ÿþ<html> <head> <title> WHKMLA : Historical Dictionaries : Vikings, Magyars, Saracens </title> <!-- copyright Alexander Ganse, 2004-2006 --> </head> <body bgcolor="lightblue" text="black" link="blue" vlink="red" alink="brown"> <style> <!-- A{ font-weight: bold; font-size: 10pt; font-face: arial; } --> </style> <DIV align ="center"> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../index.html"> <img src = "../../whkmla2.jpg" border = "0"></a></TD></TR></TABLE> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD width = "150" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "2" face = "arial"><B> </b></font></TD> <TD width = "36" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <img src = "../../region/arrowleft.gif" width = "36" height = "36" border = "0"> </a></TD> <TD align = "center" valign = "center"> <A HREF = "../../timelines/whchapters.html"> <img src = "../banhistdic.jpg" border = "0"> </TD> <TD width = "36" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <img src = "../../region/arrowright.gif" width = "36" height = "36" border = "0"> </a></TD> <TD width = "100" height = "36" align = "center" valign = "center"> <font size = "2" face = "arial"><B> </b></font></TD></TR></TABLE> <font size = "3" face = "arial"><B><i>First posted on May 10th 2004 </i></b></font><BR><BR><BR><BR> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "center" valign = "center" width = "900"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "5"><B> Historical Dictionaries : Vikings, Magyars, Saracens </B></font> <BR> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"><i> http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histdic/wh/hdvikings.html </i></font> </B></font></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><BR> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "left" valign = "center" width = "150"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"> L'Anse aux Meadows <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "danelaw">Danelaw</A> <BR><BR> <A HREF = "../../region/scandinavia/xdenmark.html">Denmark</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> Edda <BR><BR> <A NAME = "futhark">Futhark</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> G&ouml;tar <BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "gotland">Gotland</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A HREF = "../../region/scandinavia/xgreenland.html">Greenland</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR> Haithabu <BR><BR> <A HREF = "../../region/scandinavia/xiceland.html">Iceland</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> L'Anse aux Meadows <BR> Longhouse <BR><BR><BR> Magyars <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A NAME = "normans">Normans</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <A HREF = "../../region/scandinavia/xnorway.html">Norway</A> <BR><BR> Odin <BR> Old West Norse <BR><BR><BR> Runes <BR> <A NAME = "saga">Saga</A> <BR><BR> Saracens <BR><BR><BR> Svear <BR><BR><BR> <A HREF = "../../region/scandinavia/xsweden.html">Sweden</A> <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> Thing / Ting <BR><BR><BR><BR> Thor <BR><BR><BR> Valhalla <BR><BR> <A NAME = "varangianguard">Varangian Guard</A> <BR><BR> Varangians <BR><BR> Viking cities <BR> Viking navigation <BR><BR><BR> Vikings <BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> Vinland <BR><BR><BR> </font></TD> <TD align = "left" valign = "center" width = "500"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"> Viking settlement on the extreme north of Newfoundland; settled by Vikings c. 1000, <BR> settlement given up c.1020; mentioned in the Greenland Saga. For long, the existence <BR> of any Viking settlement has been doubted; site excavated by Norwegian archaeologist <BR> Anne Stine Ingstad 1961-1968. Items such as nails identified the site as Viking. <BR> <A HREF = "http://collections.ic.gc.ca/vikings/">Vikings Discovery and Landing at L'Anse aux Meadows</A>, from SchoolNet Canada <BR> Area in northeastern England, which, between 865 and 918, was under Danish law. In <BR> Danish called 'Danelag'. Remained pagan until conquered by the English. <BR> Viking age