We've all seen Vikings on
television and in movies. But popular depictions
of this ancient culture are often more fantasy
than they are history. A Viking man was likely
to be a farmer by day, while his wife was in charge of
the household and the family. At night, they slept
in one big room with the whole family and
most likely their goats, probably not what most
people picture when they hear the word Vikings. Today, we're going
to take a look at the bizarre aspects
of everyday life in ancient Viking culture. But before we get started,
be sure to subscribe to the Weird History Channel. After that, take a moment
to leave a comment. And let us know what group
of fierce, historic warriors you would like to
hear more about. OK, let's watch the
non-Minnesota Vikings. Viking culture was
absolutely brutal. They loved to pillage
their enemies. And the spoils of that
pillaging included prisoners who would be
returned to Scandinavia and sold as slaves which
were known as thralls. Viking warriors would sail
around Europe, raiding lands from Spain to Byzantium. Along the way, they would
traffic prisoners, particularly women in an elaborate
slavery network. Archaeological evidence has
turned up numerous iron slave collars and even suggested
the existence of forced labor plantations in Sweden. And if that's not
scary enough, they were also really into
sacrifice of their fellow man. Mass burial sites have been
discovered across Scandinavia that seem to back
up the accounts of Christian chroniclers who
reported atrocities carried out in the name of gods. No wonder everyone was
so terrified of being raided by Vikings. While it's just a myth
that Vikings wore horns, the legendary Viking
funeral was a real thing. Warriors of renown
would have their bodies placed on a ship
that could range in size from a tiny rowboat
to a massive warship. The ship would be stocked with
so-called grave goods, which were important items
the deceased would need in the afterlife. These items might include
jewels, animals, weapons, and most terrifyingly,
living slaves who belonged to the deceased. Once loaded up, the boat,
while probably still on land, would be set on fire,
sending the warrior off in a literal blaze of glory. While most who received
this honor were men, it's definitely worth noting
that quite a few women received it as well. In the 10th century, a
writer named Ahmad ibn Fadlan witnessed a funeral that was
much like one of these ship burials. He wrote that in the case
of rich people of status, a third of their wealth was
inherited by their family. Another third would pay
for their funeral clothes. And the last third went to
buying alcoholic drinks that would be served at the
cremation, a no-party like a Viking funeral party. You probably knew this already,
but Scandinavia can get quite cold during the winter. This causes the
ground to freeze over and makes getting around tricky. But when your day-to-day
life requires hunting, like it often did
for Vikings, you can't let a little
ice slow you down. So how did the
Vikings deal with it? Well, archaeologists suggest
they simply slid over the ice. This is backed up by over
100 pinewood skis that were found preserved in bogs. Worth noting-- no Viking lift
ticket has ever been found. Evidence also shows
the Vikings used ice skates made from the
bones of moose or horses. And wooden sleighs have
been found in the graves of high-status Viking women. So one of the things
Vikings are not known for is their hairstyles. And there might be
a reason for that. Namely, the Vikings
wore reverse mullets. Yes, when they first
arrived in England, locals couldn't help
but notice the parting in the front business
and the back hairstyle the newcomers sported. The hairstyle became pretty
unpopular, particularly with the church. And it would be worn again
in subsequent generations by Norman invaders who
descended from the Vikings. Viking houses were
just one big room. And a Viking family was
likely to share their living space with their animals. While some houses were
built with two rooms, likely to spare the
occupants from having to be trampled by
goats while they slept, these tended to belong to
wealthier members of society. As time went on and
Viking culture progressed, wealthier Vikings got
increasingly larger homes with more and more space. These homes could
comfortably accommodate the people, livestock,
and food that all needed to be sheltered. The largest room
in such structures was called the longhouse. It would typically have a
hearth and a cooking pit and be used as a hall. Viking women could be
chiefs or great warriors, but most weren't. With a typical Viking man
out working the farm all day, the typical woman was
charged with running her household, which included
keeping the larder stocked, weaving, mending sails,
and just generally being the boss of the family. Viking women did
not have it easy. A wife's adultery was considered
an extremely serious matter. And in some areas, a Viking man
who caught his wife cheating on him might be legally
entitled to dispatch both his wife and her lover. Conversely, men were permitted
to keep concubines or even have children outside
of their marriage, a practice so widespread,
some early Christian observers mistook the Vikings
were being polygamous. However, the women did have
some rights Viking women were allowed to divorce
their husbands if they wanted to
in a surprisingly simple legal process. Evidence shows that this seldom
used procedure merely involved calling together a
group of witnesses and declaring oneself divorced. While it could be a
little more complicated if the ownership of
