History of the Vikings for Kids
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The Vikings
What comes to mind when you think of Vikings?
Pointy hats with horns?
Big dumb thugs who pillage and instill fear in others?
Something else along the lines of a Hagar the Horrible cartoon strip?
Viking history is dotted with myth and legend, and sometimes myth is mistaken for truth.
So who were the Vikings? How did they live? And what about those hats?
Vikings and how they lived
Viking clothing
Viking longships
Viking writing
Image Credit: Clker.com
Pointy hats with horns?
Big dumb thugs who pillage and instill fear in others?
Something else along the lines of a Hagar the Horrible cartoon strip?
Viking history is dotted with myth and legend, and sometimes myth is mistaken for truth.
So who were the Vikings? How did they live? And what about those hats?
Vikings and how they lived
Viking clothing
Viking longships
Viking writing
Image Credit: Clker.com
Who were the Vikings?
Where did the Vikings come from?
Another name for Vikings is Norsemen. They were farmers, traders and seafaring people who originated in Sweden, Norway and Denmark, also known as Scandinavia. Mostly, Vikings lived along the coasts and they became well known for their longboats which allowed them to travel great distances across the North Atlantic. Many believe that the Vikings were the first Europeans to visit North America.
- NOVA Online: | Who Were the Vikings?
- The Vikings have seemed to many to have been little more than blue-eyed barbarians in horned helmets
- Regia Anglorum - Who Were the Vikings
- Who Were the Vikings? Whilst the term 'Vikings' is used throughout these pages, it is a generic term used to mean anyone of Scandinavian descent. The word Viking has several meanings. The most usual being a 'pirate', and as such it could be equally well applied to any sea-going raider.
When was the Viking Age?
Vikings are also called Norsemen.
The Viking age is considered to be the period of time between the late eight century to the mid eleventh.The earliest recorded raid by Vikings was in Britain in AD 793 and last was in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings when William the Conqueror became King of England.
Image Credit: Clker.com
Viking Timeline
Two timelines of the Viking Age
The first timeline of the Vikings is far more detailed than the first. The second is simpler and focuses on Viking history in Britain.
- The Viking Timeline
- A Viking Timeline. Starting from 789 when the Vikings began their attacks on England to 1066 and the Battle of Hastings.
- Viking Timeline history for Kids - Uk
- A simpler timeline on British History
Did Viking hats/helmets have horns or wings on them?
Viking history
Did Viking warrier hats/helmets have horns or wings on them?No.
There is no evidence that this is the case. Years and years of archeological excavation has shown no evidence at all of this.
So why do we think that Vikings had horns on their helmets?
Roman and Greek writings do mention northerners wearing antlers on their helmets. The common belief is that this type of head gear may have been worn for ceremonial purposes, perhaps religious ceremonies. Antlers may have been worn on these occasions, and there is some evidence that the Celts may have had small wings on their headgear, although again, for ceremonial purposes.
From the ancient writings, artists began portraying Vikings with horns and wings coming out of their helmets. Although it wasn't just Vikings. Typically, any northern warriers, pre-viking and Celts and other Germanic warriers, were portrayed with wings or other adornments on conical shaped headgear.
Wagner didn't help much when an opera of his featured Germanic Gods and heroes costumed with horned helmets.
Popular culture has continued with this theme that just isn't historically accurate. Most likely, Vikings went into battle with leather conical helmets or bare heads.
Image Credit: PhillipMartin.info
How do we know about the Vikings?
Viking sources of historical information
Although the Vikings did not leave many written sources for us to learn about them, we know about the Vikings through several other sources.
Archeological diggings: Which have lead to findings about their Viking settlements and way of life.
Church records: Which have given us information on Viking raids. Of course these are all written from a Christian point of view, and from the victims of the raids. This is one reason Vikings are often portrayed solely as barbarians and it doesn't accurately represent their whole lifestyle or culture.
Runes: Viking writing is very different to English. The Vikings used Runes which were inscribed on wood or stone.
Coins: Viking coins have been found with various inscriptions that tell us a little about their history.
Sagas and Skaldic Verse: These have givens some insight into the beliefs and history of the Vikings, however much of it is obvously mythological.
For further reading on Viking historical and original sources:
Archeological diggings: Which have lead to findings about their Viking settlements and way of life.
Church records: Which have given us information on Viking raids. Of course these are all written from a Christian point of view, and from the victims of the raids. This is one reason Vikings are often portrayed solely as barbarians and it doesn't accurately represent their whole lifestyle or culture.
