Vikingo

Es el principal nombre dado a los miembros de los pueblos

nrdicos originarios de Escandinavia, famosos por sus
incursiones y pillajes en Europa. Dependiendo del contexto y de
la interpretacin del autor, puede usarse el nombre para
referirse a los incursores de esta procedencia o a sus pases
de origen. La metonimia ha llevado a que el nombre se siga
usando an hoy en da de forma coloquial para referirse
errneamente a los pases escandinavos. Su lengua era el
antiguo nrdico.

Viking
Is the main name given to the members of the Nordic
peoples originating in Scandinavia, famous for their
incursions and looting in Europe. Depending on the context
and the author's interpretation, the name may be used to
refer to the raiders from this source or to their countries
of origin. The metonymy has led to the name is still used
today in a colloquial way to erroneously refer to the
Scandinavian countries. His tongue was the old Norse.
Vestimenta
Vestimenta y armaduras
El vikingo en su casa llevaba pantaln largo. El torso
cubierto con una camisa amplia que llega hasta medio
muslo y que se entalla con un cinturn de cuero. En la
cabeza, un gorro de fieltro o lana. En los pies, zapatos
hechos de una nica pieza de cuero ingeniosamente
doblada, reforzada a veces con una suela y atada alrededor
del tobillo con un cordn enrollado.
En las manos, gruesas manoplas de lana o fieltro.
En cuanto a su aspecto, cuidaba bastante su larga cabellera.
La mujer tambin vesta cmodamente. El vestido principal
era largo, de manga de diversas longitudes, de lana plisada
que poda abrirse sobre cada pecho para permitir y facilitar
la lactancia, y que se sujetaba con dos broches gemelos. Por
encima llevaba una especie de delantal.
Los cabellos, trenzados o en cola de caballo eran protegidos
de ordinario con una pieza de tela, una especie de fular
anudado en la nuca. Es la manera distintiva de una mujer
casada. Las solteras llevaban la melena suelta.
Pieles y Cueros
La mas comoda de las armaduras escandinavas es un
pesado conjunto de pieles y cueros.
Despues de todo, los frios del norte hacen de estas prendas
una necesidad prctica. Un buen conjunto de pesadas pieles
puede aminorar el impacto de algunos golpes, y el cuero
endurecido puede detener flechas e incluso tajos de dagas.

Clothing and armor

The Viking at home was wearing long trousers. The torso
covered with a broad shirt that reaches half-thigh and that is
notched with a leather belt. On the head, a felt or wool cap. On
the feet, shoes made from a single piece of artfully folded
leather, sometimes reinforced with a sole and tied around the
ankle with a rolled cord.
In the hands, thick mittens of wool or felt.
As for his appearance, he took good care of his long hair.
The woman also dressed comfortably. The main dress was long,
with sleeves of various lengths, of pleated wool that could be
opened on each breast to allow and facilitate breastfeeding,
and which was fastened with two twin brooches. Above it was a
kind of apron.
The hair, braided or ponytail was usually protected with a piece
of cloth, a kind of scarf knotted at the nape of the neck. It is the
distinctive way of a married woman. Single women wore loose
hair.

Skins & Leather

The most comfortable of Scandinavian "armor" is a heavy set
of hides and skins.
After all, the Northern colds make these garments a practical
necessity. A good set of heavy skins can lessen the impact of
some knocks, and hardened leather can stop arrows and even
dagger blades.
 Su alimentacin se basaba en la carne (criaban vacas,
ovejas, cerdos, cabras y aves de corral) y el pescado, que
constituan la mayor parte de su dieta que completaban con
la caza y las aves silvestres, tambin cultivaban verduras.

Las bayas y otras frutas se recogan en los bosques o incluso

se las traan de sus incursiones (importacin que sugiere
que traan de Europa central incluso de lo que despus seria
Amrica) y esto se ha sabido por el descubrimiento de
huesos de ciruela en fosos de basuras en Hedeby.

El pan lo hacan con cebada, centeno, legumbres y, ms

raramente, trigo. Tanto la carne como el pescado se
ahumaba, secaba o salaba en verano y otoo para asegurar
suficientes provisiones para los largos meses de invierno.

El queso y la mantequilla los hacan con leche de vaca, cabra

y oveja, pero adems, saban hacer una leche espesa
llamada skyr, que salada y fermentada, poda conservarse
comestible durante todo un invierno guardada en grandes
vasijas, y la leche agria que aun hoy es ingrediente bsico de
su cocina, de gran consumo y muy apreciada.

En cuanto a las bebidas, preparaban una cerveza hecha con

cebada y aguamiel (miel fermentada y agua) y el bjorr,
posiblemente un licor fuerte hecho con zumo de fruta
fermentada.

