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Ancient Norsemen and Vikings - Visiting Ribe, Denmark and Friends

12/6/2013

 
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We have indeed heard tell of the splendor of warrior Danes in days gone by, of all kinds of that nation, and of how their high-born men achieved deeds of valor. ~ Anon, Beowolf

When many of us think of Norsemen or Vikings thoughts come to our minds of fearless warriors from Scandinavia in their decorated dragon long boats , crashing through the cold Northern sea waters to fall on settlements, monasteries, and even Paris, France, to conquer and gain booty.

Who says you can't mix a little business with a whole lot of pleasure? In Denmark that was an an easy proposition for me to do. In the 1980s I spent some time with friends on Copenhagen's island of Zealand, the town of Roskilde in particular.

This was fortunate as concerns any telling of Norsemen, as in 1962 five Viking ships were discovered in the Skuldelev harbour next to Roskilde. They had been purposely sunk over a thousand years ago to block access to Roskilde's fjord. So long a period in the mud had left these scuttled boats in decent condition for future generations to view and wonder on.. 

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Viking runes near Roskilde, Denmark
The first stone upright runes apparently appeared in Denmark around the 1st or 2nd centuries CE. They are still to this day largely undecipherable and must be taken more subjectively with intrigue than anything else. Although we do know that they were often inscribed and raised as tributes to loved ones, comrades and mighty chieftains. Some are more intimate, like the ones etched inside the great passageway of Maes in Scotland some 4,000 years ago with things like "Ingigerth is the most beautiful of all women" and  more enigmatically "It is true what I say, that treasure was carried off in the course of three nights."


PictureKurt and Eva, two of the finest friends ever.
Back in the 1980s I had the good fortune to spend a week with the two friends at left, Kurt and Eva. My deep platonic love for these people, their children and friends and their countrymen in general, grew immeasurably during my two week stay in Denmark.

The Danish people are in my opinion among the world's finest in so many ways that a mere article can scarce describe them all. I decided to spend one week with the friends and then travel on to spots like Odense (of Hans Christian Anderson fame, for one thing) and specifically, Denmark's oldest town, Ribe, on Denmark's western North Sea coast.

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Another friend bearing a gift of potatoes and a Danish gal-pal-friend, perhaps?


An Odense and Iron Age Denmark stop on
 the way to Historic Ribe

Hans Christian Anderson's birthplace
Archaeological digs
Church Nave
Iron Age village
Village reenactor
Odense was a great stop on the way to Ribe but I'm afraid some of its best pictures have been misplaced over the years. One of the first sights I saw on arriving there was this archaeological dig. You can even see a human skull in the foreground. This city of Hans Christian Anderson's residence certainly lived up to its charm, despite the skull.   Edvard Erikson's Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, based on Anderson's fairy tale, is enchanting but really quite small from what might be expected, but seems fitting nonetheless. Odense is definitely a place to visit for any trip to Denmark my friends. If not mistaken, it's also the country's second largest town after clean, enchanting, wonderful Copenhagen.

On arriving next on the peninsula of Jutland, not far from destination Ribe, there was this most interesting Iron Age reconstructed village - however, welcome reader, I'm not sure this village was on Jutland as it could have been near Odense, before the Jutland peninsula. In any case, the goat head on a sharpened spike of wood looks out over some very pretty Danish countryside. The lady reenactor said the village and house she was in were from around 2,000 years ago. She was very dedicated and knowledgeable about the era and its ways and implements. Those are bone pins holding her shawl and sleeves together by the way. Speaking of ways, it's time for our ride into Ribe now.

                Historic downtown Ribe

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Ribe is not only Denmark's oldest town, but for a thousand years it was the country's leading harbor which of course meant many a Viking voyage originated from the place. Archaeological finds have traces of settlement going back to the early eighth century. Craftsmen from these times made pottery, shoes, combs, tools and jewelery, just to name several items produced by these "Dark Age" Scandinavians. Somehow "dark" in any respect bar their warring, perhaps, seems the wrong word for these amazing and intelligent folk and their ferocious, far-ranging oceanic warriors in their fantastically built ships.

