Viking contacts with Russia were no less close, but somewhat different.

Firstly, if the Norwegians and Danes participated in the expansion to Western Europe, then in Russia there were people from Sweden, and especially from its middle part.

Secondly, the geopolitical environment in Eastern Europe was cardinally different from Western Europe.

In Western Europe, the Vikings dealt with already established states, while in Eastern Europe the process of state formation was actively going on. Thus, as many researchers note (Melnikova E.A., Rydzevskaya E.A.), the Vikings and the tribes of Eastern Europe (primarily the Slavs) stood at the same stage of development, this is already a proven fact on which we can rely.

Due to the lack of written language among the Slavs (features and cuts do not count), the sources do not contain accurate descriptions of the raids of the Varangians, unlike the sources of Western Europe, but, apparently, there were such attacks.

In the “Tale of Bygone Years”, which was written 150-200 years later in the field of the “Viking Age” (compiled approximately in the 2nd decade of the 12th century), there are a lot of references to the Varangians, which can be divided into several types:

A) “In the summer of 6415. Ide Oleg to the Greeks ...; sing a lot of Varangians and Slovenians ... ”- the mention of the Varangians in the army of Oleg.

B) “In the summer of 6452. Igor, having combined how many, the Varangians, Russia, and the Glades ...” - the mention of the Varangians in the army of Igor

Russian princes often turned to the Varangians for help and, therefore, they had no idea of ​​the Varangians as cruel and greedy murderers and robbers with whom there could be no agreements.

in turn, the Varangians often agreed to serve the Russian prince, therefore, it was quite profitable, perhaps even more profitable than pure robbery (keep in mind that participation in the prince’s campaign is also a robbery of captured cities and territories).

Just as repeatedly, the Vikings (Varangians) appear before us in the role of ambassadors:

1) “In the summer of 6420. Oleg sent his men to build peace and lay a row between Russia and the Greeks, saying: “... We are from the Ruskago family, Karla, Inegerd, Farlof, Veremud, Rulav, Guda, Ruald, Karn

2) “In the summer of 6453. Igor sent his husband to Roman ...“ We ate and guest from the family, Ivor sol Igorev, the Grand Duke Ruskago, and obchie if: Vuefast Svyatoslavl, son of Igor, Princess Olga Iskuseev, Sluda Igorev, neti Igorev, Uleb Volodislavl, Kanitsar Peredslavin, Shikhbern Sfandr of Uleble's wife, Prasten Turduvi, Libiar Fastov, Grim Sfirkov, Prasten Akun, neti Igorev, Kara Tudkov, Karshev Tudorov, Egri Evliskov, Voist Voikov, Istr Aminodov, Prastenj Bernov, Yatvya Bernov Kol Kleakov, Steggy Etonov, Sfirka ... Alvad Gudov, Fudri Tuadov, Mutur Utin, merchant Adun, Adulb, Yggivlad, Oleb, Frutan Gomol, Kutsi, Emig, Turbid, Furbirn, Mona, Ruald, Sven, Stir, Aldan, Tilen , Apubksar, Vuzlev, Sinko, Borich messages from Igor, the Grand Duke of Ruskago, and from every prince and from all the people of the Russian land. - according to the calculations of Melnikova E. A. in Igor's agreement with Byzantium in 944, out of 76 names, 56 are Scandinavian.

Now a few words about the ethnicity of the first Russian princes. Most modern historians recognize the Scandinavian origin of the first Russian princes. Even the unconditional “anti-Normanist” B. A. Rybakov admits the possibility of identifying the annalistic Rurik with Rurik of Jutland, known from Western European sources. The fact that the first Russian princes were Scandinavians by origin is mentioned in passing by Melnikova E. A. A glorified Scandinavian dynasty was called to the throne, glorified, apparently, in the second half of the 9th century or by the time Oleg arrived in Kyiv.

Now a few linguistic examples: in the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod there are two graffiti dating from the second half of the 11th century (about 1137). They are scratched by persons with the Scandinavian names Gereben and Farman, but they write in Cyrillic, and there is no doubt that Russian is their native language, therefore, by the middle of the 11th century, the Old Norse was ousted and the transition to Old Russian took place - the process of assimilation in action.

But, apparently, runic writing was also preserved for some time. An example is the runic finds of 1115-1130 from the city of Zvenigorod of Galicia. The inscription uses the “g” rune, which fell out of use in Scandinavia by the end of the 11th century. Consequently, the writer had no contact with Scandinavia for quite a long time, but he himself is a descendant of immigrants from Scandinavia. Apparently they are immigrants.

That. it can be seen that in the culture of Eastern Europe there is a significant element of the Scandinavian language, which disappears approximately by the end of the 11th century.

So, the relationship between the Vikings and the Russian state was, of course, peaceful in nature (trade, hiring Viking squads, the use of the Scandinavian nobility in government, etc. Analyzing the data of archeology, written sources, toponymy, we can say this with full confidence (any minor skirmishes Another question is what is the extent of this influence here we are faced with two extremely opposite scientific currents (even within the framework of the Norman doctrine there are several subsections (theories).

one). Conquest theory: According to this theory, the Old Russian state was created by the Normans, who conquered the East Slavic lands and established their dominance over the local population. This is the oldest and most advantageous point of view for the Normanists, since it is precisely this point of view that proves the "second-class" nature of the Russian nation.

2). Theory of Norman colonization, owned by T. Arne. It was he who proved the existence of Scandinavian colonies in Ancient Russia. Normanists argue that the Varangian colonies were the real basis for establishing Norman dominance over the Eastern Slavs.

3). The theory of political connection between the Kingdom of Sweden and the Russian state. Of all theories, this theory stands apart because of its fantasticness, not supported by any facts. This theory also belongs to T. Arne and can only claim the role of a not very successful joke, since it is simply invented from the head.

4). A theory that recognized the class structure of Ancient Russia in the 9th-11th centuries. and the ruling class as created by the Vikings. According to her, the upper class in Russia was created by the Varangians and consisted of them. The creation of a ruling class by the Normans is considered by most authors as a direct result of the Norman conquest of Russia. A. Stender-Petersen was a supporter of this idea. He argued that the appearance of the Normans in Russia gave impetus to the development of statehood. The Normans are a necessary external "impulse", without which the state in Russia would never have arisen. On the other hand, a number of authors, primarily anti-Normanists, argue the opposite - the influence of the Scandinavian tribes was insignificant. They question the Scandinavian origin of the term “Varangian”, which appears in The Tale of Bygone Years, thereby nullifying all the above arguments. Similar, we observe in archeology, topomimics, hydronymy and linguistics. Thus, we cannot unequivocally state the degree of influence, but once again we will repeat no seizures, there were no raids with numerous victims - most likely it was a mutually beneficial peaceful existence of two neighbors with the same level of development.

On the pages of Western European annals, the name of Rurik was first mentioned in 850 in connection with his capture of the richest trading port of Dorestad in Frisia.

The temporary return of hereditary lands in Frisia was only an episode in the eventful life of Rurik from the Skjoldung family. Historians are building diagrams of his possible genealogy, but one legend is only replaced by another, and scientists do not have enough information to establish the truth.

Brave grandfather Rurik. We believe that Rurik belonged to a dynasty that was in close family ties with the Danish and Norwegian kings. Probably Rurik's grandfather was the "rich and decisive" king Eystein, who married the daughter of Sigurd the Deer Asa. At the end of the 8th century, Asa died. After that, Eystein piracy in the Baltic and once approached Aldeygyuborg (Ladoga).

The local king Hergeir was unable to defend the city and was killed by the indomitable Eystein in a fight. Eystein began to rule Ladoga, and Isgerd, the widow of the late king, made his wife.

Halfdan is Rurik's father. From his first marriage, Øystein had a son, Halfdan. From an early age, he participated in the robbery attacks of his father. After his death, Halfdan became king of Aldeiguborg, marrying the beautiful Ingigerd, Isgerd's daughter from his first marriage. "She is the only legitimate heiress of this land," the widowed Isgerd declared to the people. "And therefore I declare here that I give myself and my daughter, and this state is in full ownership of Halfdan." King Halfdan had at least seven sons by different wives. It is believed that Rurik was one of his youngest sons. He was probably born around 817.

What faith did Rurik of Jutland howl? In 826, as noted by many Western chroniclers, Rurik arrived in the capital of the Franks, Ingelheim on the Rhine, in the retinue of his brother Harald Klak, who was ready to receive holy baptism from Emperor Louis the Pious in exchange for flax in Rustringia and the patronage of the monarch. Perhaps the young Rurik also converted to Catholicism along with the Harald family. However, having matured, he received the nickname for his pirate raids on the rich monasteries of Britain - "the plague of Christianity". Subsequently, the Varangian king returned to paganism.

