Contextual studies
We have been asked to research certain era out of this list I had decided to look at
Viking Norse warriors
we have to research
They time that they Lived
they lived from 800 AD to 1050 AD this is a list of the Vikings leaders Important events
Ragnarok - Ragnarok was known as the end of the world which was including the 3 frozen winters, death to the gods
Battle of BrĂ¡vellir
Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern
Fimbulwinter
Their myths and legends
Gods
Aegir – Norse God of the sea. Married to Ran and lives under the waves near the island of Hlesey.Aesir – A group of warrior gods led by Odin who inhabit Asgard.
Balder – Son of Odin and Frigg. Known as a gentle and wise god. Killed accidentally by his brother Hod. Will return after Ragnarok.
Bolverk – The alias Odin adopted when disguised as a giant to win the mead of poetry.
Bor – Son of Buri and father of Odin, Vili and Ve.
Bragi – The Norse God of poetry and eloquence. Son of Odin and husband of Idun.
Buri – Ancestor of the Norse gods. Created by the cow Audmula licking him from ice.
Day – Son of Night and Delling. Said to ride around the earth on his horse Skinfaxi.
Earth – Daughter of Night and Annar.
Einherjar – Band of dead warriors in Valhalla who await Ragnarok.
Eir – Goddess of healing
Fjorgyn – Lover of Odin and mother of Thor. Also referred to as Earth.
Forseti – God of Justice. Son of Balder and Nanna.
Freyja – Main goddess of the Vanir (fertility gods). Daughter of Njord and sister of Freyr.
Freyr – Important god of the Vanir. Son of Njord and brother of Freyja.
Frigga – Main goddess. Wife of Odin and mother of Balder.
Fulla – Goddess servant of Frigga.
Gangnrad – Pseudonym of Odin when he visits Vafthrudnir.
Gefion – Fertility goddess. Associated with the plow. Tricked the king of Sweden out of a tract of his land.
Grimnir – Pseudonym of Odin when he visits his foster son Geirrod, King of the Goths.
Gullveig – A Vanir goddess (probably Freyja) who is burned three times by the Aesir.
Harbard – Odin disguised as a ferryman when he wrangles with Thor.
Heimdall – Watchman of the Norse gods and owner of the horn Gjall. Son of nine mothers. Often identified with Rig, the creator of three races of men.
Hel – ruler of Helheim, the realm of the dead
Hermod – Son of Odin. Rode to Hel to try and rescue his brother Balder.
Hod – Son of Odin. A blind god who accidentally killed his brother Balder. he will return after Ragnarok.
Honir – A long-legged, indecisive god. Sent to the Vanir to seal the truce between them and the Aesir. He will survive Ragnarok.
Idun – Guardian of the golden apples of youth and wife of Bragi.
Lofn – Goddess of ilicit unions.
Loki – The sly, trickster of the Norse gods. Son of two giants. Also known as the Sly One, the Trickster, the Shape Changer and the Sky Traveller. Becomes increasingly more evil. He is responsible for the death of Balder. Bound until Ragnarok.
Magni – Son of Thor and the giantess Jarnsaxa. Will inherit Thor’s hammer Mjollnir with his brother Modi after Ragnarok.
Mimir – Wise Aesir god. Sent to the Vanir to seal the truce between the two groups of the Norse gods. Killed by the Vanir, his head is kept by Odin.
Modgud – Maiden guardian of the bridge over the river Gjoll in Jotenheim.
Modi – Son of Thor and the giantess Jarnsaxa. Will inherit Thor’s hammer Mjollnir with his brother Magni after Ragnarok.
Moon – Son of Mundilfari. Guides the moon on it’s course.
Nanna – Wife of Balder and daughter of Nep.
Narvi – Also known as Nari. Son of Loki and Sigyn who was killed by his brother Vali.
Night – Daughter of Narvi and mother of Day. Rides around the earth on her horse Hrimfaxi.
Njord – A Vanir god associated with wind and sea. Husband of Skadi and father of Freyja and Freyr.
Norns – Urd “fate”, Skuld “being” and Verandi “necessity”. Three goddesses of destiny.
Od – Missing husband of Freyja who she constantly mourns for.
Odin – King of the Norse Gods, God of poetry, battle and death. Chief god of the Aesir. Also known as the “all-father”, the “terrible one”, “one-eyed” and “father of battle”.
