Page 160 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

viking society 1937

Religion assortment of stories dealing with creation, the exploits of
Viking warriors had a particularly strong religious attach- their gods, and the culmination of history.Two thirteenth-
ment to the Norse god Odin, known popularly as the century sources provide the context and background nec-
“Father ofVictories.”Those warriors who lost their lives in essary for understanding these stories.Together they open
battle expected to be ushered by divine escorts, the a window onto the world of Norse imagination.The first
Valkyries,toValhalla,Odin’s palatial hall in the divine land is Saxo Grammaticus’s History of the Danes (c. 1215 CE),
of Asgard. Here they would feast and continue to train for written from a distinctly Christian perspective.The second
the ultimate battle,called“Ragnarok,” in which the entirety is the Prose Edda (c. 1220 CE), written by Snorri Sturlson,
of the cosmos along with its divine and human inhabitants an Icelandic poet. Viking achievements in the utilitarian
would be destroyed.This final cataclysm would lead to the and decorative arts were also significant.The former cate-
generation of a new universe,which would be repopulated gory included their manufacture and embellishment of
by a remnant of gods and humans. Odin was considered weaponry (e.g., ships, swords, axes, and shields), utensils
the patron of war, poetry, and the futhark—the runic (e.g., vessels for drinking), and musical instruments. The
alphabet. Norse myth records that he obtained the runes latter category included jewelry such as pins, necklaces,
(characters of the alphabet) after being hung upside down and bracelets. Wood, textiles, stone, and metal were the
on yggdrasil—the “world tree”—for nine days. preferred artistic media.
The Norse pantheon consisted of two divine families: The Vikings left an indelible mark on Western civiliza-
the Aesir and the Vanir. The former was made up of the tion. Through three centuries of sustained military and
gods living in Asgard. In addition to Odin, these gods mercantile endeavors, they played a significant role in the
included Thor, god of thunder and wielder of the divine diffusion of Norse culture throughout Europe. This cul-
hammer Mjollnir; Loki, the divine trickster; and Heim- tural legacy continues to flourish; some of its ancient lore
dall, guardian of Bifrost, the bridge leading to the celes- and rituals having been reclaimed today by religious seek-
tial abode of the Aesir.TheVanir lived in the sacred land ers who use it to fashion neopagan spiritualities. Other
of Vanaheim and consisted of deities closely associated elements native to it have long been part of popular
with the world of nature. The most important of these Christian practice (e.g., the Christmas tree, which may be
were Njord, god of wind and sea; Freyja, goddess of love a cultural reflex of the Norse yggdrasil). Deep reso-
and fertility; and Freyr, twin brother of Freyja and god of nances between Norse eschatological (relating to the
sun and rain. In general, theVikings believed themselves final events in the history of the world) conceptions and
to inhabit a world suffused with the numinous (super- those of both Christian theology and scientific cosmology
natural) and to be intimately linked with an assortment of (a branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of the
spiritual entities. With the embrace of Christianity, this universe) promise to make Viking society a source of fas-
older stratum of belief would not be eclipsed. It would live cination in the twenty-first century as research into global
on in the popular imagination and the development of conceptions of cosmic and human origins continues.
syncretistic (relating to the combination of different forms
Hugh R. Page, Jr.
of belief or practice) traditions in religion and the arts.

Mythology
Further Reading
The peoples of northern Europe had a fondness for poetry
Allan,T. (2004). Vikings. New York: Barnes and Noble Books.
and an appreciation for its evocative power. Poetry was a Campbell, G., Batey, C., Clarke, H., Page, R. I., & Price, N. S. (Eds.).
particularly effective vehicle for preserving and passing on (1994). Cultural atlas of the Viking world. Abingdon, UK: Andromeda
Oxford.
their myths,epics,and legends.The mythology that helped
Time-Life Books. (1998). What life was like when longships sailed.
to shape the social world of the Vikings contained a rich Alexandria,VA: Author.