The birth of a Viking. Rurik was born into the family of the King of Jutland, of which there were several hundred in the expanses of the collapsed empire of Charlemagne. Being one of the younger sons of his father, he could not count on the family lands. According to custom, the newborn was immediately taken from the mother and laid on the floor. No one could touch the baby until the father decided whether to recognize him as a member of the family or refuse him. The head of the family took his son in his arms, sprinkled him with water and gave him the name Rurik, which meant in Old Norse "possessing glory." The name indicated the origin of a person, determined his destiny. Scandinavians often gave boys names in honor of glorious ancestors. In the Skjoldung family, the victorious king Rorik the Ring Thrower, nicknamed so for his generosity, was covered with legendary glory.

"sitting on his knees". The kings entrusted the upbringing of children to wise and judicious jarls from other clans. This custom was introduced in order to unite different clans. The man who assumed fatherly duties publicly put the child on his lap, which is why adopted children were called "sitting on their knees." From a very young age, the boy was brought up as a warrior. He was constantly in a male environment, dealt with weapons, and together with adults took part in the hunt. In the event of a military campaign, they took it with them.

Mastering the art of war. The son of a Viking should have mastered the skills of sea and land combat to perfection. In order to gain strength and dexterity, boys from childhood learned to fearlessly jump from rocks, jump over streams and narrow rivers, of which there were a great many in Jutland. From a young age, they knew how to jump over a horse and climb steep cliffs without fear. A good Viking threw two spears simultaneously with both hands, could catch an enemy's spear flying towards him and throw it back, fight with a sword and a spear at the same time, use an ax and a battle axe. As a result of a long training, the Scandinavians managed to keep their balance when they had to run along the rising and falling oars of the drakkar during its movement.

The Vertinsky annals for the year 850 report that during the time of Emperor Louis, Rurik, together with his brother Harald, held the city of Dorestad as a beneficiary. After the death of the emperor, Rurik, falsely accused of betrayal, was thrown into a dungeon in the possessions of Lothar. Having escaped, he gathered a significant detachment of Danes and was engaged in sea robbery, devastating those areas of the state of Lothair that were adjacent to the coast of the Northern Ocean. He sailed across the mouth of the Rhine to Dorestad and captured it.

A look to the East. Having begun his activity in the political arena as a sea robber, Rurik of Jutland became widely known not only due to his devastating invasions of the countries of North-Western Europe. He managed to force the Frankish kings to reckon with him. It seems that Rurik was enterprising and persistent in achieving his goal. An excellent strategist and a brave warrior, he was not devoid of diplomatic skills and knew how to get what he wanted through negotiations. He was followed on dangerous campaigns by several hundred Vikings, who were confident in their glorious and generous leader. A person of such a scale, experienced and sophisticated in politics and military affairs, and besides, who had Slavic roots on his mother's side, the Slavic-Finnish nobility could well invite to protect their lands from the Varangian raids.

On the way to empire. Rurik's decision to accept the proposal of the ambassadors of Gostomysl could be due to the economic interests of Friesland. Dorestad, captured by Rurik, specialized in Eastern European trade, but from the 830s, its importance as an international port almost vanished due to the fact that the Old Rhine changed its course. Dominance in the Baltic, for which Rurik had previously fought, now lost its meaning. That is why the call to the country of the Slavs was perceived by him as a chance to create his own empire.

Indeed, there is a paradox - the military companies of the Normans in the west are described and attested in detail, but there is no such evidence about Russia.

On the question of "robbed or not," the Normanists do not have an unequivocal opinion.

Some of them believe that, of course, the Swedes robbed and even "subjugated the tribes of the Slavs and Finns." The proof is most often quotations from sagas about military operations in the east (in which Russia is not mentioned) and the statement “the Danes plundered western Europe, therefore, the Swedes plundered eastern”, which is not correct from the point of view of logic. These are two different tribes with different levels of development, different political conditions and numbers; locations are also different. A lot is known about the military campaigns of the Normans, these were serious events that brought glory to the participating kings, and their names are preserved in the sagas, and the campaigns are also described in synchronous sources of other countries.

And what about Russia? The Icelandic sagas describe four kings traveling to Russia - Olav Tryggvason, Olav Haraldson with his son Magnus and Harald the Severe. All of them hide in Russia, and when they return, they are sometimes not recognized. There are also Skaldic visas (special octets).

Of the 601 skaldic stanzas given in the Circle of the Earth by Snorri Sturluson, only 23 are devoted to travels to the east. Of these, only one speaks of an attack on Russia - the destruction of Aldeigya (Ladoga) by Jarl Eirik, which usually dates back to 997. And so the main object of the predatory raids of the Scandinavians (the skalds usually did not write on other topics, in the "Circle of the Earth" about 75 percent of the visas are about the war) is the Baltic." There is also a strand about Eymund, who sailed to Russia to be hired by Yaroslav. There is Ingvar the traveler, there are Scandinavians sailing to be hired in Tsar-grad as varangers, but there are no conquerors.

Thus, from Scandinavian sources it is known one attack on Ladoga, which took place 100 years after Rurik. Scandinavian attacks are unknown in the annals, and archaeological evidence of military expansion is also absent.

Therefore, another (most) part of the Normanists speaks of the "peaceful expansion of the Scandinavians." That, they say, they came and peacefully subjugated the backward tribes, traded, and generally organized. True, again it is not clear why in one part of the world they robbed, and in the other there was modesty itself, and even at the same time, local tribes, not very different from the Scandinavians in terms of development and weapons, but significantly superior in numbers, so calmly gave away land and power into the wrong hands.

Many do not bother at all and mention both "conquest and subjugation" and "peaceful expansion" at the same time.

Let's see why the Vikings did not attack Russia, and Novgorod in particular. Why did they not leave traces of military expansion in Eastern Europe in history.

The Vikings are pirates, and the sacking of cities by the Normans is no longer just a “pirate gang”, but several strong kings, for whom large forces are ready to reach out. Therefore, when we talk about the sacking of European cities, it is not entirely correct to call the robbers Vikings. If you called the respected king a Viking, that is, a pirate, you would immediately become shorter by a head - the famous kings defeat the Vikings as young men at the very beginning of their biography. But even for the kings, the only true tactic was speed and a surprise attack. Engaging in a protracted battle with local troops is impractical, simply because you are far from your bases and reinforcements. Of course, there were also sieges of cities, and mass battles, for example, a very long but unsuccessful siege of Paris. But the basis of the military tactics of the Vikings is a triad: running, robbing, running back.

Here is an illustration for the above theses from the circle of the earth, "The Saga of Olaf the Holy", Chapter VI.

“In the same autumn, in the Swedish skerries near Skerries, Soti Olav was in battle for the first time. There he fought the Vikings. Their leader's name was Soti. Olaf had fewer people, but he had more ships. Olaf put his ships between the pitfalls, so that it was not easy for the Vikings to approach them, and on those ships that came closer, Olaf's people threw hooks, pulled them up and cleared them of people. The Vikings missed many and retreated.

Olaf is not just a sea robber, he is a major king, the future king of Norway. The battle of the King with the pirates is one of the typical features of the sagas, something like a literary device. After some time, Olav organized a campaign in the eastern lands. Sagas don't usually talk about defeats, but sometimes they make exceptions. Quote from chapter IX:

“Then King Olaf sailed back to the Land of the Finns, landed on the shore and began to ravage the villages. All the Finns fled into the forests and took all the cattle with them. The king then moved inland through the forests. There were several settlements in the valleys, which are called Herdalar. They captured the cattle there, which was, but they did not find any of the people. The day was drawing to a close, and the king turned back to the ships. When they entered the forest, people appeared from all sides, they shot at them with bows and pressed them. The king ordered to close it with shields and defend, but it was not easy, since the Finns were hiding in the forest. Before the king left the forest, he lost many people, and many were wounded. The king returned to the ships in the evening. At night, the Finns caused bad weather by witchcraft, and a storm arose on the sea. The king ordered the anchor to be raised and the sails to be set, and at night he sailed against the wind along the coast, and, as often happened later, the king's luck was stronger than witchcraft. At night they managed to pass along Balagardsside and go out to the open sea. And while Olav's ships were sailing along the coast, the Finns' army pursued them overland.

And the entry " inland through forests” lasted less than daylight hours, along with the landing, robbery, battle and retreat. But even such a deepening allowed the locals, who knew the area, to set a trap and inflict significant damage. The Vikings, as they like to imagine for some reason, were not "killing machines" and "invincible warriors." They did not differ much from any other warriors of that time, although their military traditions and the corresponding religion helped a lot in military affairs, but in terms of weapons and protection, the Scandinavians were even inferior, for example, to the Franks or Slavs, simply because of the underdevelopment of their own metallurgy and blacksmithing.

