Trondheim
viking
Trondheim viking contains historical overview
of everyday life in Trondheim (Nidaros) during viking era such as:
everyday life, clothing,food and diet, games, sport,health, trades,
classes in the viking society, women in society,honor, viking raids,
languages and the end of their era.
Everyday life in Trondheim during the Viking
era
The people
lived in small farms. However, the nature of these settlements was
different from one region to another. The farms tended to be
categorized into small villages. In less wealthy areas, individual
farms were well separated.
A well
prosperous farm enclosed by fences. Outside the fenced areas were the
fields used for cultivation. Each home consisted of a longhouse and
multiple out-buildings.
People
grow hays in order to maintain the farm animals over the winter. Hay
was required for the animals that were sheltered under cover over the
winter.It was necessary to put up sufficient hay each autumn to
maintain the livestock until spring.Sheep and goats could survive the
winter. During Viking era, farmers needed to be self-sufficient.
Farm
life in the Viking age was a constant struggle against starvation,
cold, and disease. Most people used to work their entire waking hours.
Every
farmer had to be prepared to defend his farm and property. A sense of
solidarity was expected on a farm, between the farmer and his wife, on
one hand, and the servants and farm hands on the other.That is why in
exchange for obedience and support, the farmer provided for defense and
safety of his servants.
Clothing in Trondheim during the
Viking era
Clothing
was a sign of hospitality. Any family which could afford have more
clothing would certainly keep warm.
Clothing appears to have
been comfortable, and practical. It's surprisingly warm, but adjusts
for varying temperature ranges.
Food and diet
in Trondheim during the Viking era
People
ate agricultural products which were raised on their own farms. They
had meat from their cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, and poultry. They used
to plant cereals. Their dairy products were milk from their cows, sheep
, goats, as well as cheese and butter.
The vegetables
were such as: beans, cabbage, onions, and an assortment of herbs; and
wild fruits, such as apples, pears, cloud berries,blue berries and
raspberries.
The only
available sweetener in that time was wild honey. viking Trondheim viking
Games and
sport in the Viking age
People loved
board games (indoor activity during winter) and outdoor.
Boards games were common and have been found in
some viking graves with ranging from 7x7 squares to 19x19 squares.
Playing pieces were made of bone, antler, amber, bronze and wood. It's
unclear whether dice was a part of this board game, or, more likely, a
different game. Many
Viking kings were good at playing board games.
According to the Viking mythology the Viking
gods played board games in the meadow, during the golden age of the
gods. It was predicted that after Ragnar�k, good fortune will return,
after finding the golden playing pieces once again in the meadow.
Another indoor game was drinking game.
There
were also ball games, skin throwing games, wrestling, swimming,
skiing and horse fights. The games were important social events for the
community and might last for days.
Games took place during feasts or religious festivals. Sometimes
prominent men called people together for a leikm�te (games meeting) specifically to take
part in games.
However, the competition was a bit more rugged.
There were serious injury or death.
The swimming competitions might be more
accurately called drowning competitions; the goal was to see who could
hold his breath underwater the longest.
Skiing and Ice skating was also common among
people from Trondheim in Viking age.
Health , medicine and burial in the viking age
People were neat
during the Viking age. Women had their long hair. According to the law
women were prohibited from wearing their hair short.
The average
height of men in Norway in the Viking era, based on skeletal
measurements, was 176cm (5ft 9in), with a range from 170-181cm (5ft 7in
to 5ft 11in), which was taller than other Europeans during this time.
The average height of women was 160cm (5ft 3in), with a range from
149-164cm (4ft 11in to 5ft 5in).
According to the
studies of burial remains from the Viking age, one can assume that
people had good health and long life compare to the other countries.
Good health was seen as an extension of good luck.
Both the saga
literature and forensic studies of skeletal remains suggest that battle
injuries could also be horrific.
Magic was used
to heal the injuries received in a duel.
