Name:______Block:______

The Vikings – Savage Plunderers, or Conquers of the Environment?

Directions: Answer questions based on the following documents. Then answer the question that follows. Use the documents to support your argument.

DOCUMENT 1.The Viking alphabet, the Futhark, was made up of Runes, or letters. The Runes were mostly made up of straight lines, because they were carved into wood or stone, and it was easier to carve straight lines in hard surfaces. TheKylver Stone is a limestone slab that bears a 5th-century runic inscription, providing the oldest record of the Germanic runic series; it was found in a tomb in the province of Gotland in Sweden.The runes faced the inside of a coffin and probably were intended either to protect the grave or to bind the dead person to it by giving the person a magical protection.

Questions:

  1. Why would the Vikings have created a written language?
  1. What does this tell you about their religion?

DOCUMENT 2.Below is an excerpt from the Norse Creation Myth. In the beginning the land was an inhospitable place for humans. There were realms of extreme cold in the north and extreme heat and fire in the south. The only creatures that could live there was Ymir. From him sprang giant children who inhabited the wasteland. These off spring had three children, Odin, Vili and Ve. These brothers did not like the cruel giants that inhabited the world. Below is an excerpt detailing how they destroyed Ymir and created the earth.

Questions:

  1. What does this creation myth tell you about the Vikings religion?

DOCUMENT 3. The Viking long ship was an impressive engineering master piece. It was constructed by first splitting wood and laying down one long central “keel.” Then bent timbers and cross beams were nailed to the keel. They overlapped wood pieces, connected to the beams to create the shell of the ship. These vessels needed only 3 feet of water to sail. Oarsmen could propel the ship, or the Vikings could use the wind. This made them pivotal for successful sneak attacks on unsuspecting villages.

Questions 4:What do these ships tell you about the skills of the Vikings?

DOCUMENT 4. When a Viking died they may have been cremated, or laid to rest out at sea. Below is a description of an archeological find of a “sea burial.”

Question:

  1. What does this account tell you about Viking religion?

DOCUMENT 5: Vikings did not only use their ships for pillaging. They were also expert explorers. Viking’s originated from Norway, Sweden, and Denmark; however, their villages can be found throughout England, Ireland, Greenland, and North America.

DOCUMENT 6: One of the most famous Viking explorers was Leif Erikson. Below is an excerpt from his biography.

Questions:

  1. What does the map and Leif Erikson’s biography tell you about the culture of the Vikings?

DOCUMENT 7: The Viking homeland was a difficult place to live. Below is a description of a typical Viking Village.

Question:

  1. What does the description above tell you about the Viking villages? Why would they need to explore and raid surrounding villages?

DOCUMENT 8: In 793 AD, Vikings sacked the Lindisfarne Monastery, off the coast of England. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a medieval manuscript has preserved an account of this attack.

DOCUMENT 9: Below are more descriptions of the attack of the monastery.

Question:

  1. What happened at Lindisfarne?

Written Response:

You are a judge who has just been presented the above information I court. Now you must decide, are the Vikings guilty of being blood-thirsty pillagers, or were they just like any other civilization, overcoming a harsh environment?

In your answer be sure to explain what documents helped you come to your decision and why.