Viking Society How Do We Know About Viking

Viking Society How Do We Know About Viking Society? u Settlement of Iceland u – Living Conditions – Economy The Sagas and Viking Age Iceland u Social Structure in Iceland u System of Justice u Blood Feud u Family Sagas u

How do We Know About Viking Society? u Archaeological Record u Place Names u Oral and Print Culture u – Burial sites – Imports and exports – “-by” – “Pedersturp” – “-Thorp – Fluidity of oral culture – Greater fixity of print culture – Christianity as religion of the book Sagas – Wealth of information – “Textual” character Iceland is major source of information about the Viking Age

Settlement of Iceland u Isolated settlements of Irish monks in islands of North Atlantic 700 -800 Settlement of Iceland 870 -930 u Who came to Iceland? u Establishment of Althing 930 u Thingvöllr: Site of original Althing – Flleing Harald the Fairhaired’s Unification of Norway – 10 -20, 000 settlers – Taking of fertile land – Scandianavians and Celts – Chieftains – Genetic studies – – Annual meeting Recitation of laws Settlement of disputes Least hierarchy in Iceland

Living Conditions in Iceland u Living Conditions in Iceland – Poor Resources u u u Volcanic Rock Lack of wood Severity of Climate – Food u u Dairy farming Problem of preservation – Clothing u u u Isolation Relative lack of resources Economy – Barter and Money u u Typical Viking-age long house Foreign trade Domestic agriculture – Sources of wealth u u Wool Dairy products Wood Luxury items Wool: Source of wealth

Sagas as Historical Sources u u u Saga are the narratives about Icelandic society and its mythology written down in Christian Iceland during the 12 th and 13 th centuries Snorri Sturluson (1179 -1241) Sagas of the Icelanders(Family Sagas) – Njal’s Saga – Egil’s Saga u Vellum manuscript page of saga Edda Poems – – – Poetic Edda (Old) Prose Edda (Young) Skaldic verse u Learned Sagas u Other forms – Icelanders’ Book – Heimskringla – Legendary sagas (Volsung’s Saga) – Saints lives

System of Justice u Social Hierarchy – – u The stakes – – – u Goði (Cheiftain) Thingman (Backer) Bondðr (Farmer) Slave Personal fortune Honor Relative flexibility Assemblies – Althing (930 -1271) u u u National summer assembly Lawspeaker Lögrétta – Varthing u Local assemblies of spring and fall – Prosecution – Debt Historical Icelandic Farm Site

Wergild System u u u Amoral but pragmatic system based on compensation Price of a life Legal recourse – – u Advocacy – – – u Oral law Declaration Witnesses Prosecution Devolved social system Respect Status Outlaw status 19 th-century version of Njal from Njal’s Saga

Blood Feud u Causes of Blood Feud – Territorial dispute – Murder and blood money – Dowries and inheritances – Satisfaction – Mobilization u Outlaw Grettir Asmundarson from Grettir’s Saga illuistration Godi and thingmen – Rising and falling fortunes – Restraint in violence – Long-term consequences

The Family Sagas u u Njal’s Saga most famous of family sagas Themes – – – u Style – – Brattahlíð, site of Eirik the Red’s colony in southwestern Greenland u Honor, fortitude, heroism Farmers and slaves, not kings and princes Contrast to Epic and Romance Terse Focus on actual social types (genealogy) rather than psychological experience Typical plot – – Introduction of daily life in context Conflict emerges out of daily life u u u – – Marriage Property Jealousy Tragic consequences Potential for Feud

Conclusion Maintenance of “Viking” society in settlement society, Iceland u So What? Relatively undisturbed preservation of unique Viking heritage, which provides knowledge of Viking period u Sagas as historical record and compelling medieval literature, from which we can learn about Viking society u Insight into Viking-age, pagan society u