VikingPiracy-HistoryOfPiracy-TheWayOfThePiratesVikingPirates
北欧海盗-海盗的历史
TheVikingswereextraordinarywarriorswhopillagedEuropeathousandyears
ago.
TheylivedintribesinNorthEurope(todayDenmark,NorwayandSweden).The
tribeslivedinsmallvillagesorcommunities.Eachcommunityhadacouncil
calledtheThingorFolkmoot,whichwasveryimportant.Itwasevenmore
importantthanthekingorthechiefofthecommunity.TheThingdecidedshould
theVikingsgotoawar;itgavejudgmentsagainstcriminalsbyitsownlaws.
Thelawsweremadebythepeoplewhowereinthecouncil.Thosewerenoblesand
freemen.Thethirdsocialgroup,theslaves,couldn'thavetheirinfluenceover
theThing.
TheVikingslootedalotofEuropeancountries:England,France,Germany,
Ireland,Italy,RussiaandSpain.AVikingexplorer,LeifEricson,foundNorth
Americashores500yearsbeforeColumbusdidin1492,andnamedthenewland
Vinland.VikingshipscarriedthesettlerstotheGreenlandandIcelandbefore
Europeansevenheardofthoseicelands.
Thename,theVikings,cameaftertheirageprobablyfromthenameofthepirate
centerintodaysouthernNorway.Theexpression搕ogoaViking?wasusedbythe
Scandinavianswiththeminingtofightlikeapirateorawarrior.Most
Scandinaviansleadpeacefullivesmostofthetime.Notallofthemdidfight
likepiratesincessant.However,duringthefights,theylookedunbelievable
warriorsfromthetales!Swords,axes,knives,coldshieldsandstronghelmets
weretheirfamousequipment.
TheVikingsspokeaGermaniclanguagewhichhadtwodialects.AlloftheVikings
understoodbothofthem.Theywroteinrunes.
IntheVikings'timesitwasallowedtohavetwo,orevenmorewivesdepending
ofhowwealthythemanwas.Theyhadtwomealsdaily:oneinthemorningandthe
otheroneintheevening.Theirreligionwasveryimportanttothem.Themain
godsoftheVikingswere:Odin,ThorandFreya.TheholydaywasWednesday.It
wasequaltonowadaysSunday.
WeremembertheVikingsasverybravewarriors,buttheexcellentship-builders,
too.Theyhadseveraltypesoftheships.TheVikingpiratessailednearthe
shorewithoutanyproblems,becausetheshipswereveryeasytonavigate.They
didn'tusetechnologyatall.Whilesailing,theynavigatedtheshipdepending
onlandmarksandseabirds.