Anth 250 - Vikings and Christians
Repeatedly, throughout different types of media, Vikings and Christians have been shown to interact. Normally, these interactions only occur during periods of tension, strife, and warfare. There have seemingly been no instances where these two groups met peacefully. At least, that’s what shows, video games, and books might have you believe.
However, if one looks at history, the nuance of these groups' interactions becomes crystal clear. Neither group was wholly right or wholly wrong.
The Vikings
The Vikings, sometimes referred to as the Danes or the Norse, are a group of people from either modern-day Denmark, Norway, Iceland, or Sweden.
These people were pagan, primarily farmers, traders, and at times, warriors. Interestingly, we don’t know if they used the term Viking as an adjective. Presently, we are only certain that they used the word Viking to describe the act of raiding and pillaging. They went “a’viking”. Depending upon location, different groups of the Norse would regularly trade with either Britain, Scotland, Frankia, or Russia, whichever direction was the easiest to navigate.
These groups of people were also master shipbuilders, opting for clinker-style longships, which helped with navigating both rivers and the open ocean. The ships could also be carried over land. This allowed them to easily access all their nearby neighbors, such as Britain, Russia, Scotland, Ireland, and the rest of Europe, even to lands as far as the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim Caliphates, and North America. Their literature, while not extensive, is considered a cornerstone of English literature. Beowulf, which is the story of the titular character, is the oldest book written in English.
Many of these people, however, practiced slavery and infanticide, with a preference to raise their sons. Both of these practices contributed to the need for going ‘Viking. The Norse needed new slaves, and young men needed wealth and a fortune to afford a bride price.
One notable example is found within the saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Rafn the Skald - Chapter 3, where Thorsteinn remarks to his wife Jófríôr
“...that thou art with child now, but thy child shall be cast forth if thou bear a woman; but nourished if it be a man.”
Despite his wife’s pleas not to commit the act, his mind is made up. If his wife is to bear him a daughter, the girl’s life will be forfeit. To avoid the act when she does indeed bear her husband a daughter, Jófríôr has her little girl spirited away to be raised by someone she can trust. While the saga itself calls his act evil, it seems that it was commonplace amongst pagan men to issue a similar ultimatum to their wives.
Christians and Christianity
Christians - specifically women - built bridges and monuments, financed charities, and did other good works. Many constructions have been found with inscriptions detailing that the bridge or monument is in honor of someone important, a male family member, normally.
St. Asgnar, known as the patron saint of Scandinavia, was a Benedictine monk from Corbie sent in 828 by the Holy Roman Emperor Louis the Pious, one of Charlemagne’s sons, and by King Björn of Sweden to convert the Danes to Christianity. He was furthermore allowed to do his work by King Horik of Denmark, who wanted trade with Sweden and no quarrel with the Pope
St. Asgnar was eventually made the Bishop of Hamburg, Sweden, which would include ecclesiastical authority over Birka, Sweden. He managed to convert hundreds of people in Scandinavia, and he had churches built throughout the region, including in Hamburg and Birka.
In the end, due to forces outside of his control, such as the rise of a new King in Denmark, the places that he had converted were destroyed. Hamburg was burned and sacked, with the Church he had created going up in flames during the raid. Birka, meanwhile, also lost its Church, with much of the population returning to Paganism, though a few did remain Christian. He died afterwards in 865 of old age.
Their Historical Interactions
There are plenty of instances in which Christians and Vikings warred. These events occurred in the Byzantine Empire, in Mainland Europe, and within Britain and the Emerald Isle. Most of these conflicts were instigated by Viking raids and colonialism. This was primarily felt by the Britons who were regularly fighting back against Norse invaders. The character of King Arthur was created to serve as a mythological military leader against these incursions.
Many of the religious also lived in fear of a possible raid. Monasteries were a prime target for raids, holding much wealth, were lightly defended, and occupied by pacifists. Nuns actively made themselves look as ugly as possible by cutting off their noses when they heard news of an impending raid.
