Seven interesting facts about Viking's

Seven interesting facts about Viking's

   The seafaring Vikings were a group of people that came from the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. They made an enduring name for themselves in the 8th through the 11th centuries for being tactical warriors, smart traders, and daring explorers. In fact, they arrived in America 1,000 years before Columbus ever did, and archaeologists have found some of their remnants scattered as far east as Russia.

1) They Didn’t Wear those Cool Horned Helmets

   Pretty much every single Viking costume you have seen in a movie or video game is a lie. These warriors usually went into battle bareheaded. The whole horned-helm idea came about in Victorian times when Vikings were romanticized. Painters began to depict them as glamorous savages with horned helmets; however, nothing found during the Viking Age shows this image to be in the least bit authentic.

2) They Buried their Dead in Boats

   Vikings loved their boats, and the Scandinavian culture was extremely superstitious. It was considered a great honor for a person to be mummified, dressed in finery, and placed to rest in a ship. They believed that these ships would transcend the dead into the afterlife. Distinguished warriors and highborn women were often put to rest in vessels, surrounded by valuable goods and sacrificed slaves.

3) They Loved to Keep Themselves Clean and Tidy

   Several Viking excavations have turned up razors, combs, tweezers, and even ear cleaners. It turns out these savage warriors cared quite a lot about their personal hygiene. Historians also believe that the typical Viking citizen bathed at least once a week, far more than any other European group during that time.

4) Viking Women Had Basic Rights

   Vikings girls were usually forced to marry around the age of 12 and tend to a household full of kids while their husbands sailed off into awesome adventures. However, when compared to other women during that time, they enjoyed a wide range of freedoms. They had the right to inherit property, file for a divorce, and even reclaim settlements if the marriage failed.

5) They Used Urine to Start Fires

   Vikings lived a large part of their lives on the go. Because they did not have lighters, they would collect a tree fungus called ''Touchwood'', and boil it for several days in their own urine. After the mixture was done, they would pound it into a felt like substance. The sodium nitrate found in the urine would mix with the ''Touchwood'' and make the mixture easily combustible, so they could easily start a fire while on the road.

6) They Took Part in Human Trafficking

   Many Viking businessmen made small fortunes by capturing women and young men and then selling them in giant slave markets across the Middle East and Europe. These slaves were usually referred to as thralls, and came from Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Slavic settlements raided by the Vikings.

7) Viking Men Often Dyed their Hair

   During the Viking Era, having blonde hair was really “in” with the cool crowd. Therefore, brunette Vikings, mostly men, would use a heavily concentrated soap with high levels of lye that would bleach their hair. Historians believe that aside from being part of their culture’s beauty ideal, the bleached hair would also help keep lice away.