Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

553

Vikings

Burials

important Vikings were

buried with their ships.

relatives placed the

body in a wooden

cabin on the deck.

sometimes, dogs,

horses, cattle, and

slaves were buried

with their owners. The

body of a great warrior

might be burned on a

pile of wood or placed

on the deck of a longship,

which was then set alight.

The sword was among the most fearsome weapons

carried by the Vikings.

BeTween The 8Th and 12Th cenTuries ce, fierce warriors

called Vikings terrorized the people of europe, looking for loot. They

came from norway, sweden, and denmark, where the weather was cold

and the soil was poor. at first they made lightning raids on

coastal villages and isolated farms. They stole

horses and food, captured prisoners for

slaves, and robbed churches of their gold

and silver. later they conquered and

settled in parts of england,

France, Germany, ireland,

italy, russia, and scotland.

The Vikings were the finest

shipbuilders of the time,

and their swift, light boats

could travel far from their

homelands. They settled

in iceland and Greenland,

and were the first

europeans to reach north

america. although they are

chiefly remembered for their

conquests, most nordic people

lived peacefully in small settlements

and worked as farmers, merchants,

and craftworkers.

Viking knorr

VikinG Families

some Vikings lived in bustling trading

towns, such as York, england, but most

lived in isolated farming settlements.

everything the family needed had to

be made or grown on the farm. Viking

women had more rights than many

other european women

of the time. For instance,

they were allowed to get

divorced if they wanted to.

lonGship and knorr

The Vikings depended

on ships for transportation,

because their lands were

surrounded by the sea

and covered with dense

forests, which made

travel difficult. They

built magnificent

longships out of

wood cut from the

vast scandinavian

forests. a longship

carried about 80 warriors,

who rowed and sailed the

ship and also fought battles

when they reached land. The Vikings

also built smaller ships called knorrs, which

they used for trading and transporting goods.

warriors

Viking warriors usually fought with swords and

battle axes, although some used spears and

bows, and arrows. They carried

wooden shields, and some

wore armor made of layers

of thick animal hides. Viking

chieftains often wore metal

helmets and chainmail armor.

Swedish helmet (7th century)

Relatives have surrounded the

body with the dead person’s

most treasured possessions,

including his horse.

Viking longship

Villagers loaded

the knorrs with

farm produce, for

trading purposes.

Find out more

normans

scandinavia

A warrior used

both hands to

swing the long-

handled battle

ax at an enemy.

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