Vikings and their way of life.

Church at city of Vassal, Finland

Kimmo Huosionmaa

Vikings were very tough and good soldiers, who were robbed half of Europe. The equipment of the Viking soldier was not so good, that they would not think of the gods, but they were very good weapon users, and that was the reason, why they had so terrible reputation. The Vikings lived in the northern area far away from other Europeans, and that was the reason, why those men were so good targets for prosecutions. And in some cases, the jewelry of monastery have been stolen monks by themselves.


But of course, Vikings robbed many cities and villages. Their methodology was always same. When those Vikings first time came, they offered trade products for the people of the city, and if they seemed like wealthy persons, they would come back with weapons. But Vikings worked also security missions for other kings, and they were known as good weapon handlers. That kind of specialists was very wanted for a military trainer, and Vikings were hired even by the emperor of Byzanthe.


Also, they worked as mercenaries, who attacked against other states by gift. Those mercenaries were used same missions as "Dirlewanger"-units were used in Nazi Germany 1940's. The Vikings might sometimes hire even by the Catholic church and their mission was to terrorize some area, and then the church took their knights in place, and they were told to the people, that by changing their religion to Christianity, the knights would protect their religious brothers and sisters. But sometimes the anthropologists have given a question about the weapon handling skills of those "men from the north". Why were those persons personal fighting skills so good? This was a question, what was interested many military leaders in the world.


In 1930's and -40's SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler and German "Ahnenerbe" send many historians and anthropologists to Sweden, Norway, and Finland to find out, what made Vikings so ultimate soldiers. If that was because of the food, the German military would begin to eat the same food immediately. One explanation for the ultimate courage of those fighters was, of course, the mushroom, what is known as "the toadstool". This mushroom causes hallucinations, that Vikings were able to fight, without the feeling of pain. But this was only one explanation for their fighting success. The courage is the little bit different than skills for weapon handling. And this thing is what fascinated those persons.


If they would get own Viking-soldiers, they could have ultimate military personnel under their command. When we are talking about the muscles of Viking, I must say that they are not very weak. And if we think about the video, what is made for the song "Herr Mannelig", we must say that the woman must have very strong hands, if she wants to strangle the Viking soldier. Or she might use drugs, what was probably given by some other person little bit earlier, for stunning the soldier. But this is only the comment for that video, what is seen on YouTube. The Christianity ended the Viking era even in the northern land, but their reputation still lives in many stories and myths, like the song "Herr Mannelig".  Link to that video is under the text.

Sources

Writings of Vikings

"Herr Mannelig"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy44ocuoWhE


https://sites.google.com/view/vikingngsandtheirwayoflife/etusivu