Ran – Wife of Aegir who dragged drowning men down with her net.
Rig – Pseudonym of Heimdall and the creator of three races of men.
Rind – Goddess and lover of Odin. Mother of Vali.
Saga – Goddess and drinking companion of Odin.
Sif – Wife of Thor whose golden hair was cut off by Loki.
Sigyn – Wife of Loki.
Sjofn – Goddess of human passion.
Skadi – Goddess of Winter and of the Hunt
Sun – Daughter of Mundilfari and guide of the sun.
Syn – Goddess of the accused at trial.
Thor – God of Sky, thunder and fertility. Associated with law and order in Asgard and guardian of the Norse gods. Son of Odin and Earth and husband of Sif. Also known as the “thunder god” and “charioteer”.
Thrud – Daughter of Thor. Promised to the dwarf Alvis.
Tyr – War god. Son of Odin who sacrificed his hand in the binding of Fenrir.
Ull – God of archery and skiing.
Vali – Son of Odin and the giantess Rind. Conceived to avenge the death of Balder.
Valkyries – Beautiful women who carried dying warriors to Valhalla.
Vanir – Fertility gods.
Var – Goddess of marriage oaths.
Ve – Son of Bor and brother of Odin and Vili.
Vidar – Son of Odin and the giantess Grid who will avenge Odin’s death after Ragnarok.
Vili – Son of Bor and brother of Odin and Ve.
Vor – Goddess who knows all.
Realms
Alfheim – The land of the light elves in AsgardAlgron – Island where Odin (Harbard) stayed for five years
Asgard – Land of the Aesir
Bilskirnir – Thor’s hall in Asgard
Bifrost - The flaming rainbow bridge between Asgard and Midgard
Breidablik – Balder’s hall in Asgard
Elivagar – The eleven rivers that flow from the spring of Hvergelmir in Niflheim.
Eljudnir – Hel’s hall in Nifleheim
Fensalir – Frigg’s hall in Asgard
Folkvang – Site of Freyja’s hall in Asgard
Franang’s Falls – Waterfall in Midgard where Loki, disguised as a salmon, was caught by the gods.
Gimli – Hall of the gods after Ragnarok
Ginnungagap – The void between Muspell and Nifleheim before the creation.
Gladsheim – Sanctuary of the Norse gods on the plain of Ida.
Glitnir – Silver and gold hall of Forseti, son of Balder, in Asgard.
Gnipahellir – Cave in front of Niflheim where the hound Garm is chained up.
Helheim – The realm of the dead in Niflheim, ruled over by the monster Hel.
Himinbjorg – Heimdall’s hall in Asgard
Hlesey – Island near the undersea hall of Aegir and Ran.
Hlidskjalf – Odin’s high thrown in Valaskjalf.
Hnitbjorg – Stronghold of the giant Suttung.
Hvergelmir – Spring in Niflheim under the root of Yggdrasill.
Idavoll – The central plain of Asgard. Contains the halls of Gladsheim and Vingolf.
Iving – River dividing Asgard from Jotunheim
Jotunheim – Land of the giants
Lyfjaberg – Mountain beside Menglad’s hall in Jotunheim.
Lyngvi – Island on lake Armsvartnir where Fenrir is bound.
Lyr – Menglad’s hall in Jotunheim
Midgard – The realm of mankind.
Mimir’s Well – Well of wisdom under the root of Yggdrasill in Asgard which is guarded by the head of Mimir.
Muspell – Southern land of fire guarded by the giant Surt.
Nastrond – Site of the hall of evil-does in Hel. The dragon Nidhogg gnaws at corpses here.
Niflheim – Land of freezing mist and darkness and home of Hel.
Okolnir – Land of warmth created after Ragnarok. Site of the hall of Brimnir.
Sessrumnir – Freyja’s hall in Asgard.
Sindri – Red gold roofed hall which will appear after Ragnarok.
Sokkvabekk – Saga’s hall in Asgard
Svartalfheim – Realm of the dark elves.
Thrudheim – Thor’s realm in Asgard and site of his hall Bilskirnir.
Thrymheim – Stronghold of the giant Thiazi which was passed on to his daughter Skadi.
Utgard – Realm in Jotunheim ruled by Utgard-Loki.
Valaskjalf – Odin’s hall in Asgard.
