Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Vikings Discovering America
A Viking called Bjarni Herjolfsson discovered America by accident
in the year 985. He saw an unknown land, after his ship was blown off
course on the way from Iceland to Greenland. In 1001, Leif Ericsson, the
son of Eric the Red, sailed west to find this new land.
Leif and his men were the first Europeans known to have landed in America. They spent the winter in a place they named "Vinland" (Wine-land). It was in Newfoundland, Canada. Soon afterwards, Thorfinn Karlsefni led a small group of Viking families to settle in the new land. But after fights with the local Native American people, the Vikings gave up their settlement.
son of Eric the Red, sailed west to find this new land.
Leif and his men were the first Europeans known to have landed in America. They spent the winter in a place they named "Vinland" (Wine-land). It was in Newfoundland, Canada. Soon afterwards, Thorfinn Karlsefni led a small group of Viking families to settle in the new land. But after fights with the local Native American people, the Vikings gave up their settlement.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Viking Children
hammer charms, to protect them from evil spirits and sickness. A boy usually took his father's name too - so Eric, son of Karl, became Eric Karlsson. Girls often took the same name as their mother or grandmother.
Viking children did not go to school. They helped their parents at work, and learned Viking history, religion and law from spoken stories and songs, not from books. By 15 or 16 they were adult. It was common for a girl's father to choose her husband.
What did the men and woman do?
Most Viking men were all round handy men, but some had special skills.
There were boat builders, for example and potters, leather workers and
black smiths. Most Viking men knew how to handle a boat. And most could fight
if they had to, to protect the family or to support their chieftain(leader).
Women baked bread. They did spinning and weaving to turn sheep wool into cloth. They looked after the children, made the family's clothes and cooked the two meals a day most families ate. On the farm, women milked the cows and made cheese.
Women baked bread. They did spinning and weaving to turn sheep wool into cloth. They looked after the children, made the family's clothes and cooked the two meals a day most families ate. On the farm, women milked the cows and made cheese.
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