Many of our primary sources about the Vikings are from the Christian perspective, primarily because the Vikings, while literate, preferred not to write about themselves and their society. This leaves researchers with very little from the Viking perspective. We do have the Prose Edda, the Poetic Edda, and a multitude of Sagas. The two Eddas depict the recorded mythology of these groups. Despite this, the stories are suspect due to the nature of their creation, having been written at the same time, possibly by the same man who was more interested in Iceland unifying with Norway under the Norwegian king. Snorri was also a Christian who had a vested interest in lessening the pagan beliefs in his writings.
In contrast, the Sagas tend to be about historical figures from all over the Norse world. Beowulf, the most popular of the Sagas, is a touchstone for English literature. The titular character is thought to be mythological due to battling giants, slaying dragons, and swimming underwater for days without the need to breathe. There are, however, possible traceable places where the story could have taken place. Other sagas seem to be completely grounded within reality, including the aforementioned sagas of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Rafn the Skald.
The Emerald Isle and Britain are touchstones of the way Vikings interacted with Catholics. These particular Vikings were normally from Norway and Denmark. Originally, they settled there as a means for ease of raiding, as these Vikings preferred to attack Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland, England, and Wales.
The settlement of Birka was predominantly a merchant/trading settlement. As such, a multitude of different groups regularly interacted with each other. In the paper, “Christianization, Female Infanticide, and the Abundance of Female Burials at Viking Age Birka in Sweden”, the author notes that there seems to be an abundance of women's burials and that these burials seemingly belong to wealthy women. Many of these burials are dated around or after the time of St. Asgnar, and after his churches were desecrated and most of the population returned to paganism. The paper posits the idea that one of the reasons for the excessive amount of wealth within female burials is an attempt to compete against Christian women, who regularly gave money away to charity, created monuments, and regularly gave their inheritances and their material possessions to the poor and their local church.
Over time, and in some specific instances, such as in Iceland and supposedly in Birka, the Norse converted to Christianity voluntarily, making the conscious decision after debating the topic.
Vs Their Interactions in the Media
There is an inherent lack of nuance within the media. The media is there to tell a story, a narrative, rather than to educate. That doesn’t mean there can’t be attempts at showing nuance, much less truth. It seems that Hollywood, writers’ rooms, actors, and game designers are more inclined to show Christians in the worst light possible.
The two different pieces of media, which are both needed in this conversation due to their focus on how Christians and Vikings interacted within Danelaw and Britain as a whole, focus primarily on the early part of the Viking colonization period. That seems to be the preference for most pieces of media that tackle the depiction of Vikings.
The Netflix/History show, Vikings, follows the main character Ragnarr Lothbrok, who is an actual character within a multitude of Norse Sagas. The show begins just a few days before the Raid of Lindisfarne Abbey. It is reported to be historically accurate, with the writers doing their best to showcase Viking and early Medieval life. The show doesn’t shy away from violence, especially against those who are weak, less fortunate, or women, but the show regularly plays fast and loose with historical figures. The character of Athelstan - a supposed monk who is captured during the Raid of Lindisfarne Abbey of 793 - is seemingly supposed to be King Athelstan, who ruled England from 924 to 939, grandson of King Alfred the Great. This character, upon return, is later crucified by fellow Christians for heresy and apostasy. Never mind that Christians burn heretics. He survives after the Christian king stops the Bishop’s insanity.
The problem with this entire scene is that the Crucifixion was specifically something that was considered only for Jesus Christ, who, to Christians, is God incarnate. To crucify someone was to state that you believed that they were equivalent to God Himself. No one in their right mind in Christendom would ever make that claim, nor would they ever attempt to crucify an apostate. That would be an honor. That would be heretical. St. Peter, the first Pope and the Patron Saint of Rome, asked his executioner to turn him upside down as he felt unworthy of a normal crucifixion. To this day, Christians still wear the cross as a symbol of honor.