 The Norsemen were the last Europeans to accept Catholicism from Aachen emperors and/or Rome, too. There is a resurgence of the old beliefs, or at least an interest in them at the present time in places like Europe and North America. With respect, but with some fun as well; Thor, Odin, Freya, and the other Scandinavian gods must surely be pleased with these developments, one might imagine. Some serious researchers are even suggesting nowadays that there may be something more to these gods than mere myths or allegory.
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The North Sea
Before riding into Ribe proper I just had to see the North Sea. I'd read so much about in books. My friends it must be said this was the most desolate, cold and windy (the trip was in August) ocean, sea, or large body of water I'd ever seen and felt physically; and could only admire the Vikings traversing across it to the British Isles, Continental Europe, and yes, perhaps even as far as the middle of North America. That is if the famed, and to my mind proven, authenticity of the Middle Age writing on the Kensington runestone,  found in the roots of a felled Minnesota tree in the 1890s, is real.

 If so it pre-dates the appearance in the area by permanent European settlers by almost 500 hundred years. There are other possible examples of evidence about Vikings in Oklahoma, and writer/friend Randy Godwin may seem to solve a very intriguing question about an historical happening that occurred among the Native Americans in these areas, around this time, in the recent comments section of this story. 

What reasons brought the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Vikings into world history was the seaborne attack on the  Church of  St Cuthbert on the islet of Lindisfarne in Northumbria, England. Those reasons were many: One being the emergence around this time of elites whose royal dynasties made the advancement of other men increasingly hard to come by. Another cause may have been over-fishing by the Scandinavians beginning around the 5th century or so. Hence, these men's eventual embarking on dangerous sea journeys to find riches and the sustenance of the bountiful seas once again.


Many of course stayed in the conquered parts of northern England, Scotland, and Normandy, France. The city of York, England's Viking archaeological finds are simply amazing. Of course these sea voyagers also colonized places like Iceland, and  less permanently ( know believed because of climate change) Greenland and North America's Newfoundland,  initially called Vinland by the voyagers.
To  the left is a picture from my hotel room of the rooftops  of downtown Ribe.  Most unfortunately, on Sept. the 3rd, 1580, a terrible fire destroyed a large area of the ancient town. But, to an American, this was still quite a look at the past. Our oldest buildings and city, are, of course, St Augustine, Florida, with Jamestown, Virginia, coming next in 1607 after the failed attempt at colonization on Roanoke Island, North Carolina in the 1580s, that led to the famous "lost colony" mystery. As for the first, St. Augustine, it came into being about a decade and a half  before the burnt parts of Ribe were being rebuilt.

 At the risk of admitting some naughtiness, on waking the first morning, I noticed on looking out the window to across the street, a young and attractive woman, maybe on the second floor of the building she was in,  outside her room on the balcony. She was stark naked, walking about, talking on the telephone. This was a sight you just didn't see often in America (at least not where I came from) and I innocently admired the lady's charms until her internal radar zeroed in on me and she looked up, saw the gazer, and then just sauntered on back inside.

To right is a picture of Danish school students doing some cleaning of the old buildings with toothbrushes. Obviously done for fun or perhaps a dare, it shows the spirit of the Danish people. They're good sports and like to have fun and laugh.  Ribe was a great enjoyment to walk around that day. I noticed many languages on this mission of discovery and it's certainly no surprise. Yes, Ribe is a must see for any visit to Denmark my friends. I could hardly wait for the fall of night and what it might bring.
I wanted to take the night tour of the oldest part of the ancient town with the  historical watchman to the left in the pics above as our guide. Before that little excursion, though, I checked out a very nice bar-restaurant and settled into a booth to down some excellent Carlsburg suds. It wasn't long before the two English girls in the right side picture walked by and accepted my offer of some conversation and a get-to-know each other. They were on tour from their jobs was the first thing I found out about them.

It was a great time we had talking about things. I don't believe they'd ever met a young American male before and had a lot of questions about the U.S. at the time. Reagan and some of the American government's policies were not a fave with them, that's for sure. The blonde young lady talked more than her red-headed friend who mainly just smiled despite some missing front teeth, and, it didn't take me long to discover something rather remarkable about her more engaging companion.

At some point, almost from the start, really, I noticed she looked very similar to a young woman I knew back in Carolina with the surname of Jackson. As the conversations continued I also noticed, and was amazed a bit, to discover her personality was very much like the Carolinian friends too. They say we all have a doppelganger somewhere in the world and that night convinced me of it!

