Once Became Ruler Art Went Through a Transition Time From Paganism to Christianity

The age of conversion

The Viking Age was a period of considerable religious change in Scandinavia. Part of the popular epitome of the Vikings is that they were all pagans, with a hatred of the Christian Church, but this view is very misleading. Information technology is true that about the entire population of Scandinavia was pagan at the beginning of the Viking Age, only the Vikings had many gods, and it was no trouble for them to accept the Christian god alongside their own. Nigh scholars today believe that Viking attacks on Christian churches had nothing to do with religion, but more to practice with the fact that monasteries were typically both wealthy and poorly defended, making them an easy target for plunder.

...monasteries were typically both wealthy and poorly defended, making them an easy target for plunder.

The Vikings came into contact with Christianity through their raids, and when they settled in lands with a Christian population, they adopted Christianity quite quickly. This was truthful in Normandy, Ireland, and throughout the British Isles. Although contemporary accounts say little near this, we tin can run across information technology in the archaeological show. Pagans buried their dead with grave goods, but Christians normally didn't, and this makes it relatively easy to spot the alter in religion.

Too as conversion abroad, the Viking Age too saw a gradual conversion in Scandinavia itself, as Anglo-Saxon and German missionaries arrived to convert the pagans. By the mid-11th century, Christianity was well established in Denmark and most of Norway. Although in that location was a temporary conversion in Sweden in the early on 11th century, it wasn't until the mid-12th century that Christianity became established there. As function of the process of conversion the Christians took over traditional pagan sites. A good example of this tin can be seen at Gamle Uppsala in Sweden, where the remains of an early on church building stand alongside a series of huge pagan burial mounds.

Pagan belief

Silver Thor's hammer amulet, possibly worn for protection while at sea  © We know nigh nothing most pagan religious practices in the Viking Age. There is piddling contemporary evidence, and although at that place are occasional references to paganism in the Viking sagas - mostly equanimous in Iceland in the 13th century - we take to remember that these were written down 200 years after the conversion to Christianity. Nosotros know that chieftains also had some sort of part as priests, and that pagan worship involved the sacrifice of horses, but not much more.

We know rather more about the stories associated with the infidel gods. Besides occasional references in early poems, these stories survived later conversion because information technology was possible to regard them simply as myths, rather than as the expression of religious behavior. The main sources of evidence are the Eddas, wonderful literary works which represent the erstwhile heathen beliefs as folk tales. Even hither there is some Christian influence. For case, the primary god Odin was sacrificed to himself by existence hanged on a tree and pierced in the side with a spear, and this was followed by a sort of resurrection a few days later - a clear parallel with Christ's crucifixion.

Withal, the Eddas provide a huge amount of information about the ®sir (gods), and their relationship with giants, men and dwarfs. The most powerful god was the one-eyed Odin, the Allfather, god of warfare, justice, death, wisdom and verse. Probably the most popular god, however, was Thor, who was stupid but incredibly stiff. With his hammer Miollnir, crafted past the dwarfs, he was the main defender of the gods against the giants. He was also the god of thunder, and he was particularly worshipped past seafarers. Amulets of Thor's hammer were popular throughout the Viking earth. The brother and sister Frey and Freyja, the god and goddess of fertility, were likewise of import, and there were many other modest gods and goddesses.

Gods and giants

Detail from the stone cross (below)  © The great enemies of the gods were the giants, and there were often conflicts betwixt the 2 races. Among the gods, only Thor was a match for the giants in strength, so the gods commonly had to rely on cunning to outwit the giants. Odin himself was capable of clever tricks, just whenever the gods needed a really cunning plan, they turned to the burn-god Loki. Like fire, which can bring necessary warmth or cause bully destruction, Loki did many things that benefited the gods, but he also caused them peachy damage, and often the problems he solved had been caused by his mischief in the first identify.

A stone cross from the Isle of man showing Odin (with raven) fighting the Fenris wolf at the fourth dimension of Ragnarok  © Despite the tension between gods and giants, there was a fair amount of contact on an individual basis, and a number of the gods had relationships with giantesses. I of these was Loki, who had three monstrous children past his giantess married woman. His daughter Hel became ruler of the underworld. One son, Jormunagund, was a serpent who grew so big that he stretched all the way effectually the earth. The other son was Fenris, a wolf so powerful that he terrified the gods until they tricked him into allowing himself to be tied upwards with a magical chain which jump him until the end of time.

It was believed that the world would end with the final battle of Ragnarok, between the gods and the giants. Loki and his children would take the side of the giants. Thor and Jormunagund, who maintained a long-running feud with each other, would kill each other, and Odin would be killed by the Fenris wolf, who would then exist killed in plow. A burn down would sweep across the whole world, destroying both the gods and mankind. Nonetheless, only plenty members of both races would survive to start a new globe.

Pagan and Christian together

Silver 'St Peter' penny from York. The last 'I' of 'PETRI' takes the grade of Thor's hammer  © The raids on the Frankish kingdoms and the British Isles brought increased contact with Christianity. Although Vikings often seem to have maintained their behavior throughout the periods of their raiding, in that location was considerable pressure level to catechumen to Christianity if they wished to have more peaceful relations with the Christians. This could happen on a political level, as in the Treaty of Wedmore in 878. The treaty bound the Viking leader Guthrum to accept Christianity, with Alfred of Wessex as his godfather, and Alfred in plough recognised Guthrum every bit the ruler of Due east Anglia.