Denmark consisted of three regions, Sk&aring;ne (Scania), Sj&aelig;lland <BR> (Sealand), Jylland (Jutland, with the western islands) which were rather autonomous; <BR> only the kings held the country together. Denmark converted to christianity in the 10th <BR> century. Lund (Scania) seat of archdiocesis. <BR> Collection of Viking oral tradition, codified on Iceland in the 13th century; main source <BR> on Nordic (Viking) mythology. <BR> Runic alphabet, originally used by the Herulians, later by other pagan Germanic peoples <BR> (mainly the Vikings), named after the first letters of their alphabet; numerous Runic <BR> inscriptions have survived. On Gotland, runic script continued to be used into the 14th <BR> century. <BR> Viking age people who inhabited southern Sweden, except for Scania. Their history is <BR> poorly recorded; probably identical with the Geats, of whom literary hero Beowulf <BR> claimed to be one. In recorded history, together wityh the Svear, ruled by one dynasty <BR> (a matter which at times was contested) <BR> Island located in the center of the Baltic Sea. During the Viking era, her history is <BR> poorly recorded; the high concentration of Viking era coin hoards found on the island <BR> suggests her having played an important role in late Viking era trade, but not in late <BR> Viking era piracy. Had a republican structure (Gutnalting; voluntary acceptance of <BR> christianity); history scantily recorded in Gutasaga. Lost her independence in the later <BR> half of the 14th century. <BR> Discovered by the Vikings c.930, settled 983. Greenland had three Viking settlements; <BR> climatic change after 1300 deteriorated living conditions. The last contact with Norway <BR> is recorded for 1410; it is believed that Eskimos conquered the villages one by one; by <BR> 1540 they were deserted. Haywood pp.96-97 <BR> In Dan.: Hedeby, Viking port town surrounded by a ring of an earthen wall with palisades <BR> on top, behind a moat; market town, with settlement of craftsmen. Haywood pp.42-43 <BR> In Icelandic 'Island'. Discovered by the Vikings in c. 860, settled in c. 930 (previous <BR> population of Irish monks slain or enslaved); political center Althingi convened at <BR> Thingvellir. Christianity accepted by decision of Althingi c.1000, establishment of <BR> dioceses of Skalholt and Holar 1056 resp. 1106, submission to Norw. kings 1263. <BR> Norway monopolized relations with Iceland by forbidding non-Norwegians to sail there. <BR> see under letter A <BR> Houses made of wood, covered by turf. Long in extension, with one entrance in the <BR> center; a few openings for the smoke to escape over fireplaces. Had space for large <BR> families, with servants. see article from <A HREF = "http://viking.no/e/life/elonghouses.htm">Viking Network</A> <BR> A people of steppe nomads, horse breeders and riders, who in 895 moved into the <BR> Pannonian Basin, from there raiding Italy, Germany, France, even Spain. In Latin <BR> sources they came to be identified with the Huns, hence Hungary, Hungarians. The <BR> defeat in the Battle on the Lechfeld ended the raids in 955; in 996 the Magyars <BR> converted to christianity. <BR> Literally 'men of the north', applied to the Vikings who settled in Normandy and their <BR> descendants (Danish, Norwegian Vikings). In 911 Viking Rollo was appointed Count of <BR> Rouen; he and his descendants extended their rule to the Duchy of Normandy. The <BR> Normans became christians, later Normans spoke French and acted as feudal lords <BR> but maintained the Viking hunger for adventure and conquest; Normans conquered <BR> southern Italy to establish the Kingdom of Sicily, and in 1066 conquered England. <BR> During the early crusades, Normans played an important role. <BR> Scandinavian Kingdom; in Viking eras the regions were autonomous; center of the <BR> kingdom Nidaros / Drontheim / Trondhjem; accepted christianity in the 11th century. <BR> Norse god of wisdom and war, also called wotan, wodan; Wednesday named after him <BR> Language of the Sagas; the languages spoken on Iceland and the Faroes are relatively <BR> close to it; the Norwegian language, in the late middle ages and subsequent