Viking (Concept)

Viking

CONCEPT

Vikings were a seafaring people active in the Scandinavia region between 800–1050 AD.

Overview

The vikings were a seafaring people hailing from the region that is now known as Scandinavia. They were active in the periods 800 to 1050 AD and were known for their skills at sea and fearlessness in battle. With the support of their sturdy long ships they were able to trade goods as far as Russia (Location) and Turkey (Location), and often raided or settled nearby countries. Many towns in the northwestern parts of England (Location) bearing nordic names and it is speculated that vikings visited North America (Location) long before it was settled by other European countries.

Viking technology and culture has been highly mythologised by the civilisations they raided, resulting in their history being muddied by tall tales and demonisation. The Vikings were crafty and cruel, and their societies were progressive in some ways while still being based off a raiding economy. Due to their easily recognisable iconography, they have been featured in scores of games with varying degrees of accuracy.

Weaponry and Armour

Despite the common symbol for Vikings being the horned helmet, this is a relatively modern invention that has no historical basis. It comes from a fantastical description of Vikings several hundred years after they had faded away. Viking helmets were simple, had a domed or peaked cap with nose or eye guards, and were most likely not made of metal, with vikings favouring leather due to its cheap and durable nature. Leather was used heavily in the creation of body armour as well, and mail was worn only by the rich and important members of society. Wearing lots of armour was heavy and slowed you down, making it harder to move during combat.

The iconic round shield however, is accurate. Before the invention and widespread adoption of kite shields, whose main benefit was protecting the legs, the round shield was a favourite amongst Viking warriors. These were usually sparsely decorated, but important individuals could have intricate designs painted on them and have gold or silver trimmings. The shields were crafted out of linden wood, preferred for its light but dense properties. This meant that a cleave with a sword or axe would dig into the shield but would not penetrate it. As a combat tactic, the Vikings would interlock their shields— much like what the Romans did—creating a wall of protection against enemy blades and arrows.

For weapons, the Vikings preferred a spear or an axe, both of which could be thrown with impressive accuracy. The axes were single bladed, sometimes attached to long handles like a crude polearm, and had a head with an easily recognisable L shape. Swords were also used, but were very expensive to make or more often imported from continental Europe. The common Viking would most likely carry an axe, which could be used as a tool as well as a weapon.

Architecture

Vikings lived as other people did in those years, in simple homes constructed with stone and wood. The most common of these houses was the longhouse, which typically was five by fifteen meters and housed a single family. The beds were along the walls and in the middle was the common area where people would gather around a fire to eat or converse. The houses were very simple, without any windows and were decorated sparsely, with more complicated buildings made for important families or important functions.

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Viking longships, as iconic as their helmets, were often decorated more elaborately, with the prows carved into dragon or serpent heads meant to protect the sailors on the voyage ahead. The longships were very adaptable to various types of traveling, whether across open oceans or down winding rivers, and could be built in just over a month by a capable crew of Vikings, overseen by a head shipbuilder. The ships were symmetrical, with no defined front or back, which allowed them to be reversed very quickly when navigating difficult waters or during combat. Most longships were equipped with sails for longer journeys, but all of them could be rowed, with the Vikings sitting on chests containing their possessions (or loot) rather than having any benches. The sides of the longships had places to attach shields for protection against the elements or arrows if the threat arose.

Mythology

Viking mythology is filled with fornicating gods and bloody combat, but the only gods that have reached popular fiction are Odin (Character), Thor (Character), and Loki. Odin is the king of the gods, the ruler of Asgard (Location) and is associated with war, wisdom, magic and poetry. Thor, the one everyone knows, is he who carries Mjöllnir, the hammer forged by Odin which grants him dominion over thunder and lightning. He is the son of Odin and is connected to storms, destruction, fertility and the protection of mankind. Finally, there's Loki, the trickster. Much like Hermes of the Greek pantheon, Loki is the sometimes-helpful sometimes-hindering mischievous and malevolent trickster god. He is a shapeshifter and is the father (and mother) to many gods including Hel (Character), she who guards the underworld.

