Another Viking Ship Discovered

While working to clean up the shores of the Mississippi river near the city of Tennessee, a groupd of volunteers have stumbled upon the remains of an ancient boat sheathed in mud. The archeologists from the University of Memphis were hastily called to the site. During the early archaeological interventions it was confirmed that the ship was a Viking knarr, suggesting the Norse would have pushed their exploration of America a lot further than historians previously thought.

I should say that a Knarr is a type of Viking ship used for merchant purposes. It was built in the same way all the other ships were made (clinker-built - which means the overlapping of planks riveted together) only the configuration was different: the hull was wider, deeper and shorter than a longship and it was handled by a smaller crew.

The ship was heavily damaged. After meticulous work it was possible to know the original size of this ship. It has a length of about 16 meters, a beam of 4.5 meters, and a hull that is estimated capable of carrying up to 24 to 28 tons, a typical size for this type of ship which was capable of carring more cargo than any other Viking ship. It was capable of sailing more or less 121 km (75 miles) in one day and held a crew of about 20 to 30 men.

This is a wonderful new discovery and could well be one of the oldest evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact. It brings to mind the famous colony of “Vinland” mentioned in the Icelandic Sagas, which is another evidence that the first Europeans to find America (by sailing) were the Norsemen. This colony could possibly have been established by Leif Ericson around the same period as the settlement at l’Anse aux Meadows (which I've written about a few posts ago), in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the most famous site of a Norse or Viking settlement in North America outside Greenland.

The estimated dates for this ship are between 990  and 1050 AD, approximately the period associated with Vinland and the various Canadian Norse-archaeological sites. This could mean that Vikings had actually developed a far wider trade network in the Americas than what was traditionnally believed. Unfortunately, very few other artefacts have been found on the site, suggesting the crew must have most likely abandoned the ship and continued on foot, and scattered arround this area and possibly further, there might be some artefacts yet to be found.

Celebrating Yule in Finland

Well, I know it's still early to post something like this. We are at the last days of August and September is upon us. I can almost feel the cold in the air (not truly, unfortunately). Perhaps I'm just longing for winter to come, since the moment it ends. Anyway, to appease my yearning for cold and harsh weather I will leave you here with this post.

As you well know,Yule (or also knonw as Yule-tide) is one of the winter festivals that was initially celebrated the Germanic pagan peoples as a religious celebration. The Germanic peoples also include the Scandinavian ones, of course; historically speaking to the romans and in the first records about the Germanic groups, everyone in Germania up to the cold north of Scandinavia were considered Germanic. 

This celebration was later absorbed into the Christian festival of Christmas, and much of its essence still remains. However, Yuletide was originally celebrated from late December to early January on a date determined by the lunar Germanic calendar. This festivity was placed on December 25 when the Christian calendar (Julian calendar) was adopted. Some historians claim that the celebration is connected to the Wild Hunt or was influenced by Saturnalia, the Roman winter festival. However, Yule in its true meaning dates back to the prehistoric times which had a great connection not only to the season but also to deities and spirits in general.

The word "Yule” are still used in the Nordic Countries for the Christmas time, but also for other religious holidays of the season. In modern times this has gradually led to a more secular tradition under the same name as Christmas. Yule is also used to a lesser extent in English-speaking countries to refer to Christmas. Customs such as the Yule log, the Yule goat (Julbock), the Yule boar (Sonargöltr), Yule singing, so on are greatly connected to thiscelebration. In modern times, Yule is observed as a cultural festival and also with religious rites by some Christians and by some Neopagans. 

To the Finns, many ancient customs (and pagan in essence) are still held, which is quite interesting because traditions are maintained and to historians, archaeologists and anthropologists this cultural traditions help us understanding the past of civilizations that left us little, or close to nothing, of written records about such festivities.

