2 Viking Ships – papermodel
The Vikings originally lived in the Nordic countries Denmark, Sweden and Norway from the 8th to the 11th century. They worked as farmers and merchants, but they are mainly known as sailors. Some tribes travelled as far as Russia and China to sell their goods. Other Vikings sailed towards Spain. In their homeland the population had grown so much that there was not enough room for everyone. So the Vikings hoped to find new land to settle on. But they were not very squeamish. They robbed the people and burned their houses afterwards. Therefore, in many countries they were afraid of the Vikings and tried to pay a ransom to the attackers. But this only made the Vikings even greedier.
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When the Vikings were on the move with their ships, they needed help to find their way. At night, they turned to the North Star, the most prominent star in the sky. They also found important clues in the sea: If they came close to a shore, they could tell by tufts of grass floating in the water. On the rivers, forests, mountains and rocks were the most important landmarks. But it was not always possible to find the right way. A legend tells that a Viking, who was actually on his way to Greenland, lost his orientation. The coast where he finally landed belonged to what is now America. So the Vikings discovered this continent almost 500 years before Columbus.
Since the 11th century there are no more Vikings. But they have left their traces until today. In Western Europe there are people who could be descended from Vikings. The Viking language still exists in some countries, for example in Scandinavia and on some islands off England. Many family and city names also date back to the time of the Vikings.