It was the tactics of "blitzkrieg", a swift and bold attack, that allowed them to achieve excellent results. As a result, this forced the locals to hire Scandinavians to protect themselves from themselves. During the time that the locals rubbed their eyes and gathered an army, the hired Normans were able to catch up and pile on. In protracted battles on foreign territory with a strong enemy, the Normans often lost in the end. So it was, for example, during the siege of Paris, when the besieged finally waited for help. Or during the attack on Seville, when they burned half of the ships of the attackers.

“However, the military activity of the Scandinavians was the initial impetus for their “development” of Western Europe. It is no coincidence that the raids of the Scandinavians on the state of the Franks ended with the allocation of the territory of modern Normandy to them in exchange for protection from other "seekers of easy prey." A similar situation developed in England, where an “area of ​​Danish law” was formed, the inhabitants of which were Scandinavians (mainly Danes), and, in exchange for permission to live in the occupied territory, they were obliged to protect the coast of the Anglo-Saxon states from Viking raids. In a similar way - by hiring separate Scandinavian military squads - they defended their coasts and the Irish kingdoms.

I will add the Norman Kingdom of Sicily to this list, although the question of the number of Scandinavians there occupies me, as well as why they sailed to the other end of Europe. Let's take a closer look at the military activities of the Scandinavians in the 8th-12th centuries.

We see an established pattern of behavior - raids on the coast to a shallow depth (marked in light yellow), and entering navigable rivers to attack large cities. Moreover, the Normans did not seize control over these cities, the goal was war trophies, and for settlements, the sea people preferred the sea coast. Constant raids forced the locals to either retreat from the coast and submit, or hire Scandinavians, or build their own fleet. The number 1 marks the lands captured by the Normans, primarily the Danes. It is quite logical - to sail close and across the open sea. Why didn't they populate the south, which is much closer to Britain? Because the Slavs were sitting there, who also had ships and Frankish swords. Of course, the Slavs were also attacked, in some periods they were forced to pay tribute, and cities were destroyed. Moreover, relations were difficult, for example, one part of the Slavs could attack another part along with the Danes. And the Ruyans in general were so serious guys that they weren’t particularly touched, and during the 1147 crusade against the Obodrites, the Ruyans helped their brothers in faith and defeated the Danish fleet. Some provinces of Denmark paid tribute to the Ruyans, for which King Valdemar I captured Arkona a few years later in 1168.

Okay, the Danes and other Norwegians are more or less sorted out. And where did the Swedes direct their Viking ardor? And they took an example from their milk brothers and moved across the sea to the coast in the same way, only to the east, and not to the west.

Map from the work "History of Sweden", where the responsible editor and author of the vast majority of articles is the famous Swedish medievalist Dick Harrison (Lund University). Signed under the map: Sverige i slutet av 1200 - talet. For reference: Sveriges historia. 600-1350. Stockholm - Nordstedts. 2009. S. 433.

It is now easy for us to paint over with green on the territory of Finland, and it took the Swedes 490 years to do this, since the time of Rurik. For a long time, because the Finns are guys, although not rich, but also difficult. They are the first who started fishing in the Baltic. The Finno-Ugric boat, or haabjas, is one of the most ancient types of boats. These canoes were used as fishing and transport vessels during the Stone Age, it's not even bronze, it's a very long time ago. So they could swim and piracy no worse than the Swedes, although more often they just fished.

Note that the southern part of the Gulf of Finland is not shaded. And why? Because the Estonians lived there, who also knew how to sail on ships and stick spears into people. Of course, they were attacked, but there was nothing special to take, compared to Europe, so the risk was not justified. The Estonians did not live well then, they traded in amber, which allowed them to buy swords, although in small quantities. They also engaged in fishing and piracy. In the saga of Olaf Trygvasson, where it is said that during the flight of Olaf and his mother to the east, “they were attacked by the Vikings. These were Estonians.” And for example, the Estonians from the island of Ezel (Ezelians) and the tribe of the Curonians, related to the Livs, repeatedly attacked the coast of Denmark and Sweden.

There is also a very important, but rarely covered moment, do you see the Karelian tribe, in the very east? They got into dependence quite late, and for a long time they were independent and very restless guys. Does the phrase “Sigtuna campaign of 1187” tell you anything? The Swedish researchers, and our Normanists, did not deserve any attention from this campaign, but in vain. Sigtuna is the capital of the Swedish state at that time, the largest city in Sweden, a political and commercial center, located in the heart of Uppland on the shores of Lake Mälaren.

Tonnage and other parameters of the found warships (according to D. Ellmers with additions)

Now let's look at the route.

First we go through the Gulf of Finland, then 60 km along the Neva. The river is wide and comfortable, you can go on any ship. Then we go to the mouth of the Volkhov River and here the most interesting begins. Staraya Ladoga is only 16 kilometers from the mouth. The ideal target for an attack, not a fool was Jarl Eirik. But in order to reach Novgorod, we will need to row 200 kilometers against the current along a difficult fairway, which cannot be passed without a local pilot. The river practically does not allow you to go tacks against the wind. Along the way, you need to overcome rapids in two places.

Large and medium-sized combat or cargo ships (such as Skuldelev 5 or Oseberg / Gokstad) could pass along the Ivanovo rapids. Ivanovo rapids were destroyed in the 30s of the twentieth century - the fairway was straightened and expanded by blasting. The second difficulty was the Volkhov rapids. Unlike the Neva, they were impassable for ships with a large draft. The Volkhov rapids were hidden by water as a result of the construction of the Volkhov hydroelectric power station, so it is impossible to make an accurate experiment now, but bottom studies show the maximum length of the ship is no higher than 13-15m.

That is, the combat "Skuldelev 5" may no longer pass, only Ralsvik-2 will pass from the plate with warships. Here are small merchant ships on average 13 meters, they can climb perfectly.

Tonnage and other parameters of found cargo ships (according to D. Ellmers with additions)

Another table from the same source shows the duration of the journey from Birka to Novgorod, 550 nautical miles, 1018 km, 9 days if sailing around the clock and 19 if with night breaks. I don’t know the Elmers calculation method, but in a modern experiment, the route from Stockholm to Novgorod was passed, for example, on the Ayfur ship

• Length - 9 meters
• Width - 2.2 meters
• Case weight - about 600 kg
• Sail - 20 m2
• Team - 9 people

This is slightly less than the penultimate one from the bottom of Skuldelev 6. The ship passed the route in 47 days, including several 2-3 day stays and 10 days from Staraya Ladoga to Novgorod. This is without taking into account the time to pass the thresholds. And then back with the loot, through the same rapids. And you can’t use large warships, that is, you won’t bring many people, and there are evil Finnish sorcerers around in the forest. But most importantly, in Novgorod, the Slavs, who have their own boats, are called "lods". And their swords and chain mail. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't swim. And the Swedes also thought so, because the risk is big, and the exhaust is incomprehensible at all, what is there in this Novgorod? Not even a suitable Catholic priest to cut off his nose, ears and hands, as was the case with the priest who accompanied the cousins ​​of Thietmar of Merseburg. And why then row-torn 260 kilometers along the rivers? It is better to rob along the coast of the Neva, or along Lake Ladoga.

I summarize. The Vikings did not attack Russia because:

• The Swedes were occupied by Finns and Estonians for 500 years. The Estonians did not lag behind and were also occupied by the Swedes. The Karelians got tired of it and they destroyed the Swedish capital. The Swedes did not have an extra few thousand people for the war with Novgorod, and the possible trophies are incommensurable with the risk.
• Novgorod was too deep inland to suffer from sea robbers. To reach Novgorod, it was necessary to swim 260 km along the rivers. 200 km is passed along a difficult fairway, mainly by oars, the river has rapids, one of which is not passable for large military vessels. For comparison, in Europe, cities were plundered on wide rivers, and to an average depth of 100-150 km. The coast was preferred.
• The Danes have another 700 km to Novgorod. They had closer and more interesting goals.

“Kievan Rus was founded by the Vikings” - I think this phrase will evoke a variety of emotions among historians: indignation, anger, surprise, laughter, joy, understanding. The Norman theory of the founding of Kievan Rus raises many doubts. You can find a lot of information about it on the Internet. Let's just think about how it could be. This is not a scientific work, but rather a simple philosophical reasoning-assumption.

Let's reason on the basis of the judgment that the Vikings founded Kievan Rus, or rather, it would be true to say - they conquered and led. By the way, at that time the state was simply called Rus, it became Kyiv only recently, I believe that due to the fact that this name could mean not only a state with a center in Kyiv.

Perhaps the Vikings or the Varangians did not found Russia, but only strengthened it with their control, made a special contribution to its development on the world stage.