Around ten o'clock or so the tour began and to be truthful about it the Carlsburgs had done their job a little too well, so I got to talking to some folks and  can't remember all the details of the walk, but it was a lot of fun and interesting nonetheless.  The night watchman guide did a lot of singing which I forgot what for until looking it up. He was announcing bedtime for Ribe's folk. Ah, the folly's of youth! Anyway, there were a good many well-preserved historical places and buildings. We probably saw the well known old town hall, which according to wiki was erected  in 1496, obviously surviving the 16th century fire, and bought by the city for use as the town hall in the early 18th century.
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The morning after an evening of hygge ( a word kind of hard to translate in English but perhaps a happy time with schnapps among friends will suit in this case) with kolde bord cheese and bread...and of course, another cup of mead!
The next stop after Ribe and then Flensburg, Germany, was the Danish isle of Als, close to the European continent. This was the business part of the trip ( no cloak-and-dagger stuff, I assure you dear reader; in fact, far from it) which was a bit of an odd but important mission that included some tools, a large spoon, and jars; all of which were used to collect soil samples. The Sonderburg town and its environs were the main area of interest  and did the Danes in this off the beaten tourist path look funny at the crazy fellow bent over shoveling soil into jars. It was slightly embarrassing, no, on second thought, it was really embarrassing with my rear-end hiked up in the air while digging dirt into glass with that humongous spoon!

In conclusion to this brief trip through some of lower Denmark and introducing you to some of those friends, let me say that I fell in eternal love with the people of this remarkable nation, some of the brightest and friendliest in the world. And they even liked Americans! I do hope and pray they still do. Time may separate friends in a physical sense, but what's felt deep down and in the memory, lasts forever if one is fortunate enough to always keep the latter intact, and the heart will hopefully take care of itself in the grand plan of the Universe.

And to end this article perhaps an old saying from "the happiest people on earth", known to the Danes by heart, is fitting:
Hvad udad tabes, skal indad vindes. ( What was lost without will be found within.)
Randy Godwin
12/7/2013 08:30:23 am

I envy you your time spent in this part of the world, Dane. I too am very intrigued by the early exploration of America by the vikings as more and more is discovered about their early voyages to the New World. The 80's, I remember them well. :)

Enjoyed your reminiscing about this time in your life.

dane turnbull link
12/7/2013 12:12:42 pm

And I envy you enjoying delightful Orlando, Florida my friend! Glad you brought up their voyages, Randy. The last time I checked a year or so ago that Kensington stone found etched in Minnesota was pretty much confirmed authentic. Imagine, Norsemen that far in to N. America during the mid 1300s! And the 80s, I remember that decade rather well too. What a bunch of years! Enjoy your trip, and thanks for commenting and do say high to your lovely wife for me:)

Phyllis Doyle link
12/9/2013 08:25:51 am

Oh, my goodness, Dane -- talk about Vikings and their history and you have my undivided attention. I have ancestral lines going back to the Vikings in ancient Ireland. I have never taken the time to really research about the Vikings in North America, but what I know of, they were in fact here long before other Europeans. Many Native American tribes have legends about giants, men of amazing strength and red hair, who had strange weapons and manner of dress. These were Vikings, I am sure, and many scholars/archaeologists agree on that. The Paiute tribe out here in Nevada have legends of these same type "giants" and a museum in Carson City has artifacts from that ancient time period -- if I am not mistaken, they also have an 8' tall skeleton. Amazing subject I want to delve deeper into some day soon. I so enjoyed reading about your wonderful friends and time in Denmark.Your photos are great and must be a source of good memories for you. So glad you wrote about Denmark.

Randy Godwin
12/10/2013 09:58:48 am

Have you ever considered the Vikings as a source of disease in the New World, Dane? There were mysterious depopulations in some areas about the time of the Norse explorations in America. The mound-building Mississippian cultures vanished along about this time. Also, I understand the Vikings could carry certain diseases with them across the Atlantic despite the cold. Something to think about.

Dane Turnbull link
12/10/2013 11:38:49 am

Brother Randy you are not only astute and intelligent but would have made a great detective in any field you chose. I believe your exactly right in your supposition about what happened with the Kensington runestone. Your the expert on this but isn't it figured that in the time period here the Amerindian population was much vaster than when Columbus made land like you say on the mystery? 13 men red with blood and dead yet no mention of a battle fits perfectly with a European disease outbreak among them by Norse travelers,traders etc..Thank you my friend, just the kind of reply to get one thinking (hadn't considered that before) for sure! Thanks, it's about time in a week or so for another Randy Godwin special. Folks e-mail me often with your praises. Later bro...

dane turnbull link
12/10/2013 11:22:22 am

Well Phyllis, it comes as no surprise to me that you do have Viking roots: being the strong, independent, and intelligent lady that you are. The Amerindians do indeed have those legends and if the shoe fits...well. I'd love to see that museum. You know my friend, personally i don't think it takes anything away at all from the First Nation people to imagine such things to be real. Just look at the Kennewick Man for instance. Humans are humans and travel towards that setting sun, now and then.

