I presented on Vikings in Swedish class today.
You've heard a lot about the Vikings,
I'm sure you've heard a tonne,
of how they did the coolest things
and were generally awesome.
Viking just means "from the bay"
but when they took their hoard,
"From the fury of the Norsemen," monks would say,
"deliver us, Oh Lord."
It started up in Lindesfarne,
in seven ninety-three,
the Vikings did the monks much harm
and set all their gold free.
England had plenty of monks,
and plenty of gold for each,
the Vikings filled up all their trunks
till the English feared the beach.
The long and shallow ships they had
could go up rivers quickly
so things were really looking bad
and got worse in a jiffy.
They had their longships and their knarr
for warriors and for loot
and with these they'd go very far
on fantastic trade routes.
This is really quite amazing:
we're halfway since B.C.
and Viking ships can be found sailing
on every single sea.
They had to because England was poor
after a couple years of raiding
most places had been pillaged before
and the rich returns were fading.
Now they raided every Christian land
and picked out bits and bits
but nothing worse could have been planned
than their plans for the Brits.
The Brits were blackmailed for Danegeld,
the gold they had to pay
to keep their monks from being felled
every other day.
Each year the Danegeld would rise
and rise a little more
before a king, quite cruel and wise,
simply siezed the English shore.
Now those cool things were done by Danes,
but we all know they wish
to all hop north on aeroplanes
and all become Swedish.
While the Danes took England and some France
the Swedes went South and East
where they did trade, and by good chance
did much of it in peace.
The Norwegians expanded North,
until North ran out,
and then Westward they went forth,
and kinda milled about.
But in those days all the norsemen
shared all the northlands
they were called Vikings in England
and in the East, "Varangians."
The Vikings meanwhile had bled dry
all the English coast,
their plans there were going awry
the Vikings would be toast.
Lacking places they could raid
in the literal sense
they quickly turned to doing trade
and charging English rents.
They'd conquered York, a trading town,
and with their distant routes
were quickly held in much renown
for all their various loots.
They'd made a loop round Europe
down the Danube, up the Don,
and every town in Europe
they had their influence upon.
We know because these Norsemen lived
and farmed and wed and died
and many communities survived
and spread blonde hair worldwide.
They also liked to bury stuff
as after death you'd just continue.
They couldn't bury quite enough,
they thought you could take it with you.
The Norsemen really had it going
in the East and in the West
but it suddenly started blowing
because they thought they were the best.
Their grip on England got quite weak
and in ten sixty-six
the Vikings, no longer at their peak,
were in for quite a fix.
At the battle of Stamford Bridge
the last Viking king of England
was sent to Hel's cold fridge
and the Viking age was ended.
Christian and feudal Scandinavia,
in three pieces with high kings,
would soon find it's fine navy
a-fighting raiders they called "vikings."
-B.