Possible evidence of the theory of the founding of Russia by the Vikings

Let's start with names. The first name comes from memory - Rurik, of course, Rurik. By the way, his Norwegian name sounds like Hrerik Hemmingson. Born into a family of Scandinavian rulers. He was a Scandinavian, they were also called Varangians. Remember the well-known ancient trade route "From the Varangians to the Greeks"? So: the path passed from Scandinavia (the modern countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden) to Byzantium (modern Turkey) with the capital at that time in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) through the Dnieper and the Black Sea. Rurik is the chronicle founder of the Novgorod principality in Russia. But let's not digress. Prophetic Oleg ruled after the death of Rurik and was his relative. Oleg's birth name is Odd. The famous Prince Igor (son of Rurik) was named after the Scandinavian name Ingvar. His wife Olga also had a Scandinavian name and Scandinavian roots. All princes are Vikings.

Skalds and chroniclers

Another proof of the strong influence of the Varangians or Vikings on life in Russia is that the skalds first appeared in Scandinavia, who told about the heroes and anti-heroes of that time. So that's where the chronicle comes from! (for example, "The Tale of Igor's Campaign"). One can compare the old chroniclers in Russia with the skalds in Scandinavia during the Viking Age.

The heyday of the Viking Age and Kievan Rus comes at the same time in history - this is the 9th-10th centuries.

Runic inscriptions were also found not only in the Scandinavian countries, but also in Ukraine. For example, Wikipedia talks about the runic inscription in the elder futark on the tip of a spear, which was found in Volyn (dated to the 4th century). Runic inscriptions from the Viking Age were also found on Berezan Island at the mouth of the Dnieper.

Similarity of cultures

The mosaic of one of the houses in Kyiv depicts the founders of Kyiv on boats with dragon heads and shields attached to the ship. We know that in order to intimidate the enemy before the battle, on the bow of the ship (and the bow was then high above the water) they hung a dragon's head carved from wood (drakkar in translation means dragon). The sides of the drakkar posted on the outside told the enemy about an imminent attack. Most likely, this fashion was brought by the Vikings, who founded the state great at that time. Although, perhaps, this is just a cultural exchange between peoples.

Historians of that time call the Varangians Russ. They were relatively tall, with blond hair and eyes. Both Varangians and Slavs fit this description. Perhaps we were just one people? Maybe both the Slavs and the Scandinavians had the same ancestors - Aryans, ancient pastoralists and plowmen?

And women also stood on the social ladder together with men, their rights were not oppressed, women were respected both in Russia and in Scandinavia.

According to archaeological excavations in 2016, it became known that pre-Christian Kyiv was built according to the northern pattern (like excavated cities, in particular in Sweden): the city was divided into equal areas [link No. 6 at the bottom of the page].

Statue of Freyr in Chernihiv

In Chernihiv there is a memorial to history - the mound of Prince Cherny (the founder of Chernigov), who, according to legend, was a Varangian. A figurine of God Freyr (the god of fertility according to Norse mythology) was found in the burial mound. The burial is very similar to the type of Scandinavian burials in the Viking Age (two warriors were buried with swords and other weapons, war horses, a woman was buried with keys, which symbolized her high location). Below is a brief story about the mound of Prince Cherny in Chernigov, you can read more about it in the same Wikipedia.

Pendant with a dragon in Korosten

Excavations in Korosten (ancient Iskorosten) of the Zhytomyr region showed a little about the life of the time when Prince Igor ruled, and then Princess Olga. Several burial mounds (ancient burials) were excavated, and among the finds was a pendant made in the Scandinavian boron style, characteristic of the 10th century. On this pendant you can recognize the mythical dragon animal, which was so popular with the Scandinavians during the Viking Age. Archaeologists and historians claim that the pendant is made in the Scandinavian boron style, which is typical for the Scandinavians who lived in the Viking Age (X century).

At the excavations in Korosten (Zhytomyr region, in 946, according to legend, it was burned by Princess Olga in retaliation for the execution of Prince Igor's husband by the Drevlyans), among other finds, a fragment of a Scandinavian temporal ring was also found.

Runes in Volhynia and Berezan Island

In Ukraine, runic inscriptions with older Viking runes on the tip of a spear (IV century) were also found, the find was in Volyn. Also, runic inscriptions of the Viking Age were found at the mouth of the Dnieper and on the island of Berezan.

The rune Odal (Othal) of the older runic alphabet of the Viking Age can often be found on our old embroideries.

Funeral treasures of the ancient Germans in Vinniki

Another proof that the Vikings were in Russia is that an ancient burial ground of a Germanic tribe from the period of the end of the 1st-middle of the 2nd century was found in Vinniki in the Lviv region. Parts of a red-glazed earthenware vessel, glass and metal objects, and two large bronze cauldrons were found in cremation burials [for more details, see link No. 8].

Similarity of mythologies and beliefs

German-Scandinavian and Slavic mythologies are very similar to each other.

The calling of the Varangians by the Slavs

About the calling of the Varangians, led by Rurik in 862, says a quote from the Ipatiev list of the Tale of Bygone Years:

In lѣⷮ҇. ҂ѕ҃. t҃. o҃ ⁘ and exiled Varygy across the sea. and do not give them tribute. and more often in your own hands. and there would be no truth in them. and stand rod on roⷣ. and the former ѹsocial in noneⷯ҇. and fight on your own for a bowl. and we will look for rkosha ourselves in our princes. ilk would have led us and rѧdil. by right. go across the sea to Varѧgoⷨ҇. to Russia. sіtse bo call. you Varⷽ҇gy Rus. ꙗko all friends are called Svej. friends are zhrmani. English. ini and Gotha. tacos and si rkosha. Russia. Chud. Slovenia. Krivichi. and all our earth is great. and sbilna. but there are no people in it. yes, go princesⷮ҇ and rule over us. and choose. three brothers. from their birth. and on your own all Russia. and came to the Sloven first. and cut down the city of Ladoga. and the elders in Ladoz Rurik. and others Sineѹs on Bѣlѡzerѣ. and the third Truvor in Izborsk. and ѿ tѣkh Varѧg. nicknamed Ruskaꙗ of the earth.

The first chronicles date back to the 13th century, in which the events of the 9th century are mentioned for the first time. So it seems to me that one cannot be 100% sure in history, because history is written by people, and they are often biased. And there were also such facts in history when the new government destroyed all documentation, all traces of its previous government, the history of the people ...

To be continued... Article in progress...

Literature + interesting articles were used in the preparation of the material

Viking Age

The so-called Viking Age historians refer to the period of the VIII-XI centuries. Judging from the point of view of global world history, the Viking Age did not have a significant impact on the fate of the peoples of Europe, scientists say. But in the history of the Scandinavian countries themselves (Norway, Sweden, Denmark), these centuries really turned out to be epochal, during which there was a huge impetus both in the economic and social development of these states. In addition, the Vikings co-served, some scientists believe, and, if I may say so, the role of a catalyst in the formation of our future state. Historians do not deny that the Normans took an active part in the process of the genesis (origin or emergence) of the state of Kievan Rus, and they immediately add it in order to quickly dissolve into the Russian-Slavic masses. Such a statement is noted in the domestic historical literature of recent years, for example, in the Russian New Illustrated Encyclopedia of 2001, although, in our opinion, we would be careful not to make such a categorical statement.

Bronze matrices for the manufacture of chased plates of the Viking Age. 7th century, about. Öland, Sweden

The traditional date for the beginning of the Viking Age is designated by researchers as June 8, 793, i.e. from the time when the Vikings attacked the monastery of St. Cuthbert on the island of Lindisfarne off the east coast of England, but the author of the most popular book of the 19th century, The Viking Campaigns, Swedish scholar Anders Stringholm, dates this date to 753. It was then that the Vikings first appeared off the coast of England and robbed the island of Thanet, or Tinet.

It is believed that the Viking Age ended in the second half of the 11th century, in the year of the death of the Norwegian king Harald the Severe Ruler in the battle near the English city of Stamfordbridge in 1066.

For almost three centuries, the Vikings terrified the peoples of the coastal countries of Western and Northern Europe, Africa, the Mediterranean and, of course, the White Sea. Western chroniclers attribute to the Vikings the extraordinary courage and speed of their offensive operations. Fleets of ships carried tall, red-haired warriors who uttered a war cry that terrified all who lived on the coast and islands from North to South, where they brought death and destruction. Viking ships always appeared unexpectedly on the horizon and approached the shores so rapidly that the coastal inhabitants did not even have time to collect the essentials, and they had to run headlong to escape the attack of cruel barbarians.

