SkillBuilder discussion Historical significance 1. What qualities does SOURCE4 suggest that the Vikings admired? 2. Give examples of the roles that animals played in Viking mythology. Why do you think this is?
7.5.3 Death — beliefs and practices The Vikings believed death was the start of a journey to another world. Warriors who died in battle went to Valhöll, Odin’s great hall, where they fought by day and feasted by night until Ragnarök, a final battle. Those who didn’t die heroically went to Hel. Life in Hel was similar to Earth, but bad people were punished. The story ‘The Seeress’s Prophecy’ describes oath breakers being punished with poison and walking through rivers of sharp swords. Burial and cremation were both used. Vikings believed the dead needed items they used in life, so they were buried or burned with food, drink, utensils, weapons, tools, jewellery, animals, and even slaves. Funeral rituals were elaborate. Vikings buried their dead in mass graves, pits, wagons and boats. Ships were important in their funerals, symbolising the journey to the afterlife. It was important to Vikings that their name be remembered after death, as this provided a way in which they could live forever. Burial sites were often marked with a runestone, a cairn (pile of rocks) or, more commonly, a large earth mound called a howe.
SOURCE5 Some grave sites are marked by runestones arranged in the outline of a ship’s hull. These were probably the graves of those who could not afford a boat.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Look at SOURCES 5 and 6 . What do they tell you about burial customs of the Vikings? 2. What does this suggest about the Viking belief in the afterlife? 3. Discuss how Viking burial traditions are both similar and different to those of today.
SOURCE6 Many Viking funeral ships were buried whole. Some, however, were first burnt. Then the charred remains were covered with a mound of earth.
TOPIC7 The Vikings 169
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