THE VIKINGS AND THEIR EXPLORATIONS

foreign [Music] this is a statue of a bold and Hearty Explorer a Viking Warrior more than one thousand years ago Vikings left records of their Explorations and travels records carved on large stones we still find these Viking monuments in Many Lands monuments covered with strange markings called runes the men who carved this writing also built Wooden Ships such as this who were these Fearless semen called vikings and where did they come from the people of Europe call the Vikings North men or Norsemen because they came out of Northern Europe on their voyages beginning about 800 A.D they reached Ireland England France the islands of Iceland Greenland and later many other lands the home of the Vikings or Norseman was Scandinavia they lived in what is now Norway Sweden and Denmark in these countries today live the Scandinavians vigorous active people many of them have light skin and hair as the Vikings did very likely many Scandinavians living today are descendants of the Vikings Vikings who lived in Scandinavia more than one thousand years ago the earliest Vikings lived in simple one-room log houses their plain furniture and utensils were handmade usually of wood the Vikings ate porridge buttermilk was one of their favorite drinks often there was bread and cheese and sometimes butter and honey some foods which the Vikings liked came from the sea fish preserved by smoking kept well Through The Long Winter Fish and Game were important foods for the Viking family because farming was not too easy in this cool Northern country where rocky hills and mountains covered much of the land rocky soil and Forest made farming difficult in many places but always near to the Vikings was the sea the sea that came into narrow inlets called fjords and near the sea tall trees well suited for the masts of Viking ships on their ships the Norsemen carved dragons meant to protect them from danger Stout Timbers formed the Slender Hull of the wonderfully made Viking ship aboard the ship Viking warriors pulled the boat with large oars their Shields hung over the sides to protect the Vikings from both the sea and their enemies oars were used whenever the wind was not favorable but often a square sail was raised to catch the wind and so equipped with both oars and sail the slim seaworthy Viking ships carried men on sea voyages to far away lands the Vikings watched for the coasts looking for inlets or Rivers into which they could sail their ships and loot the countryside when a landing Place had been cited the ship headed for sure as soon as they touched Shore the Vikings leaped from their ship ready for battle Viking Raiders these were the men who struck Terror into the hearts of their intended victims the Vikings knew no fear victims usually fled in Terror [Music] their bodies were often plundered [Music] homes and crops were put to the torch the few who survived brought a good price as slaves [Music] no wonder the Pagan Vikings were feared no wonder that in Christian lands at this time people often prayed Lord protect us from the fury of the northmen the Vikings made their first organized raid in the year 795 in Ireland they penetrated the eastern part of the island some of the Vikings reached the small Isle of Man about halfway between Ireland and England many of them settled here about the same time a different group of Vikings from Denmark invaded England and settled here this area became known as the Dane law or the territory governed by Danish laws meanwhile other Vikings sailed boldly into Eastern Europe in the year 862 Vikings from Scandinavia sailed east across and Beyond the Baltic Sea they continued Southward through lakes and rivers reaching novgurat a Slavic settlement in these Slavic lands they were seeking not Conquest but trade continuing South they reached Kiev another Slavic settlement some stayed here but others sailed on into the Black Sea to Constantinople hundreds of miles south of their Homeland many settled in the area between northgarat and Kiev they became known as Roost tribes the name ruse meant Roars it was given to the Vikings by Slavic nomads these Nomads came to trade with the Vikings they brought with them good such as cloth and fine Steel knives that may have come from southern Europe Vikings offered Furs in trade a white Shield meant that the Vikings wished to trade rather than fight in some lands Viking Traders settled and gradually mixed with the people there about 900 they settled this region in France here the north men after a Time became known as Norman's the region where they settled is still known as Normandy many people of Normandy today are fishermen and sailors in 1066 a famous Norman Warrior named William sailed from this Coast he took with him descendants of the Vikings to conquer England these pictures from a famous Norman tapestry show us how his men built ships in the Viking Manor in their Long Dragon ships the Normans crossed the narrow English Channel and landed in England in the year 1066. after a fierce battle the Normans conquered the English William and his Norman conquerors were Christians and built great Stone churches in England but the earlier Vikings were pagans this decorated wooden cart was found in a viking grave in Norway the carvings on it probably are religious symbols its large wooden Wheels were carved in sections and then joined together This Is the personal chest of a Viking Queen the outside is decorated with tin nails the chest contains sewing needles and other personal articles Viking Raiders brought the queen this Bucket from England or Ireland it is decorated with small seated figures at each end of the handle decorative jewelry of many kinds was worn by the Vikings the Vikings were skilled at wood carving and made earthenware they also made metal tools for shipbuilding and carving and battle axes and Spears Viking warriors were proud of their weapons and of their deeds of conquest and exploration they often told long stories about them stories called sagas these sagas were memorized and repeated in this way Viking history was passed on to the children perhaps this boy is being told about one of the most famous Viking Voyages of all this Voyage was made by life Erickson A Brave Young Viking Seaman who set out from the island of Greenland to explore the ocean west of Greenland blown off his course by a storm he continued Westward until he neared land the Vikings were near a beautiful Green Coast when they landed one of the crews saw something delicious wild grapes life named this place Vineland we know now that the Vineland life Erickson found was very likely the coast of North America and so a bald Warrior and sailor probably discovered our own continent on one of the remarkable Voyages of the men called the Vikings foreign