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The Vikings

Who were the Vikings?

The Vikings came from all around Scandinavia (where Norway, Sweden and Denmark are today). They sent armies to Britain about the year 700 AD to take over some of the land, and they lived here until around 1050.

Even though the Vikings didn’t stay in Britain, they left a strong mark on society – we’ve even kept some of the same names of towns. They had a large settlement around York and the Midlands, and you can see some of the artefacts from Viking settlements today.

Top 10 facts

The Vikings are also called Norsemen, and came from Scandinavia.
They spoke Norse , which had an alphabet made up of characters called runes.
They travelled over the sea in longships, which are long, narrow wooden boats that could be sailed in both deep and shallow water.
The Vikings left their homeland because they were looking for better places to farm than the kind of terrain that Scandinavia had.
The Vikings first attacked Britain in 787 AD, but didn’t start to invade and settle in the British Isles until 793 .
In 878, King Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings in battle and had them sign a treaty saying they had to keep to their own land in England – this section of land was called Danelaw.
Jorvik was a large Viking kingdom around York ; the last king of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe in 954.
Viking warriors believed that when they died in battle, they went to Valhalla – this is where the king of the gods lived, named Odin.
England once had a Viking king: King Canute ruled from 1016-1035, and his descendants ruled until 1042.
A few weeks before the Anglo-Saxons were defeated in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 , they defeated Viking warriors near York, led by Harald Hardrada at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.

793 The Vikings attacked a monastery at Lindisfarne in Northumbria and started to settle in England
866 The Vikings raided and conquered York, and established the Viking Kingdom of Jorvik

878 Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun
886 The boundary between Anglo-Saxon and Viking territories was established, called Danelaw
950 Viking armies raided Wales
954 The Viking Kingdom of Jorvik became part of England again
994 Viking armies from Denmark and Norway attempted to raid London, but were defeated

25 September 1066 The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place near York, between the Anglo-Saxons and Viking invaders led by Harald Hardrada
14 October 1066 William from Normandy, "William the Conqueror", won the Battle of Hastings and the Normans began to rule England

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Did you know?

The word ‘Viking’ means ‘a pirate raid’ in the Norse language, which is what the Vikings spoke.
‘-by’, as in Corby or Whitby, means ‘farm’ or ‘town’
‘-thorpe’, as in Scunthorpe, means ‘village’
The Viking alphabet, ‘Futhark’, was made up of 24 characters called runes. Each one stood for entire words or gods, as well as sounds.
There was a large Viking community around York called Jorvik. Archaeologists have found out a lot about the Vikings thanks to the artefacts they found there.
The Vikings kept long benches in their homes that they’d use to sit on during the day, and then to sleep on at night. Only rich people had beds.
In Viking times, people usually just took baths once a week! This was often on Saturdays.
The Normans from France who defeated the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings were actually descendants of Vikings! Vikings settled around more places than just Britain – they went to Ireland , Iceland, Greenland, France and Spain too.

Can you find the following in the gallery below?

A map showing where the Vikings originally lived, and where they settled in Britain and Ireland
A map showing the Danelaw
A replica of a Viking longboat
What a Viking warrior would have looked like
A Viking warrior’s helmet
What a Viking man would have worn
What a Viking woman would have worn
The names of clothing that the Vikings wore
Weapons that the Vikings used
A Viking ship reconstruction
A Viking village reconstructed in Ukranenland, an archeological village-museum in Germany
Viking gold bracelets
A Viking boat sculpture in Iceland
An illustration of a Viking boat
A re-enactment of Viking life

The Vikings wanted new land because the places where they came from in Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden and Denmark – weren’t very easy to live in. It was hard to grow crops, which meant there wasn’t a lot of food as the population got bigger. Britain and Europe had plenty of good farmland , so the Vikings tried to claim some of that land for themselves.

Even though the Anglo-Saxons were pretty well established in England, the Vikings would turn up every now and then to raid towns and take a bit of land. Sometimes, instead of fighting the Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons decided it was better to pay them money so they’d stay away. This payment was called Danegeld.

The first Viking attack on England was in 787 on the Isle of Portland. The Vikings went home straight afterwards, but they came back to England in 793 and raided a monastery at Lindisfarne. Monastaries made easy targets because the monks who lived there didn’t have any weapons, and they did have money and food.