centuries, <BR> has been strongly overformed by influence from the Hanseatic and Danish languages <BR> see under <i>Futhark</i> <BR> Viking historical oral tradition; many sagas were codified in the 13th century, mainly <BR> by Icelanders. Examples Beowulf, Gisli Saga, Egils Saga, Orkneyinga Saga etc. <BR> A name that may refer to the Muslims who, from their basis in Fraxinetum (Le Freinet) <BR> and Garigliano raided Italy, the Rhone valley and adjacent areas (882-975), or for Muslims <BR> in general. <BR> Name of the people who settled around Lake M&auml;laren. The Kingdom of Sweden <BR> (in Swedish : Sverige, Realm of the Svear) emerged as a combination of the lands of <BR> the Svear and the G&ouml;tar <BR> In contemporary sources, Kingdom of the Svear and G&ouml;tar. The state was held <BR> together by the king; the various regions were rather autonomous, had regional laws, <BR> codified in the 13th century; upon ascension to the throne, the King rode from ting to <BR> ting to be recognized (Eriksgata). Sweden accepted christianity in the 12th <BR> century; dioceses est. 1164, archdiocesis Uppsala <BR> In Viking society, an assembly which had the function of both court and political <BR> representative assembly. Examples the Althingi in Iceland, the Gutnalting on Gotland, <BR> the Ting at Tynwald on the Isle of Man, Eidsvollting in Norway. On Iceland and Gotland, <BR> the Ting formed the sovereign body, as both islands did not develop monarchies. <BR> Norse god of thunder and lightning, killer god, weapon the hammer, son of Odin. <BR> Thursday named after him. Archaeologists have found many 'Thor's hammers' in <BR> Viking era graves. <BR> Norse equivalent of the paradise; literally 'hall of the slain'; Vikings believed the only <BR> honorable death was death in battle, which entitled to acceptance into the Valhalla. <BR> Vikings serving as Byzantinian palace guard between 988 and 1203, and participating <BR> in Byzantine wars. Most famous guardsman Harald Hardrada, later King of Norway. <BR> Name applied to the Vikings who travelled eastward, along the Russian rivers to the <BR> Black and Caspian Seas. <BR> Haithabu (Hedeby), Birka, old Visby, Jorvik (York), Dublin, Novgorod, Kiev <BR> First, Vikings followed the coastlines; then they navigated by the stars, used tricks such <BR> as releasing birds; at a later stage the compass was introduced (from China). see <BR> article from <A HREF = "http://www.wam.umd.edu/~eowyn/Longship/viking.nav.html">Longship Homepage</A> <BR> The word is probably derived from the Old Norse word meaning inlet or creek. Vikingar <BR> meant men coming from such places, or, at first, from Viken in Norway (the region around <BR> Oslo). The name was applied to the pagan raiders-traders-settlers from (modern) Norway, <BR> Denmark and Sweden by their contemporaries; the Vikings called themselves Norsemen. <BR> The expression is not used for their christian descendants. see <BR> Directly translated, land where the vines (grapes) grow; name given to land in North <BR> America dicovered by the Vikings in c. 1000, probably around Massachusetts; often <BR> attributed to Newfoundland, where the Vikings settled (L'Anse aux Meadows, c.1000-c.1020 <BR> </font></TD> </TR></TABLE> <BR><BR> <TABLE border = "0" cellspace="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> <TR> <TD align = "center" valign = "center" width = "700"> <font face = "Times Roman" size = "2"> Contrary to popular perception, Viking helmets did not have horns attached. </font></TD></TR></TABLE> <BR><BR> </DIV> </DIV> <DIV align="center"> <A href="mailto:aganse@hotmail.com"> <IMG src="../../email.gif" border="0"></a><BR> </DIV><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR> <!-- Start of CH Counter --> <script type="text/javascript"> //<!-- // chCounter v2.0.0 // settings: cstatus = "active"; visible = "0"; path_to_counterfile = "http://www.zum.de/whkmla/counter/counter.php"; urlhp = "http://www.zum.de"; //////////////// url = unescape(location.href); file = url.substring(url.lastIndexOf(urlhp) + urlhp.length, url.length); file = (file.charAt(0) != "/") ? 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