Runes: Viking writing is very different to English. The Vikings used Runes which were inscribed on wood or stone.
Coins: Viking coins have been found with various inscriptions that tell us a little about their history.
Sagas and Skaldic Verse: These have givens some insight into the beliefs and history of the Vikings, however much of it is obvously mythological.
For further reading on Viking historical and original sources:
- BBC History
- Discover how written evidence of sagas and chronicles is only the beginning of the history of the Vikings.
Lost Worlds: The Vikings Part 1
Vikings - History Channel
The History Channel shows us the Lost world of the Vikings and the advances and technology of the Nordic culture.
curated content from YouTube
Lindisfarne - Anglo Saxon Chronicle
"AD. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island (Lindisfarne), by rapine and slaughter."
-Anglo Saxon Chronicle.
-Anglo Saxon Chronicle.
Vikings and how they lived
Viking home life, lifestyle and houses: Resources for Kids
- BBC - Primary History
- BBC Primary History - Vikings - Vikings at home
- Time for Kids | World Report | How Vikings Lived
- How Vikings Lived - Grades 5-6
- DAILY LIFE IN THE VIKING PERIOD
- Arild Hauge's Vikingpages
- BBC - Learning Zone Class Clips - Viking farms - History Video
- A picture of ordinary life in a Viking settlement. An Anglo Saxon and Viking walk around a Viking farm looking at different roles.
- Innovations Learning - History Vikings
- "Hello, my name is Gudrun. I live on a farm with my father Olaf, my mother Sigrid, my Aunt Frith, my brothers Svein and Egil, my sister Unn and baby Thora.
Viking Clothing
What did the Vikings wear?
- Viking Clothing
- How to make a Viking Outfit
- 9th-10th Century Viking Clothes
- This page on clothing includes a printable line drawing to color.
Viking Longships
Viking Longboats/Longships for kids
An excellent video on long ships along with ideas for use in the classroom. Orm describes the features of a Viking longship and explains what life was like on board. Viking Longships from BBC History.Viking Longships on PBS.
A nice simple page on Viking Longships suitable for younger children.
Image Credit: WPClipart.com
Viking Longships
Lost Worlds: The Vikings 2
The History Channel
The history channel investigates a Viking burial ground, settlements, and trade routes.
curated content from YouTube
Alfred the Great and Danelaw
Great for kids to learn more about Viking history
- Alfred the Great and Anglo-Saxon England
- King Alfred the Great of England and his battle with the Danes. Anglo-Saxon history and culture.
- England and The Danelaw
- England and the Danelaw. The map shows where settlement or parish place-names which are of Scandinavian language origin.
- English Monarchs - Kings and Queens of England - Alfred the Great.
- Kings and Queens of England - Alfred the Great. 871-899
- Danelaw
- The Danelaw was the area subject to Danish rather than Mercian or West Saxon law
Leif Erikson
- Leif Eriksson
- Born in Iceland around 975, 25 years before the beginning of the millennium. He was a leader of Viking expeditions and may have been the first European to reach North America.
- Leif Erikson
- 11th century explorer, may have discovered the Americas
Eric the Red
- Eric the Red: Explorer - EnchantedLearning.com
- Eric the Red: Explorer. Eric the Red (950?-1003 or 1004?) was a Viking explorer who was the first European in Greenland. He sailed from Iceland in 982 and led a group of colonists to Greenland in 986.
- The Official Tourism and Business Site of Greenland
- Eirikr rauði Þorvaldsson (approx. 950-1003 AD) was called Erik the Red because of his red beard and hair, and perhaps also because of his fiery temper.
Viking/Norse Mythology and Gods
Gods and the religion of the Vikings
A few terms and names that you will find when researching Viking/Norse Gods.
- Viking Gods
- VikingGods - The Vikings believed that there were many different gods that lived in a place called Asgard.
- Odin
- The chief divinity of the Norse pantheon, the foremost of the Aesir.
- Thor
- Thor is the Norse god of thunder. He is a son of Odin and Jord, and one of the most powerful gods.
- Freya
- In Norse mythology, Freya is a goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful and propitious of the goddesses.
- Valhalla
- Valhalla, Hall of the Slain, in Norse mythology is the hall presided over by Odin.
- Asgard
- Asgard, in Norse mythology, is one of the nine worlds and the homeland of the Aesir, the race of warrior gods.
