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| Image Credit: National Museums Scotland |
Although Vikings may be best known for what they plundered, sets of early Scandinavian scales prove that they also paid for goods. Silver was the primary money of the day, although gold and other precious metals were also used in trade. Whether formed into coins, jewelry, or ingots, the metals were valued by weight, rather than demarcation. Large numbers of Islamic coins were brought into Scandinavian countries only to be melted into hack silver. So important was the weight of metals, that one merchant who lived his last days in Kiloran Bay on Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides chose to be buried with his scales. Weapons and ornaments from his homeland in Scandinavia surrounded his body, but cradled closest to him, between his knees and head, rest his splendid set of bronze scales along with seven engraved, lead weights. (1)
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| Image Credit: National Museums Scotland |
Not only did the Vikings pay for their wares, they established a massive trade empire which sprawled as far south as India. The small Swedish island of Helgo was once a hub of both trade and manufacturing. Rich with artifacts of Viking culture, the island has given archaeologists such treasures as Frankish glass, Arabic coins, a North African bronze ladle, and an Indian Buddha. (2) The small figurine dates to the 6th century AD . His lips and urna shimmer with silver inlays and he sits upon the sacred lotus flower. Historians believe the figurine was cast near the Indian border with Pakistan, approximately 4,000 miles from its final resting place. (3)
8. Ulfberht Sword
The Vikings’ trade empire was so widespread and complex it created one of the earliest markets for counterfeit wares.
The iron most commonly used to produce swords in the Middle Ages bore slag inclusions which made it brittle and prone to breakage. As you can image, nobody in close combat would want their sword to suddenly snap in half, a common warfare occurrence during this time. The Vikings invented a mysterious solution, one which continues to baffle experts. Swords bearing the insignia “Ulfberht” were cast at extremely high temperatures from a remarkably pure steel. This steel could not be reproduced until the 1880’s. The high carbon content of this iron sets it in the modern category of spring steel. This allowed it to bend without breaking, making it perhaps the most robust blade on the planet at the time. Thus, the Ulfberht would have been a highly prized and expensive weapon.
Thousands of Viking swords have been found across Scandinavia. Only 171 carry the mark. Perhaps most interesting of all, 50% of those have been revealed to be counterfeit. Their steel does not boast the high carbon content and low slag of the real deal. The brand name, “Ulberht”, is usually mis-spelled. (4)
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| Image Credit: Science Nordic |
There exists a great debate in academic circles as to the prevalence of literacy amongst the Vikings. Therefore, ordinary items can cause cause a stir when they bear runic inscriptions.
A hair comb, discovered in Ribe, Denmark, bears two engravings which are fascinating in their simplicity. One side is marked “comb”, the other “to comb”. While nobody can be positive as to the reason the maker took the time to carve the words, there are two prominent theories. One is that this was an effort to spread the updated runic alphabet which began to form in the 8th century. Another is that the markings may have been reminders for a person with cognitive impairments. In either case, the effort would have been futile if the owner could not read them. (5)
Small sticks engraved with runic messages are relatively common finds. Their notes tend to be unimportant. One found in Odense, Denmark says, “Good Health,” along with the owner’s name. (6) Another invites the reader, “Kiss Me!”. If literacy was confined to the privileged, as some historians suggest, it would have made little sense for them to spend their time whittling away at humble sticks. (7)
6. A Board Game
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| Image Credit: Prisma Archivo / Alamy |
When they were not participating in foreign markets, smelting extraordinary steel, or doodling on sticks, it seems Vikings spent a great deal of time honing their wits with strategy games. So important were they to the culture that they are featured in poems and sagas and found buried in graves with precious personal goods.
One such game was hnefatafl. Several excellently preserved hnefatafl sets, ranging from ornate precious metals to humble wood and clay arrangements have been discovered throughout Scandinavian. The sets all contain a blocked board similar to a modern checker board and various figurines. The figurines are always the same size save for the king. Just as in chess, the king was almost defenseless, meant to be protected by the smaller pieces. (8)
5. A Pan Pipe
When we look at past civilizations, we often take into account their arts when judging their advancement. Modern culture draws from Roman theater, Greek Philosophy, Egyptian paintings, and countless myths and legends from cultures across the world. One thing that is seldom mentioned is Viking music.
The Icelandic Sagas recount the importance of music to the Vikings. They wrote their greatest tales and achievements into ballads which could be spread across territories and taught to generation after generation. Many Saga characters, kings and commoners alike, take great pride in their mastery of music, often to the point of bragging. Yet, the artifacts are rare. (9)
One notable find was discovered in York, England. This pan pipe dates to the 10th century, the end of the Viking era. At that time, York (Jorvik) was still under Viking control. This pipe is so well preserved, the notes AHCD&E can still be played, giving us a few sounds of the tradition which originally preserved Viking history, myths, and folklore. (10)
4. A Tool Chest
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| Image Credit: Popular Mechanics |
The Mastermyr Find, uncovered in 1936, seemed at first to be nothing other than an old, oaken chest, padlocked shut and long forgotten. As it turned out, this was a Viking tool chest. Sealed inside for approximately 1,000 years were 200 wood-working and blacksmithing tools. (11) These included everything from coarse and fine grade files to hammers, anvils, and hacksaws. In fact, the majority of the tools are easily recognized and their modern counterparts are still in use by craftsmen today. (12)
3. A Key
Often as society progresses, so do women’s rights. Vikings may be best known for the rape and pillage they did at war, but the Icelandic Sagas tell of a more refined civilization at home. Although a Viking woman’s place was generally in the home, she had the right to bear witness, to divorce, and to own and inherit property. When her husband was away, she had complete authority to control all business affairs on the farm. This set her far ahead of her time.
When a Viking woman married, she was given the keys to the farm and the money chests, a symbolic token of her position. One such key was discovered on Heggum farm in Røyken in the Oslofjord. The beautifully ornate bronze key would have been proudly displayed on its owner’s belt, a symbol of her high status. (13)
2. A Runic Calendar
Though we all remember the 2012 Mayan Calendar scare, and we learned about the Julian and Roman calendars in school, few of us are aware of the Viking calendar’s influence over our own. This perpetual, lunar calendar divided the year into two seasons, summer and winter. Each lasted 6 months. A person’s age was counted by the number of winter’s he or she had lived. Most of our names for the days of the week descend from Norse tradition:
Sunday: “Solhjul”, meaning sun wheel
Monday: “Mondag”, to mark the moon
Tuesday: Tyr’s day, to honor the God of War
Wednesday: a derivation of the word “Wotan”, meaning Odin
Thursday: named for Thor
Friday: honored either the goddess Freya or Frigga, depending on the region
Saturday we seemed to have skipped, but in Denmark it is still known as Lørdag which means bathing day. This was the traditional time for Vikings to have their weekly bath, a ritual which was remarked on as extreme in its frequency by contemporary writers in France and England. (14)
The best remaining Runic Calendar is the Nyköping staff, currently held in the Museum of History in Lund, Sweden. (15)
1. The Osberg Ship
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| Image Credit: UiO Museum of Cultural History |
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Excellent article. Well researched and informative. Thank you!
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