For example, on the eve of the Finnish Joulu (Christmas), children are visited by Joulupukki, which is a character similar to Santa Claus. The word Joulupukki means “Yule Goat” and probably derives from an old Finnish tradition where people called the nuuttipukkis, dressed themselves in goat hides and circulated arround others' homes after Joulu, eating leftover food, dancing, singing and a lot of other things connected to a more shamanic past and tribal behaviour. ANyway, Joulupukki visits people’s homes and rides a sleigh pulled by a number of reindeer. He knocks on the front door during Jouluaatto (Christmas Eve), rather than sneaking in through the chimney at night. When he comes in, his first words are usually “Onkos taalla kiltteja lapsia?“, which means: “Are there (any) good (well-behaved) children here?”. Presents are given and opened immediately. This character usually wears red, warm clothes and often carries a wooden walking stick. The colour red is probably something very new and modern due to the commercialisation of the Santa Claus figure. His workshop is in Korvatunturi, Lapland, Finland, rather than at the North Pole like Santa Claus, or in Greenland. He is married to Joulumuori (Mother Yule). 

The very typical Finnish yule dishes include ham, various root vegetable in casseroles, beetroot salad, gingerbread and star-shaped plum-filled pastries. Other traditions with a non-Christian yule background include joulukuusi (“Yule spruce”) and joulusauna (“yule sauna”).

Worshiping in ancient Scandinavia - Freyfaxi

Every religion is always changing, and no matter how hard we try to follow the footsteps of our ancestors, we will never fully understand the essence of their spiritual beliefs. All religions have their branches also, and that happens on the spirituality of the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples of old as well. Some prefer to worship only the Aesir or the Vanir, others worship the underworld deities and the deities connected with a more primal scenary, and others just choose one deity and prefer to focus on that one archetype. Suffice to say that most neo pagans prefer to worship just Odin, or Thor, or even both; these two deities are very famous amongst neo pagans and everything else in this spiritual tradition seems of no importance. However, to our ancestors it was obviously different. In fact, as I've mentioned before,  Odin was not that famous back then, and people prefered to worship fertility deities rather than Warrior deities. The majority of the populace were farmers, herders and fishers. Only a few would worship warrior deities and death deities. Odin was a deity more related to death and war than magic and wisdom (as we commonly think nowadays). Odin's cult was very restricted and only for a certain elite of the society.

With that being said, I'll move on to the real subject of this post. One of the most worshiped deities of that time was the god Frey, mostly worshipped at Upsala (Sweden). Fricco or Freyr, a name which appears to be identical with the Teutonic word represented in Old English by frea - meaning - lord or king. It is stated by some historians and archaeologists that an image of Frey, which was worshipped at Thrandheim in Norway, had been sent there from Sweden. There are certain stories that mention this very image of Frey in Sweden which was carried about the country, and to which sacrifices were offered. This was common with certain deities and Tacitus mentions a cult with these similarities in his Germania; an image of a female deity carried to a forest and sacred grove, and sacrifices were made to her (including human sacrifices).

There were many sacrifices to the god Freyr, but mostly were animals. There are accounts of the sacrifice of black oxen offered to Frey by the mythical hero Hading. This sacrifice was often called Frodblod or perhaps Frodblót by theSwedes - Frey's sacrifice. There are frequent occurances of Frey - in Swedish (and Danish) - place-names which indicates the prevalence of the cult in both of these countries. 

The worship of Frey might also have been very popular in Norway, and from there it  passed to Iceland. The cult being passed on by the early settlers. As late as tenth century the people of Thrandheim are represented as refusing to break their image of Frey at the command of King Olaf, because people had long served  thisdeity and the god himself had done good to his people. There are accounts from the folk of Thrandheim that state the deity often talked with them  and told them things to come and also gave them peace and plenty. At the great festivals it was customary to drink to Frey, in order to secure peace and prosperity. A talisman on which the image of Frey was marked in silver is mentioned as having been owned by one of the petty kings of Norway about the late nineth century; this was given by King Harald to Ingimund.