The Vikings believed in many different gods , and they thought making sacrifices to the gods kept them all happy. They also told stories about the gods, called Norse mythology . Some of the gods included:

Thor , the god of thunder
Idun , the goddess of spring
Odin , the king of gods and the god of war

The Vikings believed that if a warrior died while fighting in battle, he’d go to Valhalla , which is where Odin was. Other heroes who had died would also be there. Odin would send his warrior maidens, called Valkyries, across the sky to ferry dead warriors to Valhalla.

Viking warriors were very good fighters. They’d wear helmets and carry shields to defend themselves, and they’d also have one of these weapons:

spear – a leaf shape or spike at the end of a wooden shaft
sword – these were expensive to make and usually double-edged, and warriors would decorate the hilts
battle axe – an axe with a long handle, and cheaper to make than a sword

Boats that the Vikings built are called longships – they are long, narrow boats that can be used in both deep and shallow water, making them perfect for travelling over the ocean and carrying lots of warriors onto the shore. Longships were symmetrical, meaning they looked the same at the front as they did at the back. They’d often have dragon heads carved at either end.

VIkings sailed all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to Newfoundland in North America in their longships!

Viking homes were long too – they were called longhouses ! They were rectangular, made from wood and were usually just one big room without any inside walls. There would be one big fire pit in the centre for cooking and keeping the house warm. The roof was covered in thatch, and there was a hole in the middle for smoke from the fire to go through. Benches around the house would be used both to sit on and to sleep on.

Most clothes that the Vikings had were made from wool, but they also had some clothes made from linen. They used dyes made from plants and minerals to make red, green, brown, yellow and blue, so their clothes were very colourful.

Viking men wore a long shirt, trousers with a drawstring tie and a coat with a belt around the waist. Viking women wore long dresses with a tunic over the top that was held up by two brooches pinned at the shoulders. Both men and women wore woollen socks and leather shoes.

Alfred the Great defeated the Vikings at the Battle of Ethandun (in modern day Wiltshire). After this, he and the Vikings agreed to set boundaries for their kingdoms. The area that the Vikings lived in was called Danelaw, and it meant that the land south of the diagonal line between London and Chester belonged to King Alfred (Wessex). Danelaw eventually became smaller and smaller as the Anglo-Saxons took more and more control.

Jorvik was a large Viking kingdom around York. The last king of Jorvik was Eric Bloodaxe, who was driven out in 954. The Vikings in England then agreed to be ruled by the king of England rather than having their own king.

But, that doesn’t mean that the king of England couldn’t be a Viking! The first Viking king of England was King Canute in 1016. He ruled until 1035, and then his sons were kings after that – but only for a total of seven years. Harold Harefoot was king until 1040, then Hardicanute was king until 1042.

Names to know:

King Canute (ruled as king of England from 1016-1035) – Canute was the first Viking king of England. He won a battle against Edmund II that divided their kingdoms, but when Edmund died Canute ruled both kingdoms. His sons, Harold Harefoot and then Hardicanute, ruled until 1042.

Harald Hardrada (c.1015-1066) – Harald Hardrada was the king of Norway. He led Viking armies into England, but was defeated at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in York by King Harold II.

Leif Erikson (c.970-1020) – Leif Erikson was a famous Viking explorer who sailed all the way to North America.

Eric Bloodaxe (died in 954) – Eric Bloodaxe was king of the Viking kingdom of Jorvik between 947-948 and 952-954. He was the last king of Jorvik before it became part of England.

Just for fun...

Type your name into the box and see how it looks written in Viking runes!
Have Mum or Dad help you make some porridge in the way that the Vikings would have had it
Watch Horrible Histories songs about the Vikings, the Vikings & Garkunkel Song and The Vikings - Literally
Print some Viking colouring sheets and a Viking Age boat to colour in
Make your own Viking tortoise brooches and try Viking cord winding
You'll find amazing artefacts from the Viking Age on the Jorvik Discover from Home webpage, as well as Viking colouring, puzzles, crafts, stories and videos
Quiz yourself on the Vikings
Make your own Viking name
Bake your own Viking flatbread
The Cbeebies television show Gudrun the Viking Princess offers a glimpse of what life might have been like for the Vikings a thousand years ago
Listen to a collection of Viking sagas told by Loki, Viking god of fire, on BBC Schools Radio
Read a National Geographic kids comic set on a Viking longboat
Make your own Viking shield , Viking longboat and Viking helmet with step-by-step instructions and videos from Hobbycraft
Try some Viking puzzles from the Yorvik Centre
Step back to 876AD and make your own Viking longship, Viking longship figurehead and Viking helmet

