Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Three figures on the Skog tapestry; they have been interpreted as the Norse gods Odin (one eye), Thor (hammer in hand) and Freyr.. Old Norse religion, also known as Norse paganism, is a branch of Germanic religion which developed during the Proto-Norse period, when the North Germanic peoples separated into a distinct branch of the Germanic peoples.
In the hands of Early Christian writers they became apocalyptic hordes. Throughout the Middle Ages, they were variously identified as the Vikings, Huns, Khazars, Mongols or other nomads, or even the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. The legend of Gog and Magog and the gates were also interpolated into the Alexander Romances. According to one ...
Viking expansion was the historical movement which led Norse explorers, traders and warriors, the latter known in modern scholarship as Vikings, to sail most of the North Atlantic, reaching south as far as North Africa and east as far as Russia, and through the Mediterranean as far as Constantinople and the Middle East, acting as looters, traders, colonists and mercenaries.
The fylki were divided into fourths or eighths and a church of minor rank was established in each subdivision. [39] Wealthy people were allowed to build private churches, known as convenience churches. [39] The earliest churches were built by the monarchs or noblemen and the builders' successors insisted on the appointment of the local priests ...
The Viking raids were, however, the first to be documented by eyewitnesses, and they were much larger in scale and frequency than in previous times. [87] Vikings themselves were expanding; although their motives are unclear, historians believe that scarce resources or a lack of mating opportunities were a factor. [90]
The first recorded attempts at spreading Christianity in Norway were made by King Haakon the Good in the tenth century, who was raised in England. His efforts were unpopular and were met with little success. The subsequent King Harald Greyhide, also a Christian, was known for destroying pagan temples but not for efforts to popularize Christianity.
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
The Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1100 in European history. It was a formative period in Scandinavian history. Norse people explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. They also reached Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Newfoundland, and Anatolia. This category lists towns and settlements ...