Vikings Assignment
TOPIC: Viking Community and Family Life
1. Explain the structure
of Viking Society.
2. How did Viking
children learn skills and
their culture? What
were Viking women
like?
3. What types of activities
would a Viking living in a
town take part in?
4. What food and
entertainment
would be provided
at a Viking Feast?
5.Explain what
happened at a Viking
Thing.
Facts: Jarls were tribal chiefs
– rich and powerful families.
Karls – middle class,
merchants and farmers.
Thralls – lower class, criminals
or prisoners.
Facts: Viking children learnt
history, religion and law from
spoken stories and songs.
Women looked after their
children and were mostly
staying at home wives.
Facts: Liked to play games and
gamble.
Dice games were very popular
with Viking men. Viking men
enjoyed playing outdoor games
that required strength and skill.
Facts: Horsemeat was
served like a kebab.
Fish, pork, goat and
bread were also served
too. They would also
have a desert that was
made from fruit and
honey and Beer was
served as a beverage.
Facts: A place where
people, especially nobles
would discuss the issues
of the day.
Source:
Easton, M. 2006,
Jacaranda Humanities
Alive. John Wiley & Sons
Australia Ltd.
Facts: Karls were often
Source:
bbc.co.uk/schools/
primaryhistory/
Vikings/family-life/
Source:
Danishnet.com/
Info-php/Vikings/
Leisure-activity-141-html
Source:
Bbc.co.uk/history/
Ancient/Vikings/
Food-01.shtml
Source:
Dougcabot.com/
Lore/vi-social-html
Facts: Viking Childhood was
Facts: Popular outdoor games
very different to the
childhood kids have today. If
a child was born sick or
disabled, they were left to
die. Not very many Vikings
lived beyond the age 15.
included swimming, wrestling
and horse racing. Also played a
bored game called hnefatafl.
Facts: Vikings would tell
jokes around at dinner.
People would balance a
sword somewhere on
their body as
entertainment.
Facts: A meeting where
freemen who could pick
whatever job they wished to
do and often owned thirty +
slaves to work on large farms.
Source: cd7.e2bn.net/
e2bn/
leas/c99/schools/cd7/
website/Vikings.htm
Source:
mrbartlett.wordpress.
com/2007/02/21/vikingchildren/
Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
schools/primaryhistory
/vikings/family_life/
Source:
Viking.no/uk/
Cottingham/
Viktest2.htm
Source:
http://www.arildhauge.com/elife.htm
Facts: Most slaves were
Facts: Viking women stood
Facts: In spare time Vikings
Facts: Viking men and
Facts:
captured in raids or are just
too poor to live as a freeman.
Slaves did all the hard work on
farms for the freemen or
nobles. They could buy their
freedom if they had enough
money.
up for their husbands and
were well respected in the
Viking society. Women would
stay at home and look after
their children, cook meals
and do household chores.
enjoyed skiing and ice-skating.
They’re also known to play
chess as well. Vikings also made
musical instruments including
harps, hors and wooden pipes.
nobles would often
have feats for
celebrations, for
example a successful
raid. They would eat
Fish, Pork, beef, lamb
and all different sorts of
meats.
Source:
www.wcl.govt.nz/blogs/
kids/index.php/2008/05/
12/vikings-classstructure/
Source: cd7.e2bn.net/
e2bn/
leas/c99/schools/cd7/
website/Vikings.htm
Source:
Source:
Source:
http://www.localhistories. www.skwirk.com/porg/vikinglife.html
c_s-14_u-175_t474_c-1724/dailylife-of-norsepeople/nsw//theviking-life/
Law and Order was
discussed upon. All freemen could attend but
slaves and women could
not. The thing could also
be a place for trade as
well.
Viking Society and Structure
Jarls – Rich and
powerful families.
Jarls were often rich and were noble people in the Viking Society. They ruled small areas and
were often very powerful on the society. They held the most wealth after monarchs of that
time.
Karls – Middle class
people, workers and
farmers.
Karls were the average men and women who were freemen and had many different Jobs
including being Farmers, Traders, Craftsmen, warriors and large landowners. They had the
choice of doing any job they want and could often own as many as thirty slaves to work on
their farm.
Thralls – Low class
people, often
peasants and
criminals
Thralls were the unlucky type of people on the poor side of town. They did the lowest type
of work and treated the same as a wild animal. Slaves only way out was to actually Purchase
their freedom. Some slaves were captured in raids or at war.
Children and Women
1. Viking children did not go to school; they stayed home and
learnt life skills from their parents and influences. At home
they would help their parents with work and learnt morals
and history through stories and songs. When they hit the
maturity of a 15/16 year old they were considered an adult
and we’re now independent.
From the ages of five to sixteen, a Viking Boy would learn all
the different life skills to bring into adulthood. These include
being skilled with weapons, Skilled in hand-to-hand combat,
skilled in making weapons and skilled in navigating ships.
Some boys if they were lucky enough could learn how to
read and write the Viking alphabet, and were would be
recognized as a noble if they could.