Valhalla – Hall presided over by Odin where the Einherjar await Ragnarok.
Vanaheim – Land of the Vanir in Asgard.
Vigrid – Plain in Asgard where the final battle will occur.
Vingolf – Hall of the goddesses in Asgard.
Ydalir – Ull’s hall in Asgard.
Yggdrasill – The world tree (Hodmimir’s wood)
Stories
The CreationThe War of the Aesir anf Vanir
The Building of Asgard’s Wall
Lord of the Gallows
The Song of Rig
The Mead of Poetry
Loki’s Children and the Binding of Fenrir
The Theft of Idun’s Apples
The Marriage of Njord and Skadi
The Treasures of the Gods
Skirnir’s Journey
The Lay of Grimnir
The Necklace of the Brisings
The Lay of Thrym
The Lay of Vafthrudnir
Thor’s Journey to Utgard
The Lay of Hymir
Hyndla’s Poem
Thor’s Duel with Hrungnir
Odin and Billing’s Daughter
Gylfi and Gefion
The Lay of Harbard
The Ballad of Svidpag
Thor and Geirrod
The Lay of Loddfafnirr
Otter’s Ransom
The Lay of Alvis
Balder’s Dreams
The Death of Balder
Loki’s Flyting
The Binding of Loki
Ragnarok
rituals and traditions
Sacrifices
Sacrifices were one of the biggest of traditions of the Viking age people and animals were sacrificed to their gods for example when a ship is lost at sea the crew will sacrifice to Odin for winds and Aegir for calm waters.The interesting part about the sacrifices were that they were taken part in the open. They had no priests or temples so they were held by the chiefs of the local area often the animals were sacrificed .
When sacrificing to a pacific god they would sacrifice in a certain way for example when sacrificing to Odin you must hang a person to him in the way how he was hung from the tree of life (Yggdrasil).
There was a story where there was a merchant ship lost at sea and they prayed for Odin winds. When they got to land they found out they had to sacrifice their king.To make him feel better they used string instead of rope and hung from a lower tree in addition to instead of using spears they used sticks in anger Odin changed the string into a thick rope around his neck and the tree grew 3 times its height and the sticks turned into spears he hang until he choked on his own blood.
Fight against Christianity
when the Vikings 1st started to sail around Europe they had a problem from the get go Christianity had started its conversion so often they would preach about one got and test Vikings for their gods to bring them to Christianity but the Vikings often attacked the churches because they were pagan so they didn't see the religion made sense so often they will attack the churches soon as they weren't Christian they didn't see it as unholy
the Christian church was they ones who won by turning the Viking kings to Christianity and they forced their subjects to stop believing in their gods
clothing
Vikings’ average height
Men: 171 cm
Women: 158 cm
Women’s clothing
The women usually wore long dresses or skirts which went down to the feet. Archaeologists have found numerous belt buckles in women's graves, located on the skeleton’s shoulders. This indicates that the women wore so-called harness dresses, which were held together with a strap over each shoulder. Other findings show that women also wore dresses with built-in sleeves.
The clothes were double-layered. On the inside, Viking women wore a linen base – a sort of petticoat, which was soft and had a cooling effect. The outer clothes were usually made from wool, which is a warm, but also a durable material.
Men’s clothing
The men wore the same materials as the women. The inner layer usually consisted of a linen kirtle – a long shirt which the men pulled over their heads. On the outside, the typical Viking man wore a woollen coat.
Like today’s men, Viking men wore trousers. These could be either short or long, and they were usually sewn in the style of pantaloons. These trousers only reached down to the men’s knees.
Vikings’ appearance was marked by battle wounds
The muscular Vikings sometimes worked as farmers, and other times they were in battle.
The scientists cannot say, however, how much of the Vikings’ physical appearance has been characterised by wounds and lesions from fights, since superficial cuts or a missing eye cannot be detected on an ancient skeleton.
“But in male skeletons, we have found examples of sword wounds in the hip, which the man has survived,” says Harvig. “It’s not as if all of them have lesions, but it’s not uncommon either.”
She says it’s likely that the Vikings walked around with ugly scars. They didn’t have the modern methods of treating wounds and injuries that we have today.
So perhaps the image of an average Viking, as portrayed in the above picture gallery, only needs to be spiced up with a scar or two and that should bring us pretty close to a portrayal of what Vikings really looked like.