Online Viking History for Kids
A few good sites on Viking history for kids
- BBC - Primary History - Vikings
- BBC history for kids
- The Vikings - History for Kids! - kidepede
- Vikings for Kids - history and science for middle school
- Vikings Homework Help
- This page is all about helping you with your Vikings homework.
- Viking Network Ireland
- Looking for information on the Viking Age in Ireland?
- The Big Myth
- Interactive Norse culture and myth
- CyberHunt: Here Come the Vikings
- Did you know that the age of the Vikings, those infamous warriors and explorers of old, lasted 300 years, from 700 to 1100 AD? Sail across the Web to learn about these colorful characters and their exciting adventures!
- V I K I N G S : T H E N O R T H A T L A N T I C S A G A
- Smithsonian - National Museum of Natural History
Vikings on Nova
The Vikings: Resources for Kids
A companion Web site to "The Vikings," a two-hour NOVA program originally broadcast on May 9, 2000. The program examines a new, less barbarian image of the Norsemen based on recent archeological investigations.
- NOVA Online | The Vikings
- NOVA Online presents The Vikings - Some great resources that let you explore a model Viking Village, learn about Runes, view maps of the Norse Diaspora and much more.
Viking Coloring Books
Vikings - Kids Coloring Pages
Free Viking Pictures to Color
- Viking coloring pictures from Super Coloring Pages
- Several Viking pictures to color.
- Viking Ship
- A Viking longboat to color
- Coloring pages Vikings - Free, printable, realistic.
- Coloring pages Vikings. Free realistic colouring pictures.
- Crayola Coloring Pages - Viking Ship
- A viking ship to color, cut out, and assemble
- Vikings coloring pages, Vikings coloring book, Vikings printable color pages
- Best Vikings coloring pages.
Interactive Viking History
- BBC History
- Play the game of 'Viking Quest', which takes you back to AD 793. Can you build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home to claim your prize?
- Interactive Viking Quiz
- A short online quiz about the Vikings. The sound is a bit annoying, you might want to turn down your speakers.
- Mythic Journeys
- Norse creation, pantheon and culture.
Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga
Another wonderful interactive website from the Smithsonian that gives a good in depth view of the Vikings in the North Atlantic.
"Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga," is about an extraordinary people who set out from their European homelands for unknown places beyond the horizon, including North America, 1000 years ago.
Learn how to play Hnefatafl, an old Norse board game, practice your pronunciation of Norse words with the vocabulary guide, an extremely useful teachers guide to the site and to Vikings in general.
"Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga," is about an extraordinary people who set out from their European homelands for unknown places beyond the horizon, including North America, 1000 years ago.
Learn how to play Hnefatafl, an old Norse board game, practice your pronunciation of Norse words with the vocabulary guide, an extremely useful teachers guide to the site and to Vikings in general.
- Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga
- Front page of the Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. From here take a look at the travelling exhibition or go to the Viking Voyage and teacher resource area.
- VIKINGS: The North American Saga - Smithsonian - National Museum of Natural History
- The Viking Voyage.
Battle of Hastings and the Vikings
The Battle of Hastings is considered the end of the Viking Era.
- Timeline of the Battle of Hastings
- Fast and accurate details in the Timeline of the Battle of Hastings. Learn about the facts from the Timeline of the Battle of Hastings.
Viking History Sites
- BBC - History: Vikings
- More than the raiders of tradition, the Vikings were also traders and colonists who left an enduring mark on Britain.
Viking Writing
Runes and Writing
- NOVA Online | The Vikings
- Write Your Name in Runes
- Viking Answer Lady Webpage - Runes and Writing
- A look at runes and writing in the Viking Age.
- Vikings & their Gods
- Runic Writing
- Northumberland.gov
- The viking language and writing
The Vikings in Ireland
- THE VIKING AGE IN IRELAND
- VIKING NETWORK IRELANDTHE VIKING AGE IN IRELAND
- Vikings in Ireland
- Travel through the Ireland Story: The Coming of the Vikings
- Your Irish History
- The Viking Invasion of Ireland
Who Were the Vikings Internet-Linked
An Introduction to the Vikings for ages 4 - 8
This title aims to answer basic questions about the Vikings, for example, why they had horns on their helmets. It also looks at how, and what, we know about living in the past. The activities and questions are directed at the readers themselves to involve them in learning about the Viking Age.