En lneas generales podemos decir que segn

investigaciones, la alimentacin de los vikingos consista en
lo siguiente: la primera comida del da, llamada dagveror, se
basaba en una mezcla de cereales, cebada y centeno; la
segunda comida, denominada nattveror, se tomaba al final
del da y por regla general inclua pescado seco o fresco,
acompaado de algas y de verduras, como los guisantes y la
rutabaga (una especie de nabo).
Their food was based on the meat (they raised cows, sheep, pigs, goats and
poultry) and the fish, that constituted the greater part of their diet that
complete with the hunting and the wild birds, also cultivated vegetables.

Berries and other fruits were collected in the forests or even brought from
their incursions (an import that suggests that they brought from central
Europe even of what would later be America) and this has been known for the
discovery of plum bones in pits of Rubbish in Hedeby.

The bread was made with barley, rye, legumes and, more rarely, wheat. Both
meat and fish were smoked, dried or salted in summer and fall to ensure
sufficient supplies for the long winter months.

Cheese and butter were made with cow's milk, goat's milk, and sheep's milk,
but they also made a thick milk called "skyr", which, salty and fermented,
could be kept edible for a whole winter kept in large vessels, That even today
is basic ingredient of its kitchen, of great consumption and much appreciated.
As for the drinks, they prepared a beer made with barley and mead
(fermented honey and water) and the "bjorr", possibly a strong liqueur made
with fermented fruit juice.

In general terms we can say that according to research, the food of the
Vikings consisted of the following: the first meal of the day, called dagveror,
was based on a mixture of cereals, barley and rye; The second meal, called
nattveror, was taken at the end of the day and usually included dry or fresh
fish, accompanied by seaweed and vegetables, such as peas and rutabaga (a
kind of turnip).

Barcos.
Imagen
Probablemente los vikingos no hubieran sido tan
destacados en el mar de no ser gracias a su industria naval
de drakkars o dragones, barcos excelentes capaces de llevar
hasta cien hombres, estrechos, largos y de poco calado
permitindoles ingresar a los ros y que utilizaba remeros
para las grandes travesas. Tambin tenan a los knarr,
tambin barcos veleros de casco corto, era algo ms lentos,
pero se compensaba por su capacidad y su amplitud. Para
dejar testimonios de sus aventuras e historia, los vikingos
usaron las llamadas runas, que son smbolos que al parecer
constituyen un alfabeto, tambin se les ha atribuido un
carcter mstico y sagrado, tienen un origen aparentemente
en la Edad de Bronce. Las runas estaban representadas en
piezas de piedra, madera, y metal, su desciframiento total
aun sigue siendo un misterio absoluto. Sin embargo
algunas, cuentan historias vikingas.
Funeral.
Ofrendas:
Se dejaban regalos junto al cadver, si el cuerpo era
quemado en una pira, el difunto reciba presentes
relacionados con su posicin social. Si el ritual se realizaba
correctamente el difunto conservaba en la otra vida el
estatus vital que haba posedo en la tierra, y de esta
manera se evitaba que se convirtiera en un alma errante
condenada a vagar eternamente. Los esclavos eran
enterrados en tierra, se le enterraban de forma que no
regresaran para atormentar a sus amos y para que pudieran
serles de utilidad cuando stos hubieran muerto. En
ocasiones eran sacrificados para que siguieran sirviendo a
sus amos en la otra vida. A los hombres libres se les
enterraba con armas y equipo de monta. Los artesanos
podan ser enterrados junto a todas sus herramientas. A las
mujeres se las enterraba con sus joyas, instrumentos de uso
domstico. El barco de Oseberg, datado del siglo IX es un
barco fuernario conservado en el que se enterr a dos
mujeres, probablemente una de ellas una sacerdotisa, pese
a que la sepultura fue profanada en la antigedad, ya que
faltan los metales preciosos, el barco contena gran nmero
de objetos usuales y artefactos que fueron encontrados
durante las excavaciones de 1904-1905. Se encontraron
cuatro trineos con decoracin muy elaborada, un carro de
caballos de madera con cuatro ruedas ricamente esculpido,
pies de cama y bales de madera. Se encontraron enseres
domsticos y agrcolas y piezas textiles de lana, seda y
tapices. Monumentos funerarios Adems de rendir
homenaje a los muertos, la tumba constitua un
monumento a la posicin social de los descendientes.
Algunos clanes tenan cementerios monumentales . El
cementerio vikingo de Borre en Vestfold, ligado a la dinasta
Yngling y alojaba grandes tmbulos que contenan barcos
de piedra y otros pequeos con las cenizas de barcos
quemados. Jelling en Dinamarca es el memorial real ms
grande de la poca vikinga realizado por Harald Diente Azul
en recuerdo de sus padres Gorm y Tyra y en honor a s
mismo.