Children's books about the Vikings

See for yourself

Visit Jorvik Viking Centre in York to go back in time and see what it was like to live as a Viking
See a Viking coin made in England for a Viking ruler
Step into a Viking Longhouse reconstruction at the Ancient Technology Outdoor Education Centre
At the National Museum of Scotland, see the Galloway Hoard , the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in the British Isles

Find out more:

Watch BBC Bitesize animations about the Vikings
A children's introduction to the Vikings from DKfindout!
See an animated film about the life of a ten-year-old Viking boy
Learn about everyday life in the Viking age
Find out about the Vikings in Scotland with BBC Bitesize animations
Watch a virtual tour of the British Museum's Vikings Live exhibition
Discover the secrets of Viking ships
"Walk" through a real Viking village
Read stories and sagas from the Viking world – we've collected the best kids' books about the Vikings
Find out about the Viking words we use in English place names . Did you know that words like berserk, ugly, muck, knife, die and cake come from Old Norse, the Viking language ?
Information about Viking gods and mythology
Did Vikings have horned helmets? Find out!
See some images of Viking clothes and Viking jewellery and find out about Viking pets
The Vikings were warriors of the sea. Find out more about Viking voyages and sea-faring life
Download a Viking information booklet, packed with pictures
Watch a video about the Vikings Eric the Red and his son Leif Ericson, who explored areas of Greenland and North America

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Meet the Vikings primary resource

Learn all about the legendary warriors and their way of life.

This primary resource introduces children to Viking life and culture. Who exactly were these legendary warriors? When did the Vikings invade British shores? What were they known for?

Pupils will learn about aspects of Viking life, such as social hierarchy, battle techniques and diet, in our National Geographic Kids’ Vikings primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for exploring Viking clothing and social roles, as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard using the illustrations and short snippets of information included in the resource for class discussion.

Activity: Ask children to choose one of the Viking characters included in the resource and role play them in a short scene. They could use the Viking primary resource sheet as a guide for drawing and labelling traditional Viking dress, or write a newspaper report about the activities of Viking warriors.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence . We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa , Australia and New Zealand . If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: [email protected]

This History primary resource assists with teaching the following History objectives from the National Curriculum :

Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world
Know and understand the history of these islands as a coherent, chronological narrative, from the earliest times to the present day: how people’s lives have shaped this nation and how Britain has influenced and been influenced by the wider world.
Gain historical perspective by placing their growing knowledge into different contexts, understanding the connections between local, regional, national and international history; between cultural, economic, military, political, religious and social history; and between short- and long-term timescales.

National Curriculum Key Stage 1 History objective:

Pupils should be taught significant historical events, people and places in their own locality

National Curriculum Key Stage 2 History objective:

Pupils should be taught about: the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for the Kingdom of England to the time of Edward the Confessor

This History primary resource assists with teaching the following Social Studies Second level objective from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence :

I can discuss why people and events from a particular time in the past were important, placing them within a historical sequence
I can compare and contrast a society in the past with my own and contribute to a discussion of the similarities and differences

Download primary resource

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Introduction

In the 9th century ad seafaring warriors known as Vikings began raiding the coasts of Europe, burning, plundering, and killing as they went. These marauders, or pirates, came from Scandinavia —what is now Denmark , Norway , and Sweden . The people who lived there were known as Norsemen, or Northmen. Their expression for these campaigns of swift, cruel raids was to “go a-viking.” Vik in Norse means “harbor” or “bay.” The Vikings came to be the most feared raiders of their time and were the only Norsemen with whom most Europeans came in contact. They also colonized wide parts of Europe . Their name was given to the era that dated from about ad 800 to about 1050—the Viking Age.

Why the Vikings Were Powerful

The Vikings probably were descended from invaders from the south of Scandinavia. Long-limbed and muscular, Vikings were trained from childhood to be strong and self-reliant. Running, jumping, and wrestling took the place of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Their other subjects were skating, skiing, snowshoeing, swimming, rowing, and riding horseback. As soon as a boy could carry a weapon, he was taught to thrust a sword, to swing a battle-ax, and to throw a spear.

