British Museum: So You Think You’ve Got It Bad? A Kid’s Life as a Viking

First published 2023 by Nosy Crow Ltd Wheat Wharf, 27a Shad Thames, London, SE1 2XZ, UK

Nosy Crow Eireann Ltd

44 Orchard Grove, Kenmare, Co Kerry, V93 FY22, Ireland

www.nosycrow.com

ISBN 978 1 83994 635 6 (HB)

ISBN 978 1 83994 636 3 (PB)

Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd.

Published in collaboration with the British Museum.

Text © Chae Strathie 2023

Illustrations © Marisa Morea 2023

The right of Chae Strathie to be identified as the author and Marisa Morea to be identified as the illustrator of this work has been asserted. All rights reserved.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of Nosy Crow Ltd.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Printed

A Kid s Life as a Viking

Contents

clothes and hairstyles

Pages 6—9

Family life

Pages 10—15

The home

Pages 16—21

diet

Pages 22—25

health and medicine

Pages 26—31

war and warriors

Pages 32—37

myths and legends

Pages 48—53

Still think you , ve got it bad?

Pages 60—61

Glossary

Pages 62—63

famous vikings

Pages 38—41

gods and goddesses

Pages 42—47

fun and games

Pages 54—59

I n D e X

Page 64

Clothes and hairstyles

ARRRGH!!! It’s raining! Whyyyyyyyy-AH?!

This was the day you were about to show off your brand-new electric trainers – the ones that have speakers in them to play the latest tunes and little TV screens in the toes so you can watch movies while you walk. And what about that super-stylish new top that would make every single person in school literally E a T T h E i R O w N f E e T with envy – that was about to make its first appearance, too.

Now you’ll be forced to wear those horrible wellies that smell of cabbage and that e N o R m O u S crumpled kagoul that’s still damp from the last time it rained.

So. Un. Fair.

But if you think YoU’vE G o T i T B a D , at least your raincoat doesn’t smell like a dead H a D d O c K!

The kind of waterproofs kids would wear in Viking times were made of animal skins rubbed with . . . fish oil !

That’s right. Lovely, greasy, smelly oil. So you’d be dry, but you’d reek of a mackerel’s belly button . Nice.

Beeswax was also rubbed into the animal skins to make them soft, but that’s not nearly as gross.

Can you please stop staring at me, licking your lips?

You. Smell. AMAZING!

Well, they lasted from the AD 790s – just over 1,200 years ago – till around AD 1050. Speaking of ‘Viking times’, which we just did, when exactly were they?

People became aware of the Vikings when they started attacking foreign lands, stealing treasure and killing the locals, which is really rather rude when you think about it!

They left their Scandinavian homelands in Denmark, Sweden and Norway and sailed across the sea to raid villages, monasteries and towns in places like Britain, Ireland, France, Iceland and Greenland.

It’s no wonder they needed waterproof stinky-fish jackets, given all that sailing they were doing. The last thing you want when you’re hitting people with axes and nicking all their treasure is a damp tunic.

Hey! Come under my umbrella so I can bop you with my axe.

But when they weren’t being naughty with swords in foreign countries, what did the Vikings and their kids dress like?

Ummm , I m fine in the rain , but thanks for asking .

The first thing to understand is that there was little difference between what the adults and children wore. That doesn’t mean the grown-ups wore nappies and bibs – it was the other way round.

On the female front, girls and women usually wore a dress with shoulder straps, which was made of rough material – nice and I t C h Y! Sometimes it was sewn together at the sides and sometimes it was left open. Luckily they wore undergarments or smocks, or the open version would have been rather chilly.

WHY DO YOU HATE ME?

A cloak could give added warmth and style, being fastened at the neck with a brooch. You should d E f I n I t E l Y start wearing a cloak to school as soon as you can. You’ll totally rock it!

Your Viking mum might also have worn a belt around her waist with a leather purse on it containing a strike-a-light , which was a piece of metal to create sparks for starting fires. She may also have worn a metal case on her chest containing a knife.

FANCY THAT!