In Iceland itself the traces of a popular cult of Frey are very clear, and more than one prominent person mentioned this cult in the sagas. One of these accounts, from Thorgrim, brother-in-law of Gisli Sursson, the saga says that he intended to hold a festival at the beginning of winter, and greet the winter, and sacrifice to Frey and in honor to the deity. When Thorgrim was murdered, and had been laid in a grave-mound, it was noticed that the snow never lay on the south or west sides of the mound, and the ground never froze there; it was supposed that he was so highly esteemed by Frey himself for the offerings he made to him, that the god did not wish Thorgrim's mound to freeze. Great attachment to this deity also appears in the story of Hrafnkel, who loved no other god more than Frey, and gave to him his possessions ; all his most valuable things. Among the offerings was a horse (Hrafnkel's own horse), which on that account bore the name of Freyfaxi. Another Freyfaxi belonged to Brand in Vatnsdal, and most people believed that he had a religious reverence for the horse. Horses owned by Frey are also mentioned as existing in Thrandheim in the days of Olaf Tryggvason by the end of the tenth century. Freyfaxi became the well known name for the cult of Frey and the celebration to him in August, during Lammas day (1st of August).

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The Vikings in America

We now know that the Vikings have been in North America 500 years before Columbus. The first archaeological evidences led scientists to go further on the investigations; each year more clues and informations are put together to confirm this historical event. Now, a new discovery has revealed that the Vikings may have travelled hundreds of miles further into North America and not just arround the coastline. It is clear that explorers (wherever they were from) always have that little thing inside of them called "curiosity", so it is perfectly natural that the Vikings went further inland. However, the full extent of their exploration isn't clear and may forever be a mystery, but in time we are finding more evidences.

In Portmahomack , northern Scotland, recent excavations have shown a wealthy monastery in the area. There were found scriptures, copied on prepared animal skin parchment by monks. Trade was the source of the riches in this monastery; the sea brought wealth to these people, but the tides would turn and wealth would sink in the crushing waves, only to bring to the monks destruction and the end of days. That's right, you guessed it - the Vikings were coming.

Archaeologists have revealed that Portmahomack was suddenly and utterly destroyed. They found smashed fragments of sculptures mingled with the ashes of torched buildings. It is quite possible (and thethe most likely explanation) that it was attacked and looted by Northmen. The attack on Portmahomack is the only Viking raid in Britain for which there are archaeological evidences. Others, such as the famous attack on Lindisfarne, is only the fruit of reports recorded in chronicles. Together, these two violent raids mark the start of an era of attacks from across the Northern Sea. The Norse came out of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, using sophisticated navigational skills and shipbuilding technology never seen before, making them the fastest and deadliest threats of that time.

Vikings were literaly everywhere in Europe. They invaded France and Normandy was given to them as in means to stop them from advancing further and causing more damage. They have been in parts of Italy and the Levant. They also founded Dublin, made deep inroads into England and island-hopped across the North Atlantic. Orkney, Shetland, Fair Isle and Iceland. They raided Spain and Portugal in the early nineth century (Northern Spain has a statue to celebrate the victory of the Spanish Kingdoms against the Vikings). They have created one of the very few Viking colonies in Portuguese territory - Povoa de Varzim - and they even crossed blades with the Muslims of the far south. They even crossed to Greenland, so why would they stop there?

The Vikings and their decendants wrote the famous sagas - the unique works of literature of the northmen, with a mixture of history and fiction and the beautiful touch of poetry. In some of these sagas, it is clearly stated that the explorer Leif Erikson led an expedition to the east coast of North America. It is described as having good harbours and an abundance of natural resources. But can we believe in such things? When history fails, it's up to the detectives of history and science to investigate and bring the truth - Archaeologists.

In the year of 1960, a site on the very northernmost parts of Newfoundland in Canada - L'Anse aux Meadows - was investigated and archaeologists were convinced that it was a Viking settlement. It was an outstanding discovery. The fact that the Vikings had reached North America before any other Europeans was indeed a change in history. Until now, no other sites had been found.

