Introduction to VikingsLearning Intention: To understand where the Vikings came from

and who they were.

Warm Up – Spot the Myth

Which parts of this Viking are factual and which are popular myth?

Warm Up – Spot the Myth

Which parts of this Viking are factual and which are popular myth?

Viking helmets did not have horns!

Vikings used axes as weapons

Vikings did not all have red hair!

Vikings had great hygiene!

All Viking men and women wore jewellery

Vikings were shorter than we are today!

Vikings wore lots of colourViking men mostly wore trousers!

Viking men wore woollen coats!

Brainstorm

What do we already know about the Vikings?

Vikings in a Nutshell

The Viking Age

• The Viking Age in European history ran from the late 8th Century to the 11th Century AD

• During this period, the Vikings travelled, stole, and expanded their rule across Europe, Africa, and even America

• The name ‘Viking’ comes from

the old Norse language meaning

‘a pirate raider’

Where did the Vikings come from?

• The Vikings came from three countries in Scandinavia: Denmark, Norway, and Sweden

What are Vikings Famous For?

• Vikings are most famous for their seafaring skills

• They were great navigators, and built longships which helped them to navigate seas expertly

• Longships were made out of light wood and could be driven by sails and oars

What are Vikings Famous For?

• Vikings are also famous for establishing strong trade networks throughout Europe

• Using their great knowledge and navigation of the sea, the Vikings were able to trade with many people and helped to bring wealth to many areas of Europe

• The Vikings used coins as currency and valued them by weight

• The Vikings are often recognised as barbaric, but this isn’t necessarily true

Sources

• The writing that historians analyse today was written by monks (religious men) whose monasteries were often raided by Vikings

• Stories (known as sagas) are also used to understand Viking life. These were passed on through generations verbally

• Archaeological evidence is also used to gather information about Vikings, and can tell us a lot about their innovation and civilisation

1. What do you think this archaeological find is?

2. What does it tell us about Viking life?

3. Is this source objective or subjective? How do you know?

4. Is this source reliable?

Source Analysis

1. What do you think the purpose of this text was?

2. What does this source tell us about the Vikings?

3. What is the perspective of this source?

4. Is this source reliable?

5. What information is useful from this source?

Source Analysis“… a fierce and insatiable warrior,

without regard or care for human

life. We were attacked through the

night, as many fellow monasteries

were, and have hence become scared

for our lives. Each day we aim to

protect ourselves against their force.

It is clear that their mission is to kill,

to ravage, to destroy. Apart from

these, it is unclear what their aim is.

They do not try to communicate

with words or letters. When they

come, it is to take the women and

burn our homes.”

Letter from Scandinavian monk, 915CE

Download the document below to learn more about the Vikings. As you read through, you need to correct the spelling, punctuation, and grammar by

re-writing the text into a Word document.

EXTENSION 1: Re-write the text using sophisticated vocabulary and a wider variety of sentence structures.

EXTENSION 2: Using the knowledge of Vikings gained from today’s lesson, explain why you think it is important to learn about the Vikings.

Vikings Document

Activity