Chris Muller, 2/9/24

Vikings: Bloodthirsty Warriors or Settled Farmers?

Think of a Viking man. You probably thought of a bearded warrior, clad in furs with a sturdy ax, raiding and pillaging along the coasts of the North Sea. However, this is not the complete Viking. Vikings were also farmers, traders, craftsmen, and state-builders. In fact, the majority of Norse people were not vikings at all! Viking comes from the old Norse word víkingr, meaning “pirate” or “raider”. A Viking, therefore, is someone who raids, in the same way a banker is one who banks.

So what did the Norse people do other than “go Viking’? Firstly, they farmed. Most Norse people produced enough food to sustain themselves and whoever else lived on their farm, with the remainder going to trade. The Norse also kept livestock, from cattle to goats. Harsh winters and subpar soil made farming difficult compared to the breadbaskets that were France and Egypt, but the Norse got by. Most Vikings also farmed; The raiding “season” in which most pillaging was conducted was the early summer, as temperatures were warm and weather favorable. This left enough time to return for the harvest, and remain at home for the winter before planting in the spring.

Secondly, the Norse were phenomenal craftspeople, particularly in smithing. Norse steel was of a quality not seen again until the modern day. Such “Ulfberht '' swords were viewed to have near-supernatural power. They were so well-regarded that counterfeits were found, likely to piggy-back off the marketing power the swords held. They were also proficient in leatherwork, sodwork, woodwork, and various other types of crafting.

Thirdly, Norsemen were some of the most prolific traders of the time. Using their seafaring prowess, the Norse plowed deep into Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Norse outposts have been found as far as Sicily and the Black Sea. They traded goods such as silver, slaves, and finished products all across Europe. They did this by using rivers and other navigable waters to push deeper inland than any other single group could.

So why do the Norse people have such a bloody reputation? It all comes down to who’s writing the legends. Farmers did not have the money to commission myths to be written about farming. However, kings and conquerors did. Therefore, they glorified battle in order to galvanize people to fight for them. Also, other cultures wrote extensively about Viking raids because that is what they primarily remembered of the Norse people. The trading side of them was disregarded because traders weren’t particularly notable, but the guys who came and burned down your farm and took your silver definitely are.

I hope that I’ve encouraged you to reevaluate your views on the Norse people, from a depiction of a solely violent and rabid people, to a more well rounded viewpoint of warriors, farmers, and craftsmen.