The Crucifixion of St. Peter by José Antolínez, 1660
St. Asgnar is also mentioned in the show, though he meets an untimely death at the hands of Ragnarr Lothbrok’s second wife, Aslug. She kills him, specifically because he cannot hold a burning piece of iron. She had challenged him, stating that if he could hold the iron, she would convert and believe in his God, but if he couldn’t hold the iron, she would have him killed. St. Asgnar, however, was a real man, and the patron saint of Scandinavia. We have records of him, we know where he was, what he did, and how he died. He died as an old man after his Churches in Hamburg and Birka were burned and destroyed by pagan Vikings. He did not die as a young man because challenge issued by Ragnarr’s second wife. This depiction of him is either willful ignorance or malicious mischaracterization of the writers, determined to show Christians to be weak, and that their God is nothing more than superstitious.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set specifically in the period of history where Vikings are beginning to colonize parts of Britain and the Emerald Isle. Eivor is the player’s avatar, with a choice between a female or male model. For the first few hours of the game, the player explores Scandinavia, and then, the player, alongside other characters, actively makes a trek to Britain to avoid having to bow to the new King of Norway. From there, the story is that of a Viking settlement attempting to set its roots down within Britain amongst the politics and turmoil of Christian kingdoms.
Many of these Christian kingdoms and the Christian kings are shown to be either weak, needlessly aggressive, or hypocritically disregarding Christian teaching for their purposes. One example is a particular quest line in which the player must encourage a young Christian King to woo his Viking betrothed so that war does not break out between the settled Norse and the native Brits. At the beginning of the storyline, the King is nothing more than a coward who has trouble standing up for himself, and it’s only after his time spent with the player character does he manages to stand up for himself. The king in question is King Oswald of East Anglia.
There is also, strangely, a deafening silence about Irish Christians in the game’s DLC Wrath of the Druids. The DLC in question takes the player to Ireland, where they must battle several pagan druids. The problem here, however, is that historically, Ireland had been Christian for centuries. There were no more druids, even druids that possibly had ties to an ancient and mystical race and group. Furthermore, the druids seem more in line with modern pagan aesthetics of antlers and skulls than any traceable historical figure or druidic worship.
The Impact
There’s a bit of myth and lies surrounding the Viking and Christian interaction. These myths and lies are repeated ad nauseam in the media. Unfortunately, most people tend to learn about certain periods of history solely through the media. Most of the population is not interested, or simply does not have the time to research these particular points in history.
The real Vikings and their exploits are buried under the coined “Viking Aesthetic”, which is this idea that all Vikings walked around in leather armor, shaved and tattooed heads, etc, and that traditional “Viking” music is throat singing, which is native to Mongolia, not to Scandinavia.
Then, when they are familiar with the aesthetic, people superpose it upon history, claiming that all of this is historically accurate, and a piece of media that doesn’t have this is wrong. It has gotten to the point where these groups will actively argue with historians who attempt to teach genuine history. This aesthetic has also been associated with negative connotations within our political system.
Furthermore, it encourages movie makers and video game devs to take shortcuts to boost sales instead of doing their due diligence. Which is what the game of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla suffered. Why are there stave churches in a predominantly pagan society? Most aren’t asking that question. Instead, they take what they’re given at face value. Especially when the IPs have been touted as completely historically accurate, one may question if this is the intent of the media, if rewriting history is by design.
Sources
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIFQ1pja73C3oJnJq2JTILAAF1ketvsAv
Faraji, Farya. 2024. “Modern Viking Music : Tragedy of a Misunderstood Art.” YouTube. Farya Faraji. February 6, 2024. Modern Viking Music : Tragedy of a Misunderstood Art
History of Everything Podcast. 2023. “History Channel Vikings Is WRONG and Here’s Why.” YouTube. July 7, 2023. History Channel Vikings is WRONG and here’s why
Kings and Generals. 2020. “How the Norse Became Christian - Christianization of Scandinavia DOCUMENTARY.” YouTube. Kings and Generals. March 31, 2020. How the Norse Became Christian - Christianization of Scandinavia DOCUMENTARY
Lacry. 2023. “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Full Walkthrough Gameplay - No Commentary (PC Longplay).” YouTube. Ubisoft. January 20, 2023. Assassin's Creed Valhalla Full Walkthrough Gameplay - No Commentary (PC Longplay)
The Welsh Viking. 2023. “Did Vikings Hate Christians? Part One: Romans, Charlemagne and Nuance! Oh My!” YouTube. March 7, 2023. Did Vikings Hate Christians? Part One: Romans, Charlemagne and Nuance! Oh my!
