12-24-VIKINGS-NEW | Page 9

FUN FACT HORN Are you walking in the footsteps of Vikings ? When Vikings settled in new locations , they named the landscape . Many English town names come from Old Norse ! For example , if you live in a town ending in -by like Grimsby , which in Old Norse means a farm or settlement , it was likely settled by Vikings ! Another village named Gunthrope comes from the Old Norse female personal name , Gunnhildr , and þorþ , which means ‘ outlying farm / settlement ’.

PUZZLE ALERT !

Take a close look at the picture . Can you spot :

1 A Viking spa session

2 A hoard of stolen treasure

3 Two ravens

4 A fish supper

5 A time traveller

6 A Viking fashion show

7 A sun stone

8 Piggy in the middle

9 Story time

10 An owl

Winters in camps could be harsh , but not as harsh as they were back in Scandinavia . Vikings would prepare by pickling vegetables and drying or smoking meat and fish to get them through the cold months . They also hunted , fished and foraged around the camps .

Although people were generally fearful of these northern outsiders , Vikings did also become part of the economic landscape . Some winter camps hosted markets to trade with the locals .

FUN FACT HORN The Viking Age began in 793 CE , with the Lindisfarne raid in England . Most textbooks list 1066 as the year Viking raids ended . But actually , Viking raids didn ’ t abruptly end . They slowed down because they were no longer as profitable and because of the expansion of Christianity .

Compared to many other cultures of the time , Viking women had some limited rights . They could inherit money and property and divorce their husbands ! Not enslaved people though , and there were lots of those .

To pass the cold days and long nights , Vikings enjoyed playing games and taking part in physical competitions . Storytelling was another key form of entertainment . Skalds ( poets ) would tell epic sagas and myths , passing the Viking history and legends on to future generations .

The camps were not only home to the raiders but also their families , who would all help to keep the camp running . Food needed to be cooked , clothes repaired , and weapons and tools had to be made .

Warriors often gave their weapons pet names , such as ‘ Leg-Biter ’, ‘ Bear-Slayer ’ and ‘ Mistletoe ’.

Vikings loved to ski for fun ( what else do you do during a harsh , Scandi winter ?). In Norse mythology Ullr is the

Vikings loved self-care . god of snow and winter ,

Archaeologists have found and the inventor of skis brushes , combs , tweezers and skates ! and even ear cleaners in Viking graves !

Primary runic alphabet used by the Norse in the Viking Age is known as the Younger Futhark .

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Words : Benita Estevez . Illustration : Tashi Reeve .