Daily Life of the Vikings by Kirsten Wolf

At least 15 horses were found in the Oseberg ship. The remains of 12 horses were found in the Gokstad ship in Vestfold - which is Norway's largest preserved ship from the Viking Age. 'The sacrifice of domestic animals, and perhaps especially horses, has been common in funerals of more affluent Vikings,' he said. “The archaeological material shows us that animals have also had an important ideological significance,” he said to sciencenorway.no. And this was not solely because they provided a steady supply of food. Like Aannestad, he believes that animals have clearly been an important part of the lives of Iron Age people and the Vikings.

Horse sacrificesĪsbjørn Engevik is a researcher and head of the Department of Cultural History at the University of Bergen. “When you are buried with something, it clearly suggests a very intimate relationship,” she says. This, Aannestad believes, indicates that people had a very close relationship with animals. “Here archaeologists found a human skeleton with the skeletons from 14 different animal species, including a squirrel,” she said. The museum exhibit contains what is called fire grave, where the body was burned as part of a burial ritual. Humans were often buried with these animals. There were also strong ties between people and everyday animals, such as cows, horses and dogs.

It was not just the power animals that humans had a special relationship with. “A berserker was, for example, a warrior who turned into a bear - big, strong and invincible,” she said.

In that case, the person would take on the power and characteristics of the guardian spirit,” she said. “People could have their own soul animal, one they called a fylgje, or a guardian spirit, which gave them strength and identity and could be called on if they needed help. The bear gave power and strength, and the serpent held the world together, Aannestad said. There were five animals in particular that gave strength and power: the birds of prey gave people insight and hawk vision, the wolf taught the warrior to thirst for blood, while the wild boar made him fearless. Humans could also take on characteristics of animals. It was not just the gods who could transform into animals - and vice versa.

Daily Life of the Vikings by Kirsten Wolf