———. 2023b. “Did Christians Hate Vikings? Part Two: Crosses, Archaeology and Runes.” YouTube. March 16, 2023. Did Christians Hate Vikings? Part Two: Crosses, Archaeology and Runes
Show, Netflix. 2024. “Netflix Show Lies about History to Make Christians Look Evil.” YouTube. August 12, 2024. Netflix Show Lies About History to Make Christians Look Evil
TheVikingSquirrel. 2020. “Vikings - Athelstan Gets Crucified (2x4) [Full HD].” YouTube. October 13, 2020. https://youtu.be/CuTEwpT9Xc4?feature=shared.
Papers
Anderson, Erich B. 2013. “The Christian Viking: Bishop Absalon and the Wendish Campaigns.” Medieval Warfare 3 (4): 49–52. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578259.
ANDRÉN, ANDERS. 2005. “Behind ‘Heathendom’: Archaeological Studies of Old Norse Religion.” Scottish Archaeological Journal 27 (2): 105–38. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27917543.
Cederlund, Carl Olof. 2011. “The Modern Myth of the Viking.” Journal of Maritime Archaeology 6 (1): 5–35. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43551359.
Cook, John Granger. 2012. “Crucifixion as Spectacle in Roman Campania.” Novum Testamentum 54 (1): 68–100. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23253630.
DONAHUE, CHARLES. 1965. “‘BEOWULF’ and CHRISTIAN TRADITION: A RECONSIDERATION from a CELTIC STANCE.” Traditio 21: 55–116. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27830789.
Downham, Clare. 2009. “The Viking Slave Trade: Entrepreneurs or Heathen Slavers?” History Ireland 17 (3): 15–17. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27726004.
Gibbons, Michael. 2004. “The Longphort Phenomenon: In Early Christian and Viking Ireland.” History Ireland 12 (3): 19–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27725148.
Gillingham, John. 2024. “5. Women, Children and the Profits of War from Gender and Historiography: Studies in the Earlier Middle Ages in Honour of Pauline Stafford on JSTOR.” Jstor.org. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv5139fw.11.
Gore, Derek, Ryan Lavelle, and Simon Roffey. 2016. “Their Motives and Responses.” In Danes in Wessex, 56–69. Oxbow Books. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvh1dprb.11.
GRØNLIE. 2017. “CONVERSION NARRATIVE and CHRISTIAN IDENTITY: ‘HOW CHRISTIANITY CAME to ICELAND.’” Medium Ævum 86 (1): 123. https://doi.org/10.2307/26396501.
Karras, Ruth Mazo. 1990. “CONCUBINAGE and SLAVERY in the VIKING AGE.” Scandinavian Studies 62 (2): 141–62. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40919117.
Keller, Christian. 2010. “Furs, Fish, and Ivory: Medieval Norsemen at the Arctic Fringe.” Journal of the North Atlantic 3: 1–23. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26671834.
Knutson, Sara Ann. 2016. “Bridges to Eternity: A Re-Examination of the Adoption of Christianity in Viking-Age Sweden.” Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 12: 87–102. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48501798.
Lorcan Harney. 2017. “Christianising Pagan Worlds in Conversion-Era Ireland: Archaeological Evidence for the Origins of Irish Ecclesiastical Sites.” Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature 117C: 103. https://doi.org/10.3318/priac.2017.117.07.
Phelpstead, Carl. 2005. “Converting to Europe: Christian Themes in ‘Knýtlinga Saga.’” Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 1: 163–77. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45020160.
Sigurdson, Erika. 2014. “Violence and Historical Authenticity: Rape (and Pillage) in Popular Viking Fiction.” Scandinavian Studies 86 (3): 249. https://doi.org/10.5406/scanstud.86.3.0249.
