Mentioned as savage tyrants for centuries, Vikings have made their way into many areas of popular culture such as TV series and movies. In the unforgettable Vikings cartoon series, we first knew them as extremely docile people, but over time, historical facts began to be reflected in movies and TV series.
Who is this community, which is famous for its huge ships, horned helmets that symbolize even though they do not normally use it, and the pagan culture they believe in? Why are Vikings one of the most brutal tribes in history?
Appearance of Vikings:
From the 8th century to the 11th century, the Vikings, who had a strong reputation in the world; They were seafaring tribes located in the Scandinavian peninsula, which today consists of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. They stepped into Europe long before the discovery of America and invaded the region we know today as Russia.
Constantly seeking to annex their country, the Vikings entered a state of perpetual war with England after occupying Lindisfarne Island in northeastern England in 793. He even conquered huge parts of the island of England. Although they focused only on looting the cities before, it has been observed that they moved to these cities they looted over time and started to deal with farming.
A war-fed society:
Vikings did not hesitate to give their lives in battles, even dying in battle was a reward for them. They believed that after they died, they would feast in a hall called Valhalla. Valhalla was a hall ruled by Odin, one of the gods they believed in, and it was believed that the souls of heroes who died in war were brought here. This belief pushed the Vikings to go to war, even if there was no need for war under normal circumstances.
You can understand how a community that sees death as a reward fights so fearlessly. Their lack of fear of death gave them an advantage in battle, because these traits made them brave soldiers who could fight to the last drop of blood without hesitation.
The famous Viking raids following the invasions:
One of the worst times Britain has ever witnessed was when it was under Viking occupation. The Vikings were so brutal and savage that they looted and embezzled everything they found in the areas they occupied, including treasures in churches.
Not only did they loot, they also began to take the lives of innocent people without blinking. It is recorded that innocent people who came back to the villages they set fire to and plundered after a certain period of time, ended their lives. No wonder why this community, which has brutally expanded its borders and looted everything they see, has such a bad reputation.
The Vikings’ methods of punishing criminals call the Chinese:
The Vikings were so cruel to their enemies and criminals that their punishments would make many people sick to their stomachs. Their goal was not just to kill, but to make sure they suffered enough before they died.
Ivar the Boneless, which many of us will remember from the Vikings series, was one of the most brutal figures in Viking history, if the legends are true. Legend has it that after Ivar captured King Edmund, he tied him to a tree and pointed it at his archers as a target until his head exploded.
The “blood eagle” meaning bloody eagle was another form of execution used by the Vikings. Again, according to legends, it is said that after Ivar cut the chest of King Ella, who was his father’s murderer, he opened his ribs and lungs to the sides, resembling an eagle’s wing. It is recorded in the records that this form of execution was used by the Vikings, especially in cases such as blood feuds. It’s truly blood-chilling.
Even the rituals of faith were unusual:
Vikings, who had pagan beliefs, had interesting and wild rituals. Its origin is unknown, but it is said that Vikings performed rituals that lasted nine days every nine years, in which nine people were sacrificed each day. It is said that this ritual is done at the beginning of spring, and its purpose is to make sacrifices to the gods to ensure that the next harvest time is fruitful.
In another source, it is said that Vikings periodically carved their teeth to intimidate their enemies. At the same time, the bear-men who took part in the war as “berserkers” took part in the war by wearing only animal fur and head, and used their hands and teeth as weapons and armor.
Their enemies wrote their history:
Vikings were communities that chose to convey their knowledge verbally rather than in writing. For this reason, the basis of many sources found about the Viking period was not written by Vikings, but by Viking victims. This shows that we should question whether the information written about them is true.
But most of the sources are vikings; characterizes them as savage, ruthless, predatory and rapist communities. The Vikings, portrayed as fearless and aggressive warriors dressed in blond, stout, horned helmets, are also said to be filthy people who do not take care of their personal hygiene.
While armor was important to the Vikings, they never actually wore horned helmets. This belief is a bit wrong for Vikings who only used horns for drinking and singing. However, as we have just said, armor was very important to them and was the biggest indicator of a man’s social status at that time. From swords to axes, all the war-related tools they had were produced from the highest quality steel of that period.
Vikings also traded slaves:
Vikings contributed a lot to the slave trade. Although the main Viking enemies such as England caused the development of slavery and the slave trade in the following ages and centuries, the Vikings also had a structure that adopted slavery. The Vikings, who sold them after enslaving the people they took from the villages they plundered, called these slaves “thrall”.
There is a lot of unfounded information about the Vikings, who disappeared from the stage of history and whose descendants were assimilated to many parts of the world, especially Europe. However, what we are dealing with today was information that sheds light on one of the most brutal societies in history, which historians are trying to verify with different sources. If you wish, you can reach the content that we have compiled from the historical mistakes in the Vikings series here.
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