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Vikings in Britain and invasions

When teaching about the Vikings and Britain, a good place to start is the first recorded Viking raid in Britain, which was on the monastery of Lindisfarne on the north-east coast of England in AD793. A small band of Viking warriors launched a surprise attack, killing the monks and stealing from the monastery.

The Anglo-Saxons were known to refer to Viking invaders as ‘the Great heathen army’ and the Vikings gained a reputation as fearless and ruthless raiders. Berserkers, the origin of the modern word ‘berserk’, were Viking warriors who wore bear or wolf skins and were said to howl like wild animals in battle. One element of the stereotypical image of the intimidating Viking warrior that may not be accurate is the horned helmet. They would have been a hindrance in battle and if they were worn, it may have only been on ceremonial occasions.

Although they could be seen as pirate-like invaders of other lands, the Vikings settled in areas of Britain and Ireland primarily to find better land for farming, as their homeland was less fertile and more difficult to cultivate.

The main area of land in Britain occupied by the Vikings was known as theÌýDanelaw; a region covering an area in the north and east of England. The most important city in the Danelaw was York, orÌýJorvikÌý(pronounced 'your-vick'), as the Vikings named it. The Vikings captured York in AD866 and it became an important place toÌýtrade goods. Your pupils are sure to be interested in the fact that York is also home to a unique Viking artefact - the largest known fossilised human pooh in the world! ÌýThe specimen of human faeces from the 9th century AD, named the ‘Lloyds Bank coprolite’, provided valuable insight into the diet and health of the Jorvik people. The Vikings did not restrict themselves to the Danelaw; they also settled in parts of Scotland, including the islands of Orkney and Shetland, and the Isle of Man, as well as travelling on to Ireland, where they founded the cities of Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

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Everyday life in Viking times

Viking society followed the Scandinavian hierarchy of three different classes: Jarls (the aristocracy), Karls (the lower class) and Thralls (slaves). Most Scandinavians were farmers, but there were also many different trades and skills in Viking society, from blacksmiths, armourers and brewers to merchants, musicians and jewellers.

Women had more freedom in Scandinavian/Viking culture than in many other cultures. They could inherit property, divorce their husbands under certain circumstances and own their own business.

Viking children would help out in the home and on farms from an early age. They did not go to school but they did learn about history, religion and law from stories, known as sagas, and songs. Vikings were considered to be adults at the age of 12, with girls marrying from 12 years old and boys sent to war as young as 15 or 16 years of age.

They lived in longhouses, which were dwellings with turf roofs and an interior made up of a single room space with a central fire. Animals could also be kept inside the longhouses during the cold winter months. Scandinavians enjoyed their leisure time and played sports, including wrestling, climbing, swimming, hunting and a field game like hockey known asÌý‘Knattleik’, board games similar to chess and backgammon and organised festivals. Contrary to popular belief, Vikings also paid a great deal of attention to hygiene and their appearance. Cleanliness being seen as a sign of wealth and status, as well as having religious significance.

Recording and documenting during the Viking era was done using ‘runes’ – a type of writing using symbols rather than letters. Most Vikings could not read or write however, and ‘runes’ were generally only used to record very important information. They did become more widely used as time went on and examples of runes in graffiti from the Viking era have been found in Britain.

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Viking longships and exploration

The Vikings were known as seafaring explorers who travelled all around the globe; not just to Britain and northern Europe. The Norse explorer, Leif Erikson, and his fellow Vikings crossed the Atlantic and formed settlements in North America a thousand years ago, centuries before Christopher Columbus.

They were aided in their exploration by their famous longships that used both wind propulsion, via the sails, and rowing power, meaning they could travel long distances and travel even when the wind was not strong enough. The longships, or longboats, could also sail in both deep and shallow water, allowing them to cross the sea and get them close to shore and sail inland on the rivers. The prow of the boat could be decorated with carved snake heads or dragon heads to be intimidating in battle, leading them to also be known as ‘dragon ships’. A fact about Viking longships KS2 pupils may also be interested in is that they placed their shields on the sides of the longships to protect the ships from damage.

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Viking gods and Norse mythology

Norse mythology, the stories of gods and heroes from the Viking era, has given us some of the most well-known figures from world mythology. The main Viking gods for KS2 pupils to focus on could be Freya/Freyja (coming from the Old Norse for ‘woman’ and both the Goddess of fertility and a fierce warrior), Odin (the chief god and God of war, wisdom, poetry and magic), Loki (a mischievous shape-shifter sometimes known as the ‘trickster god’ who could become different kinds of animals) and of course, Thor (the God of thunder, the sky and agriculture and Odin’s son) pupils may know from the Marvel Studios’ popular Thor movies.

Vikings believed the gods they worshipped lived in the mythical realm of Asgard, and Viking warriors were motivated to fight in battle by the belief that dying heroically gained you the honour of a place in Odin’s hall of Valhalla within Asgard. Norse mythology’s influence on Britain can still be seen today with our names for the days of the week, which come mainly from Norse gods, such as Wednesday from WodenÌý(Odin) and Thursday from Thor.