New Historical Artifact Exposes Odd Details About Viking Life
Although they're one of the most famous civilizations in history, most of us don't actually know the nitty-gritty details of Viking life, circa 800 AD. But for a society that's thought to be so vulgar, researchers keep finding more and more evidence that proves we've got it all wrong. Some of the Vikings' accomplishments seem positively modern, while others, well...see for yourself!
A pirate raid
Vikings never actually called themselves vikings. In Old Norse, viking was a word meaning "a pirate raid," so the Scandinavians would use the phrase "going viking" when speaking of raiders. Over time, however, the word became prolifically used as a noun.
Horn-free
Vikings never wore horned helmets! The common misconception may have started when 19th-century painters depicted these warriors with horned head pieces based on defamatory descriptions from northern Europeans.
Vikings loved kitties
Their fertility goddess, Freya, was known to have a chariot pulled by two slate-colored cats, and felines were kept around to eliminate pests, as well as act as furry companions to feline-friendly Vikings.
Fun guys
To start fires, Vikings boiled a fungus, called Fomes fomentarius, in human urine for a few days. Then they clobbered that urine-soaked fungus until it had a felt-like texture and started to spark. The sodium nitrate in urine allowed for the fungus char cloth to smolder for days, and we're sure the fire smelled just lovely.
