Culture of the Vikings 

The Viking legacy continues to this day. Although not a literate person, they created an alphabet - runes - with which they described the world and their customs.

Some of his words have been acquired in English and are now in use. "Da", "knife", "husband", "hell" ("da", "knife", "husband", "hell") are some examples. The English word for Thursday "fifth", is a Norse term in honor of the god Thor meaning "Thor's Day", meaning the day of consecration to Thor, the God of Thunder. 

Towards the end of his heyday, certain works began to appear in ancient Latin or Norwegian, giving us more details about his interesting way of life. Their viking bedding  tradition is known by skalds, a type of Scandinavian people who recite epic poems - called sagas - that tell of the adventures of Viking kings and lords. 

The Vikings were pagans and worshiped a large pantheon of gods and goddesses that, as in most ancient cultures, represented some aspect of the real world. 

Although Scandinavia received the same Christian influence as the rest of Europe, its influence was slower and its original religion was maintained for a longer period. It should be noted that the Vikings personalized their beliefs from place to place, adapting to local realities. 

The central pillar of their religion is based on two groups of gods. Vanir and Aesir, who for a time were at war but were eventually able to reach an agreement through an exchange of hostages.

The main gods are Aesir, who, along with Odin, the father of all gods, lives in Asgard, a sacred kingdom connected to the earth, known as Midgard. The connection is established through a rainbow-shaped bridge called the Bïfrost.

Along with Odin, the main gods are Thor, the god of thunder, and Frejya, the goddess of beauty and fertility and queen of the Valkyries. 

In the Viking religion there is also a lot of mythology and there are mentions of giants, dwarves and dark elves.

Valkyries, on the other hand, were also important in the pantheon of the gods. They are goddesses who serve Odin to find the most heroic warriors who died in battle and bring them to Valhalla, a great hall in Asgard compared to heaven. 

There, fallen soldiers became einherjer. That is to say, warrior souls will fight alongside Odín in Ragnarok, the last great battle of the world that will take place in the decline of the gods. 

In Viking society, only men could be warriors and also those with the greatest political and economic power.

When a powerful or wealthy Viking died, his body was burned according to a ritual, which included a ship leaving most of his possessions. Even slaves and pets were slaughtered and buried or burned with the Vikings.

Whether they sacrificed humans or not is still controversial. If so, they were volunteers among their slaves at the time of their master's death, as it is written in various documents.

“Military Practices and Technology”  

The Vikings were known to be great military strategists and conquerors with their spectacular ships called barcoluengos, which could accommodate 40 or 60 people.

Viking ships had a unique design. Some of them, such as Gokstad, are also used for funeral rites. Gokstad is 23.3 meters long and 5.25 wide. The advantage and characteristic of this ship is its elasticity and lightness, it is much more maneuverable than another rigid boat.

Their plundering and pillaging activities are feared by everyone. Above all, by torture techniques practice their enemies. One of the most famous is the "Blood Eagle", where an enemy's chest is cut and his ribs are pulled out along with his lungs forming a kind of winged angel. 

These tortures represent a gift to the tatkuink clothing  gods and to Odin. Thus, as a sample of victory is obtained.

In addition, there was an important loyalty between warriors and their lords, with those who committed suicide. However, many Vikings, being experts of the war, worked as mercenaries for different masters.

In times of peace, a warlord's warriors were responsible for being messengers, establishing embassies, collecting tributes, and other activities. In war, they are the heart of the army and God may ask for their help as ships and crews should they ever need to join the conflict. 

For their part, the warriors received a pointed helmet. They also carry a spear and armor, as well as bows and arrows.

There is no formal structure in the army, only some warriors younger than others and a more mature fighter in charge of the ship's crew. The ship's banner bearer is said to be lucky because its location gives it magical properties.

The army was a mixture of loyal warriors who served with great honor to other members and to the king, and mercenaries.

As a point, an interesting trait of the Vikings is that their concern is not to destroy their enemies, but to obtain their wealth. This is why the majority of its targets are monasteries, without the presence of guards and that are easier to plunder.