Steinforth, Dirk H. 2018. “The Dublin Vikings and the Isle of Man in the Late Ninth Century.” The Journal of Irish Archaeology 27: 81–98. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26564145.
Sturtevant, Paul B. 2012. “Contesting the Semantics of Viking Religion.” Viking and Medieval Scandinavia 8: 261–78. https://www.jstor.org/stable/45020188.
Turner, Danielle. 2017. “The Viking Sieges of Paris: BRILLIANT WARFARE or PRAGMATIC DECISION?” Medieval Warfare 7 (1): 26–33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578078.
Vretemark, Maria, and Tony Axelsson. 2024. “The Varnhem Archaeological Research Project: A New Insight into the Christianization of Västergötland on JSTOR.” Jstor.org 4. https://doi.org/10.2307/45093200.
WICKER, NANCY L. 2012. “Christianization, Female Infanticide, and the Abundance of Female Burials at Viking Age Birka in Sweden.” Journal of the History of Sexuality 21 (2): 245–62. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41475079.
Zilmer, Kristel. n.d. “Runes and Christianity: Practices in the Viking Age and the Middle Ages.” https://www.khm.uio.no/english/research/publications/7th-symposium-preprints/documents/Zilmer.pdf.
MacCotter, Paul. “The Origins of the Parish in Ireland.” Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature 119C (2019): 37–67. https://doi.org/10.3318/priac.2019.119.05.
MELLOR, SCOTT A. “St Ansgar: His Swedish Mission and Its Larger Context.” In Sanctity in the North: Saints, Lives, and Cults in Medieval Scandinavia, edited by Thomas A. DuBois, 31–64. University of Toronto Press, 2008. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/9781442689060.5.
Websites
Fretwell, Thomas. 2020. “Christendom and the Norsemen: The End of the Viking Age.” Calvary Chapel. October 14, 2020. https://calvarychapel.com/posts/christendom-and-the-norsemen-the-end-of-the-viking-age/.
Magazine, Smithsonian, and David M. Perry. 2022. “The True History behind Netflix’s ‘Vikings: Valhalla.’” Smithsonian Magazine. February 24, 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-history-behind-netflixs-vikings-valhalla-180979623/.
Maino, Thomas. 2023. “The Record Is Clear: St. Peter Taught in Rome, and Died in Rome – EWTN Global Catholic Television Network.” Ewtn.co.uk. January 4, 2023. https://ewtn.co.uk/article-the-record-is-clear-st-peter-taught-in-rome-and-died-in-rome/.
Mark, Joshua J. 2018. “Vikings TV Series - Historical Accuracy.” World History Encyclopedia. November 26, 2018. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1285/vikings-tv-series---historical-accuracy/.
Stefansky, Emma. 2022. “How Legit Is All the Viking Stuff in ‘the Northman’?” Thrillist. April 25, 2022. https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/the-northman-viking-historical-accuracy.
Brandt, Jochen, FörstElke, Yvonne Krause, Lisa Hansen, Michael Merkel, Ingo Petri, and Rainer-Maria Weiss. 2015. “Hammaburg and Ansgar - Google Arts & Culture.” Google Arts & Culture. Google Arts & Culture. 2015. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/_AWxLgtpeD05Kw.
Morris, William, and Eirikr Magnusson. 2024. “The Saga of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Rafn the Skald - Icelandic Saga Database.” Icelandic Saga Database. 2024. https://www.sagadb.org/gunnlaugs_saga_ormstungu.en.
Dhar, Rittika. 2023. “King Athelstan: The First King of England | History Cooperative.” History Cooperative. June 16, 2023. https://historycooperative.org/king-athelstan/.
Adrien, C. J. 2023. “Human Sacrifice in the Viking Age.” Www.cjadrien.com. April 3, 2023. https://www.cjadrien.com/p/human-sacrifice-vikings.
Images
Antolínez, Jośe. 1660. The Crucifixion of Saint Peter. Dulwich Picture Gallery.https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/explore-the-collection/051-100/the-crucifixion-of-saint-peter/.
