129 Allt om Historia - Kultur

It is difficult to assess how the so-called Viking Age influenced the history of the world, from the perspective of the whole globe these were local events of little importance, but for Europe they were times of great geographical discover as well as times of great wars, violence and slavery. Our first associations when we hear the word Viking ... horns, warrior, robber, explorer, rap.ist, slave trader, but behind this one word there is much more.

Today we will not deal here with history in the literal sense of the word, but with things that, despite the passage of over 1,200 years, have survived to this day. Which shaped the culture, behavior and customs for the next millennium.

The first of these things is Football. It's hard to believe that this sport is over 1,200 years old. It appeared in Europe thanks to the Norwegians. The first written records of football matches come from the times of Ulf Erikson. Where it was a sport practiced exclusively by men due to the brutality of the game. It wasn't until around AD 800 that women were allowed to play and some additional rules were introduced to ensure more safety. At the same time, when women were allowed to play, a custom was also introduced (apparently it was an order from Ulf Erikosn himself) to exchange shirts after the match with the opposing team. Funny anecndote about the rules of the game is that one of the first written rules that a football referee can hit players who behave inappropriately was not changed until the mid-19th century, and only changed after an unfortunate match between two English teams. After an unrecognized goal by the referee, several players scolded him with profanity. As a result, seven of them were hospitalized, and the match ended with a forfeit for the opposing team.

Football also has its dark sides. The fights of opposing fans at matches also come from that period, Norsmen very often treated the words "die for the team or kill for the team" very literally... An example here may be the youngest daughter of Ulf Erikson, who, according to the sagas, during one of the matches caused riots in which over 40 people died.

The next two sports from that period were bowling and badminton. Although they have not gained a similar status as football, they have survived to our times and have their fans. As we know, badminton became the father of later tennis and ping pong.

In addition to sports, there are also several games from the Viking era, examples include blocks (Jenga), dice, dominoes. The three above-mentioned games come from the years 780-810, we cannot determine the exact date of their creation, but this period falls on the reign of Ulf Erikson.

Of course, the influence of the Viking era was not limited only to sports and fun. The law is also a good example, although most laws are believed to come from Roman codes, sometimes also from Greek codes. Several rights have survived in almost unchanged form for over a thousand years, deprivation of civil rights, loss of property to the victim as a form of compensation, these were rights introduced during Ulf Erikson's lifetime.

There are also a few catchphrases which, although the forms may have changed, have survived to this day, one of them is.

"Women are like wine, the older the better, the younger the cheaper."

It is difficult to assess the influence of the Viking Age on the history of the world, but without the few things I mentioned, the world would be for sure less cheerful. Similar examples can be multiplied and found in many areas of life and this is just the tip of the iceberg.