[Berlin_Freeper]

I lol'd.

[Tainan]

VIKINGS...Mead, Mushrooms and Mayhem.....Whats not to like?

[nathanbedford]

"They just happened to be much better than anyone else, so they got the reputation," she said.

"They just happened to know where the money was and they knew it was in monasteries and they weren't Catholic, so they didn't care."

And they happened to have the technology, open water seaworthy vessels which were still shallow draft enough to navigate the rivers to facilitate raiding inland monasteries which were the treasuries of the time. Much like the British gunboats of the 19th century, this technology permitted them to extend their raids and ultimately their settlements as far as the Black Sea, Sicily, and, of course, Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain controlled much of Africa with those gunboats and the Vikings ultimately large portions of Europe. For example, William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066 was actually a Viking descendent whose great-grandfathers had conquered Normandy.

A look at those ships brings back to proper usage the word "awesome" when one considers the beauty and functionality of their form. One wonders how men could stand long voyages in the open Atlantic exposed as they were to the elements and spray. These ships were truly technological breakthroughs of the age.

[A_perfect_lady]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAFXayH1bpY

The truth is here...

[Hypo2]

teaching competition can’t be all bad, can it?

[Lysandru]

How many of you know the game Fire and Ax: A Viking Saga?

I have an incredibly high win rate in this multi-player board game (now out of print here in the U.S.). The key thing is to realize that you can rack up a lot more points colonizing than you can by mere pillaging. But the three main means of scoring-- trading, raiding, and settling--are interrelated.

[Semper Mark]

“Vikings had a mean streak? Yes, but they weren’t all bad” :-(

~~~

“...the Vikings weren’t above pillaging European communities.”

Well, at least they’re leaving in some of the good stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgh6V-kXnv4

[bill1952]

we have reenactment-quality swords, shields and chain mail..

Notice that she did NOT say the PC word “Toys.”
I would like to see what “reenactment quality” is.

Might be quite nice :)

[SengirV]

[R. Scott]

… they'll soon discover Vikings have been wrongly stereotyped through the ages.

Thanks to Hollywood, but in their defense making a movies about a village of farmers and craftsmen wouldn’t be all that exciting. Neither would a movie about international tradesmen.
The Norse were a warrior society and with nothing much to do between planting and harvest – the traditional time of war for most societies – they went on raids. Warriors need to be able to brag about their prowess in battle, loot was always welcome.
Gold and silver wouldn’t keep them warm, they couldn’t eat it and it was no use on the farm. To convert loot into something useful they set up trading centers and expanded their zone of control.

[magslinger]

Viking kitties?

[Vor Lady]

Huzzah for my ancestors!

[GenXteacher]

Pinging....

[flowerplough]

22 replys in and no one’s pointed out how the Vikings and such were the greatest beneficiaries of their own era’s “Global Warming”?

Influence of Dramatic Climate Shifts on European Civilizations ...Jun 4, 2009 ... In particular, the rise and fall of the Viking civilization in ... Please view Global Warming: Man or Myth which addresses many of the ...
www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/index.html

ED THE VIKING, GREENLAND, AND GLOBAL WARMING File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Viking Ed could have also verified that the rate of global warming since the Industrial. Revolution is ten times a great as the rate of warming during the ...
www.tomandrodna.com/Nick_Gier/Iverson_031307_01.pdf

Archeological Research on Vikings Disproves Global Warming by Prof ...1 post - 1 author - Last post: Aug 22, 2009
Recent archeological discoveries on the Viking settlements in Greenland, along with various historical records, disprove the theory of ...
sc25.com/index.php?id=61

How viking settlements in Greenland disprove man-made global ...Feb 20, 2010 ... How viking settlements in Greenland disprove man-made global warming. Consider this article from a professor at SUNY Suffolk, ...
winteryknight.wordpress.com/.../how-viking-settlements-in-greenland- disprove-man-made-global-warming/ -

[oh8eleven]

I'm of Irish descent and a few years ago was diagnosed with Dupuytren's Contracture (not a big deal).
While researching on-line, I discovered - "the disease originated with the Vikings, who spread it throughout Northern Europe and beyond as they traveled and intermarried."
Yes, I have Viking in my blood!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Then is nothing nicer then human sacrifice and carving blood eagles. Such a sweet bunch. A true product of high culture.

[blueunicorn6]

The nicest guys you’d ever want to meet. Always willing to help out. Polite to a fault. Snappy dressers.

[Godzilla]

Vikings - taste like chicken

[Daffynition]

[GreenLanternCorps]

Vikings vs. Aliens = AWESOME!

[bannie]

We all have a touch of Viking in us. It’s a good thing.