In the Vikings’ religion, the gods were warriors too. The god Thor the Thunderer made constant war against the ice and snow giants of the North. The chief god, Odin , presided over Valhalla , the warrior’s heaven. Death in battle was considered the most honorable death. Only by that death could a Viking enter Valhalla. So the Vikings battled unafraid and joyful, calling upon their gods to help them. ( See also mythology, “Norse and Germanic Mythology.” )

The Vikings were the most skilled and daring sailors of their day. Because the compass was still unknown, they navigated by the Sun and stars. When fog hid the stars, their ships drifted until the weather cleared. Not fearing death, they took great chances. Their experiences and discoveries were therefore many.

A successful Viking expedition might bring fortune, fame, and, perhaps, noble rank to those who took part. So by the time they were 15 or 16, Norse boys were eager to try their luck in battle.

Viking Ships

Some of the Viking ships were quite long for that era. Called longships, they ranged from about 45 to 75 feet (14 to 23 meters) in length. They were strongly built of oak, and from 40 to 60 oarsmen sat on the rowers’ benches. Each ship had a single mast with a square sail that was often striped in brilliant colors. Bright shields overlapped along the gunwale. The ships were pointed at each end so that they could go forward or backward without turning around. They had tall curved prows, usually carved in the shapes of dragons. They were often called dragon ships.

The Vikings dared not risk open fires aboard their wooden ships, and in those days there were no stoves. So, unless they were on a long sea voyage, they would anchor in a quiet bay each evening. Then they pitched tents on the shore, kindled fires, and cooked their food. Porridge with dried meat or fish was the usual diet. Sometimes they had bread, butter, and cheese. If they spent the night aboard ship, they unrolled their sleeping gear, which was made from skins, and stretched out on the rowers’ benches.

Conquests and Settlements

Viking raiders usually appeared in a bay at about dawn. As soon as the ships reached the beach, fierce warriors jumped out, shouting battle cries. Armed with swords and battle-axes, they attacked the sleeping villagers. They killed many of them, took others as slaves , and gathered all the loot that their ships could carry. Then they sailed away.

Monasteries and churches were favored targets of early Viking raids. The sites were rarely well defended, and they were full of treasure in the form of ceremonial objects. In 793 Vikings made a sudden and brutal attack on the monastery of Lindisfarne. It was located off the northern coast of England on what was known as Holy Island. The English and other European Christians were shocked that anyone would attack such a sacred place. The Viking raid at Lindisfarne was not the earliest in England, but it was the first to show how serious a threat the Vikings posed. It has been called the beginning of the Viking Age.

Early Viking attacks were made by small bands. Later there were more men and more ships, which roamed farther and farther from their homelands. To the north and east they attacked the Sami ( Lapps ), Finns , and Russians . To the west they conquered and held for generations large parts of Great Britain and Ireland . To the south they occupied northern France . The Vikings did not conquer any country south of France, but their ships sailed along the coasts of Spain and Portugal . They plundered Sicily (now in Italy) and the northern shores of Africa and attacked Constantinople (now Istanbul , Turkey), the capital of the Byzantine Empire .

To the west the Vikings did not stop with the British Isles but crossed the Atlantic Ocean to take Iceland away from the Irish monks who had settled there. In 874 they began to colonize Iceland, and during the years that followed, many freedom-loving people came to Iceland as settlers. In about the year 982 Erik the Red sailed westward from Iceland. He landed on the coast of Greenland and gave the island its name. Later he founded the first colony there.

Leif Eriksson , a son of Erik the Red, is believed to have been the first European to reach the shores of North America . About the year 1000 he and his crew landed at a site known today as L’Anse aux Meadows, at the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland (now in Canada). They established a settlement that they used as a base for exploration of Canada’s Atlantic region. The Vikings named the area Vinland, meaning “Land of Wine,” for the wild grapes they found, probably in eastern New Brunswick .

