CRAZY THINGS ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Added on: 13th Apr 2016
YOU MAY KNOW THIS BY NOW, BUT THE VIKINGS
DIDN'T ACTUALLY WEAR HORNED HELMETS
IN SPITE OF THEIR RAIDING, VIKINGS WERE A CLEAN
PEOPLE. ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES HAVE REVEALED
TWEEZERS, RAZORS, AND COMBS
THEY ALSO BATHED ONCE A WEEK, WHICH IS MUCH
MORE THAN ANY OF THEIR EUROPEAN
COUNTERPARTS AT THE TIME
VIKINGS COLLECTED A FUNGUS KNOWN AS
TOUCHWOOD FROM TREE BARK AND BOILED IT IN
URINE FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THEY THEN SMOOTHED IT
OUT INTO FELT AND USED IT TO CREATE FIRE
THE REASON FOR THIS IS THAT THE SODIUM NITRATE
IN THE URINE WOULD CAUSE THE FELT TO SMOULDER
RATHER THAN BURN
THIS INGENIOUS METHOD ALLOWED THEM TO TAKE
FIRE WITH THEM ON THEIR JOURNEYS
THE GREATEST HONOUR FOR A VIKING WAS TO
BE BURIED ON BOARD A BOAT
THEY BELIEVED THAT THE BOAT WOULD TAKE
THEM TO THE AFTERLIFE AND SO THEY WERE
USUALLY BURIED LIKE THE PHARAOHS, SURROUNDED
WITH WEAPONS AND VALUABLE GOODS
SOMETIMES PROMINENT VIKINGS WOULD BE
BURIED WITH SACRIFICED SLAVES
Comment on this