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Vikings Old Norse Gods OLDThe Vikings believed in many different NORSE GODS! gods and goddesses and told fantastic SCARY SACRIFICES WHAT’S IN A NAME? stories – known as Norse myths – about To keep the gods and goddesses Old Norse (Viking) words and names are their battles with monsters and each other. happy, the Vikings would hold religious still used in the English language today… Let’s meet some of them… ceremonies. Chiefs or local leaders would DATE WITH A VIKING! sacrifice animals – and evenhumans ! Every time we open our diaries, we get At Lake Tissø in Denmark, sacrificial a reminder of our Viking past – four days ODIN sites have been uncovered by of the week are named after Viking gods! King of all the gods and the god of battle, one-eyed Odin’s name archaeologists, and weapons have been TUESDAY – aka Tiw’s Day. Tiw, or Tyr, means ‘furious one’ in the Old Norse language. He caused battles found in the lake itself, thrown into the was a Norse god known for his sense on Earth by hurling his magic spear, Gungnir, to the ground, and he water as offerings to the god Tyr (see of justice. rode an eight-legged horse called Sleipnir. Odin also had two right). It’s believed that 99 men and 99 WEDNESDAY – aka Woden’s Day. messenger ravens, Hugin and Munin, who would fly around FREY dogs were sacrificed at Lejre. Gulp! Woden is another word for Odin, the Earth and give him daily reports on what they’d seen. The god of farming, king of the gods. fertility, rain and sun, THURSDAY – aka Thor’s Day, after the Viking farmers would LOKI god of thunder. paint Frey’s image on The mischievous god FRIDAY – aka Freya’s Day, the goddess their wagons to help of fire, Loki was a of love and beauty! THOR give them a bumper cunning trickster, Odin’s burly son Thor was the god of harvest each year. VIKING PLACES! who could change Places in Britain with ‘-by’ at the end physical strength and thunder – he was sex and shape, the common people’s favourite! Thor made have all got Viking names, such as even becoming Whitby, Grimsby and Derby. Derby lightning by throwing his magic hammer, animals such called Mjollnir. Viking men wore a charm of means ‘a village where deer are found’! HEL as fish, Towns with names ending in ‘-thorpe‘ Thor’s hammer around their necks for good Hel (meaning ‘hidden or concealed’) horses or luck. They believed that claps of thunder were the (Scunthorpe) are also Viking. And was the giant goddess of Helheim, FREYA flies! Loki Scarborough was the fort of a warrior sound of his chariot’s wheels! His chariot was Frey’s twin sister Freya was the Viking underworld, where could travel called Skarthi. Do YOU live in an old pulled by giant goats! the goddess of love and beauty. people went when they died. Her unseen Viking town? lower half was purely skeleton! She wept golden tears when through Hel’s ferocious dog Garmr protected sad. Wearing a cloak made all the It’s ‘ON’ the entrance to Helheim. Scary! from falcon worlds, Have a look through a dictionary. If you feathers, her helping see the letters ‘ON’ next to a description chariot was him it means it has ‘Old Norse’ origin! Words pulled through deceive the such as ‘addle’, ‘ bairn’ (baby), ‘bait’, and the sky by two other gods. ‘fell’ (as in hill) are all Old Norse. Cool! Herbert.Tim Jagucki. © Illustrations: Marek photos Sailing and wreck cats. But she would also NG KiDS travelled to Denmark as a guest of ride her VisitDenmark (visitdenmark.co.uk/vikings) faithful boar, Attractions Hildisvíni. Land of Legends (sagnlandet.dk/en) Roskilde Viking Ship Museum (vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en) Trelleborg (en.natmus.dk/museums/trelleborg) Fugledegaard (naturparkaamosen.dk/English) Gerlev Games Park (gerlevlegepark.dk) HOME LIFE Danish Castle Centre (danmarksborgcenter.dk/en) Copenhagen Family Tours LONGHOUSES PLAY TIME DEADLY GAMES floor and two rivals would be tied to either (copenhagenfamilytours.com) A replica longhouse at Trelleborg Accommodation Families of up to 30 Vikings (from Viking Fortress, Denmark Vikings entertained themselves Sometimes, however, ‘games’ would be far end, standing with their backs touching a more serious. Rather than having a battle post in the middle. The object of this ‘game’ Tivoli Hotel (tivolihotel.com) different generations) would live with stories, songs and poems, Land of Legends (sagnlandet.dk/en) together in longhouses – wooden and they’d play board games which would result in the death of hundreds was to reach swords placed at either end of the rope – the person who picked up his Kragerup Gods, part of Small Danish Hotels homes covered in mud or dung. Grass similar to chess or draughts. of men, tribal leaders would (smalldanishhotels.com) on the roof helped insulate these They also loved wrestling often settle disputes in a far sword first would Comwell Roskilde Hotel (comwellroskilde.dk) homes and the people would keep matches and play-fighting simpler way – with a tug kill his exhausted opponent. Yikes! Getting there warm and cook on an open fire inside. – perfect battle-practice. In of war. A length of rope There are lots of flights from the UK to Copenhagen. Holes would let smoke out and allow a winter, Vikings would ski and would be laid on the Car hire bit of light in, but longhouses would some even went skating using Prices start from £220 for 5-7 days’ still have been dark and pretty stinky. polished bones as blades! rental with Europcar (europcar.co.uk) ngkids.co.uk 25.
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