Who were the Vikings?

The Vikings came from what is now known as Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. However, they were not one “race” as such, rather small groups from all over the region. Also, Vikings weren’t just limited to Scandinavia. Historical records indicate Finnish, Estonian and Saami Vikings as well.

Aside from occasional trade they had very little to do with one another, and in fact often fought amongst themselves. That being said, the Viking were united as a group in one circumstance: the eyes of the conquered! They came from foreign lands, were seen as uncivilised, and were not Christians. That would come later, of course!

Viking history tends to focus on the warriors, typically men. Much has been written lately about the role of women in the Viking age. Relatively few Norsemen actually set sail on raids and trade missions in the early years. At least, until settlements were founded elsewhere. Instead, many worked out their lives as farmers or fishermen. Throughout Scandinavia, settlements were typically small farming communities home to just one or a handful of families. Power was far from centralised, relying instead on a local chieftain and the alliances he would make along the coastline.

Lofor Viking museum on Norway’s Lofoten Islands has a lot of great information about the role of a chieftain. The museum goes on to say that the chieftain would have to be generous with his wealth in order to gain support.

“We can assume that society was organised in a kind of redistribution system. This would involve the chieftain collecting taxes from the people in exchange for protection, the development of infrastructure and the organisation of other common business. In this way, the chieftain developed his power, alliances and wealth.”

Viking families lived in longhouses, a building split into sections with a fire at its heart. Benches surrounding the fire would serve dual purpose as daytime seating and nighttime beds. Typically, the building would be shared with livestock and used to store all manner of goods.

Some of the best known settlements in Norway include Borg, home to the Lofotr museum, and Avaldsnes. The latter, near Haugesund, was on a strategically important shipping route.

There is pre-Viking evidence of trade between parts of Scandinavia, too. In fact, recent research shows that whetstones found in Ribe came from the Lade peninsula in Trondheim.

Some believe overpopulation caused the Vikings to begin their travels. But that seems unlikely because the early raids were for riches, not land. Norsemen always had an important relationship with the water for food and transport. The development of faster, more reliable ships seems to have played at least a part in triggering the expansion overseas.

For any student of history, the name Lindisfarne conjures up images of the Viking raid in 793. While it seems unlikely to be the the very first, it was documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, personal letters and the famous Doomsday Stone. As they’re the first written sources referencing a raid, it’s typically taken to be the beginning of the era.

It was the first of many attacks on monasteries along the British coastline. The Norsemen quickly identified these buildings as sources of wealth with weak defences, making them very attractive targets.

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