Wealthy and
powerful men were sometimes buried in a ship. A structure was built on
the deck in which the body was laid. It was not unknown for his wife to
voluntarily join him. Horses, slaves, farm animals, and all the
trappings of wealth were placed on board the ship before it was buried.
Trades
Most of the trading was over short distances. A
smaller number of international trading centers attracted merchants
from Europe, the Arab states, and even Asia.
Some of the exports during viking age were timber, iron,
soapstone, whetstones, barley and tar. Silver was used as a
medium of exchange, in the form of coins, unworked silver rods, and in
the form of jewelry.
The value of silver was based solely by weight,
so if the weight of a piece of jewelry was more than needed to complete
a purchase, it was cut into bits to make up the correct weight for the
transaction.
Classes
The majority
of Norsemen belonged to the middle class. These people were freemen and
land owners. They were the farmers, the smiths, and the just plain
folks. Families of middle class usually lived in clusters of two or
more buildings, typically longhouses supplemented by barns and
workshops.
Slaves generally
worked in the farms. The harder and less desirable work frequently fell
on the backs of the slaves. Slavery existed throughout all the Norse
lands in the Viking age and ended in 13th century.
Women
in society
A woman was, by law, under the authority
of her husband or father.She had only limited freedom to dispose of her
belonging. She was prohibited. from participating in most political or
governmental activities.
Women were respected in Norse society and had
great freedom, especially when compared to other European societies of
that era. They managed the finances of the family. They ran the farm in
their husband's absence. In widowhood, they could be rich and important
landowners. The law protected women from a wide range of unwanted
attention. In some old law books there are lists of penalties for
offenses ranging from kissing to intercourse.
Honor and dueling
The concept of "honor" and of a "good
name" were common among people in Trondheim. A man fights until the end
for defending and protecting his honor.
Viking raids
The Norse were looking for three things: new
victims, new partners with which to trade and new land on which
to settle. In many cases, Norse voyages included all three activities.
The raids were usually opportunistic, against
targets that could be attacked, plundered, and departed from quickly.
Vikings stayed along the coast or on navigable rivers; overland marches
were avoided. The goal was to grab as much valuable booty as possible
before an effective defense could be raised. Typical booty included
weapons, tools, clothing, jewelry, precious metals, and people who
could be sold as slaves.
Vikings invaded Europe for many years and
Warriors from Nidaros were also among them.
The
Viking raids didn't come to an end with any singular event. Some would
say the widespread conversion to Christianity in the Norse lands at the
beginning of the 11th century signaled the end of the Viking
age. The teachings of the Christian religion did not encompass the
kinds of activities that took place on a typical raid.
In the year 1066, King
Harald of Norway died trying to conquer England. It would be the last
major Norse raid. In the same year, Polish tribesmen overran and
destroyed Hedeby, the primary Norse trading center. The climate turned
colder that century, making life more difficult in the north. The Norse
influence in continental Europe gradually declined.
Languages

Old Norse was spoken
throughout the Norse lands during the Viking period. Old Norse is one
of ten branches that make up the Indo-European family of languages
which have been spoken throughout Europe and southern Asia for the last
3000 years.
This is the root language from
which the modern Scandinavian languages descended, and is a close
relative of modern English, Dutch, and German.
During the period from 550-750
AD, the language was not a barrier in Europe; from Greenland to the
Baltic. However, there is evidence that, despite the common language, a
man's homeland could be identified by his accent. See Norwegian language
Vikings
destiny
What happened to Vikings?
Raiding and fighting was a part time
occupation by a small percentage of the population. Few Vikings were
professional soldiers, although like all men in this era, they were
familiar with the use of weapons.
Most of the people were
farmers who wanted to take care of their family. They were business men
who saw raiding as a means of acquiring capital that could be invested
in a ship, in a farm, or in a business.
When Christianity arrived to
Norway. The viking age ended.See History of
Trondheim.
The Viking age ended when the raids stopped
in year 1066. At the Battle of Stamford Bridge, the Norwegian king
Harald was killed as he attempted to reclaim a portion of
England. It was the last major Viking incursion into Europe.
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