Country Living
Most Vikings lived in farms in the country. The main building on the farm was the longhouse. In the early part of the Viking age, it appears that everything was contained in the longhouse: animals, people, tools, food storage, work shop. Later, all but the people were moved to outbuildings.
The structure of a longhouse was made of wooden posts and beams. The doors, seats and wall panels were made of carved and painted wood. The exterior walls could be made of a combination of turf, wood and drystone and the roof of a longhouse was often made of either thatch or turf. Differences in the design of a longhouse were the result of the building materials available and the wealth and social position of the owner.
Most Vikings were farmers. On small farms the whole family shared the work. On larger farms the Vikings used slaves and servants to do the work. Viking farmers grew crops such as oats, barley and rye as well as vegetables such as cabbages, onions and beans. They kept sheep, cattle, pigs and hens.
Viking farmers used horses to plough the fields. All other work on the land was done by hand. They used sickles and scythes to cut hay and grain crops. The grain they harvested was ground between two stones (querns) to make flour.
Apart from farming the Vikings had many other skills. They were keen fishermen who used nets or spears to catch cod and herring. The Vikings carved combs, pins and spoons from animal bone and horn, turned cups, bowls and furniture from wood and were highly accomplished in metalworking. A Viking smith worked with a range of metals including copper, bronze, steel and precious metals to produce jewellery and weapons. Some of the objects they created were for trade and some for use in the home.
Life in the Longhouse
Life in the longhouse must have been smoky and loud and not very private. The longhouse had raised ledges along the walls for sitting and sleeping on. The fire in the centre of the aisle was the heart of the home and provided heat and light and a place to cook.
Vikings usually ate two meals a day, using folding tables. They used wooden bowls or plates and knives and spoons. They ate lots of meat, stews, bread, porridge and dairy products.
A Viking wife ran the household. She supervised any slaves and would take charge of the farm or family business if her husband was away on a voyage. She also held the keys to the store chests in the house. She would be in charge of grinding grain into flour, making butter and salting or smoking meat and fish to preserve it. The women also did the spinning of wool and plant fibres to make thread which they would then weave on the house loom. They would make cloth from wool or linen to make clothes, bedding and wall hangings, tents, covers for wagons and sails for ships.
Vikings also passed the time inside the longhouse on activities such as making or mending weapons and tools, carving or playing board games such as Merills (similar to checkers) and Hnefatafl, which is the Viking version of chess. Children would play with dolls, wooden swords or wooden bats and balls.
References:
Peterborough Museum Exhibition
The Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price, Allen Lane, 2020
Vikings life and legend Edited by Williams, Gareth, Pentz, Peter, Wemhoff, Matthias. The British Museum Press, 2014
Images:
Reconstructed drop spindle and wool - author's picture
Recontructed Hnefatafl board - Andreas Zautner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Reconstructed longhouse interior - Peterborough Museum
Longhouse - Peterborough Museum
Cover image Viking Ship Lofotr licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
