4. Ice Age
The last ice age lasted
from 110,000-10,000
BCE
During that time, few
(if any) people lived in
the northern reaches of
Europe
5. Mesolithic
Scandinavia
The first inhabitants of
northern Europe were
reindeer hunters.
By 7000 BCE, hunters had
reached the northern forests
of modern-day Sweden and
Norway.
These were traditional
hunters and gatherers--
following the herds and the
salmon migrations across the
northern regions.
6. Neolithic
Around 5000 BCE, these
early Scandinavians
started to develop
farming and animal
husbandry.
This is about the same
time that similar cultures
were developing in
Britain, France, and
other parts of Europe.
7. Indo-European
Invasion
Around 4000-3000 BCE, these early
and relatively peaceful tribes were
wiped out by Indo-European
invaders
These invaders were related to the
cultures that developed both Indian
and Greek/Roman cultures.
The invaders who arrived in
Scandinavia arrived first in
Germany (just south); hence, there’s
a direct link between Germanic and
Norse tribes (and the cosmologies
of the two groups)
8. Battle Axe Culture
This new culture was
individualistic and
patriarchal.
They herded cattle and
built ships used for
transport and fishing.
Their symbol was a
battle axe. For this
reason, this is known as
the Battle-Axe Culture.
9. Nordic Bronze Age
The period from 3200-1,500
BCE is known as the Bronze
Age
The development of bronze
led to more shipbuilding and
more trade.
Interestingly, the climate
during this time was very
mild--allowing for dense
farming and even the
cultivation of grapes in the
northern areas.
10. Nordic Religion
The early developments of
Norse religion and mythology
formed at this time.
Thor, Odin, and Tyr
Twin gods (duality is
important)
Mother goddess
Sacrifices (animals,
weapons, jewelry, and
human beings)
11. Iron
Iron is stronger than
bronze and more
durable
Its arrival in Europe
signaled the beginning
of the rapid
advancement of many
civilizations (Greece
and Rome among
them).
12. Iron Age and
Expansion
The Iron Age stretches from 500
BCE to 500 CE.
In Scandinavia, iron’s strength
and versatility meant that more
and stronger weapons could be
developed.
This, plus a big climate shift
(Iron Age Cold Epoch) that
resulted in increasingly colder
weather in the north, led to the
first expansion of Norse
peoples into modern-day
Germany and France.
13. Migration
This migration led to some
important developments for the
Nordic people:
Trading with Germanic and
British tribes and (later) Romans
Languages became similar (so
much so that modern
Scandinavian languages share
close ties with German and
English)
Myths were exchanged--close
connection between Norse and
Germanic myths.
15. Lindisfarne
• The Viking Age
officially began on June
8, 793 when Vikings
from Denmark invaded
and destroyed the
Christian monastery on
the small island of
Lindisfarne (eastern
coast of northern
England)
16. Why Did They
Attack Monks?
The Viking age coincided
with the “Medieval Warm
Period” when temperatures in
the north were mild.
So Vikings didn’t invade
England or other places to get
away from the cold.
Rather, this was a response to
the Saxon Wars, campaigns of
Christians against the pagan
Norse led by Charlemagne.
17. Viking Culture
Of course, that wasn’t the only
reason they fought.
Viking culture placed an
emphasis on both trade and
honor (especially honor in
combat)
War was one way to establish
both honor and trade (since
defeating an enemy meant
that some of your own people
could live there).
18. Viking Expansion
Really, though, the Vikings should be best known not for
killing but for ship building and for exploring.
Viking ships were fast, powerful, and flexible. They
could navigate rivers as well as oceans.
They could handle very long distances.
The long distances led to the ability to explore places that
no one in Europe had ever ventured--like Iceland,
Greenland and North America (which they reached about
500 years before Columbus).
21. Oceans and Gods
The Vikings viewed the
world through the
ocean that surrounded
their homelands.
Their cosmology
centers around oceans
and extremes of
temperatures.
25. Christian Pagans
The Viking converted to
Christianity far later than most
of the other groups in Europe.
It took place between the 8th
and 12th centuries--and it didn’t
happen without a few fights.
Much of the Viking world was
slow to abandon the old gods--
and some places (like the
northernmost parts of Sweden
and Finland) remained pagan
until the 18th century.
26. Political
Decisions
For most, becoming Christian
was a political decision--
allowing for cooperation and
increased trade with the rich
Christian regions of France
and England.
Official Christian adoption
did not end the worship of the
old gods.
The worship of Odin
continued in secret for a very
long time.
27. Neopaganism
In fact, there are several
neopagan groups that
actively worship the old
gods today.
The Asatru religion, for
example, is widely
practiced in Iceland.
Other religions include
Heathenism and
Odinism.
29. Snorri
1179-1241
Icelandic historian, poet, and
politician
Probably didn’t write the whole
Prose Eddas but collected together
a lot of different items that had
been written at different times.
His major contribution was to
place the Norse gods into an
historical framework that links
the origins of Nordic/Germanic
culture with Greece and Rome.
30. Prose Eddas
Best surviving record of
Norse mythology.
Contains four parts:
Prologue
Gylfaginning
Skaldskaparmal
Hattatal