...Christians were not really supposed to trade with pagans...

Another more than or less formal convention applied to trade, since Christians were non actually supposed to merchandise with pagans. Although a full conversion does not seem to have been demanded of all Scandinavian traders, the custom of 'primsigning' (offset-signing) was introduced. This was a halfway step, falling short of baptism, but indicating some willingness to accept Christianity, and this was often accounted to exist enough to allow trading.

Farther pressure level came every bit Viking raiders settled downwards alongside Christian neighbours. Although scholars disagree on exactly how extensive the Scandinavian settlement was in different parts of the British Isles, few people would now accept that the Vikings completely replaced the native population in any area. In particular, the settlers often took native wives (or at least partners), although some settlers plainly brought their families over from Scandinavia. The children of these mixed marriages would therefore grow up in partially Christian households, and might even be brought up as Christians. Further intermarriage, coupled with the influence of the Church, gradually brought well-nigh a consummate conversion.

The peaceful co-existence of pagans and Christians is suggested by some of the coinage of Viking York. One money type carries the proper noun of St Peter, rather than the ruler. This seems very obviously Christian, merely on many of the coins, the final 'I' of 'PETRI' takes the class of Thor's hammer, and some of these coins besides have a hammer on the reverse. These coins seem to comport a deliberate bulletin that both paganism and Christianity were adequate.

Conversion in Scandinavia

Rune-stone from Jelling, showing the figure of Christ on the cross.  © Attempts to catechumen Scandinavia began fifty-fifty before the Viking Age. The Anglo-Saxon St Willibrord led a mission to Denmark in 725, only although he was well-received by the king, his mission had little effect. The Frankish St Ansgar led a second moving ridge of missionary activity from the 820s onwards - with the back up of the Frankish Emperor Louis the Pious. Ansgar and his followers established missions in both Denmark and Sweden, with the support of local rulers, but fabricated little impact on the population as a whole.

Harald Bluetooth's famous runestone at Jelling tells u.s.a. that he 'made the Danes Christian'...

Archaeological evidence suggests that Christianity was adopted piecemeal in Norway, with settlements converting or not depending on whether the local chieftain converted. The same idea can likewise be seen on a larger scale. In the mid-tenth century Hakon the Good of Norway, who had been fostered in England, tried to employ his majestic say-so to establish Christianity. Nonetheless, when it became clear that this would lose him the support of pagan chieftains, he abandoned his attempts, and his Anglo-Saxon bishops were sent back to England.

Harald Bluetooth of Kingdom of denmark was apparently more successful. His famous runestone at Jelling tells us that he 'made the Danes Christian', and this is supported both past Christian imagery on Danish coins from his reign and by German language records of the establishment of bishops in various Danish towns. This began the lasting conversion of the Danes. Although there may have been a brief pagan reaction later on Harald's death, the influence of the Church became firmly established one time Cnut became ruler of both England and Denmark in 1018.

Farther attempts by Anglo-Saxon missionaries in the late tenth century had only a limited effect in Norway and Sweden. Olaf Tryggvasson of Norway and Olof Tribute-male monarch of Sweden were both converted, just this had express result on the population as a whole. A further wave of conversion in Norway under Olaf Haraldsson (St Olaf) (1015-30) was more than successful and gradually led to lasting conversion. Sweden, notwithstanding, faced a pagan reaction in the mid-11th century, and it was not until the 12th century that Christianity became firmly established.

Find out more

Books

Lexicon of Norse Myth and Legend by Andy Orchard (Cassell, 1997)

Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by 60 minutes Ellis Davidson (Viking Press, 1990)

Nordic Religions in the Viking Age past Thomas A Dubois (Academy of Pennsylvania Press, 1999)

Encyclopaedia of the Viking Age by John Haywood (Thames &Hudson, 2000)

Cultural Atlas of the Viking Age edited by Graham-Campbell et al (Andromeda, 1994)

Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings past John Haywood (Penguin, 1996). Detailed maps of Viking settlements in Scotland, Ireland, England, Iceland and Normandy.

Links

Nova Online: The Vikings. Build a Viking village, write your proper name in runes and observe the secret of Norse ships.

Compass. Take a tour of some of the British Museum's best artefacts on the web.

The Smithsonian Institution's Vikings Exhibit. Commemorating the 1,000-year ceremony of Leif Eriksson's inflow in North America.

Places to visit

The British Museum. Important collections of Viking material, as well every bit displays relating to religions and behavior from all over the globe.

Bede's World. Provides a fascinating insight into Christian life in Anglo-Saxon England only earlier the Viking Historic period.

Jorvik Centre. Explores many aspects of daily life in Viking York in the 10th century.

About the author

Gareth Williams is curator of Early on Medieval Coins at the British Museum. In add-on to coinage, he specialises in the history of the Viking Age, with item interests in the nature of imperial power, and in the human relationship between history and literature. He is likewise a member of the re-enactment/living history grouping Vikings of Middle England.

verjuspith1948.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/religion_01.shtml

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