Hugrunar - The World of the Vikings

The Germania Board (18 threads, 6899 posts)
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Historical Thread

The North Germanic cultures of Scandinavia flourished in the Migration Era, giving rise to the powerful chieftainships evidenced by the rich ship burials at Vendel and Valsgarde. By the Eighth Century a combination of environmental factors seems to have led to a rise in population in Scandinavia, and advances in Scandinavian ship-building technology led to the beginnings of the Viking expansion. As raiders, traders, invaders, settlers and explorers, the Vikings expanded into Russia, Britain and Ireland, the Atlantic islands, Iceland and Greenland. Vikings served as troops in the Varangian Guard in Constantinople and discovered North America. They sailed as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as the coasts of Africa.

These people had a well-deserved reputation as fearsome warriors, but their vibrant art, skilled craftsmanship, remarkable ocean-going vessels and rich poetry also show that theirs was a complex and varied culture. They have left us masterpieces like the Gokstad and Oseberg ships, the Icelandic sagas and the great rune stones. As the last of the pagan Germanic peoples, their literature also gives us some insight into the now long lost world of the ancient pagan Germanic religious traditions and their language, laws and customs are still with us today.

This thread is for the discussion of all things Viking.

Created by:
* Thiudareiks Flavius, Dec 2, 2002 - 00:05