followers were held. Merchants frequently operated through joint financial ventures, and some legal
disputes were solved through single combat. Men of prominence were generally buried along with their
most prized possessions, including horses, chariots, ships, slaves and weapons, which were supposed to
follow them into the afterlife.[59]
Iron Age oak boat discovered at NydamMose in Sønderborg, Denmark. Vendel Period helmet, at the Swedish
Museum of National Antiquities
Though the economy was primarily based on farming and trade, the North Germanic tribes practiced
a warrior culture similar to related Germanic peoples and the ancient Celts.[43] Warfare was generally
carried out in small war bands, whose cohesiveness generally relied upon the loyalty between warriors
and their chiefs. Loyalty was considered a virtue of utmost importance in early North Germanic
society.[22] A fabled elite group of ferocious North Germanic warriors were the berserkers. The North
Germanic tribes of these period also excelled at shipbuilding and maritime warfare.[59]
The North Germanic tribes practiced Norse paganism, a branch of Germanic paganism, which ultimately
stems from Proto-Indo-European religion.[60] Religion was typically practiced at hallowed outdoor sites,
but there is also reference to temples, where sacrifices were held. The best known of these was
the Temple at Uppsala. Their art was intimately intertwined with their religion. Their stories and myths
were typically inscribed on runestones or transmitted orally by skalds.[59] According to North Germanic
belief, those who died in battle gained admittance to Folkvang, Freya's Hall, and above all to Valhalla, a
majestic hall presided over by Odin, ruler of Asgard according to their cosmology and the chief god in
the North Germanic pantheon. Runes, the Germanic form of writing, was associated with Odin
and magic.[61] The thunder god Thor was popular with the North Germanic common people.[62]