup, so I brought that, some applesand pears, nuts, oatmeal, tea, mugs,bread, and apple crisp mix. (I tendto overpack anyway, and I like food!)

On Saturday, the first morning of

the event, I got up out of my nicecomfy bed, and let the dogs out –and FROZE!! I think it was only inthe low 30s! Holey Moley! Whatdid I get myself into? I headed overto Ridley Creek State Park to meetwith Steve Clarke, Maia and Aaron,and Wolf Sutton.

Wolf and Steve had already setup the ship and Steve’s tent, and soI helped unload my gear, added myfood stuff to the HUGE pile of stuff,and set up our merchandise tent.Then I changed into my costume

(with layers of clothes underneath),and we prepared for the visitors.Charlotte Berg also joined us for theday (she went home at night, andthen came back on Sunday with hergrandson Victor).

I should say, that the fun thingabout the Living History events (orat least this type), is that it’s muchmore relaxed… Because we wereliving there, we were doing “nor-mal” things – chopping wood, mak-ing and eating lunch, playingmusic, sitting by the fire – while wewere talking to the guests that cameby. Maia had made a barley soupthat was yummie (even though itwas black from the pot it was in),and Wolf had brought goose and

venison which we dined onthroughout the day. It warmed up tothe mid 50s, low 60s through theday, so we were comfortable.

We didn’t hover in the merchan-dise tent area, since we weren’tflooded with people, but if someonewas interested in something, wewere available… I even played our“Viking Game” with various folksthroughout the day. We also visit-ed with the other reenactors there,plus peeked at the many farm ani-mals there that roamed the area.

Before we knew it, the event wasover, the sun started to set, and itwas getting cold. We had a goodfire going, thanks to Wolf, but wehad forgotten our s’mores! So Maiaand I made a short trek (in costume,of course) to the local Genuardi’s.The weird thing was the fact that noone gave us weird looks – I guessVikings shopping for s’mores is thenorm...

So, after getting back we had

A Modern Day Viking ...

Maia and Wolf, near the campfire.

Charlotte enjoys some cooked goose.

Our camp, viewed from the stream.

Page 7: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

So, after getting back we hads’mores and some adult beverages,and chatted about everything andnothing. At some point in theevening, Barbara Clarke joined us,and Charlotte left us. We had onesmall scare when the farm’s horsesdecided to head to the high field bygalloping right past our camp, andwe had folks come by to say hi andhear our goofy songs. Finally wedecided it was time for bed, so wedid the bedroll shuffle. How to fitsix adults into a tent, along with oursuitcases, bags and other gear? Weprobably looked like sardines, butwe did it!

Nature called for me in the mid-dle of the night, and luckily I wasn’tthe only one. As Maia and I wereunwillingly leaving our warm sleep-ing bags to make our way to theport-a-potty, I whispered to her thatI thought I had heard the pigs rout-ing around outside – something wasmaking a loud rumbling noise…(The farm had pigs – one HUGE

papa pig, two large mamas, and four“piglets” that were probably close to50 pounds each.) The piglets hadapparently gotten loose the nightbefore and wandered to the otherreenactor’s campsites, so as I pulledthe tent flap open, I was somewhatprepared to come face to face with apig. What I wasn’t prepared for,was the black farm cat that cameracing OUT of our tent into thenight!

Sunday’s dawn came eventually(and with it the horses, who cloppedtheir way past our tent), and one byone we emerged from our warmcocoons to face the cold morning.We got the fire stoked, and gotwater going for tea and coffee (youknow – the important stuff).

Wolf again came through withcampfire omelets; I swear, I ate bet-ter that weekend over a campfirethan I have at home with all theappliances I could want! Visitorsstarted coming as we were finishingbreakfast and Wolf got lunch going.

Today’s lunch special was trout overthe fire prepared by Wolf, withapple crisp prepared by me andVictor.

Maia and Steven spent the betterpart of the day helping to untangle askein of yarn that had unraveled andtangled due to being slept on,Barbara was spinning her ownwool, Aaron needed a bit moresleep, and Victor, Charlotte, and Ihung near the fire and talked toguests. It was another relaxing day– and time went by too quickly. Theevent theoretically ended at 3:00PM, but we were still talking toguests around 4:00 PM, and we did-n’t actually leave until closer to 6:00PM.

As I was driving home from theevent, I thought about my twoadventures – they were both com-pletely different, and yet very simi-lar. The best part was, they werethoroughly fun, despite having to“rough it”…

My only question is – when canwe go again? Anybody want to gocamping?

Norseman News Page 7 Winter 2009 Edition

”Roughs It” in October (Part 2)

Me, enjoying the cool fall air.

Steven talks to some of our guests.

Aaron provided the music.

Page 8: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 8 Winter 2009 Edition

Viking Instruments Word SearchFind the words in the grid below, that came from the story on page 5. When you aredone, the unused letters in the grid will spell out a hidden message. Pick them outfrom left to right, top line to bottom line. Words can go horizontally, vertically anddiagonally in all eight directions.