Counter to the gods of Viking lore are the Jötunn, a race of nature spirits with superhuman strengths. These giants would battle the gods as well as intermarry and have later evolved into the Norse folklore creatures called Trolls (Concept). The Jötunn reside in their titular home of Jötunheimr, while gods reside in Asgard and the mortal men live out their lives in Midgard; three of the nine worlds in Viking mythology, which are all connected by Yggdrasil (Character), the world tree. Yggdrasil is a massive ash tree whose branches extend far into the heaves and roots extend far into distant places. It sustains and holds the worlds together and is often the meeting place of the gods when they hold their courts, as well as home to a wyrm who gnaws at its roots and has done so since the beginning of time.

Finally, we cannot forget Ragnarök, the doomsday legend. Ragnarök can be translated to "final destiny of the gods" and is a set of future events that brings about a cleansing rebirth of the worlds. Natural disasters and great battles will tear through the world tree and in the end there will be a single man and woman who will repopulate the human race. The battle of Ragnarök is between all who reside in the nine worlds and on the side of the gods are the Einherjar (Concept), warriors who have died in battle and who reside in Valhalla (Location), a great hall in Asgard, as they await their time of glory. The Einherjar are chosen by the Valkyries, a host of female figures who decide who shall die in battle and tend to the warriors once they enter the great hall.

Dwarves and Elves

When J.R.R. Tolkien was writing The Book of Lost Tales, a series of stories which would eventually become The Silmarillion, he looked to the Viking legends of the dwarves as inspiration for his own race of mountain men. These legends were superimposed with legends surrounding Vikings to become the modern view of the dwarven race, which are heavily based on J.R.R. Tolkien's initial descriptions. These short, ugly and hairy people were excellent miners and smiths who predated the race of men and reside in the world of Svartálfaheimr.

The elves of Tolkien's Middle Earth are also inspired by the elves in Norse mythology. Specifically the Ljósálfar who dwell in the world of Álfheimr. They look mistakably similar to normal humans, but have god-like powers and are said to glow with unearthly radiance and are "fairer to look upon than the sun".

Battle Prowess

Much of the world views Vikings as bloodthirsty barbarians, who recklessly raid civilised villages in a desperate grab for treasures. They leave none alive to tell the tale as they slay whom they cannot abduct and burn what they cannot steal. Although this is partially true, as Vikings were known to commit bloody raids, this description is based mostly on the eye-witness accounts of surviving victims, who saw their attackers as mindless heathen brutes whose only aims were riches and chaos. Vikings were organised and tactful and committed horrible acts in a deliberate attempt to strike fear into the hearts of all who knew of them.

Before the Christianisation of Viking society, Viking life was based on living in villages, all of whom had their own king and leadership. Due to the decentralised society there were many fights between the various villages, and in the end the Vikings grew tired of fighting each other and set their sights on the lands across the seas with each village setting out by themselves to steal what could be found on distant soil. Once Christianity had firmly taken root it was the Viking kings who commanded the raids, gathering scores of warriors in large scale raiding parties and using the same tactics that had worked for years.

The Vikings would land ashore, kill or capture everyone, steal everything that wasn't bolted down and burn the rest. They would also hang surrendering enemies as a display of terror to all who saw it. This was a form of shock tactics which worked well in their favour and the evidence of this is seen in the massive amounts of treasure and slaves they would capture.

Berserkers

Most notorious of all the Viking warriors was the berserker, whose history is muddled by legend and misconceptions. What archeologists have determined is that they most likely existed and were hardened warriors who fought in a trance-like fury which bestowed upon them great resilience in battle. The legends speak of them eating fire and being immune to edged weapons, which might be a gross exaggeration as they are described in sagas and poems simply as ravenous men who loot, plunder, and kill indiscriminately. They were a great asset as shock troops to a Viking army whose main tactic was to surprise and overpower the enemy before they had time to react. Their trance-like state is speculated to be the result of the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms or alcohol, but can also be explained as an adrenalin rush caused by working themselves up before a battle akin to playing rock music while sitting in a transport helicopter.

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