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows in the 1960s. They found remnants of wood-framed buildings covered with turf that dated from the 11th century. The structures were very similar to those built by the Vikings in Greenland and Iceland during the same period. The excavations also turned up wooden, bronze, and stone artifacts that proved it was a Viking site. Many of the items were waste materials from iron production and carpentry—slag and wood chips. The artifacts also included a plank from a ship and nails from boat repair. ( See also early exploration of the Americas, “Early European Explorers.” )

Tribute and Trade

The Vikings were not interested only in plunder. As their early hit-and-run raids gave way to the establishment of colonies , they changed their tactics. Colonization affected both Viking society and that of the conquered lands in significant ways.

Viking leaders established themselves as rulers in the lands where they settled. In England and northern Europe, the Vikings forced local rulers to pay tribute in return for a promise that they would not attack. Tribute could be paid either in silver or in land. In time, some local rulers saw advantages in interacting with the Vikings. They drew the Vikings into their power struggles with neighboring rulers. English and Frankish kings employed Vikings as mercenaries (paid soldiers). Sometimes the Vikings were paid for their service with land.

A notable deal between Vikings and local rulers occurred in what is now France in the 10th century. A Viking named Rollo had led a number of attacks along the Seine River. In 911 the Frankish king Charles III made the Treaty of St. Clair-sur-Epte with Rollo. The king gave territory to Rollo and his men. In return, Rollo agreed to stop his attacks, accept Charles as his ruler, and become a Christian. Rollo’s Scandinavian countrymen immigrated in large numbers to settle the land, and they adopted the French language, customs, and religion. These Vikings became known as Normans, and the region they settled became known as Normandy.

The Vikings interacted peacefully with other societies through trade. The Scandinavian countries traded among themselves and with the rest of Europe. Norway sent herring and salt to Sweden. Denmark received sheep from the Faroe Islands . Greenland imported timber from Labrador and grain and iron from Europe. It paid for these in walrus and narwhal ivory, furs, live falcons, and even live polar bears. One of the most valuable commodities traded by the Vikings was slaves, who were called thralls. They were usually Irish, Finns, Germans, or Slavs who had been captured during raids. A free Viking might be enslaved for a debt or crime, but this was rare.

The Vikings developed towns to serve as trading centers. The most important trading towns in Denmark during the Viking Age were Hedeby (now in Germany ) and Ribe. The city of Dublin , Ireland, originated as a Viking trading town in about 831. It became one of Europe’s largest slave markets. Trading towns were typically well defended so violence would not interfere with commerce. The residents of the towns were mostly traders and craftsmen, but many merchants passed through.

The Vikings at Home

At home the Vikings were mainly farmers and stockmen. They also hunted and fished. Norwegian Viking expeditions started in the spring after the seed was sown or in the autumn when crops were harvested. After a successful voyage or two, many Vikings retired from the sea and were often succeeded by their sons.

The houses of the Vikings differed according to the resources of each country. In Norway houses were built of rough pine logs. The roofs were usually covered with turf or straw. In Iceland, which had few trees, houses were built of turf, rocks, and driftwood. Both in Iceland and Greenland heavy timbers needed for the frames of buildings were brought from Norway and later from North America.

A house had only one room and was built with a pitched roof. A poor man might have two or three huts. The estate of a rich man had so many buildings that it looked like a village. In later centuries, several of these buildings were often connected by passageways.

The houses were plain on the outside. All the decoration was indoors, where most of the woodwork was carved, painted, and touched with gilt. On festive occasions, brightly embroidered tapestries would be hung on the walls, and long tables were set up for feasting. The Vikings had a great variety of foods and beverages. Mutton and beef were plentiful. Until its use was forbidden, the favorite meat was horsemeat. The Vikings also used fish and cereals, eggs from wild and domestic fowl, and milk products. They had few vegetables. Honey was the only sweet, and bees were kept to supplement the wild honey. Meat and fish were often dried, smoked, or pickled. Many foods were preserved in brine or in sour whey, a preservative still in use among Scandinavians. Butter was never salted. It was eaten fresh or was fermented for use like cheese.

Vikings liked both fresh and sour milk and buttermilk too. The favorite drink was whey. They had a food named skyr that was much like cottage cheese. Apples and berries were their only fruits. Porridge was cooked in enormous kettles over an open fire. Although boiling was favored for most foods, meat was sometimes baked in hot ashes. Bread was baked in ashes or in clay ovens.

At feasts the Vikings drank quantities of ale. From honey they made a fermented drink called mead, and wealthy Vikings imported wine from France. There were long and sometimes rowdy drinking festivals, at which people told stories called sagas , about Viking history and mythology, and recited poems.