When studying the Viking Age, historians have found it difficult to determine the nature of the Norman expansion. As A.Ya. Gurevich, and you will see this for yourself, getting acquainted with the content of the Scandinavian sagas, military raids, piracy and peaceful trade sometimes went hand in hand with them. The same Vikings could act either as robbers and invaders, or as peaceful settlers and farmers, but the former prevailed in most cases.

The sea vessel was, as it were, the emblem of the Vikings, since the life of these pirates depended mainly on a ship that could deliver them to any point of the seas and oceans. Their well-being and often life depended on these unpretentious swimming facilities.

Western chroniclers, marveling at their great skill in managing ships, argue that no nation could compete with them at sea. Their ships were equally adapted to both rowing and sailing.

Although it should be noted right away that the sail appeared on the ships of the Scandinavians starting from the 7th century, before that their fleet was exclusively rowing. Giving a description of the ships of the North, Cornelius Tacitus in his work “On the Origin of the Germans” back in the 1st century AD. noted: “In the midst of the Ocean itself, communities of Svions live; in addition to warriors and weapons, they are also strong in the fleet. Their ships are notable for the fact that they can approach the mooring place at any of their extremities, since both of them have the shape of a bow. Svions do not use sails and do not fasten oars along the sides in a row one after another; they have them, as is customary on some rivers, removable, and they row them as needed, either in one direction or the other.

The Vikings were skilled navigators, perfectly able to use the ebb and flow to enter the rivers of European countries. According to a Western chronicler, the inhabitants of Paris were especially struck by a characteristic picture when they once saw Viking ships moving overland. Crossing the Seine, before reaching the capital of France, the Normans dexterously pulled their ships out of the water and dragged them on dry land, bypassing the city for a distance of more than half a kilometer, then again launched above Paris and proceeded further along the Seine to capture the city of Champagne. The Parisians gazed with astonishment at this spectacle, and the Western chronicler mentions it as an incredible and unheard of event. Although, as we now know, among the northern peoples, including our ancestors - the Rus-Slavs, it was commonplace to drag boats on dry land - through portages in order to shorten the path.

What does the word viking mean? According to one version, according to scientists, this word comes from the Norwegian vik (vic) - bay, i.e. it can be translated as people of the bays. According to another version, the researchers formed the word Viking from the name of a specific area of ​​the Scandinavian Peninsula - Vika (Vicen), adjacent to the Oslo Fjord in Norway. However, such a phrase, allegedly derived from the indicated name of the Norwegian region, later did not stand up to criticism, since it became known that the inhabitants of Vik were called not Vikings, but a completely different term - vikverjar. Another explanation, that this word was formed from the Old English wic, which meant a trading post, fortification, has also been rejected by scientists.

According to the author of the book "Viking Campaigns" A.Ya. Gurevich, the most acceptable is the hypothesis of the Swedish scientist F. Askerberg, who derived the term viking from the verb vikja - to turn, deviate. He believed: a Viking is a person who left his homeland as a sea warrior, a pirate, for robbery and robbery in other countries. The scientist especially emphasized that in ancient sources the sea trips of the Scandinavians were distinguished - if for the purpose of predatory raids, then it was called “going to the viking”, while the Scandinavians were strictly distinguished from ordinary trading trips.

Western chroniclers called the Scandinavian pirates - Normans, which translates as northern people. The author of the "Slavic Chronicle" Helmold reported that the Norman army consisted of "the strongest among the Danes, Sve-ons and Norwegians." In ancient times, the ancestors of the Danes and Swedes were called Danes and Sveons. Adam of Bremen called the Danes and Sveons also Normans, he wrote about "pirates, whom the Danes call Vikings." “The Normans spoke a barbarian language, like northern people who came from a part of the world known as Outer Scythia,” referred to in the book “History of the Goth Kings” by Isidore of Civil (560-636) as “terra Barbarica”. The Vikings in England were called Danes, in Byzantium - Varangians, in Russia - Varangians (in the Russian North - Urman, or Murman), most scientists believe, although, in our opinion, we would not be so firm in asserting, especially about the latter.

In general, Vikings, or Normans, were then called all Scandinavians (by the way, this word was the collective name of the peoples of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and part of Finland) from the middle of the VIII century to the ill-fated year 1066 for them.

Vikings usually became representatives of the upper class, the aristocracy, especially the younger members of wealthy families who might not have inherited anything. For such people, becoming a Viking meant going on a long journey for rich booty led by their local leaders, often ordinary adventurers, thirsting for glory and more power, in order to later sing their exploits, battles and battles in folk songs-sagas that did not die for centuries.

Since the time of the great migration of peoples, attributed by historians to the 4th-7th centuries, there has been the following custom: in lean years or in the event of a large increase in the population, when the land could not feed all the inhabitants, a part of the young people who were not married and still did not own their own business. They were sent out of the country to look elsewhere for food, housing and finding a new homeland.

For example, in a treatise attributed to Abbot Odon (942), the custom of the Danes is mentioned, according to which, due to lack of land, a significant part of their population, by drawing lots, left their homeland every five years in order to seek new lands for themselves and never return. A clergyman from Normandy named Dudo (Dudo Sanquintinianus, born in 960), who wrote a whole treatise about the manners and deeds of the first Norman kings around 1015, spoke in more detail about this custom. Dudo, citing at the beginning the story about the Scythian Sea (Scithicus pontus), the island of Scandia (Scanzia insula), the Goths-Getah, then told:

“These peoples are excited by intoxicating excess and, corrupting as many women as possible in an extremely outrageous way, they produce countless children in marriages so shamefully concluded. When this offspring grows up, it starts disputes over property with their fathers, grandfathers and among themselves, since their number is very large, and the land they occupy cannot feed them. Then this multitude of youths cast lots, which of them, according to the ancient custom, should be expelled to foreign lands, in order to conquer new countries with the sword, where they could live in eternal peace. So did the Getes (Gete), they are also the Goths (Gothi), depopulating almost all of Europe, until where they stopped now ...

Leaving their land, they direct their will to a deadly attack on the nations. Their fathers are persecuting them so that they attack the kings. They are sent away without any kindness, so that they can earn wealth in a foreign land. They are deprived of their native land so that they can settle quietly in someone else's. They are expelled to a foreign land so that they enrich themselves with weapons. They are forced out by their own people in order to share with them the property of others. Their own relatives dissociate themselves from them, may they rejoice in the property of strangers. Their fathers leave them, their mothers should not see them. The courage of young men is awakened to the extermination of peoples. The fatherland is freed from the surplus of inhabitants, and foreign countries suffer, ugly flooded with a numerous enemy. Everything that gets in their way is depopulated. They ride along the seashores, collecting prey from the lands. In one country they rob, in another they sell. Having entered the harbor peacefully, they repay with violence and robbery. (Danish-Russian Studies, translated by K. Tyander.)

Since then, sea voyages have become a habit, when the fathers of families sent adult sons across the sea so that they take care of themselves and make wealth. It was from there that the Scandinavians got the custom - in difficult hungry years, send young people led by experienced old warriors on sea voyages to obtain wealth in abundant lands with weapons. Trophies obtained in distant countries, and often from their own compatriots, were given as a gift to young, strong peasant boys in order to replenish the troops. The more wealth the ordinary leader of the Vikings had, the more likely it was to become a major local leader, and maybe even the king of the whole country. So, allegedly, the Vikings and Viking campaigns were born.

Although it is difficult to agree with Dudo that the main reason for the appearance of these robbers was the overpopulation of the northern country. What kind of overabundance of inhabitants in Norway at that time can we talk about, when resettlement went along the coast in a very rare, constantly interrupted, narrow strip, and the population density was such that there were no more than two Norwegians per hundreds of square kilometers.

The famous medieval chronicler Adam of Bremen in his "Acts of the Pontiffs of the Hamburg Church" (circa 1075) presented a slightly different, more plausible version of the formation of the Vikings. Describing Norway as a harsh, cold and barren country, Adam called the poverty of the Norwegians as the main reason for the Viking campaigns, as well as “the Danes - as poor as themselves”: “Driven by a lack of business in their homeland, they bypass the whole world and through pirate raids on all kinds of lands produce riches that they bring home, thus making up for the inconveniences of their country. (Adam, lib. IV, sar. XXX, translation by V.V. Rybakov and M.B. Sverdlov) similar campaigns due to their poverty, but such a “mass swim” of sea robbers did not come from them, as from Scandinavia.

The main motives for the Viking campaigns, according to Western scholars, could be the ordinary search for fame and fortune, in addition, the Vikings were looking not only for easy enrichment, but also for trading bases and new places for settlement, which cannot be completely ruled out.

In our opinion, the main reason for the massive exodus of the inhabitants of Norway was the violent policy of its unification by Harald om Fair-Haired in the 9th century, in the millstones of which the majority of wealthy people - headings, and even ordinary people who did not agree with it, fell into the millstones. Probably, the above-mentioned Ottar also became a victim of it and was forced to leave Norway, moving to England around 890.

