Viking culture - much more alive than Roman heritage

11/17/2010 | WesternCulture

[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.

[Richbee]

You are way off about Christianity and as an example Sweden did not go Christian until the 12th Century and Charlemagne was the 9th Century. Rule of Law? Rape, murder and plunder were the rules of the Vikings and sent Europe deeper into the Dark Ages.

[Richbee]

Bull Shit, the poor pagan devils are roasting in Hell.

[Richbee]

The Lombards didn’t destroy the Roman Empire, and it took many waves of Goths and Visigoths to bring down Rome and the Empire.

[Richbee]

The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe who settled in the valley of the Danube and from there invaded Byzantine Italy in 568 under the leadership of Alboin. They established a Lombard Kingdom, later named Kingdom of Italy, which lasted until 774, when it was conquered by the Franks. Their influence on Italian political geography is apparent in the regional appellation Lombardy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lombards

[achilles2000]

Too bad the “Vik” degenerated into Swedes and Norwegians.

Interesting article, though.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Fiddlstix.

[Eurotwit]

The whole Germanic Rus theory got banned in the Soviet Union as a result of the war. Goebbels used it heavily in propaganda to “prove” the superiority of the German peoples compared to the slavic “untermenchen”

The truth is probably somewhere in between, and as elsewhere the Scandinavian viking folk quickly integrated into the local populace. For having founded Russsia, these early Swedes left precious little mark after them. The rulers only kept norse names for 2-3 generations if I recall correctly, before adopting slavic names.

Cheers.

[dfwgator]

It’s certainly more alive than the Minnesota Vikings have been this season.

[AIM-54]

Scandinavians seem to have a very weak sense of cultural identity and pride.

When cultures meet, it seems that it’s the ‘Scandinavian’ that does not survive the encounter. They have tended to assimilate themselves into oblivion too easily.

It’s rather sad, actually.

[AIM-54]

I look at Swedish Immigration policy and what I see is a cultural death wish.

Yes, our culture is infected with the same disease, but to a lesser extent.

[WesternCulture]

“Galileo was a protestant?”

- According to Rome, he wasn't a good Catholic..

Gallileo was from the western coast of Tuscany, the Pisa area, a part of the Italian peninsula where Vikings landed.

On the other hand, if I am to be far too serious than needed, I'd like to point out that we know, since long, that Northern European “blood” as well as traditions emigrated to Medieval Tuscany after the Flemish countries and neighboring parts of Europe was hit by major changes in trading patterns.

The Renaissance Florence that survived the Black Death was very much a blend between Romans that survived the invasions of barbarians (many fled to Romagna), the Etruscans that had been there for even longer and Northern European immigrants seeking a better future for themselves.

These people laid the foundation to what later on was to become the Renaissance.

[WesternCulture]

“Galileo was a protestant?”

- According to Rome, he wasn't a good Catholic..

Gallileo was from the western coast of Tuscany, the Pisa area, a part of the Italian peninsula where Vikings landed.

On the other hand, if I am to be far too serious than needed, I'd like to point out that we know, since long, that Northern European “blood” as well as traditions emigrated to Medieval Tuscany after the Flemish countries and neighboring parts of Europe was hit by major changes in trading patterns.

The Renaissance Florence that survived the Black Death was very much a blend between Romans that survived the invasions of barbarians (many fled to Romagna), the Etruscans that had been there for even longer and Northern European immigrants seeking a better future for themselves.

These people laid the foundation to what later on was to become the Renaissance.

[WesternCulture]

Thanks for posting.

I enjoyed it.

Regards from Gothenburg, Sweden!

[WesternCulture]

“(..) the poor pagan devils are roasting in Hell.”

- The Vikings and the generations they gave life to all across their known Universe have ever since been hard working and law abiding.

Today, the Church of Sweden is the largest Lutheran church on Earth.

Something is right about Scandinavian tradition and Nordic interpretation of The Holy Scripture.