You should definitely N o T start wearing either of those to school! Just stick to the belt or purse, yeah?

Most Viking women would probably have covered their hair while out and about in public. So if your mum loves wearing a nice bobble hat , she’d fit right in (sort of).

According to the National Museum of Denmark, genetic research has shown that Vikings in Denmark were mostly redheads, while those around the Stockholm area of Sweden were mainly blonde. If you met a Viking with brown hair . . . you d have to ask where he was from!

As for Viking boys and men, they’d have worn a tunic, trousers and a cloak. Jeans just weren’t fashionable, and it was REALLY hard to find hoodies and shades in Viking shops.

The tunic wasn’t like a T-shirt – it had long arms and could go as far down as the knees, which was good for avoiding sunburned legs while on holiday abroad.

Your dad would gather his cloak over the arm that he drew his sword or axe with, so it didn’t get in the way. Nowadays he’d gather it over whichever arm he draws his mobile phone out of his pocket with, which is a bit less scary .

Pockets hadn’t been invented yet, so men also wore belts with purses for a strike-a-light , silver coins and perhaps a comb and a nail cleaner.

I really want a baseball cap.

Errr, what s baseball . . . and whats a cap?

Weirdo.

They had combs because Viking men were B i G on making sure their beards and noggins looked just so. Obviously kids were less interested in beard style – if you do have a beard, you might want to check you actually A r E a kid!

The hair and beard were so important to Viking dudes that their names even reflected it – real guys included h A r A l D f I n E h A i R and a king of Denmark called Sweyn Forkbeard . Hopefully your dad, grandad or carer doesn’t deserve a name like Mike Stinkymoustache or Big Jimmy Fleabeard !

Can we have a chat about my name please, Mother?

FANCY THAT!

What's the problem , little Dung-Beardling?

According to some sagas – which were long historical or family stories passed down through generations – having a bald face was simply not on. In the Saga of Burnt Njál, the hero is mocked as a ‘ beardless old man and his kids were called ‘ little dung-beards or DUNG-BEARDLINGS. It's not nice to call people names, of course, but you have to admit ‘dung-beardlings is pretty hilarious!

Both men and women had jewellery such as arm rings, necklaces and brooches. People from all backgrounds wore it, though the more fancy and ornate it was, the wealthier the owner was likely to be.

And when it came to make-up, everyone wore that, too. It’s hard to tell exactly what it looked like and if it was just for show or if it had practical uses, but a visitor to one Viking town around the year AD 1000 said both men and women used it to try to look younger and more attractive . Watch out, though – if you use it to try to look younger, you might end up being sent back to nursery school!

And that’s all we have time for on the style front. Now go and take that jacket off – it stinks of herring.

Do you ever wish . . . you could decorate EVERYTHING?

Stuff just looks so dull. What if you had a picture of writhing serpents on your favourite cornflakes spoon, or a weird mythical beast carved into your school desk? If you like the sound of that, get yourself some Viking art smarts and get drawing.

The Vikings L o V e D to decorate stuff with their fabulous, intricate designs. They covered their weapons, jewellery, ships, runestones (and maybe even everyday items like pogo sticks and baseball caps, haha) with elaborate pictures. Animal designs with interwoven lines were their favourite , with serpents, horses, wolves, birds and fantastical creatures featuring heavily.

There are six styles of Viking art. The Oseberg style is big on beasts with paws that grip borders, other creatures and their own body. The Borre style is notable for beasts with a triangular head, a cat-like face with round eyes and protruding ears, which sounds like the weirdest pet e V e R . Imagine taking that for a walk in the park!

The Jelling style has lots of wobbly red desserts. Sorry – that’s the J e L l Y style! The Jelling style has S-shaped, intertwined animals with spiral hips and pigtails. The Mammem art style goes for lions, birds, snakes and plants, which sounds lovely for cushion covers and curtains. The Ringerike style has much curvier, thinner creatures, and finally, the Urnes style features beasts with long eyes pointed forward, as well as serpents and plants.

Why not ask your parents to decorate your bedroom like that? They’ll l O v E the idea!