It is known from the Icelandic sagas that for almost the entire 9th century Norway was torn apart by internecine wars, brother went against brother, son against father, father against son - a lot of blood was shed, then, to resolve the issue, killing relatives of an opponent, setting fire to a house or ship was considered a common thing. The peak of the Viking campaigns falls just in the 9th century, from the written documents of those years it is known how the countries of Western Europe and the Mediterranean suffered from the Viking raids. These terrible events are filled with the sagas of that time.

It is possible that it was these events that forced the coastal inhabitants of Norway at the end of the 9th century to begin resettlement to the islands of the North Atlantic - the Faroe, Shetland, Orkney and Hebrides. Later they discovered Iceland and Greenland. The Normans began to develop more southern lands, including England and France. Such a “freedom-loving” movement in search of wealth and possession of new lands, like a chain reaction, gave rise to the Viking movement in other countries, including the Baltic ones: the Vikings-Ests, and the Vikings-Venedi and others are known from the sagas. Moreover, it coincided with the amazing development of Scandinavian shipbuilding, which at that time was the most advanced in the world.

By the beginning of the Viking Age on the Scandinavian Peninsula (in Sweden, Norway, Denmark), the first squad states began to form, uniting Viking warriors around themselves, who helped to fulfill the elected king (in Latin texts geh, in Scandinavian konung), except for the military, all other state Functions: collection of taxes, court and administrative management.

Among these sea warriors, a special type of Viking stood out, the so-called berserkers, who possessed terrible strength, invincible power and wild courage. According to the interpretation of some researchers, Berserker (berserker, berserker) is translated as a bearskin or in a bearskin.

Mentions of unusual warriors, heroes, whose fighting qualities went far beyond human capabilities, exist in fairy tales, myths, legends, epics of almost all peoples. Let us also remember our heroes from Russian folk tales and epics. However, one of the most mysterious and mysterious characters of the past is, of course, the Scandinavian berserker.

From ancient times, the "war paint" of warriors had, let's say in a modern way, its own image. Each tribe fought under its own symbol of some animal, which is their totem animal, which they worshiped. Some sources mention the complete imitation of warriors to their totem beast, from movements to its way of life. From there, probably, the expressions “strong as a bull” or “brave as a lion” came from.

An example of imitation of a totem beast as one's combat mentor was the initiation rite that existed in ancient times - initiation, when a young man joined the ranks of adult warriors and had to demonstrate his combat skills, dexterity, courage and bravery. One of the forms of initiation was a fight with this beast, which ended with eating the meat of a cult animal and drinking its blood. It was believed that this was supposed to give the warrior strength and dexterity, courage and fury of a wild beast. In other words, the victory over the totem animal symbolized the transfer of the most valuable animal qualities to the young warrior. As a result, the totem animal, as it were, did not die, but was embodied in this warrior. Probably, it is precisely such initiation rites that can explain the existence of cannibalism among the tribes in ancient times (recall Herodotus).

Among the Scandinavian berserkers, the bear cult played a major role. Probably, this was reflected in their everyday clothes - a bearskin thrown over their naked body, which is why, in fact, these warriors got such a name. However, as some researchers note, it would be more correct to call the berserker not just a human warrior "in a bear's clothing", but as "someone in a bear's clothing, incarnated as a bear." We emphasize that it was incarnated in a bear, and not just dressed in his skin.

In more recent times, the term berserk became synonymous with the word warrior, or rather rogue, because this name meant a warrior who was prone to fits of rage, unbridled rage. Moreover, during the battle, the berserker could go into such a frenzy that his strength increased many times, he absolutely did not notice physical pain, and, the worst thing for his own and even more so for other people's warriors, the berserker often could not control his own actions at all. If he "wound up", then both his own and others could suffer. The Norwegian kings preferred to have such rabid warriors in their troops, but ordinary people tried to avoid communicating with them, since the “homeless” berserker always posed a potential danger to others, and it was almost impossible to deal with him. That is why in peacetime, in the intervals between military campaigns, the berserkers lived separately from the main settlement at a respectful distance, in an area fenced with a high palisade.

Not everyone could become a berserker, unfortunately, it is difficult to say anything about their appearance. Some believe that this rare ability to fall into a "bestial rage" was inherited from generation to generation, it was impossible to learn it. One of the sagas, for example, speaks of a man who had 12 sons, and all of them were berserkers: “It was their custom, being among their own and feeling the approach of fury, to go from the ship to the shore and throw large stones there, uproot trees otherwise, in their rage, they would have maimed or killed relatives and friends.”

As one of the ways to achieve the necessary trance before the battle, they used wine, hallucinogenic plants, in particular the common fly agaric, it is possible that some kind of narcotic substances were already used at that time, sometimes hypnosis was used by local sorcerers. This was done with the sole purpose of bringing a person to a state close to "delirious tremens", when ordinary "glitches" appear. And such a person walked and destroyed everything in a row because of the all-consuming fear caused by the action of hypnosis or hallucinogenic substances, and at the same time indescribable rage and hatred seized him. The Ynglinga saga describes that in battle they “rushed forward without armor, gnawed at the edges of their shields like rabid dogs or wolves, foaming at the mouth, and were strong like bears or bulls. They killed enemies with one blow, but neither fire nor iron could hurt them themselves. They attacked in a pack with terrible screams and howls, like wild animals, and no one could stop them.

According to an associate of Rene Guenon, a follower of the esoteric teachings of Hans Sievers, the practice of ritual hatred was preserved to the fullest extent precisely in “berserking”. In his opinion, the berserkers, as he calls them, belong to the Aryan brotherhood of the Kshatriyas, the caste of warriors mentioned above, and only to that part of it that knew the secret of “God-settlement in battle” or “Single-settlement”, the main military deity of the Scandinavians. In the very word berserk, according to G. Sievers, there is a root Ъеr, denoting a bear in the Indo-European languages. Berserkers at the time of the duel were so saturated with Sacred Fury that, allegedly, they could transform into another creature, in particular, into a bear. And as we already know, the bear (or she-bear) was a symbol of Kshatriya power in general. On the physical level, he received the fullness of military strength, and since he became invulnerable to enemies, the destructive power of his aggression could not be stopped by any human efforts. The berserker, as if turning into a bear, being dressed in his skin, with one of his wild appearances suppressed the mind of the enemy and instilled horror in him. A chronicle of one campaign of the Romans to the north has been preserved, in which “barbarians dressed in bear skins” are mentioned. A dozen of these barbarians in a matter of minutes literally tore to pieces more than a hundred Roman well-armed and trained legionnaires. And when the berserkers finished with them, in unquenched fury they rushed to "wet" each other. But usually they died themselves, because it was impossible to kill them directly in battle. Death could overtake them after the battle from ordinary nervous exhaustion (heart attack), or from blood loss (during the battle, in a trance, they did not notice injuries). Only sleep saved them from nervous overload.

G. Sievers noticed this interesting feature of the Norwegian berserkers - they spent most of the peacetime in a dream, i.e. slept almost around the clock (by the way, remember the hibernation of bears). Often they fell into sleep so deeply that even during the sea campaigns of the Vikings, when the critical situation of an enemy attack was brewing, they had to be awakened with great effort. But when the berserker still managed to wake up (sometimes only at the end of the battle), his sacred anger was boundless, and joining the battle, as a rule, unequivocally resolved the outcome of the battle. Our Biarmians also got it from them.

With the decline of the Viking age, bear warriors become outcasts. Since the 11th century, the term berserk, along with the other - Viking, has been used only in a negative sense. Moreover, with the advent of Christianity, these man-beasts began to be portrayed as creatures possessed by demonic forces. The Vatisdal Saga tells that Bishop Fridrek, who arrived in Iceland, found many berserkers there. They create violence and arbitrariness, take away women and money, and if they are refused, then the offender is killed. They bark like ferocious dogs, gnaw on the edge of the shield, walk barefoot on a red-hot fire, without trying to somehow control their behavior - now they would be called "bespredeltsik". In relation to the population of the island, they become real outcasts. Therefore, on the advice of the newly arrived bishop, berserkers, like animals, were scared away by fire and beaten to death with wooden stakes (since it was believed that “iron” does not take berserkers), and their bodies were thrown into a ravine without burial. After the 11th century, there is no mention of these amazing bear people in the sagas.