All wealthy Vikings dressed lavishly for events such as weddings and funerals and for things , as the assemblies were called. Skins and furs of tame and wild animals were used, but the most common material was a woven woolen cloth, called vadmal . Dyes were expensive, so poorer people wore the cloth in its natural color. The rich wore it in bright colors, often striped and patterned. Silk and linen, which were imported and costly, were used mostly for underwear.

Since the Vikings traded with so many countries, they often brought home new ideas for dress and adornment. The native dress of both sexes in early times was similar. The main garment was a long buttonless tunic, which might be narrow or wide. If wide, it was gathered around the waist with a belt. It had an opening that was slipped over the head and tightened with a brooch. The custom was to wear a gown of one color and a cloak of another. A man’s tunic was usually sleeveless, perhaps to show off his muscles and gold arm rings. Young women wore their hair long and caught around the forehead with a band, sometimes made of pure gold. Noble and wealthy men also wore their hair long with a band to keep it in place.

Young Vikings loved games, especially those that helped to develop their bodies. They played ball games on the ground and on ice. Wrestling and fencing were popular sports. Young Vikings used skates made of the bones of animals. According to a Norwegian historian, an unusual sport involved walking on oar blades while a boat was being rowed. In another game two or three small swords were thrown in the air and then caught; to play with three swords at once without injuring oneself required great skill.

Vikings loved music and dancing. They had a fidla , or fiddle, a horn made from a buck’s horn, and also a kind of harp. The high point at a feast was the performance of a skald, or professional poet.

There were no public schools. All education was given at home, with a parent, nurse, or visitor acting as teacher. Children were often sent to the home of a rich man, sometimes a relative, to be educated. Both girls and boys learned to sing, to recite and compose poetry, and to tell sagas. Girls were also given lessons in how to spin, weave, and dye wool; to sew, knit, and embroider; to wash and to cook; and to make butter and cheese.

Some girls and most boys learned to read and cut runes, which were the letters of the ancient alphabet used by the Vikings. Just as the English alphabet is often called the ABCs, that of the Vikings was called futhork after the first letters. The early Norse alphabet had 24 letters. The later Norse alphabet had 16.

At first runes were used for scratching names on personal belongings or for simple memorials. Later these memorials grew more elaborate. Thousands of these memorial stones have been found on the Scandinavian peninsula and in Denmark. North of Upernivik, in Greenland, the discovery of a little rune stone was considered proof that Vikings had traveled more than 400 miles (640 kilometers) north of the Arctic Circle. Others carved runes on the statue of a lion in Athens, Greece.

In the early history of the Vikings there were no countries in the modern sense. People lived in what might be called tribal communities. These communities were independent of one another and banded together only for some common purpose. When the title konungr (king) was given to the chief of a community, it did not carry the meaning that it has now. There were many kings. Often one would rule over a small section of land no larger than a county, and some of the kings were war chiefs who had no land.

Each community had a thing , or assembly, which acted as a court and legislative body. Only those who owned land could be members. A king could hold his position only as long as the people wanted him. Before a new king could take office, he had to have the consent of the members of the assembly.

Next in rank were the jarls, nobles who often had about as much power and land as the kings. Both kings and jarls had to rule according to law. No laws were written down until about 1100. Before then the laws were really traditions and opinions of the majority of the people. The people elected lawmen who had to know these unwritten laws and explain them to the rulers.

Later in Sweden and in Denmark people began to unite under one king. In 872 Norway had a single king, known as Harald Fairhair. But Harald undid much of Norway’s unity by giving each of his numerous sons the title of king. Norway therefore remained divided for some time. When Harald became king, some dissidents went to Iceland and founded a colony there. While the people of Iceland did not unite under one king at that time, Iceland was the only country to form a national assembly during the Viking Age. Called the Althing, it first met in 930 and is the oldest national assembly in the world.

A young Viking, King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway, became a convert to Christianity some time before ad 1000. His passion for the new religion was backed by a military force that threatened all who refused baptism. Some Vikings had already become Christians, mainly through Irish influence, though on the whole the Vikings were content with their own gods. Gradually Norway was Christianized, then the Faroe Islands and Iceland, and finally Greenland. The first Christian missionaries in Greenland were brought there from Norway by Leif Eriksson.

