[The History of the Vikings / Norse People from Scandinavia]

this is a statue of a bold and Hardy Explorer a Viking warrior more than 1,000 years ago Vikings left with their exploration we still find the Viking monuments in many land monuments covered with strange markings called room the men who carved this writing also built wooden ships such as this who worthiness seamen called Viking and where did they come from the people of Europe called of North men or North men because they came out of northern Europe on their voyages beginning about 800 AD they reached Ireland England France rims of Iceland Greenland and later many other lands the home of the Vikings or Norse Minh was Scandinavia they lived in what is now Norway Sweden and Denmark in these countries today live the Scandinavian 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 1,000 years ago the earliest Vikings one-room log houses there plain furniture and temples were handmade usually of wood the Vikings ate porridge buttermilk was one of their favorite drinks [Music] often there with bread and cheese and sometimes butter and honey some foods which the Vikings light came from the feed 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 covers much of the land rocky soil and forests made farming difficult in many places but always near to the Vikings was the sea the sea that came into now in let's call George and near the sea tall trees well-suited for the masts the Viking ship on their ship the Norseman carved dragons meant to protect them from danger now tempers formed a slender Hall of the wonderfully made Viking ship aboard the ship Viking warriors pulls the boat with large oars their shields hung over the side to protect the Vikings from both the sea and their enemies oars were used whenever the wind was not favourable but often a square sail was raised to catch the wind and so equipped with both oars and sail the Flynn seaworthy Viking ships carried men on sea voyages to faraway lands the Vikings watched for the coat looking for inlets Oh River into which they could sail their ship than loot the countryside when a landing place had been sighted the ship headed for Shore as soon as they touched sure the Vikings leap from their ship ready for battle Viking raiders these were the men who struck terror into the hearts of their intended victim the Vikings knew no fear [Music] victims usually fled in terror you their bodies were often plundered homes and crops were put to the torch the few who survived brought a good price the slave [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 Northman [Music] 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 Danelaw 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 Novgorod a Slavic settlement in these Slavic lands they were seeking not Congress but trade continuing south they reached Kiev for 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 Novgorod and Kiev they became known as Roose tribes the name Bruce 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 wish 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 time became known as Norman 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 descendents of the Vikings to conquer England these pictures from the 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 Christian and built great stone churches in England but the earlier Vikings were pagan the Viking grave in Norway the carvings on it probably are religious symbol the outside is decorated with tin may the chest contains sewing needles another personal article 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 Viking the Vikings were skilled at wood carving and made earthenware they also made metal tools for shipbuilding and carving [Music] and battle axes and Spears Viking warriors were proud of their weapon and of their deeds of conquest and exploration they often told long stories about them stories called target these sagas were memorized and repeated in this way Viking history with pat.over perhaps this boy is being told about one of the most famous Viking voyages of all this voyage was making 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 coat when they landed one of the crew saw something his wildly know now that the Viman one of the remarkable voyages of the men called the Viking ah