Maybe I'll Continue?

  Genius Hour is coming to a close; though, I love getting good grades for the things I'm actually interested in (with a passion might I add) I will attempt to continue this blog until I eventually grow tired of the Nordic way of life. These past few weeks went by so quickly I still remember my very post and how nervous I was to show the world my love for the Vikings. Since this will be my last post for a grade my teacher has asked me to answer a few questions within this post. These questions include:
  1. What was your favorite part of the topic you chose? 
  2. What was your least favorite part of the topic you chose?
  3. What do you like best about Genius Hour research?
  4. What do you like least about Genius Hour research?
  5. What was the most important thing you learned about yourself, how you learn, or research in general as a result of this work?
  Throughout my research and writing time I would have to say learning about their cuisine was my favorite part. Considering how long ago they lived I was shocked at how much they had documented and how diverse they were! With a long journey, there is destined to be rough patches in the road, within my highway of a journey I had to attempt to find which language they spoke. They were so diverse that some people spoke a different language. I did however, find that most of them spoke Old Norse. Which is similar to Old English, this isn't the term for the way Shakespeare spoke either!
  If I had to choose a favorite part about my research I would have to pick being able to take time out of my regular boring day to learn more about people I have a passion for. Weird, right? My least favorite part was having to avoid all the confusion the computer had between the Minnesota Vikings and the Nordic people I was researching... As a result of this work, I feel I have learned a lot of myself and how I always strive for the knowledge of things school drives me away from. Also, I often feel uncomfortable in those hard chairs in our computer lab just staring up at a screen with a lot of noise from others. Meaning I did and didn't get much done during school hours (sorry Mrs H). I did make up for it in the comfort and solitude of my bedroom, though. I've learned that I as a researcher need to take more thorough notes because when I look back on them I tend to forget what I meant when I abbreviate. 
  I wish to hear from you in the comments over what you've thought of my past blog entries! hopefully you'll continue this journey with me (even if you get super bored and this is the only thing you can do for "entertainment") thank you to those who have read and have decided not to continue with me. Have a nice week everyone! :)

Weaponry

  Vikings weren't just masters of thievery, food, and making textiles. They were also masters at weaponry! Of course in order to raid towns and other ships they needed weapons to dominate Scandinavia. The main three types of weapons used were swords, spears and axes. Spears seemed to be of the most common weapon used seeing as it was the cheapest weapon around. A less common weapon used was the bow and arrow.

  Every free man was expected to own a weapon. Axes were often found lying around the houses of the Vikings seeing as it was and still is a common farm house item. Swords are the most common to find while digging through burial mounts. Though, in order for the vikings to produce the swords, the status of the sword owner had to be very high because it was very expensive to make them.

Viking swords from Burial Mount

  Considering Vikings fought on foot and in a loose formation, they had to have light loose armor that protected the wearer individually. The horned helmets weren't actually big and heavy as most would think! they were very light, uncommon and very few had the runes of their tribe and face covers. The Vikings did, however, have decorative shields to carry with them. The shield themselves are not complicated to replicate; though, the designs are. 

Refurbished Viking Shields

  Viking shields were often 34-36" in diameter and were .5" thick. They had planks of dry wood butted together. The wood they used was mainly spruce, fir and pine since these woods were considered lightweight and they didn't split easily. At the center of a shield was a domed iron boss.

shield boss

  The nails holding the boss in place also held a hand grip for the owner to grip and move the shield freely. the hand grip was often also made of wood; though, some have been found to have been made with iron as well. The rim of the shield was often lined with leather or rawhide to keep it from splitting at the edges. Fronts of shields were also sometimes lined in leather because it was most resistant to weapons.
  These are just the more common weapons the Vikings used. Of course they used more weapons made of different materials. Next week I plan on covering either Old Norse, their language, or Norse Mythology. Have a great week! Góðan daginn!