Vikings

 Vikings By: Jake Gardella Europeans lived in fear that one day there town/manor would be attacked by Vikings. Vikings or Norsemen are fierce warriors that raided villages for loot such as jewelry and gold. The Vkings could be found in present day Denmark, Ireland, Greenland, Iceland, and even Canada. The Norsemen discovered Dublin (a city in Ireland) Greenland, and Canada themselves. They were the first people to live in Iceland, however it was found by Irish explorers. A famous Viking named Erik the Red discovered Greenland once he was banished from Iceland for murder. When he was a boy his father was banished from Norway. Having no were to go he set sail, on his boat, witch along with other boats,it took 80 oak trees to build!. That is how he found Greenland. Many people are confused why Greenland is called Greenland because he thought it was an attractive name and people would go there because of the name. Erik the Red settled there and had three children. One of his child's name was Leif Erikson. Leif Erikson was the Viking to discover Canada.  The Norsemen worshiped three gods. There names were; Thor, the god of storms, winds, thunder, and lightning, Odin, the god of death and battle, and Fey the god of love and farming. However, the Vikings convereted to Christianity after Viking leader were murdered because they were not Christian. The Vikings had big part in making the part in the fall of Rome. Rich people would hire mercenaries to fight for them, so Rome could not defened its self because all the soldiers were mercenaries. So Vikings went on raids in destroyed cities with little resistance. This was one of the many reasons Rome fell. The Vikings were brutal people who caused havoc among Europe in the Middle Ages. However some of there discoveres impact us today. People live in Dublin, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. The Vikings were bad in the Middle Ages to Europe, but some what helpful to our history and life today.

Erik the Red (above) was a brutal Viking who got his name from his red beard Sources: [] [] []  []

