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The Tenth Century

Viking Raids

So, what were these famous Viking raids? Were they anything like what is portrayed in Hollywood movies? Certainly not. Not even Hollywood is anything like what is portrayed in Hollywood movies.

What were the raids like, then? That is difficult to answer. Much of our evidence comes from the hands of monks, who were among the chief victims of the raids and who had a certain interest in portraying the Vikings in as lurid a light as possible. There is no doubt that the Vikings struck terror into the hearts of many, not least because their favorite targets were those places that were most weakly defended.

They really did sail in those open boats, sometimes travelling for days over open water, with twenty or thirty or even as many as sixty men aboard. A Viking fleet would have cargo ships, too, that carried horses and other supplies. The style of the Danish and Norwegian ships was quite distinctive, so as soon as they were spotted, word raced through the countryside. Raids on the southern coast of England became so common that a system of watchfires was instituted--not so an opposing force could be rallied, but so that the locals knew to flee for their lives and to hide their valuables.

A Viking ship typically drew only about three feet of water and they were experts at sailing on rivers. Europe is famous for having so many miles of navigable waterways, so the Viking ships could and did travel far inland. Their favored tactic was to find an island where they could moor their ships, the better to protect them, and then to spend some days or weeks raiding the surrounding countryside.

Vikings were also horsemen. They used horses to move quickly from place to place, preferring to fight on foot. When loot was taken, it was sent back to the island fortress with a small escort while the main body moved on. Since they liked to come back and raid the same places repeatedly, they did not scruple to burn, rape and murder in order to strike terror into their enemies. A few examples more or less at random will suffice.

In Russia, the Swedes were famous for the "butterfly cut"--a technique whereby the Viking would slice open a fleeing enemy down the back in such a way that the lungs came fluttering out. Like a butterfly. 

In Iceland a fellow was known as the "child-lover" because he refused to impale a baby on the end of his spear.

In England some Vikings were holding a bishop to ransom. They had him chained in their hall. At a feast, they all got drunk and pelted him with bones until he died.

The Vikings had a reputation for being bloodthirsty and cruel in an age that was itself hard and accustomed to cruelty. This does not for a moment imply that all Vikings were like this or that every Viking raid was an exercise in madness. But the stories are there for the reading, make of them what you will.

Generally the idea on a raid was to get rich and go home. But the opportunities back home were meagre and there was room only for a few successes. Increasingly, therefore, the raiders came and stayed longer, and then they came and settled.   At some point, the locals decided that this wasn't really a Viking raid, it was an invasion. So, what, are you going to tell them to leave? And so, in general, the Vikings settled: in Ireland, in England, in France, in Russia, and themselves became part of the local population.