Bronze plate depicting a berserker found in Öland, Sweden

Western European authors who have devoted their studies to the Vikings romanticize them too much, usually describing the “feats” of sea wolves in pompous poetic tots. But by and large, they were ordinary robbers and robbers, the prototype of future pirates who plied the waters of all oceans at all times and continue to rob merchant ships to this day. In our opinion, ordinary idlers, lazy people who did not arrange their lives on the mainland, became Vikings. But in the same place it was necessary to work tirelessly, to fight over a piece of their land in order to get at least some kind of crop, to take care of livestock, to cut down forest both for building housing, for preparing firewood, and for the construction of the same sea vessels. Therefore, basically different rabble went on predatory campaigns, as one of the sagas directly says, under the leadership of the same people like them.

Although, it is worth saying that in those distant times there was another type of Viking - seasonal, which was noticed by J.P. Capper in his book "The Vikings of Britain", but this was rather an exception to the rule. For example, one of them, the Great Swain from the Orkney Islands, every spring forced his people to sow a lot of grain, after which he went on a Viking campaign and ravaged the lands of Ireland, returning home with the loot in the middle of summer. He called these robberies the spring Viking campaign. After harvesting and placing the grain in the barns, Svein again went on a predatory "cruise" and did not return home until the first month of winter was over, calling it the autumn Viking campaign.

Nevertheless, in our opinion, the majority of the ordinary population of the Scandinavian countries had no time to roam the seas in search of easy prey, they provided themselves with peaceful labor - animal husbandry, agriculture, hunting and fishing, take at least the same Ottar. They went to the sea, fished, beat the sea animal - whales, walruses, seals, picked berries, mushrooms, got honey, eggs and thus earned their livelihood. From ancient Norwegian works, for example, from one of them called “Rigsthula”, it is known that farmers worked tirelessly on their lands, providing themselves with fish, meat and clothing: they “tamed bulls, forged plowshares, cut down houses and barns for hay, made wagons and went behind a plow”, felled the forest and cleared it of stones for future crops, built not only pirate drakkars, but also small maneuverable ships - shnyaks for fishing and trading trips.

And when they say that these robbers - the Vikings could be the founders of other states, at least our Russia, this causes, at least, only an ironic smile. The Vikings were only good at robbing and killing, nothing more. As you yourself will see further from the content of the same Icelandic sagas, the Vikings (scientists believe that in Russia they were called Varangians, in Byzantium - Varangians, in other countries - similar names, which is far from indisputable) were ordinary sea pirates, carrying with bestial ferocity to the peoples of the coastal countries only tears, grief and suffering. Therefore, there is no reason to sing them like that, raising them to the skies, and to call a whole period of world history the Viking Age. They didn't deserve it.

Now, if historians have designated this period from the 8th to the 11th centuries. like the era of Scandinavian shipbuilders, this would be fairer. Indeed, a more perfect ship, like the Normans, then did not exist in any country. Moreover, we will not be greatly mistaken, arguing that, no matter how they sang about them in the sagas, the Vikings have nothing to do with these maritime perfections - sea vessels. They were first of all warriors, and then already skilled navigators. And even then, not everyone possessed the ability to navigate in the open ocean, but certain people on the ship, who, by and large, never took part in hostilities, with the exception of cases of an open attack on the ship; they were cherished like the apple of an eye, no matter what the circumstances.

In most cases, it was these people, who knew how to navigate perfectly in the open ocean by the Sun or by the stars, who stood at the helm of a sea ship, skillfully guiding it in any weather through the elements of the sea. One of them with the characteristic nickname Starry is mentioned in the Scandinavian saga, which says that the position of the Sun during the year "was well known to Stjörn (Starry) Oddi from the island of Flatey and from him the elders on the ships or kendtmands (knowing)". These lines once again confirm our idea that not everyone could navigate in the open ocean, and this was the lot of certain intelligent people - “knowing”.

R. Hennig, the author of the multi-volume work Unknown Lands, provides interesting information about the legendary Oddi: “The history of Icelandic culture knows a certain strange Star Oddi, who lived about 1000 years. This Icelander was a poor commoner, a laborer of the peasant Tor-d, who settled in the desert northern part of Iceland. Oddi was fishing on about. Flatey and, all alone in the vast expanse, used his leisure time for observations, thanks to which he became one of the greatest astronomers that history knows. Engaged in tireless observations of celestial phenomena and solstice points, Oddi depicted the movement of celestial bodies in numerical tables. By the accuracy of his calculations, he significantly surpassed his contemporary medieval scientists. Oddy was a remarkable observer and mathematician, whose astonishing achievements are appreciated today.

Other researchers of the Viking campaigns, for example, the author of the book "Vikings" X. Arbman, together with the scientist SV. Selverom, insist that the Scandinavians in the open ocean could use some kind of solar compass, moreover, they had the simplest devices for determining the azimuth, which allowed them to determine the location of the vessel without being tied to any objects on the ground. To control their location, the Vikings used the so-called "solar board", which is an ordinary wooden rod installed on board the ship in a vertical position. By the length of the midday shadow from him, which fell on the rowers' bench with marks carved on it, sea travelers could judge whether they were adhering to the desired parallel.

However, according to the well-known Danish researcher of the Viking campaigns E. Roesdal, the ingenious navigational devices that they are credited with were, in fact, they did not need during sea crossings. The voyages of the Scandinavians usually took place along the coast, and travelers tried not to lose sight of the land, and spend the night, if possible, on the coast, especially in spring and autumn. Ottar's journey confirms these words. And during the voyage from Norway to Iceland, the participants of the transition could observe both the Shetland and the Faroe Islands. In addition, in the correct orientation, the sailors were helped by observing the strength and direction of the wind, the flight of seabirds, and even the configuration of the waves gave them the opportunity to choose the desired direction of the ship, not to mention the sun, stars and moon.

It should be noted another very important point, when historians claim that the Vikings were skilled shipbuilders, this also causes a sarcastic smile. These robbers, who only know how to hold a sword and an oar in their hands, could never be shipbuilders in their essence, it would be too intense and intellectual work for them. Sea vessels were built by completely different people who have nothing to do with Viking military campaigns. These were probably skilled local peaceful ship craftsmen or skilled slaves brought by the Vikings to Scandinavia as captives from other countries, including Biarmia.

The perfection of the Scandinavian ships of that time is confirmed by archaeological finds. A large number of different vessels found buried in mounds, where they were buried along with leaders, slaves, domestic animals and utensils, allow us to boldly say so. They found ships that were well preserved in the silt and at the bottom of bays and bays.

In 1997, Danish archaeologists discovered a ship buried in the ground near Copenhagen. This find is one of those by chance, as workers stumbled upon it while excavating to expand the harbor for rare ships for the world-famous Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde. The ship probably died from a storm, sank and sank into silt. The annual rings of the oak planks of its sheathing, by which scientists determine the age of the vessel, showed that the ship was built around 1025 during the reign of King Knut the Great (1018-1035), who, as you know, united Denmark, Norway, southern Sweden and England into an entire empire Vikings. Its impressive length of 35 meters amazed even well-known experts in ancient Scandinavian shipbuilding.

Earlier, in the 50s and 60s of the last century, scientists found other Viking ships, but they were shorter. For example, the largest of the five ships found near the town of Skuldeleva was 29 meters long. They turned out to be sunk in the 11th century by the townspeople themselves in order to barricade the entrance to the bay from enemy invasion. As the analysis showed, one of the ships was made of long, reaching 10 meters, without a hitch, boards made from three-hundred-year-old Irish oak, felled near Dublin in 1060.

Indeed, the sagas often mention the so-called long ships, pointed at both ends of the vessel, and the bow was given a look similar to the head of a dragon or snake, and the stern - with its tail, which is why they were called drakkars (from the word dragon). Later, as Strinngolm mentions, the image of a head made of wood from the leaders of Norway was installed on the ship's bow. The nose figures of an animal or a person could be removed or re-installed, since according to ancient Icelandic laws, no one could swim close to the shore, having an open mouth of a snake (dragon) on their nose, so as not to frighten the spirits - the patrons of the country.

The "Saga of Olaf, the son of Tryggvi" mentions the longest and largest ship called the "Great Serpent", made in the North, which has not been seen before in all the previous 1000 years of the existence of Scandinavian shipbuilding. The size of the vessel was usually measured by ru-mams (from the word raume - space) and benches, or banks, for rowers. Between the rooms, as a rule, a ninety-centimeter interval was established in order to give each rower room to use his muscular strength. 34 benches were installed on the Great Serpent, which made the length of the ship, according to Stringholm, about 74 arshins (52 meters), probably if we add the length of the "dead zone" of the stern and bow. Usually, however, Norwegian law, which has existed since the reign of Hakon the Pupil of Adelstein (934-960), prescribed that long ships should have from 20 to 25 cans. Two people were placed on one bench, each with his own oar. Therefore, these ships were from 40 to 50 rowers. But the total number of Vikings on the ship could reach up to 70 people or even more on this type of vessel. Probably, the “extra” people in the team could be warriors or a reserve for changing rowers, or both at the same time.

