From: dpipes@spica.srg (Dave Pipes x4552)
Subject: Re: Vikings (Berserkers)
Organization: Maryland Medieval Mercenary Militia
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 92 14:25:45 GMT
Followup-To: soc.history

In article <1992Aug11.181101.4046@island.COM> fester@island.COM (Mike Fester) writes:
<stuff about viking deleted>
>
>A story (possibly apocryphal) I heard as to WHY the vikings did this was
>that they planted their crops in the spring, and the work of tending these
>crops was women and children's work. This left the men with nothing to do
>all summer. In short, they were bored. 
>
>Any comments, derisions, etc?

Yes.  This issue is complicated, but the stuff I've seen recently is way
out of line.  for example, I'd like to see some documentation on the use
of drugs to induce a berserker state.  All the references I've seen refer
to this as something that happens unpredictably, that is then a characteristic
of a person in later fights, and is possibly passed from father to son.  I
have read many sagas, and *none* refer to the eating of mushrooms before a
fight.  Many speculate on the origins of the berserk rage.  

Even today, there are many stories of bravery/stupidity in battle which are
comparable to the berserker.  This seems to be a reaction present naturally
in some individuals, triggered by anger, fear and adrenaline.  BTW, many of
the sagas regard this as a handicap in a fighter, rendering them unpredictable
and hence dangerous.

Farming, in Iceland, was highly regarded, and men did a lot of the work.
Trade was also highly regarded.  But getting a grubstake was hard, given the
limited amount of arable land in Scandinavia.  So, a group of people would
get together and go viking.  They would agree upon shares, and set out, 
leaving some friends and often wives/sisters behind to run things.  They 
would land at various likely spots and set up camps, running around the 
countryside extorting weak villages, charging tolls, etc.  When practiced
by larger bands, there could be enough people to actually land and sack a
village in a protected area.  Normally, this was done to large towns or
monasteries or other rich but weak sites.  In the long run, it was more
profitable for a large group to set up permanently, as in the Danelaw in
England.  So viking was a widely varied practice, with different results
depending on the size of the groups.  Most expeditions were fairly small,
and provided (if successful) enough money for the survivors to become 
landowners.

Some vikings also practiced piracy.  This was very poorly regarded, and a
number of counter-expeditions were sent out to kill the most famous pirates.

The Scandinavians were most highly ragarded, over the long run, for their
skill in trading.  They set up vast trade routes which extended from Iceland
and Northern Scandinavia to Turkey and North Africa.  They also provided
mercenaries for many areas (Sicily, the Varangian Guard in Constantinople)
and set up a number of small kingdoms.  Some of these, like Normandy (founded
by Hrolf Ganger, so named because he was too tall to sit a horse) became
very important in the world scene.

Hope this helps.  Oh yeah, they never wore those stupid horns.  They drank
from them.  :-)
		David Pipes
robear@digex.com


Xref: sparky soc.history:7225 soc.culture.yugoslavia:7865