Rituales:
Los vikingos crean que si el muerto no era enterrado
correctamente o no se le provean de medios para la otra
vida, era posible que no llegara a encontrar la paz en el ms
all. La persona muerta podra visitar a sus parientes vivos
como un fantasma para atormentarlos, esto era
interpretado como una seal de que ms miembros de la
familia moriran.

Cremacin:
Era frecuente quemar los cadveres y las ofrendas en una
pira, en la cual la temperatura alcanzaba los 1400 C;
mucho ms alta que en un crematorio moderno. Lo nico
que quedaran seran unos fragmentos de metal y algunos
huesos animales y humanos. La pira era construida de
forma que la columna de humo fuera lo ms grande posible
para elevar al difunto a la otra vida. La cerveza funeraria y la
transmisin de la herencia En el sptimo da tras la muerte
de la persona se celebraba la fiesta del sjaund, o fiesta de la
cerveza funeraria, as llamada porque implicaba la libacin
ritual. La cerveza funeraria era una forma social de
demarcar el caso de la muerte. Slo tras la ceremonia
podan los herederos legalmente reclamar la herencia. Si la
persona fallecida se trataba de una viuda o del dueo de
una granja, el legtimo heredero poda hacerse con la
propiedad y, por tanto, marcar el cambio de autoridad.

Boats.
Image
The Vikings probably would not have been so prominent in
the sea had it not been for their naval industry of drakkars
or dragons, excellent boats capable of carrying a hundred
men, narrow, long and of little draft allowed to enter the
rivers and who used rowers to The great crossings. We also
had a few, also the short-hulled sailboats, were somewhat
slower, but were compensated by their capacity and
breadth. To give testimony of their adventures and history,
the Vikings used the so-called runes, which are symbols that
seem to constitute an alphabet, also have a mystical and
sacred character, have an origin apparently in the Bronze
Age. The chains were represented in pieces of stone, wood,
and metal, their total decipherment remains an absolute
mystery. Some, however, tell Viking stories.
Funeral.
Offerings:
Gifts were left next to the corpse, if the body was burned on
a pyre, the deceased received gifts related to his social
position. If the ritual was properly performed, the deceased
still preserved the vital status he possessed on earth in the
afterlife, and thus prevented him from becoming a
wandering soul doomed to wander forever. The slaves were
buried in the ground, they were buried so that they did not
return to torment their masters and that they might be
useful to them when they had died. Sometimes they were
sacrificed to continue serving their masters in the afterlife.
Free men find out about weapons and equipment. The
craftsmen could be buried along with all their tools. To the
women with the jewels, instruments of domestic use. The
ship of Oseberg, dated of century IX is a conserved
fuernario boat in which buried in the women, probably one
of them a priestess, although the grave was desecrated in
the antiquity, and that precious metals are missing, the ship
It contained a large number of common objects and
artifacts that were found during the excavations of 1904-
1905. There were four sleds with elaborate decorations, a
richly sculpted four-wheeled wooden horse cart, bed feet,
and wooden trunks. Domestic and agricultural items and
wool, silk and tapestry textiles were found. Funerary
monuments In addition to paying homage to the dead, the
tomb is a monument to the social position of the
descendants. Some clans had monumental cemeteries. The
Viking Cemetery of Borre in Vestfold, connected to the
Yngling Dynasty and housed large tombs that contained the
stone boats and other small ones with the ashes of the
burned boats. Jelling in Denmark is the largest royal
memorial of the Viking period performed by Harald Tooth
Blue in memory of his parents Gorm and Tyra and in honor
of himself.

Rituals:
The Vikings believed that if the dead man was not buried
correctly or was not tested for the means of the afterlife, he
might not find peace in the hereafter. The dead person
could visit his living relatives as a ghost to torment them,
this was interpreted as a sign that more members of the
family would die.

Cremation:
It was frequent to burn the corpses and the offerings in a
pyre, in which the temperature reached the 1400 C; Much
higher than in a modern crematorium. All that was left
would be fragments of metal and some animal and human
bones. The era of the pyre built in the way that the column
of smoke was greatest possible to lift the other life. The
funeral beer and the transmission of the inheritance On the
seventh day after the death of the person the sjaund party
is celebrated, the funeral beer party, so called because it
implied ritual libation. Funerary beer was a social way of
demarcating the case of death. Only after the ceremony
could the heirs legally claim the inheritance. If the deceased
person is a widow or the owner of a farm, the legitimate
heir can take possession of the property and thus mark the
change of authority.