#víkingligr

Let's go and kill some misconceptions #likeaviking !

Vikings ?

Viking ?

Vikings ?

Game nr. 1: Cross out the pictures which are not labelled properly

So, what are we talking about in this blog anyway ?

Viking stuff, right.
Viking stuff ?

Yes, for example we would like to know if Viking horses looked more like the Fjord or the Icelandic breed, what was the role of Viking women in the household, what games Viking kids used to play, how much cargo could a trading Viking ship carry, or what were the tools of Viking craftsmen.

Well, no. We're not. Because we won't look into things that didn't ever exist.

The word "Viking" (which in proper English is supposed to be absurdly capitalized, like a nationality) comes from the Old Norse "víkingr" (sea-rover, pirate) and "víking" (raiding expedition). Both words derive from "vík" (a bay - where the víking ship can moor) - hence place names such as Reykjavík.

So, "viking" is an occupation, and a temporary one to that (see Cleasby & Vigfusson on that topic) - and definitely not a nationality. Therefore I will from now on drop the capital letter, even if the autocorrect doesn't like it.

The vikings were therefore strictly speaking sea-rovers coming from Scandinavia. Of course, they had nationalities : they were Danes, Svears, Northmen, Icelanders, Geats... In these countries / regions, there were women, children, craftsmen, shepherds, horses, dogs, houses, merchant boats... that were Danish, Icelandic or Geatish as well, but who were by no means vikings. Shepherds and children don't go on raiding expeditions (women neither, but that another story). If we were to use a word to designate them all, they were all Norse. People from the North, speaking Old Norse ("norrœna tunga"), and sharing a common culture that was, during the Viking Age, quite distinct from continental Europe. Norsemen.

So, deal with it. In this blog, we are talking about Norse stuff.

I will ramble about Norse houses, Norse dogs, Norse games and Norse gods, and sometimes, only sometimes, about vikings.

Yours, Eiríkr