Posted on 11/16/2010 9:00:21 PM PST by WesternCulture
If we are to believe the wisdom received by early medieval (southern) European scholars, the northernmost parts of the continent prior and after the fall of the Roman Empire was not only cold, barbaric and uninviting.
It also was inferior.
Pretty much like people of today not having visited Scandinavia and Finland would describe it.
In fact, certain Romans and Arabs did actually pay visits to frozen, godforsaken "Thule".
What did they meet with?
Although they were not all that impressed with certain aspects of Nordic culture, like eating habits, they understood the Vikings had developed forging, warrior code and had mastered ship building like no other people.
Some generations later, the sons of these Arabs, (Western) Romans and Byzantines would bow down to Nordic swords.
How come Viking civilization spread so rapidly after Rome fell?
How come the Vikings discovered America long before Columbus did (although they never colonized it)?
How come the Vikings spread all across Northern France, England, Russia etc and managed to gain control of so many routes vital to trade and military control of that time?
Yes, when the outburst of Viking rage began, Northern Europe lagged behind the Mediterraneans in fields like singing and painting.
But some other facts speak for themselves:
The Vikings brought forth the rule of law, created flourishing settlements and expanded trade and culture to corners of Europe formerly being dark hideaways from Civilization.
It took the rulers of Central Europe - people like Charlemagne - centuries to find out ways of defeating the Vikings in battle.
By the time they did, many Vikings had given up Thor and converted to Christianity.
This, by no means, meant they were eternally willing to surrender to Rome.
600 years later, Scandinavian troops, this time under Gustavus Adolphus, would again invade the European Continent.
In the name of Protestantism - Today the ruling culture of Earth.
I like Mexico’s approach. I have yet to see this drug do me any good and don’t even fool myself to take it anymore.
‘Cold wind to Vahalla’ ping.
Worth mentioning is that Russia was named after the “Rus”. They were Norse rulers invited to form a government in what is now Russia after the tribes noted the order along the trade routes (rivers). The Norse traders were willing to pay for help portaging around rapids, and generally acted like traders do, until the natives began their usual occupation of theft.
At that point the Norse ‘went berserk’ and shopped the native up with battle axes, swords, and other weapons. Soon the natives learned that helping the traders was better than attacking them or attempting to steal from them.
From there, the natives eventually realized the sad reality - Russia is inhabited by peoples who are fractious and difficult to rule. So, they hired the Norse to set up a government.
Protestantism...the ruling culture on earth? Are you serious?
A lot of scholars believe there is a connection between “Rus”, “Russia” and a part of Sweden located just north east of Stockholm today called “Roslagen”.
During the reign of Stalin, this idea had some followers in the Soviet Republic, but it got banned.
“Today the ruling culture of Earth.”
Not sure I would want to claim that part, but enjoyed the buildup.
You hit a ‘Thor’ spot on this one.. but I shall forge ahead. Odin would wish it so. :-)
I grew up a few miles away from the site the Runestone was found in Minniesoda and The Mighty Thor was one of my fave comic book characters as a kid and beyond.. It wasn’t all pillaging and conquering, but some legends die hard.
They are all Christians now, or at least used to be. I guess the Holy Roman Empire won that little tif.
I was wondering the other day, if Yaweh had a twin in another universe named Noweh....do ya think so?
“Protestantism...the ruling culture on earth? Are you serious?”
- The most influential culture on Earth is the Protestant one.
- The two largest economies on Earth, The EU and USA are predominantly Protestant powers
- Most of what truly have decided world matters since, say, the year of 1700 have been the work of Protestant nations.
- Most Nobel Prize winners are the offspring resulting from a Protestant approach to academic tradition and science, not the traditions of arguing over Aristotle or debating over verses found in the Quoran.
“I grew up a few miles away from the site the Runestone was found in Minniesoda (..)”
- That runestone is known over here in Sweden too (even though it might not be exactly famous).
Most experts consider it a hoax, but not all of them.
Wikipedia article about the Kensington runestone:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Runestone
Thanks for posting and regards from Volvo Land!
Bias of the writer. A classic case. The EU is in no way a protestant power, nor is the United States.
An interesting footnote to Valhalla is that supposedly one’s serving staff in Valhalla consisted of those one dispatched during ones life.
Very interesting. Also when people of the Norse Culture observed a shooting star, they held the belief that another Warrior’s Soul had entered Valhalla.
Another version held that the shooting stars were arrows fired by those departed Warriors while hunting in Valhalla.
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Galileo was a protestant? who knew. I don't think Catholics argued over Aristotle. They based their logic on Categorical syllogisms, a form of argumentation developed by Aristotle. Syllogisms are still widely used, especially in law.
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