BAGPIPE

BONE

BONEWHISTLE

CRWTH

FALSTER

FIDDLE

GAIDA

HORN

HORNPIPE

HORNPIPES

INSTRUMENT

JOUHIKKO

LURS

LYRE

MOUTHPIECE

PAN

PLAYER

SÄCKPIPA

T H E L T S I H W E N O B P

E J O U H I K K O G M O L S

T C O M E M O N C I A A N S

T R U M P N A P L R Y I E E

T N T D I U R I U E W C D N

N S G T P R H E R E E T V A

E ä E I N K E I S I N N H E

M C R G R A G T P E H O L W

U K Y A O S T H S O E T B H

R P L E H S T I R L S X S T

T I R I N U G N D I A E D L

S P Y R O E G D H L K F W F

N A L M D T I W D Z L M M L

I J X D L F B B A G P I P EHidden Message:

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

___ ___ ___-___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.

Ä

Answer on page 11.

Page 9: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 9 Winter 2009 Edition

Teaching at the Cardia Learning Center - by Charlotte Berg

We were invited to theCardia Learning Centerin Mohnton, PA on a

Thursday in 2008, which is whenhome schooled students from thearea meet. About 40 families con-tribute their personal expertise. Ourpurpose was in the Living Historycurriculum, which is repeated everyfour years, and all grades within thefamily study the same time period,with the content suited to the gradelevel.

The meeting we attended was thefirst of the school year. The summerprojects were displayed on tablesaround the room. The students aswell as some family members werein period costumes, which set theatmosphere. The center area hadround tables set for eight, and foodwas served as a banquet. At thehead table was a Monk, King andhis Lady and a squire. Some stu-dents performed a skit, playedmusic and a skald told of Beowulf.

Dave, Mary, Steven and I pre-sented our program, and the stu-dents had good questions.Afterwards, the groups went outsideto view the Norseman.

The day was informative for theparents, students and our group. Wehope to return in four years!

Dave presents our program with the children gathered around.

and the countries now known asMacedonia and Bulgaria where it wascalled as the "gaida". Given how wide-spread bagpipes were in ancient times,and how far-traveled the Vikings were, itwould be strange if the Vikings weren'tat least familiar with such an instrument.

Early bagpipes, by the way, weren'tquite the same as the ones that we see inScotland today; they were smaller andmuch quieter. Only one kind of bagpipe,the eastern Swedish "Säckpipa", isknown to have survived into moderntimes in Scandinavia, and it nearlybecame extinct in the 1940's. Though it

is becoming more popular in Swedishfolk music lately, not much is knownabout the history of this instrument orhow long it has been played inSweden. In construction, it is verysimilar to the Falster-pipe, only tiedinto a bag and lacking the horn res-onator.

In summary, there are a handful ofinstruments actually found inScandinavia known to date from theViking age, and others which werelikely to have been played, though noexamples have survived.

Instruments in the Viking Age (continued from page 5)

A bone whistle and a pan flute.

Page 10: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman News Page 10 Winter 2009 Edition

An Overview About Viking Age Weapons by Victor Berg Jr.

The axe was the most impor-tant tool in the Viking age. Itwas used for cutting trees for

firewood as well as working woodin building their ships. Many styleswere used. As a weapon, the dou-ble-edged blade with a wooden han-dle was the most lethal.

The blacksmith was a majortrade but most men knew how tofinish leather as well as wood. Aspear was next. The length was use-ful. A long shaft had a bronze orbog iron axe blade or hook. Somehad a removable pin so it could notbe returned. In a battle, a manmight have many spears and axes.

Shields for protection were most-ly made of lime wood, usually madeabout three feet (or a meter) round.Some were covered with leather andthe edges bound with metal. Thecenter had a “boss” – a round pro-truding circle of metal, to protect thehand. If the shield was splinteredfrom an opponents sword cut, thishandle could still be a weapon.Later shields were also kite shaped,to protect the legs. Horses were not used in a battle,only as transport to one. Fighting was mostly done onfoot.

Swords were owned by the chieftain or a rich man.Many were retrieved from a battle. Most were made inthe East, some with silver or copper inlay. Most weredouble-edged and needed two hands to weald. Thesword was treasured and was buried with the lastowner. Boys as young as six or seven would practicewith wooden swords and throwing axes.

The knife was a backup in a fight. It was kept in ascabbard on the belt. A Saxe was a knife with the sharpblade across the top of the long edge and carried in ascabbard crosswise on the waist belt. Smaller kniveswere used to cut meat at a meal.

The bow was made of Yewwood, the bowstring of twistedfibers. Arrows were made of ash orbirch. The flights were made fromgeese feathers.

The points were made of metalby the blacksmith. The points hadsmall barbs if used to kill birds,wider points for small animalswould not be damaged, and reallybig points were used for defensefrom humans. The length of thearrows depended on the length ofthe bow. The quiver was made fromleather or wicker.