A Viking chieftain was buried with everything he might need to get to Valhalla. One third of his property might be used in this way. (Another third went to his widow and the remainder to his children.) The goods buried included money, tools, changes of clothing, weapons, horses, chariots, boats, and even ships. Women’s graves typically contained many of the things it was thought they might need in afterlife, such as needles and thread, looms, kitchen utensils, and cooking vessels. Some women, however, appear to have received a warrior’s burial comparable to those of men. In 2017 DNA analysis revealed that the remains found in a grave in Birka, a Viking trading settlement in southeastern Sweden, were those of a woman. Among the items in the grave were swords, a spear, arrowheads, and two horses. The discovery seemed to confirm the Viking sagas that tell of women warriors fighting alongside men.

Sometimes a dead warrior would be placed aboard his ship, which was set afire and allowed to drift out to sea. Sometimes people were buried in boat-shaped coffins, which were covered with earth mounds. Fortunately, ships were not always burned, and a few have been preserved.

Next to the sagas, graves have been the best source of information about the Vikings. In Scandinavian museums there are examples of almost every art known to the Viking Age. Among these are jewelry, weapons, furniture, and bronze and silver utensils. Most have survived because they were made of such durable materials as stone, metal, and hardwood. But woolen clothes in good condition have been found in parts of Greenland where they had lain in the frozen soil for centuries.

History from the Sagas

The Vikings, like the Greeks of Homer ’s time, were storytellers and poets. While they were discovering lands and waging war, they were telling each other adventure tales that later were known as sagas , from the Icelandic word for story. Poets also were singing the praises of Norse heroes and gods and describing the Norse way of life. Storytellers and poets performed at all assemblies, weddings, and funerals. In this way the Vikings preserved major parts of the early history of the Scandinavian countries and of Russia, Germany, Britain, and Ireland.

When Christianity came to the mainland of Scandinavia, folk poems and stories were frowned upon by the clergy. But Iceland was protected by distance from the influence of Europe. So, long after Christianity became the official religion, the Icelandic people struggled to preserve their historical and literary heritage. Their religious leaders enjoyed the storytelling and found no offense in it.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the clergy and scholars of Iceland wrote many manuscripts. All were written as the saga tellers related them. Some were true and some were pure fiction. Among the serious historical records are sagas that tell of the kings and of Viking conquests. They tell of their discovery and colonization of Iceland and Greenland and their discovery of the American mainland.

Two significant manuscripts dealing with the religion and philosophy of the Vikings were written in Iceland—the Elder Edda (in poetry) and the Younger Edda (in prose). Much of what is known of early Norse mythology came from the Eddas. ( See also saga ; Scandinavian literature .)

In Iceland much of the old Norse language has been retained. In Norway, Sweden, and Denmark the languages are as different from the old Norse as modern English is from early Anglo-Saxon.

Evelyn Stefansson Nef

Additional Reading

Allan, Tony. Exploring the Life, Myth, and Art of the Vikings (Rosen, 2012). Green, Jen. Gods & Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Vikings (Hodder Wayland, 2002). Greenling, Jason. The Technology of the Vikings (Cavendish Square, 2017). Gunderson, Jessica. Vikings (Creative Education, 2013). Maskell, Hazel, and Wheatley, Abigail. Anglo-Saxons and Vikings , new ed. (Usborne, 2012). McCollum, Sean. Vikings: A Guide to the Terrifying Conquerors (Capstone, 2012). Parker, Philip. 50 Things You Should Know About the Vikings (QEB, 2017). Trueit, Trudi Strain. The Vikings (Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2012).

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Vikings for kids

Vikings for kids learning in KS2 at Primary School. Homework help on the history of Vikings, who they were and where they came from.

Who were the Vikings and where did they come from?

The word Vikings probably means ‘pirate’. They were fierce fighters that came from Sweden, Norway and Denmark. They were often farmers and when the Vikings did not have enough land to farm they started to attack other countries for new land.

For 300 years the Vikings arrived in other European counties in boats called longships. They would rob towns and villages and invaded large areas of Britain, Ireland, France & Italy.

Viking Facts

Places to see┬áViking history

Vicious Vikings

What happened to the Vikings?

Eventually, the Vikings became less violent as they settled in the new countries.

