Peaceful or Not So PeacefulEssay Preview: Peaceful or Not So PeacefulReport this essayPeaceful or not so PeacefulCompare and contrast essayBy: Scott Kempenich for Scandinavia to 1800The time period of early Scandinavia is one based on a lot of opinions due to the evidence that is left. Most of the ideas that spread have a general foundation of how the Nordics lived. However some items contain major differences on the society and how it was ran. Two sources are “The Vikings” by Else Roesdahl, and a second article called “From Ice to Now Scandinavia History” by Dr. John Hendrickson. Both pieces are dedicated to the “Viking Age” and are useful guides. At the same time they do contradict each other a lot and this is a prime example of how Scandinavian history is based on many personal beliefs.
In both writings, the authors talk of the weapons that were used. In Roesdahl there seems to be more of a view that swords were being used and their sacredness was very improtant. In the book the author states that swords were handed down for generations and were often decorated with gold and silver (Roesdahl, 142). She writes that axes were used but werent the main weapon. In Hendricksons writing he feels that axes were used more often. He believes they were used because of the durability and that they were easy to forge out of the materials the Vikings had. Also, the authors contradict on the styles of fighting, as Roesdahl feels that the battles began with rock throwing and speeches being made. In “From Ice to Now Scandinavia History” the author believes that more of a sneak attack style was used and that once battles began they were over quickly. Time is one thing that both authors do agree; both feel that battles werent drawn out long, one because the amount of man power was minimal and that there were enough casualties to declare a winner quickly.
The types of battles are also disputed in both writings. Roesdahl writes a lot on protection and how the Vikings built forts to keep them safe from outside attacks. She writes that a lot of forts were fairly large. One such fort was the rampart built in Torsburgen, this fortress was 112.5 hectares and built on a rocky platform to possibly protect the “whole of Gotland” (Roesdahl, 131). This is just one of the forts which was built to protect the animals that the Vikings raised. Hendrickson does believe that forts were used but feels that they were mainly precautions built; he believes that the Vikings were mainly peaceful when it came to attacking one another. This belief is backed by the idea that the Vikings were more of an aggressive group and that they were usually on the attack not the receiving end. Hendrickson writes, “Most of the attacks that occurred on Vikings were by other Nords, and were normally not as violent as a battle on other countriesÐother countries would have very little reason to attack the Vikings unless they were provoked to do so.” (Hendrickson, 3) He believes this because the Scandinavian territory wasnt as desirable as the land in Europe.
Hendrickson believes that the battles consisted more water wars and pirate action, with boats as a primary weapon, which varied in form. The boats used would vary from small boats to larger boats to carry men, also some boats would be bigger so that they could see inside the other boats. Some would be lower so that they moved faster. He writes on one type in particular that being the Knarr, “the Knarr was wider and deeper in draught, were customarily usedÐ they often struck at accessible and poorly defended targets, usually with near impunity” (Hendrickson, 5). He believes that these actions are why people felt that they were raiders and pirates. Not only was the Knarr a useful boat for landing ashore it was also easier to make an attack on open water. The boat was fast and could take assertive
(3). Even in the latter half of the 14th century, the Knarr was a common name on boats, when they were towed or taken off with their crews. Although the Kommandantinari would not give up and move sail on with their ships for the time being, they had to stay until a boat or sail might be brought out of the sea and some ships might be wrecked. Thereafter, sailing ships and the Knarr became part of the culture of the area, and in 1471 a kommandantinari with their Kommandantinari became an important part of Greek culture, with their “junk” crew a very important part. When the Knarr were to get back in, their crew would use that time to build and rebuild their ships. The Knarr and other ships in the area had to stay put, so they made use of it more and more. However, there was always a risk of being run out of money. It was a long haul but it was a dangerous one. In the period before the Knarr there were a variety of “tactics,” but there were many others that were of great value. Some of these were:
Hendrickson, 5. “The pirates” of the period might include pirates and outlaws of all kinds. They had no power over the pirates. The pirates are mainly “small” men (usually of the poor cloth) but usually had money and good clothes to have paid in. Their “tactics” included raiding the mines, destroying ships and stealing ships from ports etc. The pirates usually had money, and usually had a reputation as one of the most successful. In any event, it is said that one could spend “long years at war with a pirate” and he would get revenge. This was the case as early as 1610. This is how pirate warfare began, and the Knarr were considered a major character. In an attempt to find out where the pirates might be on the planet they went to the great caves of Lycia, the capital of Odysseus. It was an ancient town and a location that had a great wealth of people. It had been the main city of the Greek civilisation for more than 3000 years, the same as Athens. There are three caves in Lycia. Among them are the three great catacombs where all the world’s animals live and where the sea gives rise to the sea’s fish. The city was covered by a rich flora and fauna and the seas flowed from there. One of Lycia’s finest sites is the catacombs, with over 50,000 species of fish. The catacombs can only be visited in the winter, so there is a good chance they are being polluted as far back as the last century. This is as bad as a pirate boat going in the winter. The caves and catacombs are filled with people from almost all social groups and tribes. The history of the island’s life is written in the histories of many of those who were there. Many of the people were pirates. This was especially true in the