Who Were the Vikings? (Usborne Starting Point History)
Amazon Price: $4.36 (as of 06/01/2012)
Viking Lesson Plans
Free online lesson plans on Viking history
- The Vikings: Sea Raiders, Land Raiders - Lesson Plan Library Grade 6 - 8
- The Lesson Plan Library offers high school lesson plans covering all major school subjects and special interests including Vikings
- Viking Discoveries - Lesson Plan Library Grade 9-12
- The Lesson Plan Library offers high school lesson plans covering all major school subjects and special interests.
- Viking Lesson Plans
- Viking Network Ireland - THE VIKINGS - Lesson Plans From Exploring History 4 by Michael Ryan, (Dublin 1986)
- Viking Voyagers: Navigating Online Content Area Reading - ReadWriteThink - Grade 6-8
- Students set sail on an online Viking voyage, collaborating to research aspects of Viking culture and then applying their newfound knowledge as they navigate the interactive Viking Quest Game.
- Learning Through History News Archives - The Vikings Mini Unit Study
- Free unit study and lesson plan ideas on the Vikings in the Middle Ages
- Learning about Viking Longboats - Year 3
- History Unit 6C Why have people invaded and settled in Britain in the past? How did the Vikings travel from their Homelands?
- 4L - History Essentials - Viking settlers in Britain
- Viking resources for teachers
Like this lens? Please don't forget to rate it! Thanks.
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LittleDeb
May 14, 2012 @ 9:46 am | delete
- Am planning a Viking birthday party for my 6-year old, as he's very keen on them at the moment. This site has loads of good information, and has given me lots of ideas. Thanks very much!
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raitoavi
May 9, 2012 @ 6:40 pm | delete
- This lens is just a wonderful idea, I loved reading about Vikings as a kid, but I bet I'd enjoy it even more if I ran across thins lens.
Another winner from Samantha :)
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marifejackson
Apr 24, 2012 @ 3:23 am | delete
- Nice post you have there. I was wondering if you sould also write about stuff inside the house like basement windows, stuff for safety and the lightings like lighting Toronto and fausets that are leaking. Thank you! I appreciate it!
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me
Apr 13, 2012 @ 12:24 pm | delete
- this page was very helpful
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Annamadagan
Apr 9, 2012 @ 9:40 am | delete
- We've been learning all about the vikings in history. Some of them are actually really cool guys!
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everyone loves me
May 28, 2012 @ 5:55 am | delete
- yah i know
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jercow75
Apr 1, 2012 @ 1:35 am | delete
- What an interesting lens. I loved the Norse myths growing up, espcially Thor and of course the story of Ragnarok. So they didn't actually wear horns on their helmets? Never would have thought that. They are always pictured that way.
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RickoDogAdvice
Mar 30, 2012 @ 1:00 pm | delete
- love vikings, but then again... how can i not lol
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gjorep
Mar 23, 2012 @ 6:23 am | delete
- Wow, that was interesting! I never knew many of these things. Great lens!
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GypsyWhim
Mar 21, 2012 @ 8:46 am | delete
- WOW! A lot of good stuff here, and information that I've never read anywhere else. A very interesting read -- thanks for the hard work; many will benefit!
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Big_Joe Mar 18, 2012 @ 1:16 am | delete
- Very educational lens, thanks for sharing. I had seen a documentary not long ago about the Vikings and your lens is very accurate according to the documentary I watched.
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Cari_Kay
Mar 16, 2012 @ 9:00 pm | delete
- Had to check, just had a suspicion from this that you might be one of us homeschooling types :) Great page!
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BuddyBink
Mar 15, 2012 @ 7:57 pm | delete
- Very interesting. Nice to clear up some misconceptions about the Scandinavians and their history. Thanks
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blade33
Mar 11, 2012 @ 10:42 am | delete
- Scandinavian mythology is very interesting
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JoshK47
Mar 10, 2012 @ 11:26 am | delete
- Great work on this lens - very informative!
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All About SeeGreen
Viking Images
The Viking Images on this page were found at Open Clipart and PhillipMartin.info
by seegreen
Hi, I'm Samantha, mother of 2 and an avid reader, scrapbooker, traveler,animal and history lover.
I am a former homeschooling parent, and it is difficult...
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The Vikings Treasur Chest
A great educational resource
The Vikings (Treasure Chests)
Amazon Price: $199.99 (as of 06/01/2012)
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