[WesternCulture]

“I look at Swedish Immigration policy and what I see is a cultural death wish.”

- You are not mistaken.

The majority of our politicians would rather scrap Sweden than the sadly outdated UN convention of Refugees (which all other European nations, with the possible exception of Norway, no longer care about).

But there are good news too, at least these two ones:

- There’s a growing resistance to this insanity in Sweden.
Last election, the Sweden Democrats, a party honoring Patriotism and Nationalist values gained 5.6% of the votes, resulting in 20 seats in a parliament consisting of 349 members. In the election prior to that, they didn’t gain any seats at all.

- For some reason, Muslims don’t breed too well on Nordic soil:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2328696/posts

[Richbee]

O.K., but I should tell you I am descended from King Cnut, and my swedish friends are ATHEISTS! They plunder the women and drink all the booze;)

[Main Street]

Richbee wrote: "The Lombards didn’t destroy the Roman Empire, and it took many waves of Goths and Visigoths to bring down Rome and the Empire."

I wrote: "....the Lombards originated in Scandinavia and were among the Germanic Warrior Tribes that destroyed the Roman Empire."



'MAP OF THE INCURSIONS OF THE BARBARIANS WHO DESTROYED THE ROMAN EMPIRE' Showing the route of the Lombards from Scandinavia, across the Baltic Sea, through Germany, then on to North Central Italy. From Mitchell's Ancient Atlas. Published by E.H. Butler & Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 1844.

Larger detailed view:

http://lombard-avenue.smugmug.com/Genealogy/LOMBARDI-FAMILY-HISTORY/huioiu/90821623_dbAmM-O-1.jpg

[Main Street]

Your welcome! And thank you; I read your 'about' page and it is good to see that there are those like yourself who are standing firm and resisting the Liberal attacks on your great Culture and Heritage.

Here are a few more Lombardic related items:

Lombard Knight from 'I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata', Verdi Opera, based on the epic poem of the same name by Tommaso Grossi. Translation: "The Lombards on the First Crusade".

First performance: Milan Italy, at La Scala, 11th of February, 1843

Note: The surviving Lombard Knights of the First Crusade returned to settle in and founded the town of Bagolino in the Province of Brescia, Italy (Region of Lombardy).





LOMBARDI COAT OF ARMS

Lombardi Motto: 'Impavidum Ferient Ruinae.' Trans: "The ruin will strike him unafraid"

"Horace opens one of his odes with a depiction of a Stoic hero who will submit to the ruin of the universe around him: "Si fractus illabatur orbis, / impavidum ferient ruinae" — "Should the whole frame of Nature round him break, / In ruin and confusion hurled, / He, unconcerned, would hear the mighty crack, / And stand secure amidst a falling world." (Odes 3.3.7-8, translated by Joseph Addison.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_justitia_ruat_caelum

"Quintus Horatius Flaccus, (Venusia, December 8, 65 BC – Rome, November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus."



PETRI LOMBARDI (PETER THE LOMBARD)

Book printed in 1578. 'Sententiarum', by Petri Lombardi (Peter Lombard) 1100-1160. Venice. Books IIII (Four books in one volume). 528 pgs.

PETER THE LOMBARD:

"Peter Lombard (c. 1100 – July 20, 1160 in Paris) was a scholastic theologian and bishop of the 12th century."

SOURCE: http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Peter-the-Lombard

[WesternCulture]

Thank you very much for your reply.

Wonderful images!

I’ll simply sit here and stare at them and contemplate over their beauty for some time..

Again, thanks for posting.

From Gothenburg with sincere gratitude,

WesternCulture

[WesternCulture]

Galileo was not a Protestant and neither was Plato or Jesus Christ.

I admit that.

But please have a look at what happened after 1500.

Protestant Europeans like Gustavus Adolphus, Newton and Tycho Brahe rejected Catholicism.

They crushed a sinister world challenging them and paved way for righteous Western global dominance.