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Viking History - wyrdraven.co.uk

A Brief History of the Vikings

  • Viking History

The internet is awash with hundreds if not, thousands of sites regarding the history, lore and spiritual beliefs of the Vikings. We are not historians, nor academics, and don’t claim to be anything but ourselves. However after following the Heathen faith for 20 years and starting a business. We’ve picked up a thing or two in our time that we hope is worth sharing with the rest of our online community. So without further ado, here is a brief history of the Vikings.

Christianisation of the Vikings

It was in the year 878 at the battle of Edington that the Vikings were surrounded and finally defeated by way of a siege. They had to settle for a truce, but instead of wiping the invaders out. Alfred decided to demonstrate just what kind of king he was and agreed to a compromise by way of what’s known as the “Danelaw“. In essence, splitting the country in two, the ramifications of which still hold sway in modern parlance as the “North / South” divide. The icing on the cake to Alfred’s victory was to have the leader of the defeated Viking’s, Guthrum (Ivor the Boneless had travelled to Ireland) agree to be baptised. Thus giving the king an inroad to halt any further incursions into the kingdom of Wessex. Cornicles have stated that the usurped Viking did indeed stick to the agreement throughout his lifetime. He even took a Christian name as part of the deal. However it wasn’t going to last beyond his demise as there were others eagerly waiting to try their luck at taking Wessex.
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However despite their enthusiasm it wasn’t to be, and the Saxon king proved too fierce an opponent. It is interesting to note that King Alfred, from this point onwards, won countless victories as did his son Edward the Elder. However, the Vikings would return sporadically right up until the year 1042 when a final, lasting peace was agreed. Of course, in the year 1066, the descendants of exiled Vikings returned from across the English Channel. Beginning another chapter in Viking history, but that’s another story.

Conclusion:

It goes without saying that the Vikings left a lasting impression upon Europe, least of all England. Even today, we can see their legacy in place names, surnames, linguistics and lore across the length and breadth of this beautiful land. But many people in the modern age ask if there was more to the Vikings. We already know them to be farmers, explorers and traders but what of their daily lives and spiritual beliefs? Are there still undiscovered archaeological treasures waiting to be discovered? And if so, what could they tell us of this period of history? Your guess is as good as ours, but one thing is for sure, we’re excited to find out.

We would love to hear your thoughts on our brief history of the Vikings or to tell us if you think something is sorely missing from this post. Write and share your comments with us below, and tell us what you think. 

If you want to know more about the Wyrdraven family check out Our Story or you can head back to the Homepage.

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