Histories: Viking longships brought rape, pillage and cod

New Scientist ^ | June 29, 2008 | Gail Vines

[SunkenCiv]

When Ohthere the Viking arrived at King Alfred's court sometime around 880 he presented the king with a gift of walrus ivory. The gift was carefully chosen. Walrus ivory was then a rare commodity obtained only from northern Scandinavia and Russia, and was highly prized by the English. Having established his credentials as a prosperous and high-ranking man from the far north, Ohthere told Alfred that although he owned reindeer as well as cattle, sheep, pigs and horses, his greatest wealth came from the tax paid by the Finnas, or Sami people. This came in the form of seal skins and birds' feathers, the pelts of bears, pine martens and reindeer, tunics made of otter skin and strong ships' ropes fashioned from walrus hide.

Such a catalogue of luxuries must have impressed the English, but what evidently fascinated Alfred most was the geography and people of little-known regions of Scandinavia. The king's scribe strove to capture every detail as Ohthere described a five-week voyage down the Norwegian coast to a place called Sciringes heal - now a farm called Kaupang in southern Norway - and from there on to Hedeby in the western Baltic.

[SunkenCiv]

At Kaupang in Vestfold county, Norway, lie the remains of Sciringes heal - Norway's first town. The University of Oslo, Institute for Archaeology, Conservation and Historical Studies (IAKH) has organised the large excavations that ran over three years, from 2000 till 2002. A smaller research excavation was conducted in Kaupang's harbour area in 2003. [Illustration: Flemming Bau (click for large picture)]

[SunkenCiv]

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[ClearCase_guy]

All of which could have been avoided, if people had been willing to sit down and negotiate with the vikings. [/s]

[dfwgator]

Viking longships brought rape, pillage and cod

And bad Super Bowls.

[weegee]

By hanging up the catches to dry in the cold wind, Ohthere and his compatriots from these far northern parts created a highly marketable global commodity with a long shelf life. The freeze-dried cod was known as stockfish and with good reason: rock-hard, it keeps for up to a decade. Although it resembles dried leather, strips can be chewed like beef jerky or made palatable by soaking, boiling and hammering.

I wonder if the same is true of frozen wooly mamoths that turn up from time to time.

[weegee]

Sanctions. They should have had sanctions.

< /Obama >

[Siberian-psycho]

Don’t forget Spam. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

[DManA]

Hedley Lamarr: Qualifications?
Applicant: Rape, murder, arson, and rape.
Hedley Lamarr: You said rape twice.
Applicant: I like rape.

[DManA]

Soak it in lye for a couple of weeks and it comes out flakey, tastey and stinkey as all get out.

Although it resembles dried leather, strips can be chewed like beef jerky

[NewJerseyJoe]

I once read in a novel a line of dialogue that went something like this: “If it weren’t for the Vikings, there would be no redheads in Ireland.”

[Secret Agent Man]

This just in: ACLU & Sierra Club to Sue Norway for introducing invasive species to US (cod).

[Oztrich Boy]

All of which could have been avoided, if people had been willing to sit down and negotiate with the vikings. [/s]

Not possible, The vikings were bitter people, clinging to their weapons and their cod.

A wayfarer should not walk unarmed,
But have his weapons to hand:
He knows not when he may need a spear,
Or what menace meet on the road.

[babble-on]

"clinging to their weapons and their cod"

Sometimes for efficiency they would combine these, to form what was known as a cod-piece

[Flycatcher]

Say what you will about bringing rape and pillage, the cod was a nice touch.

[2banana]

FYI - The Irish town of Baltimore was ransacked/looted and the entire town’s population was carried off as slaves by the barbary (muslim) pirates in 1631...

[ClearCase_guy]

“As Cod is my witness, I thought vikings would negotiate.” [/WKRP]

[mass55th]

Blazing Saddles

[DManA]

I believe some vikings showed up for the interview did’t they, or am I misremembering it.

[SunkenCiv]

The nitrogen was broken, but something fixed it.

The Nitrogen The Vikings Left Behind
New Scientist | 9-11-2006
Posted on 09/11/2006 2:55:50 PM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1699589/posts

[SunkenCiv]

Viking burial ground dispels myth of longship marauders
The Guardian | Tuesday September 7, 2004 | Lee Glendinning and Maev Kennedy
Posted on 09/21/2004 2:11:40 AM EDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1222148/posts