Viking Funeral | How was it? 10 Curiosities of this incredible ritual

Viking rituals are part of the best known and studied of antiquity, because of how shocking they were and, of course, how useful they are to help us understand how the Vikings lived. Today we will dedicate the present Curious article to discover how was the Viking funeral , an activity that was carried out every time someone from this Nordic town died naturally or was killed.If you are interested in discovering 10 curiosities of this incredible ritual, read on !

The Viking funeral was a ritual that today has records from the poems of this time .Of course, his study has been conducted exhaustively and has been discovered really interesting practices that have allowed us to obtain the greatest amount of data from this ritual.Then we share 10 data of the Viking funerals that, without a doubt, will leave you speechless.

10 Functions of the Viking funeral | Gifts and fire played a fundamental role

1.The Vikings burned the bodies of dead people in ships , specifically in funeral ships, which were common even in culture Egyptian.

2.In addition to incinerating the bodies in the tomb ships, as they were also called, they came to practice Viking funerals on earth , events that became meetings of the entire Nordic people to fire the dead.

3. During a Viking funeral it was normal to leave offerings around the body of the person to be cremated or buried.This act consisted of a form of thanks for the work that the person in life did.

4.Among the most common offerings that were given in the Viking funerals were jewels, weapons and even human sacrifices, the latter were made especially when Viking warriors died.

5.The slaves were buried in areas near the area where they worked and, as expected, their bodies were not accompanied by any kind of offering.

6.Male Vikings could be buried or cremated in funeral ships with their weapons, clothing or tools (especially if they practiced trades), while the bodies of the women were accompanied by their jewels and dresses.

7. A Viking funeral of great historical impact was held in the Oseberg ship , which was discovered in the year 1904 and it is estimated that it dates from the ninth century.The material of this funerary ship is oak wood and in it were found two graves, both of women that apparently had great importance in the Viking era, taking into account that their bodies were accompanied by jewels, precious metals and even a horse carriage.The ship and carriage are currently exhibited at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, in Norway, known as the best Viking ship museum.

8.The Viking funeral had the tradition of including offenders because, according to their beliefs, deceased people could continue enjoying in the afterlife of the social status with which they were buried or cremated from the number of gifts that accompanied their bodies.

9.Harald Blåtand was a Viking who occupied the positions of King of Denmark and King of Norway, when his parents died ordered the construction of Jelling, a village that was once the Viking capital of Denmark .Instead of burning their bodies or burying them in a place in the area, the King decided to carry out this memorial that to date remains in perfect condition to honor his parents and perform a worthy Viking funeral.Today it is possible to visit the stones of Jelling, where they are located the runic stones of King Gorm and his wife Thyra, parents of Blåtand.

10.The members of the Nordic peoples had the belief that if the Viking funeral was not carried out properly, the dead could return to Earth in the form of a ghost , specifically in draugr, a creature of Nordic mythology whose meaning is "he who walks after death" and returns in order to harm his family., the Vikings took funerals very seriously and, of course, the offerings they would include in their relatives' boats or graves, if they enjoyed a good social position.

The Viking funeral is a ritual that keeps interesting curiosities in which we can show the most affective side of this town that, in general, is associated with the strength and war.However, the Vikings had customs that also allow them to see their more human side , in which farewells to loved ones or people they respected played a fundamental role.

Do you know any other information about the Viking funeral that you would like to contribute? Do not forget to do so in the comments section, we will read you immediately to continue learning about this Nordic town.Before you leave, we invite you to discover some truths and myths about the Vikings that, without a doubt, can be useful for you discard certain perceptions that movies and books have made us believe in these characters.