Yule Go a-Viking

Hmmm, who would win?

A vastly misunderstood people, Vikings are often characterized as mere savages. Even the term ‘Viking’ comes from the Scandinavian ‘vikingr’ meaning pirate – so you can certainly see the parallel. But this term refers more to the time in summer when Scandinavian men would go ‘a -Viking’ and head out on a oversea expedition with the goal of trade or to work as foreign mercenaries. And, well, let’s be honest, there was quite a bit of plundered treasure, and a number of slaves brought back to the homeland for the winter, so we can only defend the characterization so much. 

Dublin - site of a Viking settlement

The Vikings were a sea-faring culture who thrived from the late 8th century through the early 11th century, establishing quite a legacy for themselves. They discovered the Americas centuries before Columbus was born and explored as far east as Russia. Honing their ship-building skills for more than ten centuries, they constructed everything from small fishing boats, to large cargo vessels (to carry all that treasure), and lightning fast longships, all of which were narrow with short drafts, making them well-adapted for use in rivers as well as on the ocean. The Vikings invented the keel, and though their boats were technological marvels, they paid as much attention to the art as they did the craft of the construction of their vessels. The dragon-head on the front of the Viking vessel, designed to keep away evil spirits, struck fear into the hearts of Europeans for centuries.

Viking town in Dublin 1014

The Scandinavian geography had a significant impact on the development of the Viking culture. The difficult location and terrain meant that, for the most part the Vikings were tribal; there was no unified Viking army. When they weren’t a-Viking, they maintained homes with their wives as farmers. The growing season was short and resources were scare, so most Vikings were actually smaller in musculature and stature than many of their contemporaries. 

So, what can modern man learn from the Vikings? Well, not to supplement your income by raiding; there is a limited amount of other people’s treasure – and it doesn’t make friends. No, in this season of giving, let us be generous to our Scandinavian ancestors and see what we can learn from the way they lived, a thousand years ago.

Lassies love a man who treats them with dignity and respect.

First, view, and treat women with dignity and respect, if not outright equality. There is evidence to suggest to Vikings fought beside their wives, sisters, and both sons and daughters. Evidence suggests that they trusted each other to take responsibility for leadership roles, and although there were indeed gender-specific roles (men went a-Viking, while women tended the children, home and farms), men and women often worked together on tasks. In the pantheon of Norse gods and goddesses, there is also quite an equitable distribution of power.

And speaking of faith…the Vikings were a very faithful people. Whether it was a commitment to a particular god or to the pantheon, life and activities were built around these beliefs. As Vikings encountered individuals of other faiths, this led many to a curiosity and later an adoption of a new belief in Christianity.

John with one of his Viking comrades

But the Viking man does this, without sacrificing what it is to be a man. The Viking Ideal man is still Alpha, yet in touch with art and emotion. Strong and sensitive? Sounds just about perfect.

Finally, the Viking loves to travel, to explore, to meet new people, and develop new relationships. We at J and L especially applaud this Viking attribute. We all benefit from the open-minded, open-heartedness we inherit from our Scandinavian forbearers. Especially in this age of partisanship, we can appreciate the Viking ability to survive and thrive as a culture for centuries despite their differences, traveling throughout the world, into the unknown, discovering people and places not even imagined, and managing to cultivate a kindred spirit. Enough that more than a thousand years later, we are still fascinated by them. 

A thousand years ago, the Vikings gathered in middle of January and celebrated Jol – or Yule. They exchanged gifts, and drank beer, toasted the gods, thanking them for the gifts of the past year as they welcomed the new. As you enter your yuletide celebrations, may we ask that you raise your glass, and join us at J and L as we toast the Vikings? 

Yuletide Greetings!

Viking

Aye, my Lassie - that is a Viking

When J and L spent a month in Ireland a few seasons back, we were surprised and impressed to learn that near the confluence of the Rivers Poddle and Liffey, in the capital city of Dublin, there once stood Viking settlement dating back to the 9th Century.

Who’d have thunk it?

Artists rendering of a Viking Irish settlement

The Vikings in Ireland – the land of a thousand welcomes.

Some of the known Viking settlements in Ireland

This called for some research and what better place to start than the Annals of Ulster. These recordings of events year by year were started in the 6th Century and continued until approximately 1540. They are the story, mostly verbatim of medieval Ireland. A treasure trove of facts and figures depicting what went on during those centuries in Ireland. One, and only one issue is that stories that are written in the Annals of Ulster date back to about 431 A.D. So, a bit of a consternation for the researcher is that prior to the 6th Century nothing was written down immediately but left to recollections and stories passed down by the generations.

A page from the Annals of Ulster

It is this area which some of the history may be a bit sketchy –  as in not a hundred percent certain of the facts. Needless to say historians as well as just the good old everyday Irish person loves these annals since it spells out the marvelous, if often dark, history of this island nation.

The facts down and dirty

The annals are written in the Irish pr Gaelic, as well as in Latin. That fact has sent shivers of joy up the spine of linguists as they study the evolution of the country’s language.

Well, it is mentioned in the annals that the Vikings arrived around 795 as the warriors set out to rob and pillage Gaelic Irish coastal settlements. As the raids continued, the raiding parties grew to the point that a settlement needed to be built so they could live and pillage further inland on the island.
Those Vikings – they just loved their pillaging.