2. Female Vikings required learning household duties from a
very young age. All the work and chores would be done in a
house that is smoggy and dark, making it very difficult for
the Viking Women. Young Viking girls would simply help
their parents and grandparents with work around the farm
and at home, and as they grew older, more work was
available to them. It was essential adult Viking women could
make yarn, weave wool to create fabric, manage a farm and
manage a household. The Male Viking/s of the family would
often not be at home to do work, so the females became
very independent and capable people in the society.
Life in a Viking day
VIKING TIMES:
6:00am: Wake up, wake up the rest of the Family, start off household chores.
-
Clean the Household
Clean the Farm
Look after Farm Animals
12:00pm: Leading Viking Male leaves to go into town of Jovic, Females and Slaves continue to work. The Male
might go out to a Viking Thing or work at his usual job.
-
Goes into town of Jovic to make some weapons to sell the other Viking Men.
Attend a Viking Thing to discuss the issues of the day
Make use of Leisure time by swimming and horse riding with friends.
Play a few games of Hnefatafl.
6:00pm: Viking Male arrives home, eats main meal with family, and spends time with children telling stories
and singing songs, ends the day and goes to sleep.
-
Male Viking Arrives Home to eat Dinner/The Main Meal with the family, tonight’s serve, Smoked Fish
with some extra Bread, cooked by the Females of the Viking Household.
Viking Parent and Elders tell stories and sing songs about the past and present.
Settles the Household and goes to sleep for the Next Day.
My DAY TODAY:
11:00am: Wake up, snack up some food for breakfast and make use of spare leisure time.
-
Wakes up and goes down stairs to prepare a Bacon and Egg Sandwich
Sit down comfortably to eat the Meal
Switches on the PlayStation to play some Car Games.
1:00pm: Gets Resources ready to do work on the Vikings assignment, Makes Second Meal of the day.
-
Switches on Laptop and Internet
Opens up Vikings project, types and researches information.
Turn on Faint Music While working on the assignment.
Finishes work on the Assignment for the day, Makes second meal, Chicken and Mayonnaise
sandwiches.
Enjoys some more leisure time by chatting to friends on Social Networks.
5:00pm: Enjoys third and main meal of the day, Plays Musical Instruments and Spends time with Family
before going to Bed.
-
Helps prepare dinner for the family and eats the meal with the family.
Spends time with family around the T.V during dinner and after dinner.
Discusses current issues and situations as a family.
Plays the Musical Instrument known as the Guitar for some time.
Enjoys some more time chatting to friends on Social Networks.
Gets ordered to go to bed by the Parent in charge and goes to sleep for the next day.
VIKING FEAST INVIATION
Come Along to our Feast night to celebrate our latest
successful raid, it will be a night not to miss!
ENTERTAINMENT: There will be many indoor and
outdoor activities provided at the night, we’ll make
sure the game Hnefatafl will be available to play, and
there will be some Horse fighting outside the house.
Please bring your own fighting gear Please!
FOOD: We’ll have a great variety of meat on the night
going from Pork to Goat. Everything will be there don’t
worry about that! Beer will be available to drink and
there will be a special desert at the end of the night.
In conclusion please come along, make sure to come
prepared in your fighting gear and to have a clear
stomach so we can fill it! Hope to see you there.
The Viking “Thing”
At a Viking Thing all the nobles and freemen from around the area
would go to a site to discuss the issues and problems of the current
time. In Viking society there were no laws, but people had morals of
knowing what was right and what was wrong. Slaves and Women
had no right to attend Viking Thing’s or had a say in society and
politics. Nowadays in society, we have political meetings in all
branches of politics, but in most cases only certain people can attend
these meetings. No one from the street can just walk in and attend a
federal political meeting. You have to earn your right to be able to go
in. However nowadays females have just as much of a right as males,
our own prime minister is female, so it is similar but a bit different to
the Viking society. Things were mostly held at well known sites such
as Marketplaces so at Things you could also trade. Political Parties in
the current Era and in our country have large meetings always, such
as federal government, who have meetings with all the different
ministers, lower house, upper house, senate, prime minister,
opposition leader and many more. Viking Society may not have had
that kind of complexity at a Thing but it would have been similar.
When researching history it just shows you how similar the past
societies are to the ones we have today. Another interesting fact is
that Vikings did not write down their laws but had a person who
knew all the laws off by heart. Viking people were fairly well behaved
at home as if they socially misbehaved, it would look bad on all their
extended family, ancestors and future family members.
Letter from Captured Slave
Dear Diary,
Today has possibly been the most draining and tiring day
of my entire life. I so wish that I was never caught by those stupid big
Vikings in that raid. Not just was it scary but now I’m a slave at some
random guys farm. All the family treat me like dirt and the Animals
on the farm probably get more respect than me. They force me to do
the hardest and the most horrible jobs around the farm. Back at
home they’d never to this to me. I really don’t have the guts to try
and win back my freedom from those Vikings. They’re all so big and
strong and can really fight like true men. When they captured me it
was horrifying seeing them fight they are like wild animals. I really
can’t believe I’ll have to do this for the rest of my life; this is truly the
most unfair circumstance that has come across me. Apparently I can
buy my freedom if I have a skill in weapon making or other arts and
crafts. If that’s possible I’ll for sure make sure that I make some
weapons and save up money. Even though it’s been one day I really
want to get out of being a stupid slave! Well I hope tomorrow can go
fast and I can start saving some more money for my future.