Introduction
I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, Vikings .
Famous and Well-known Characters:
Vikings are known by numerous reputations in our modern culture. Some stories insist that they are similar to characters in comic books, others show them as drunk and horned cap wearing thugs. An entire genre of music even exists to honor these people, yet though we are all familiar with the word itself and at least one popular culture image, very few of us know much about who these people were, in reality and in history.
A Misunderstood Grouping of People:
Its true that Vikings raided and were violent plunderers, taking communities along the coast for money, however, with the exception of the few who went on to gain royalty, most of these people spent their time engaging in farming activities to support their kin. It may be more realistic to envision them as people who were seen as outcasts by their society who were driven to take extreme measures to provide for their families. In some cases, it was even a matter of religious discrimination that painted them in such negative lights. So, if some historical accounts and rumors are not to be believed about them, who were the Vikings, really?
Intelligent and Adept Explorers:
In addition, Vikings were highly skilled in fighting techniques and general combat, but in actuality were not the rough barbarians typically portrayed in entertainment or stories. In fact, their expert, advanced technology with building ships and exploring the sea gave them the advantage of adventuring around the oceans of the world. Some of them were even famous and prized for their sharp wit and great mental abilities which allowed them to prevail beyond others.
They were the first to discover huge portions of our planet before anyone else, including Greenland, North America, and parts of East Europe. So while we may be tempted to believe the stereotypes weve seen of these characters, they were, in actuality, much more than that, which you will discover in the following pages of this book.
The Vikings in this book are famous for their often violent exploits and plundering, but that is not the entire story. They are also famous for the way they shaped East Europe, North America, and Britain. Without the influence of the Vikings in ancient times, these places would not be what they are today. In fact, we have the Vikings to thank for a lot of what we enjoy in our modern world. You will learn all about that, and more, in this book.
Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!
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Chapter 1: Erik the Red
Erik the Red is a Viking most famous in Icelandic and medieval stories for having created the very first of Greenlands continuous settlements. Legend states that this incredible Viking was born in the year 950, in the Southwestern part of the country of Norway. Thorvald Asvaldson was his father and Osvald was his father. An unfortunate family tradition started when Osvald was first accused of killing someone. Known for having a volatile and brazen personality, in combination with his long red beard and hair, it didnt take him long to gain his famous nickname.
The Events that led to Erik being Banished from his Home:
When he was only 10 years old, his dad was exiled for killing someone, and then relocated. Erik abandoned his home nation of Norway to head to Iceland, along with his dad. Life was great for Eriks father and the rest of his family for a while, until a few of Eriks servants got mixed up in a fatal accident that resulted in his neighbors home getting ruined. A friend of the neighbor murdered the servants in response to this. To get them back, Erik murdered some of his men. This resulted in Erik being banished from the area.
As soon as Erik the Red was banished from the nation of Iceland in the year 980, he made the choice to check out what existed toward the west (what is known in modern day as the country of Greenland). He then set out to sea in the year 982, but had trouble reaching the coastline because of the abundance of ice in the water. In response to this, his party went around the top of the country and ended up settling there. Erik the Red decided to head back to Iceland a few years later and started a colony.
A Dispute with a Friend that led to Chaos:
Then came trouble for Erik. He decided to lend some of his beams with Viking symbols and valuable mystical properties (according to pagan tradition) to a man named Thorgest, who was a settler friend of his. Later on, when Erik attempted to reclaim his property, Thorgest refused to give them back. Erik grabbed them and headed back home. In anticipation of a backlash, Erik organized an ambush for the thief and his men. This resulted in a large brawl which ended up killing two of the sons of Thorgest. When the court of the village met, Erik was banished again from the area.
Erik Sails to Greenland:
After this fiasco, Erik decided that he had had enough and wanted to abandon Iceland in its entirety. He had caught wind of a huge landmass to the west of the nation which had been discovered a century earlier by a sailor from Norway. This journey had spanned many miles of open sea, but the danger was lessened by the advanced design of the Viking sailing ships and by the incredible navigation abilities of Erik the Red himself.
Between the years 982 and 983, Erik sailed around the lowest tip of this large and mysterious mass of land, eventually showing up somewhere which is called Tunulliarfik in modern day. Starting at this location, Erik the Red used the next couple of years adventuring to the west and the north, exploring the areas and giving them names based on his own. It was his belief that the places he explored would be great for breeding livestock and called the country Greenland in hopes of enticing prospective visitors and settlers to the area.