Starting in the late-700s AD, the Vikings began raiding the British Isles and France before finally settling there. The most famous type of Viking craft were the dragon-prowed langskips or longships, though their farthest voyages were made in deeper-draught vessels.
Their open boats, propelled by oars or a simple square sail, were among the most efficient sea- going craft of the Dark Ages, and the Vikings used them to great advantage. Before the Vikings adopted Christianity people were shocked by their behaviour, especially the Norse destruction of churches and monasteries, and occasional human sacrifices.
Unlike most Europeans of the time, the Vikings practised their old pagan religion, worshipping many gods like Odin and Thor. These voyagers were the Scandinavian warriors and explorers popularly known as Vikings ( vikingr, meaning “raider” or “pirate”) or Norsemen (men from the north). They tell of the first verified contact between people of the Old and New Worlds, as voyagers from Europe made an appearance in North America. These tales – the Sagas – were very much real. For many years scholars weren’t sure if Newfoundland was the place being written about, or even if the stories were based on real events. We now know that other Europeans visited Newfoundland and Labrador 500 years before Cabot, and they later committed their story to writing. It was long believed that the first European to visit Newfoundland was John Cabot (c.
0 kommentar(er)