Who wouldn't want to plunder and get these riches?

In order to establish the safety of their settlement, the Vikings built a ‘longphort’ or simply, a ship enclosure or fortified naval encampment. It was here, in modern day Dublin that the first one was built in 841 near what is now Parliament Street in Temple Bar West – not far from the Dublin Castle.

It is a fascinating area to walk around in the city. Modern structures towering all about and then the remnants of a Viking longphort literally beneath your feet. At the National Museum of Ireland there are exhibits after exhibits exploring the history of the Vikings and their contributions to Ireland. Not only were they ruthless warriors but actually helped settle parts of Ireland and became good stewards on the land.

Where a Viking 'longphort' once stood in Dublin

That is saying a lot from what is generally thought of the Vikings.

There is, according to the annals, a chance that the Viking warlord Amlaib, also known as Olaf the White, made Dublin the capital city of his territory in 853 and pronounced himself King.  He jointly ruled the area for fifteen years with his brothers Imar – Ivar the Boneless (yes, the same character portrayed on the History Channel in the series The Vikings) and Auisle. The brothers used Dublin as the center to conduct military action against the Kings all over Ireland.

Alex Hogh Anderson playing Ivar the Boneless - son of Ragnar 

The Irish had had enough and in 902, the Irish Kings of Brega, Leinster used a military tactic known as a two-pronged attack on Dublin successfully driving the Vikings back into the sea. But a short twelve years later the Vikings returned and started the Second Viking Age on the island.

Can’t keep a good (or bad) Viking down for long.

John with one of his Viking friends.

So, a visit to Ireland not only brings great food, wonderful company, delicious beer in cozy pubs but the chance of walking where famous Vikings once trod. It is a country full of surprises and as J and L found out that there doesn’t seem enough time in a person’s lifetime to learn all that the Emerald Isle holds in the world of history.

And there are always the pubs - that is enough sometimes.

Summer Solsctice

Summer Solstice  - A Time to Celebrate

The sun is directly overhead at "high noon" on the latitude known as the Tropic of Cancer, according to NASA scientists. No exactly a call to "draw yer guns," but it does become an interesting notion if you've ever been lucky enough to travel down south. And I mean way down south, on the Baja peninsula, venturing past Mulege and Gonzaga Bay, over to see the artists in Todos Santos. 

This event heralds the advent of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Focusing our attention on the Northern Hemisphere, it is the longest day of the year. Although an argument can be made for other days spent waiting in anticipation or dread of upcoming events -- some of those days seem much longer than twenty four hours, but I digress. So, the longest day, meaning a lot of sunshine, right? But, and this makes sense when you think about it, the North Pole receives 30% more solar energy on that day than does the equator. Centered on June 21, the sun will rise and then not set for three months. Now that's a long day.

Al Ahram, Giza, Egypt

Interesting, but is it important? Well, it's not just NASA, but mankind has considered this even significant throughout the ages. J and L lives to do research and explore, so first the research.: The term solstice is derived from two Latin words. Sol meaning sun, and sister, meaning to stand still. The solstices and equinoxes are unique and predictable events which have created the changes in seasons which have given sustained life on this planet. So it stands to reason the Earth's journey around the sun would take on cultural and spiritual significance.

Sacsayhuaman, Cusco, Peru

Traditions, rituals, and events dates may vary slightly as you travel, but there is something special about Midsummer. In pre-Christian rites, most celebrations are held to ensure fertility and rich harvests. The night of midsummer was considered very potent for midsummer maidens who wished to conceive.Vikings, always big on burning things,  visited healing water wells and built huge bonfires in celebration.

Superstition would have you turn around clockwise three times upon waking from a night's sleep on the solstice! Worth a try....

Temple of Kulkulkan, Chichen Itza, Yucatan

The more you travel, the more you recognize the similarities in cultures across time and space. Pyramids and temples the world over have more in common than they have to differentiate them, and yet there's something unique in the design that defies modern understanding.

While admiring the craftsmanship and durability of  El Castille, I find myself wondering why at the Temple of Kulkulkan do a series of shadows form the shapes of serpents on the equinoxes and solstices? I wonder why during our summer solstice, their winter solstice, do the shaman of Peru celebrate Inti Raymi, the Incan sun god? Is that anything like the Egyptian sun god. Ra?
Well, no, of course not. But then again, hmmm. And Stonehenge? Half a world away, another structure aligned to the movements of the heavens. These ancient societies certainly knew more, were more observant of their world than perhaps we are.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, UK

Why spend the mass effort and years to build these monuments?


And not just why, but how did these ancient people conceive such designs?

Saint John the Baptist

Perhaps I'm asking the wrong question. With the advent of Christianity, Midsummer celebrations took on a new meaning. As has often happened, the church took the pagan holiday and gave it in honor of Saint John the Baptist. The themes of Sun/Son and water seem to intermix in every culture. Perhaps it's natural the sun and bonfires and barbecues and beaches just go together along with Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Saint John and Vacation Bible School. I suppose it is enough that we tiny humans recognize and celebrate these cycles in our lives.

So whether you celebrate with family, friends, fireworks or in some other way, definitely take time to notice the passage of the sun, and time.

Ben Johnson: "not of an age, but for all time."