Who were the Vikings?

A Viking Raven Flag

In the 8th Century A.D. the Viking people lived in three countries of Scandinavia: Sweden, Norway and Denmark. They were also called the Norse People (meaning from the North). They were great farmers and sailed in their longships around the North Atlantic Ocean and the seas of Europe searching for better lands to farm.

Their farmhouses were built of wood and stone with blocks of turf and had turf or thatched roofs.Rich farmers' homes had several rooms, (main living area, bedroom, kitchen and storage area) but most people lived in houses with only one common room. Their main food was fish caught by hooks, spears and nets. They used to hang the fish on racks to dry it; or they might salt or smoke it.

They were skilled tool makers andthe blacksmiths made nails, tools and weapons using an anvil, hammer and tongs.

They made their clothes from coarse woollen cloth, woven using a loom. Dyes were made from plants which the women and children collected and spun. In the winters they wore furs to keep warm. Both men and women wore belts to carry a knife and a purse. They wore shoes made out of goat skins and they were tied together with strips of leather from animal skins.

They were also wonderful ship builders, making shaped, strong vessels out of wood, with beautiful carvings on steeply curved ends. They made them waterproof by coating them in tar from pine trees. They had brightly coloured sails woven from wool but could also be rowed by teams of oarsmen.

Some Vikings were raiders and travelled the seas as fierce pirates who stole and attacked villages and towns. Their warships and raiding boats were made to sail right up on to the shore, making it easy for the raiders to start fighting straight away.