Another type of long ships of the Normans were shnyaks (augers), narrow and oblong, with a low side and a long bow. Their name came, according to M. Vasmer, from the Old Norse word snekkja - a long vessel. Shnyaks, as a type of ship, on which the Normans usually came to fight, were first mentioned in the Novgorod First Chronicle of 1142. By the way, shnyaka was used by our coast-dwellers when catching cod on Murman, and northern fishermen used it until the beginning of the thirties of the last century, until motor boats came to replace it. It turns out that this simplest fishing vessel without decks, without undergoing significant changes, was used by both Norwegians and Russian coast-dwellers for a thousand years, and maybe even more. They were successfully built at the beginning of the last century in Kola and the Onega district of the Arkhangelsk province, and very quickly. For 3-4 days, two Pomor-builders with the proverb: “Tyap-blunder, and the ship came out” quickly built this simple boat, sewn from juniper and hastily caulked with moss.

Another type of Norman ships - asci (from the word ascus - ash) - differed from the previous ones in their capacity: each ship carried up to a hundred people. On such asks, the Normans attacked Saxony and Friesland, Stringholm argued, which is why they got the name askemans - sailing on ash trees. Although, as you know, they were first called askemans by Adam of Bremen. There were also so-called knorrs (from knorrar), but, despite their speed and maneuverability, they were less used for military campaigns.

It was mentioned above that sails on Scandinavian ships began to be used from the 7th century. However, it was their use that to a greater extent contributed to such an explosive phenomenon as the Viking campaigns. Without sailing ships, Viking campaigns over such long distances would be simply unthinkable.

On Norman ships, one mast was usually installed in the middle, tripled in such a way that it could be removed and, if necessary, quickly set up. In the book "The Viking Age" P. Sawyer indicated how the mast was installed. In the middle of the vessel, along the keel, a massive oak block about 3.6 m long was attached to the frames, called kerling, i.e. an old woman, or an old hag. It had a nest where the mast was inserted. On the curling was a large piece of thick oak plank (mast pärtners), lying on six transverse beams, leaning on them. The mast passed through the pärtners and was pressed against its strong front part by the force of the wind. Thus, the force with which the wind blew on the sail was communicated to the hull. Behind the mast, there was a large gap in the partners so that the mast could be raised and lowered without having to be lifted up from its socket. When the mast stood in its place, the gap was closed with a wooden wedge.

When the mast was not in use, especially during hostilities or at the entrance to bays and rivers, it was laid, so as not to interfere, on two T-shaped stands above the level of a person's head. The ship always had a quadrangular sail, sewn from red and white stripes of woolen cloth (there were other combinations of colors), which could be “reefed”, i.e. with the help of gear - thin ropes from the skins of seals and walruses, reduce or increase its area, depending on the strength of the wind.

The front and back of the vessel were covered with small decks. At the bow was the lookout, or messenger, and at the stern - the helmsman. The middle part was intended for the Vikings and during the parking was covered with a kind of canopy made of thick cloth or the same sail to protect people from bad weather and wind. It was pulled on a mast laid horizontally in T-shaped supports, which in this case plays the role of a skate.

An obligatory attribute of any ship was scoops in the form of wooden, upholstered with an iron hoop, small buckets used to pump outboard or rain water. Constantly several people, changing, poured water from the hold. The quality of the caulking of the seams, consisting of cow's wool and rosin, was not ideal, so this hard work always had to be done. Although the existing unwritten Norwegian laws recognized the ship as unseaworthy only if the outboard water had to be scooped out of it three times in two days. But, of course, this rule was not always followed.

The basis of the vessel was the keel from a single tree trunk, although later it was more often made composite, spliced, since it is difficult for a ship more than twenty meters long to pick up such a tall tree. Frames were attached to the keel by means of wooden dowels, to which boards of various thicknesses were “sewn” through the holes through the holes with thin spruce roots or vines: from the keel to the waterline, inch piles were used, and boards already about 4 cm thick went over the water along the sides. strong, wide and flat-bottomed, for this reason they overcome shallow water well, and with a small side height of up to 1.5 meters. On the upper row of boards, a special bar was attached to reinforce it - a parapet, or a bulwark, on which Viking shields were hung while sailing or, probably, serving to protect against arrows and spears during an attack by an enemy ship. There were holes in the sides for oars, which were right there under the feet of sea travelers while sailing. Moreover, they were of different lengths: those that were located on the bow and stern were noticeably shorter than those used in the middle of the vessel.

The English writer J.P. Capper believes that the oars were inserted into special holes made in the third row of plating under the bulwark. Naturally, this caused the threat of water entering through them due to the low draft of the Viking ships, and it was necessary to somehow prevent its occurrence inside the ship. Norwegian shipbuilders cleverly solved this problem by providing the openings with movable valves. Moreover, surprisingly, these were not ordinary round holes, but with a secret, made in the form of an oblong slot, resembling keyholes in shape.

The main feature of the Norman ships was the rudder that steered the ship. Unlike all existing rudder on Norman ships, it was not installed directly on the stern, but on the starboard side. It was fastened with a willow vine to a large wooden deck - a wart, which in turn was attached to the outside of the body. Moreover, when sailing on the high seas, the rudder was always below the level of the keel and played, just like on yachts, as if the role of an additional keel, thereby extinguishing pitching during a storm, and making the ship more stable. In addition, the lack of a stationary rudder at the stern made it possible to effortlessly pull it out onto land.

The Normans, on the other hand, inconstantly, especially in the North, plowed the ocean. With the onset of winter, the ships, with the help of wooden rollers placed under the bottom of the vessel, and the efforts of an ordinary gate - grandmas, were easily pulled out onto land under a canopy. Before the spring navigation, the ship's masters carefully examined the ships, if necessary, caulked, carefully pitched, and performed some other routine work in such cases. Traces of this kind of workshops, according to E. Roesdal, were found in Hedeby and on the island of Gotland. During excavations in Falster, a real shipyard dating back to the late period of the Viking Age was discovered.

With the onset of heat, the repaired boats were dragged onto the water, and the rested Vikings set sail again to terrify the coastal population of different countries. Usually, all writers who cover the Viking Age present a romantic picture of how some kind of daring adventurers appear in front of civilians shaking with fear under beautiful striped sails. But the population learned about these robbers not from the time the sails appeared on the horizon, but much earlier, since they were betrayed by a disgusting stench that spread around their ship for tens of kilometers; but imagine that there were several ships. The fact is that the Vikings did not have the habit of washing, and the food with which they were reinforced left much to be desired.

The fact that these constantly dirty robbers never bathed, let alone combed their hair, can be read in the saga of Harald Fairhair, the first king who united Norway. He did not immediately receive such a beautiful nickname, at first he was deservedly called Harald om Shaggy for the fact that for ten years he did not wash or cut his hair. Can you imagine what was going on in his head? It turns out that he himself never bathed. We once had to meet with a homeless person who entered the store, people within a radius of 5 meters fainted from his smell. If we take into account the unwashedness of this victim of the Russian reforms, at least from the time they began, then it turns out that a much larger number of people could have fallen from the smell of the glorious king without battles. Indeed, seriously, the Vikings were constantly on the ship for months, they were always on the alert, in combat readiness. Moreover, they were always dressed in warm clothes made of animal skins - armor, and the berserks in general were always dressed in bearskins. You don't have to be a very imaginative person to understand what was happening on a ship with a crew of 70 to 100 people.

Moreover, the food was, from the point of view of modern man, disgusting. On a campaign, they equipped large supplies to feed such a horde. The diet mainly included banal salted and dried fish, primarily such traditional ones as cod and herring, as well as dried venison and beef. Cloudberries, collected in July, were taken from the berries in tubs. This berry, indispensable for the North, saved people from a terrible disease - scurvy, from which teeth first fall out and soon death occurs. They took with them blubber and lard, salted butter and curd cheese, petrified from time to time. Be sure to include flour stew obtained by mixing flour in fresh water in the daily diet.

There is no need to explain what a stench arose when, in the summer, the fish, despite the fact that it was salty, began to sour and ferment. The authors of the book are familiar with this smell, although it will not frighten us, since we come from the coast of the White Sea. But, those who first come across this “aroma” of “Pechora salting”, known to us, immediately feel that it has a deadly effect on them. And on the Viking ship there was not one such source of "flavors", but several. Therefore, we do not embellish in the least that the residents of the coastal regions really learned about the arrival of these "glorious guys" much earlier, despite the fact that their sails were not yet in the immediate visibility.

From the book Vikings [Descendants of Odin and Thor] author Jones Gwyn

PART FOUR. THE END OF THE VIKING AGE

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