Vikings that settled in Northern France were known as Normans (Northmen). This part of France is now known as Normandy.

The Vikings that settled in eastern Europe were known as Rus (redheaded people). This is now known as Russia.

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THE VIKINGS Homework Booklet and Knowledge Organiser

Subject: History

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

31 January 2024

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This 25-page workbook teaches children everything they need to know about the history topic, The Vikings. It has numerous tasks that are brilliant for setting as home learning or homework where children can independently work through the booklet.

Also included is an answer booklet for easy marking and a knowledge organiser with the main facts about the Vikings. These facts are perfect to learn as ‘sticky knowledge’!

Children will learn in three chunks:

Why did the Vikings raid and invade Britain?
What happened at Lindisfarne in 793 CE?
Why did Alfred sign a treaty with Guthrum?

history ks2 ks3 y3 y4 y5 y6 ks2 year 3 year 4 year 5 year 6 outstanding covid school closure home learning homework home school

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Vikings Bundle - History and D&T Unit

A bundle featuring 10 history lessons about Vikings and Anglo Saxons, 3 design and technology lessons about creating a Viking Shield and a bonus Vikings learning booklet. This is a great way to save and get a bumper pack of 13 lessons PLUS a learning booklet, an easy way to set a whole term of homework. Also available separately.

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Teach Your Kids About … Vikings

The Vikings were a fierce, strong, and very interesting people from the Northlands. Here are some great resources to help you teach your children more about them.

Lesson Plans

Classroom Activity from The National Museum of Ireland – activity sheets for the Grade 3 to 6 level
Primary History: The Vikings from BBC – lessons, activities and games about the vikings, including teacher resources.
The Vikings from PBS.org – Lessons and resources.
Viking Lesson Plans from CoreKnowledge – PDF lessons about the Vikings, mostly for 3rd grade. Includes Leif Ericsson, discovering how they are misunderstood, their contributions to history, sagas, and more.
Vikings Co-op Lessons from HighHill Homeschool – what one group did week by week to teach their kids about vikings.
Vikings Lesson Plan from Historica Canada – students view “ Heritage Minute, Vikings ” and then use criticial thinking skills to discuss how the Vikings and First Nations people are portrayed in the video.

Worksheets, Notebooks, and Lapbooks

Viking Adventure Lapbook from Homeschool Share
Viking Lapbook from Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus
Me and the Vikings Venn Diagram by Heather Carlsen
Viking Exploration of North America by Ami Alvis
Viking Runes Worksheet by Mikal Staley
You Wouldn’t Want to Be A Viking Explorer Questions by Tinker’s Thinkers – questions about the book with the same name.

Crafts & Activities

In the Art Room:Viking Ship Collages from Cassie Stephens – a creative art project for students in grades 3 to 5 ish.
Paper Dolls from Practical Pages – men and women paper dolls with period clothing. Scroll down to find the link to each.
Tissue Box Viking Ship from Crayola
Cardboard Viking Shield from Deceptively Educational

Other Resource

Jorvik Viking Centre – an in-person Viking village in York, England. Online resources include the option for a virtual visit through Skype, and printables such as colouring pages, information sheets and other activities. Site has lots of detailed information about “who were the Vikings.”
The Vikings Answer Lady – A comprehensive information website about the life and times of the Vikings
Clothing the Viking Age – detailed information about the clothing for men and women
How to make Viking Musical Instruments – how to make pipes, whistles, drums and horn bugle
Viking Recipes

Heritage Minutes: Vikings
Horrible Histories: Vicious Vikings
Horrible Histories: Literally – a Viking Song . – a soft rock viking ballad
The Vikings Who Were They BBC Documentary- The Discovery Channel – needs previewing first as it contains some battle scenes etc
The Viking Sagas: BBC

This post is part of a challenge that will blog through the alphabet over 26 weeks – hosted by Ben And Me. This is letter V. Feel free to join in yourself, or see what other people are blogging about!

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3 thoughts on “Teach Your Kids About … Vikings”

Great resources. This is one thing I want to work on with my son this year.

I did a short unit with my kids on the vikings recently. It’s definitely a way fun topic! If we ever get involved with our local SCA (medieval re-enactment group), we are thinking of being vikings. 🙂

I just came across that you used my vikings runes worksheet! That is so great and I feel so special! Thanks! 🙂