The Norwegian and Danish Vikings were not as similar as we have long thought: a new study shows that Norwegians were much more barbaric than our relatives in the south. The University of Oslo, NTNU and the University of South Florida in the USA are behind the study. – Violence was much more widespread in Norwegian society in the Viking Age than in Denmark, explains UiO professor Jan Bill, who has been involved in the research. – It was very noticeable to the people who lived here. The risk of dying from violence was simply much greater in Norway than in Denmark. Jan Bill is one of the researchers behind the new study. Photo: Arne Stubhaug / news SOGN OG FJORDANE Skeletons examined So how did the researchers find this out? Yes, by looking at skeletons from the Viking Age. – There is a lot of stab damage on the Norwegian skeletons. Many more Norwegian skeletons showed traces of cuts and blows compared to the Danish ones, says Bill. Over a third of the Norwegian skeletons died of violence, but the same applied to only six percent of the Danish ones. Norwegian skull with damage from a sharp weapon. Photo: Lisa Mariann Strand And there is a “very big difference” in the kind of violence seen in the two societies: the study shows that organized executions were more common in Denmark, while in Norway there were mostly spontaneous sword fights. – Lots of weapons in circulation The researchers have also counted swords in Viking graves from Norway and Denmark, and concluded that Norwegians owned many more swords. – There were a lot of weapons in circulation in Norwegian society, says Jan Bill. In fact, they found around fifty times as many weapons in the Norwegian graves as in the Danish ones from the same period. – Swords in graves are sometimes bent like this, presumably to “kill” it so that it could accompany its owner in the grave, says Jan Bill. Photo: Olav Heggø He thinks it may be because Norway had better access to iron, and therefore made more weapons. And they didn’t exactly leave the weapons on the shelf to collect dust. The Danes had a more advanced society While we Norwegians ran around stabbing each other with swords, the Danes organized their society: – There is a big difference in how thoroughly organized the two societies were. In Norway, the emphasis was primarily on the family and the clan. In Denmark, more emphasis was placed on society’s interests, says Bill. There are two things that indicate this: Danish society placed more emphasis on large municipal building measures, such as defensive ramparts. In Norway, more burial mounds were built for individuals. Danish runestones often tell what social roles the deceased had. The Norwegian runestones only show which family the dead person came from. – So the focus has been in two very different places, notes Bill. Viking graves like this were common in Norway. In Denmark, people used their energies for other things. Photo: Vestfold and Telemark County Municipality Published 02.08.2024, at 12.53
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Norwegian Vikings were much more violent than the Danes – news Culture and entertainment
