Vikings- notes

• Romans dominate Gull and for the next several hundred years, the area is a mix of Celtic and Roman cultures
• Late Antiquity-Middle Ages (6th century-15th century)
• Vikings lived in Sweden , Norway, Denmark, and Iceland
• Vikings were not Christianized in early Christian ages
• The Celts became Christianized
• Vikings lived their lives in a non-religious tradition
• Attacked Britain to Ireland from 7th-9th centuries
• 9 worlds in Norse Mythology
• Midgard- we live here
• Alfheimr- North; elves live here
• Svartalfaheim- South; black elves live here
• Vanaheimr- East
• Muspellheim- (where sun rises) land of fire
• Jotunheimr- Southeast; land of giants
• Niflheim- land of ice
• Asgard- land of the gods
• Oden and his sons live in halls of Valhalla (heaven)
• Hel- South, netherworld (underworld)
• Ginnungagap- far away; nobody lives here
• Three books that are stories and tales of Norse mythology
• Edda
• stories of the gods
• Prose Edda
• Heimskringla- about kings 
• written by Snorri Sturluson
• Yqqdrasil tree- important story
• center of the Norse cosmos
• Runes were the alphabet  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_alphabet
• Ragnarok- important story
• great fire caused by battle that causes Midgar to burn
• From ashes, a new world comes
• Vikings were not afraid of death because you would go to Valhalla
• Viking stories are called "sagas"
• Valsunga saga tells us about bizerkers
• Leif Ericsson went to Iceland, Greenland, then to North America
• 500 years before Columbus
• 2 basic designs for ships
• river journeys
• open water
• Buried heroes in ships
• The battle ax was fiercest of weapons
• Monasteries along coast appeal to vikings because of their wealth
• Lindisfarne was important monastery
• King of France doesn't want to face the vikings so he buys them off
• France king gives them gold and silver if they leave
• 790-1100 A.D. vikings follow every river into heart of the continent
• Eirik the Red and Leif Ericsson come from Ieeland
• Eirik is banished from Iceland and they go to Greenland
• Fishing and other meat were available, no farming.
• Leif yearns to explore, just like this father
• year 1,000 he sets sail off the coast of Greenland to Newfoundland
• Newfoundland colony lasts only a decade, 500 years before Columbus
• Leif returns to Greenland and converts to Christianity
• Christianity reunites them
• They find resistance from old Norseman
• Pagans and Christians have old testament duel
• Herold Hardrada (15 years old), half brother of king Oba 
• Herold will write his own history
• Story of "The Wise Woman's Prophecy"- beginning of Norse mythology http://sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm
• Leaks were typical food (flat green onions)