Armor protection was a vestmade of leather with a lining ofmetal squares over the tunic. Mailwas heavy as well as expensive andnot of much value on a ship.

Mostly chieftains owned helmetsmade from metal. Some had a noseguard, goggles or ear coverings.Leather helmets were good protec-tion fro most men. Young boysmight have heavy woolen or feltedhats.

The better protection in a fight was to be togetherwith your kin, but the best was to be strong, fast andsmart!

The author holding a shield and spearduring an event in October, 2008.

“Armor protection was avest made of leather witha lining of metal squaresover the tunic. Mail washeavy as well as expen-

sive and not of muchvalue on a ship.”

We already are lining upschool events, festivals

and sailing events for 2009, so be on the look-

out for a postcard from us in the spring!

Page 11: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Once again, our organizationhosted our Leif EricsonDay celebration, with an

outdoor ceremony at Marcus Hook,PA and a banquet at a nearby hotelin Claymont, DE.

The weather was absolutely per-fect for the occasion; it was sunnyand mild, with enough wind that theNorseman was able to sail to thesite. The crew on board were: Dave“Wolf” Sutton, Steven Clarke, ErikHindrickson, Aaron and Maia Holt,Victor Berg Jr., Emilie Knud-Hansen, and Karen Johnson (alongwith Erik’s son Torben). The crewput on an impressive show as theyrowed into the landing site.

We were honored to have digni-taries from the the Scandinaviancountries attend, as well as our 7thDistrict PA Congressman JoeSestak. Additional crew on landchatted with the visitors, sold mer-chandise and assisted with the

docking of the ship. Those in cos-tume were: Dave and MarySegermark, Charlotte Berg, HildeLindstrom, Karen Lesley andBarbara Clarke. Other membersattended in “regular” garb, and wealso had a strong turnout ofcurious vistors and friends!

The banquet was a won-derful affair, with greatfood and conversation.The Viking of the Yearaward was presented bySally Christensen on behalfof Ivar. This award went toCharlotte Berg, whoattended all of our eventsthis season. She certainlydeserved the award!!

Of course, we also drewthe winners for the raffletickets - Arve Holt wonfirst prize (the Stresslesschair from Dane Decor),Karl Spalin won the IKEA

gift card, and Chris Johnson wonthe pewter Viking candlesticks.

We hope to see you again nextyear!

Hidden Message: The most commoninstrument during the Viking age wasthe six-stringed lyre.

Norseman News Page 11 Winter 2009 Edition

And the Winners Were... (Leif Ericson Day, 2008)

A great representation of our crew: (L-R) Karen Lesley, Steven and Barbara Clarke, Erik Hinrichsen’s son, Aaron and Maia

Holt, Dave Segermark, Karen Johnson, Dave “Wolf” Sutton, Torben Hinrichsen, Emily Knud-Hansen, Victor Berg, Charlotte

Berg and Erik Hinrichsen. Missing from the picture (but in costume) were Hilde Lindstrom and Mary Segermark.

Puzzle SolutionTHELTSIHWENOBP

EJOUHIKKOGMOLS

TCOMEMONCIAANS

TRUMPNAPLRYIEE

TNTDIURIUEWCDN

NSGTPRHEREETVA

EäEINKEISINNHE

MCRGRAGTPEHOLW

UKYAOSTHSOETBH

RPLEHSTIRLSXST

TIRINUGNDIAEDL

SPYROEGDHLKFWF

NALMDTIWDZLMML

IJXDLFBBAGPIPE

Page 12: Leif Ericson Viking Ship Norsemanvikingship.org/files/winter09nn_web.pdf · schools and organizations as the trav-el is expensive and the equipment requires maintenance, but we try

Norseman NewsLeif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc.P.O. Box 393Swarthmore, PA [email protected] Winter 2009 Edition!

We have an author among ourmembers! Jorgen Flood is one ofour newer members, having met usat the Jamestown festival this sum-mer, joining on the spot, andbecoming one of our board mem-bers as of this October. His book,titled To Live and Die in 1030 wasrecently published.

The Amazon website says ofJorgen’s book:

“For 250 years, the Vikingssailed the oceans of the world.Their exploits are legendary;they reached far into Russia,sailed the Mediterranean fromone end to the other, and crossed the Atlantic to

Iceland, Greenland and NorthAmerica. At one point, they ruledmuch of England and Ireland. Fewcities, even those far from the coast-line, were safe from them. But it wasnot all raiding; they were also set-tlers and explorers. Leiv Ericssonhad paved the way to NorthAmerica; others followed. In 1030,Einar Sigvaldsson and his crewdeparted Norway, their plan to wingold riches in the land far off to thewest. This is their story.”

We are proud to offer this book for$15. It, as well as the other items in ourcatalog, make unique holiday gifts for

the Viking enthusiast among your family or friends!

To Live and Die in 1030 - by Jorgen Flood