The site was choosen to dig, after several studies of the area. A headland, almost at the very western tip of Newfoundland, 400 miles further south and west than the only known Viking site in North America - Point Rosee. The place overlooks two bays, offering protection for ships from any wind direction. A blackened rock was found, with marks that showed it went through intense temperatures. Possibly a place of man-made structure which used fire for some activity -possibly metalwork. Beneath there were piles of charcoal mixed with cooked bog iron - an iron deposit that needs to be baked to drive off impurities and allow the iron to be extracted for smelting. Surrounding the hearth appeared to be a turf wall of the kind built by Viking settlers across the North Atlantic.

No other groups of settlers roasted bog iron in Newfoundland. Nothing has been proven yet, but it looks like that archaeologists might have found evidence of Viking exploration in North America that goes much further than just that one site  i've mentioned before, discovered in the 60s.

Though, the site may look like a small activity area, maybe connected to a large farm, but this is the beginning of a change in the history books about the Vikings. Only time will tell what things are hidden further down on the earth.

Thor's Hammer Unearthed

I don't think an explanation about what Thor's Hammer is, is needed. For those of you  who are interested in such matters, you probably already know what this deity's hammer is all about. Anyway, summarizing (a lot) it is a symbol of both protection and fertility.

Now, this post is about the archaeological findings on the matter, so lets get to it. There have been thousands of amulets found throughout the places where the Norsemen have been. Amulets such as Thor's Hammer - Mjölnir - which have intrigued archaeologists in why were those objects there and if these were in fact a representation of Thor's Hammer from mythology or something else?

Not long ago archaeologists have unearthed a 10th century Thor's Hammer (torshammere) in Købelev, on the Danish island of Lolland, that could gives us a hint on how Thor’s legendary weapon influenced the Viking Age jewellery.

The latest find was a little unusual, due to the fact that it has runes inscribed on it that one might read 'Hmar x is'  meaning 'This is a Hammer'. It seems it was the amulet’s protective power that counted, and often we see Thor's Hammer and Christian crosses appearing together, possibly providing double protection and during the process of christianization, because the old symbols of power and faith were not that easily discarted and kept by the recent converted populations.

The object is cast in bronze and has traces of silver or tin and gold plating. The fact that the person who made the hammer was literate is a source of fascination for archaeologists. There is a possible claim that the amulet could indicate that literacy was widespread among craftspeople. On the other hand, craftspeople could have simply copied the sketch of the person who ordered the work, obviously, but it's quite possible that the knowledge of the runes and their meanings was something much more important and people knew exactly what they meant. The runes were not just alphabetical symbols, but also a part of the sipirtual practices, culture and tradition, so it's very possible that the craftsman and other's from the Viking society knew how to write and read the runes.

Now, back to the subject and to this specific finding, the runes in it range in height from 3 to 7mm, so it required precision to inscribe them onto the amulet. Viking craftsmen and blacksmiths are known to have been brilliant and skillful people on whatever they did. As well as the Thor's Hammer that has been found, archaeologists also recovered fragments of silver needles and a mould for making brooches. These suggest that there may have been a workshop producing jewellery nearby.

This new discovery brings a new light into the knowledge we have about Viking Age society. It would seem that literacy could have been widespread throughout the Viking world, and craftsmen may have had an important role in it.

Archaeology: Magic in burial context

In late medieval burials (between the 11th and the 15th centuries), in Britain, archaeologist found a couple of objects and materials which might give us a hint of magical rituals for the dead still held during these periods.

Healing charms, protective amulets, objects linked to the occult and practices that may have been associated with the demonic magic of divination or sorcery. All the sort of exciting things an archaeologist might come about on an archaeological intervention, which might help us to understand the mind of our ancestors and how it changed through the course of history.

It is known that the placement of amulets and charms with the dead was something common in christian belief, with the intention to protect the dead body and the soul. These kind of magical objects have a clear connection with folk magic, mostly performed by women and drawing on knowledge of earlier traditions.

