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Viking Society

Viking Society. How Do We Know About Viking Society? Settlement of Iceland Living Conditions Economy The Sagas and Viking Age Iceland Social Structure in Iceland System of Justice Blood Feud Family Sagas. How do We Know About Viking Society?. Archaeological Record Burial sites

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Viking Society

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

  2. How do We Know About Viking Society? • Archaeological Record • Burial sites • Imports and exports • Place Names • “-by” • “Pedersturp” • “-Thorp • Oral and Print Culture • 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  9. The Family Sagas • Njal’s Saga most famous of family sagas • Themes • Honor, fortitude, heroism • Farmers and slaves, not kings and princes • Contrast to Epic and Romance • Style • 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 • Marriage • Property • Jealousy • Tragic consequences • Potential for Feud Brattahlíð, site of Eirik the Red’s colony in southwestern Greenland

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

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