The Vikings or Norse men

Group members:
Regina Harris, Christann Maloney, Ariel Samuels, Tarique Anderson, Anna-kaye
Williams, Joshae Gordon, Patrice Evans
The Vikings

The term Viking comes from a language called Old Norse and
translates to 'a pirate raid'. Vikings were Norse seafarers, speaking
the Old Norse language, who raided and traded from their
Scandinavian homelands (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) across wide
areas of northern, central and eastern Europe, during the late 8th to
late 11th centuries. Today, signs of the Viking legacy can be found
mostly in the Scandinavian origins of some vocabulary areas in which
they settled, including northern England, Scotland and Russia. In
Iceland, the Vikings left an extensive body of literature, the Icelandic
sagas, in which they celebrated the greatest victories of their glorious
past.
VIKING MEN AND WOMEN

Male Viking Female Viking

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

Norse mythology is the body of mythology stemming from Norse

paganism and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia
and into the Scandinavian folklore of the modern period. Norse
mythology consists of tales of various deities and heroes derived
from numerous sources from both before and after the pagan
period, including medieval manuscripts and folk tradition. The
most famous of those deities are: Thor the God of Thunder, Loki
the God of Mischief and Odin the God of Vikings. These three Gods
where the most feared and worshiped of all the Norse Gods.
FAMOUS NORSE DEITIES

Odin God of Vikings

Loki God of Mischief Thor God of Thunder

REASONS WHY THEY CAME TO THE AMERICAS

To spread Christianity. Around 1000 A.D, Leif Eriksson sailed east to

his ancestral homeland of Norway after spending some time of his
life in Greenland. There King Olaf I Tryggvason converted him to
Christianity and charged him with proselytizing the religion to the
pagan settlers of Greenland. Eriksson converted his mother, who
built Greenlands first Christian Church, but not his outlaw father.

They wanted to make a better life apart from their homeland and
hoped to seek for new riches in the process.
Leif Eriksson

Statue of Leif Eriksson in Iceland

 REASONS WHY THEY CAME TO THE AMERICAS
CONTD

The Norse or Vikings loved to go on voyages a lot because their

ships were well built and after experiences of previous seamen
such as Bjarni Herjolfsson other men were curious and wanted to
see what the Americas was like.

Climate and Resources - The Americas provided better climatic

conditions for the Norse men and they were easily able to get
resources such as food and materials for daily life. Examples
include: Grapes, timber, clay and many more.
SETTLEMENT PATTERNS

In the last decades of the tenth century, they sailed westward from Iceland and
established settlements on the southern parts of Greenland. The Norse sagas relate
that in 986 the Icelander Bjarni Herjolfsson sailed west for Greenland. Blown of his
course by a storm, he caught sight of a previously unknown land; however, he
remained aboard his ship and turned east to Greenland. This expedition was
followed by Lief Erikssons which sought the land seen by Herjolfsson. Eriksson
landed on what is today known as Nova Scotia and named it Vinland (Wine-land). It
was said that it was found either between Quebec and Florida or even in the Great
Lakes or the Mississippi Valley. They attempted to identify its location in America by
presence of vines and meadows. Leif also visited other places, including Helluland
(Flat Stone Land) and Markland (Woodland). It was also believed to be Baffin Island.
Markland was said to be a timber- rich location. Similarly, LAnse aux Meadows was
another Viking settlement located at the northern tip of Newfoundland, Canada.
ROUTE MAP TO THE AMERICAS
WHY THEY SETTLED IN THE AMERICAS

Climatic Conditions The climate in the Vikings land or Norse was too
harsh because it was cold for e.g., Iceland. Instead they travelled to the
Americas to countries such as Vinland or Wineland to experience the
milder climate and explored the surrounding region abounding with lush
meadows.

A second reason is that they needed resources such as food and materials
since they ate plentiful portions. They ate wild grapes which they also
used for wine and salmon from rivers. Materials such as timber were
salvaged to repair ships for voyages.
WHY THEY SETTLED IN THE AMERICAS CONTD

They settled in order to seek riches because they thought that the lands
were wealthy.

Leif Erikssons father (Erik the Red) was banished from Iceland after being
expelled around A.D. 985 for killing a neighbor. The grandfather also had
been banished from Norway for committing manslaughter. They wanted to
make a new life for themselves due to their acts in their homeland.

COMMON VICKING FOOD

Berries Apples Meats and Chesses

EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE THERE

Evidence of an actual settlement in Vinland by the Vikings was denounced

until1960 when indisputable proof of Vikings in North America was discovered
atLAnse aux Meadowsin Newfoundland, Canada.The world woke up to the
fact that the Vikings had reached North America before any other Europeans.
After eight years of excavation, numerous artifacts were found including ringed
pin, a stone oil lamp, a soapstone spindle whorl, a bone needle, iron rivets and
a whet stone, that were all dated to about 1000 A.D. There were also walled
structures that were of wooden frame overlain with sod walls. The buildings
consisted of fireplaces and furnace pits. The styles and construction of
buildings were identical to 11th century Iceland and those at the sites of
Greenland.
EVIDENCE THAT THEY WERE THERE CONTD

The archaeological evidence revealed that the settlement of LAnse aux meadows was
an area used for ship building, iron smelting and wood work. Numerous ship repair
parts were discovered including nails and rivets which ere of the types found in Viking
ships. Pieces of butternut wood were also discovered. Butternut trees grew further
inland and this suggested that the Norse explored North America before they left.
Additionally, the discovery of some ninety (90) nails and the slags from the smelting of
ore gave evidence of the smelting iron.
By word of mouth or Oral traditions. Icelandic legends called sagas recounted
Erikssons exploits in the new world around A.D. 1000. These Norse stories were
spread by word of mouth before becoming recorded in the 12 th century and 13th
century. There were two sagas to describe the voyages Saga of Erik the Red and
Saga of the Greenlanders.
SOD HOUSE

Norse Sod House (reconstructed)

JOKE OF THE DAY!!!

HOW DID VIKING SHIPS COMMUNICATE?

LOOOOOOOOL

*WITH NORSE CODE*

Get it?
Cause Norse sounds like Morse