Things don't change from one day to another. It takes time to bury the traditions of the past and welcome the new ones. So it's perfectly normal that popular magic remained for a long while even in the christian world and during the process of the adaptation of the masses to the new religious reality. Christianity in some places tolerated local magical traditions, in a way to appease the populations so that the drastic changes wouldn't make the people riot against the clergy and it would be fairly easy to convert pagans to christians slowly and safe. However, if we think about the christian beliefs, it is very important to protect the body and leave it intact, to ensure the corpse reanimation on judgment day just the way a person was before death. Cremation came to an end with the coming of christianity, because the body was supposed to remain intact till the journey through purgatory and to appear before god with our body unspoiled by decay. But people knew that the body on earth, even wrapped in a sudarium, would eventually decay and rot away, and that was a major problem in the mind of the christians and it actually caused panic and fear. So, tolerating the old pagan beliefs in placing charms and protective amulets on the dead, was a sort of way to ensure that the body was protected from all evil and to ensure it reached the judgment day intact.

Archaeologists are always reluctant in explaining what they have found by comparing it with folklore, spiritual and magical beliefs. Unlike what people might think (and trust me, I'm an archaeologist in the making) the occult most of the time is left behind because society is more concerned with the scientific material rather than a folkloric explanation. But truth be told, the spiritual beliefs of our ancestors are just as important as a scientific explanation. We cannot dissociate one thing from the other, because if we understand the way of thinking of our ancestors, we will better understand what we find on an archaeological context, especially when it comes to deal with death (and trust me - again - in archaeology there is a lot of death). There are a lot of questions  when dealing with different kinds of burials from different periods of history. Why the body was disposed in such a way for instance, or why are there certain objects on a grave or why the post-mortem factors, and so on. To understand the spiritual beliefs of our ancestors, is to understand what we have found and it will just enhance our explanation of the findings.

The Goddess Perchta

It's clear that there are thousands of deities we never heard of, and honestly, its quite impossible to know them all since many don't even have names or descritpions because it was lost in time. However, there are certain deities we can talk about even if the knowledge about such gods is a bit tiny but it might lead us to a better understanding, and who knows we might even find out more about them.

Today I will talk about the goddess Perchta, or at least everything I know about such a deity, which is little unfortunatelly, but it's just to expand the horizons and to let you know that there are loads of deities which are very interesting and people seldom talk about them.

Perchta is a birch goddess, well, a deity linked to this specific tree which shows at first a connection to the Celtic folklore. Perchta, Berchta or even Percht,  is a goddess belonging to the Alpine paganism (which is another sort of paganism we seldom hear of). The Alpine region is very rich in folklore and traditions dating back to the celts, gauls and germanic tribes, because it's a place right between these cultures and the peoples of this region soaked up different European spiritual beliefs and cultures, transforming it into something unique and quite interesting to study.

This goddess is the patron of spinning, and it is said she once led the Wild Hunt during the winter (her connection to the germanic spiritual beliefs). She is very similar to the germanic goddess Holda and the Norse one Friga/Frigg. However, it is said that she appears in two forms: as beautiful young woman with skin as white as snow, and another, elderly and haggard. There might also be a connection here with the Norse deity of the underworld - Hela/Hel - which also changes her appearance likewise, although more skeleton-like. This might mean that this goddess is in fact a deity that combines different spiritual beliefs and works as a sort of spiritual ambassador to unite different cultures in understanding one another through spiritual practice.

Some of her worshippers comprised a Mystery cult, which is hard to know what exactly was about and how the rituals were held. Her worshippers became possessed by the dead, or by the Goddess herself, in a ritual apparently related to her procession as leader of the Wild Hunt. 

Her name is definatly connected to the goddess Bertha, which is just another deity (or the same) connected with spinning and weaving. I would say this goddess through time became more of a household worship kind of deity rather than a goddess worshiped in the forests, but it's certain that she started to be a goddess from the wild probably connected with death and winter.

So Perchta might have been a goddess connected with the underworld, death, winter and the wild hunt. A very powerful goddess, both feared and loved, but probably due to the coming of christianity her cult might have been kept under secret within the family environment, thus slowly becoming a household deity.