property was involved, its mere existence
is fairly remarkable. For leisure, Viking
men and women played a game called hnefatafl. Hnefatafl was a
dramatic strategy game, not unlike chess,
that is believed to have evolved from
an earlier Roman game. They also enjoyed regular chess. The British Museum has a famous
12th century Norwegian chess set known as the Lewis
Chessmen consisting of pieces carved from walrus
ivory and whale teeth. It is one of the few, nearly
complete medieval chess sets known to exist today. Hnefatafl is so much part of
Viking culture and history. It often appeared
in Norse sagas being played by heroes and kings. For example, "The Saga
of King Olaf," the saint. This poem tells the tale
of a match between two real historical figures-- Cnut the Great who was King of
England, Norway, and Denmark and one of his nobles,
a man named Olaf. Vikings were not illiterate. In fact, they could write
using a runic alphabet called futhark. Known to be used by
both men and women, futhark was made
up of 24 letters and could be used to write out
several Germanic languages. Interestingly,
futhark runes had been found carved into stones
throughout Northern Europe. Archaeologists
believe this practice may have had mystical purposes. Like all cultures, Vikings
loved to hear stories. They even had professional
entertainers called skalds. Much like the oral
poets of ancient Greece, the skalds would
memorize long tales and recite them aloud around
the fire or in a hall. These tales were
fun and enjoyable, but they also served to
educate younger generations about Viking culture,
faith, and history. Skalds were
especially known to be associated with royal courts. In such a setting,
it is believed that they told tales honoring
their monarchs by placing them in legendary genealogies. Thanks to an old Norse book
known as the Skáldatal, we know the names of 300 of
these skalds from the period between 812 and 1200 AD. Their poems were replete
with literary devices called kennings. Kennings are short phrases that
would supply necessary imagery without requiring the
poet to repeat himself. For example, instead
of saying death, the poet might refer to
the sleep of the sword. As an interesting side note, a
13th century Icelandic scholar named Snorri Sturluson
wrote a textbook aimed at teaching his
readers the meaning behind these skaldic kennings. Since understanding many
of the kennings required knowing Norse myths, Snorri
recorded the myths as well. Much of what we know of
Norse mythology today was only preserved due
to Snorri's writings. Evidence shows that all
Vikings, pretty much regardless of social status, had
a protein-heavy diet. In fact, during the Middle
Ages, even the poorest Viking ate better than your
average English peasant. Which if you want
to see, we have a video on the diet
of a medieval peasant. A typical Viking family
would eat twice a day, once when they awoke and again
after the day's work was done. Meat was a regular
part of their meals, including goat, reindeer, elk,
lamb, beef, mutton, horse, and thanks to the incredible
skills of Viking hunters, even bear on occasion. Pigs were raised on
farms and estates alike. And pork was especially popular. Most of the meat dishes
Vikings enjoyed were boiled. One called scouse
is known to have been a hearty stew,
enjoyed with bread baked from beans, grain,
and tree bark. For seagoing people,
it's not surprising that fish was also
a major staple. Herring was widely
consumed and might be prepared in a number
of different ways, including pickled,
dried, salted, or smoked. But the Viking diet
wasn't all meat. In fact, it was
fairly well rounded and included both
fruits and vegetables. Evidence shows they ate carrots,
beans, cabbage, and apples. They were also known
to use herbs and spices like cumin, mustard, coriander,
and horseradish to punch up bland food. Despite the hardy
diet, Vikings still faced a few health problems. For one, archaeological
digs into Viking sewers and cesspools have
shown that many Vikings had intestinal parasites. As if that didn't give
them indigestion enough, the same evidence
shows that Viking bread was prone to being baked
with seeds from weeds that are poisonous to humans. Oops. Viking Office Greg
does not like this. These days, we all
love a good beer. But Vikings were more
into a forerunner of beer called mead, which was made
by fermenting water, honey, and yeast. It was popular at
feasts and was believed to inspire great poetry. Mead was so
culturally influential that Norse myths actually
feature a character called Heidrun who is a
magical goat that produces mead instead of milk. Vikings love to party. And their feasts were
epic celebrations overflowing with food. A feast would typically be
held in a massive longhouse and be hosted by
someone important, like the local chief or king. The event was typically
in honor of some occasion, like a harvest festival
or a religious ritual, but could also be for
a personal occasion like a wedding, baby birth,
or even a successful raid. While the food at these
feasts was important, that wasn't the real point. The feasts were
really an opportunity to fortify social relationships
in a positive way. Leaders and their
subordinates could bond, political roles
could be reinforced, and alliances could be
formed, all of which was crucial to holding together
Viking society and culture. How would you handle
life as a Viking? Let us know in the
comments below. And while you're at it, check
out some of these other videos from our Weird History. [MUSIC PLAYING]
THe fuck is that guy on the tumbnail