Posted on 02/10/2023 10:30:26 AM PST by SunkenCiv
When the Vikings sailed west to England more than a millennium ago, they brought their animal companions with them and even cremated their bodies alongside human ones in a blazing pyre before burying them together, a new study finds.
These animal and human remains were found in a unique cremation cemetery in central England that has long been assumed to hold the remains of Vikings — in particular, the warriors who sailed west to raid the countryside in the ninth century A.D. However, the new analysis revealed that several of the burial mounds didn’t contain just the remains of humans but also those of domesticated animals that the warriors brought with them on their journey.
Although chemical analysis of burned bone is a relatively new technique, the Heath Wood remains produced an interesting set of results. According to the team’s study of the strontium isotopes — chemical variations that can indicate where a person or animal lived — the researchers found that all three animals and one of the adults were not born or raised in England. Rather, their strontium values were much closer to those found in the Baltic shield region of Scandinavia, a geological area that maps roughly to modern Norway and Sweden. This suggests that, shortly before their deaths, Viking warriors sailed west, bringing their animals with them.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
We know that. Remember the Viking Kitties?
“We come from the land of ice and snow....”
It’s not unusual to travel with your pets. I don’t know why this would be news.
were they support animals for the emotionally fragile warriors?
IMHO, the dog of the Vikings was a close ancestor of today’s Irish Wolfhound.
Read below:
Vikings cremated their dead on an open funeral pyre, and unfortunately for their dogs, they followed their masters to Valhalla.
In the Gokstad burial mound (c. 900 AD), bones of eight large sighthounds were buried on both sides outside the ship.
The first recorded Viking raid was in 795 on Rathlin Island off the coast of Northern Ireland. Subsequent forays took the Vikings all along the western coast of the Emerald Isle. The huge dogs were taken back to the Scandinavian lands, home to the Vikings, as confiscated treasure.
There were many references in the Icelandic Sagas of these large hounds, and indeed, a memorable quote about the Wolfhound comes not from a Celt, but from a Viking lord, Olaf, in Njal’s Saga, a 13th century tale of blood feuds in the Viking era. Olaf told his friend, the doomed Gunnarr, “I want to give you three gifts: a gold bracelet, a cloak that once belonged to King Myrkjartan of Ireland, and a dog I was given in Ireland. He is big, and no worse follower than a sturdy man. Besides, it is part of his nature that he has man’s wit, and he will bay at every man whom he knows is thy foe, but never at thy friends; he can see, too, in any man’s face, whether he means thee well or ill, and he will lay down his life to be true to thee . . .”
Source: https://nationalpurebreddogday.com/the-viking-irish-wolfhound/
They’re just now figuring this out.
A dog for hunting, a horse for riding and drawing, and a pig for eating.
Not sure they all qualify as “pets”. While hunters and farmers do have a relationship with their animals, it’s nothing like contemporary pet owners.
They weren't pets. They were guard and attack dogs. "Pets" -- sheesh. Was Fluffy with them?
This was probably published back in the 1970s or early 1980s...so not sure how much DNA analysis played a part in the argument.
Cool.
Isnt the answer to the various animals obvious. Like any other adventurer or colonist, Vikings would have had needs that could have been met by animals, all of which would have been assets of wealth in the homeland.
1. Horse-transportation and war
2. Pig—Makin’ bacon, hmm, hmm, good.
3. Dog —used in war since Roman times in Europe and of course a small cuddly toy for miladies boudoir hut.
We know that. Remember the Viking Kitties?
“We come from the land of ice and snow....”
Vikings had comfort animals
Comfort when times were good. Food if things turned south.
Some cultures sent off dead men with food and beverages, along with wives and slaves to take care of them.
“I believe “The Far Side” covered this years ago.
+1
5.56mm
I’m pretty sure bacon has been the main driver of civilization.
Dogs are just smart enough to spend their domesticated lives totally confused. :^)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