Thank you for reading this, Phyllis, it means a great deal to me that you would. Btw, don't get the wrong impression, though, I hardly touch the stuff these days lol...unless it's a Carlsburg!

Phyllis Doyle link
12/12/2013 02:11:22 pm

Dane, you make me blush with your kind words. I hope some day soon to look further into my Viking lineage. They settled (most of them) in southern Ireland (counties of southeast Leinster (Wicklow, Wexford, and Carlow) where there are a lot of Doyles -- also in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Donegal. The Clan DubhGall, as the ancients were called, settled in early times along the sea coast. hmmmm .... I should write an article about this.

No problem about wrong impressions, Dane -- Carlsburg is top notch.

I enjoy reading your journals and articles. In peace and harmony ....

femmeflashpoint link
12/11/2013 08:47:43 pm

Denmark looks interesting and I'd certainly love experiencing the history of the place in person, especially Iron Age villages.

I wish the towns and villages here were as easy to get around in and as eclectic as they are on that side of the pond. I'm not keen on time in large cities, except for the ones that are easily maneuvered on foot or via bicycle.

I think we lost something here in the states when we veered away from that. The New World has it's plusses in many aspects but some of them weren't worth the price of Old World charm.

femme

dane turnbull link
12/12/2013 01:55:56 pm

Femme, you and I think alike on so many things as concerns history. This one is a goo example. Sure, we have our reenactors that do so with heart and with others with corporate incentives - you know, just a job.

Your correct that over there transportation is in a higher state of efficiency than over here. We did lose something veering away from that. And what a way with words you have with New World pluses vs Old World charm.

The only thing the Danes really didn't like was there pseudo social/democratic government that could take over 50% of a persons earnings despite the carrots of free medical and birth to death subsidization. That and a small country can make one feel closed in at times. But the pluses far outweigh them for the Danes and their guests, tourists.

Thank you femme, as always.

Phyllis Doyle link
12/12/2013 02:17:28 pm

Dane, you make me blush with your kind words. I hope some day soon to look further into my Viking lineage. They settled (most of them) in southern Ireland (counties of southeast Leinster (Wicklow, Wexford, and Carlow) where there are a lot of Doyles -- also in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Donegal. The Clan DubhGall, as the ancients were called, settled in early times along the sea coast. hmmmm .... I should write an article about this.

No problem about wrong impressions, Dane -- Carlsburg is top notch.

I enjoy reading your journals and articles. In peace and harmony ....

Phyllis Doyle link
12/12/2013 02:21:39 pm

I do not have a clue what happened with my post, Dane -- but, it kept saying there was an error when submitting, then it appears several times. I guess maybe because I hit submit several times, yes? Even tho it said error, all submits went thru. Please forgive me -- must be that Viking blood in me ....

dane turnbull link
12/12/2013 06:09:51 pm

Oh my Phyllis! Don't know what's up with all the errors showing when you post but m' kind lady you are admiringly persistent. All's well that ends well so be at peace about it. I'm just tickled glad you read and commented.

Your right about the Vikings settling in parts of Ireland ( boy did they get around!) And what you ever discover about those ancestors please let us know. Please let me know. You should indeed write an article, Phyllis, how interesting it will be!

Thank you kind friend and as to the Carlsburgs, well...they also had something called Elephant but it was a bit too strong for continuous consumption lol. I don't drink anything but rarely these days but put a Danish brew in front of me you'd better watch out! Till next time Lady Doyle.

Randy Godwin
12/14/2013 12:30:22 pm

Sorry to be so long in responding to your last post Dane, but as you know I've been goofin' off in Florida for a bit. Anyway, it is now suspected the Vikings went as far down the eastern coast as North Carolina, or perhaps even further south. The Mississippian culture seemed to die off suddenly bout the time of the Norse excursions here. It is an interesting theory. Hope you're well!

dane turnbull link
12/15/2013 08:14:25 am

If the shoe fits wear it! I've always concentrated with the colonial Amerindians so am sorely lacking in the pre-colonial history concerning them. But you are the expert in that area ( I highly recommend readers going on you HubPages site which link is at the beginning or your stories on Once Upon a History) and have the best collection of early Amerindian artifacts I've ever seen. You know your stuff, my friend. That is incredible imagining the Vikings going down the east coast interacting and trading with the natives...but by matching time periods it becomes a new answer in history as to why the sudden sharp drops in substantial populations. I believe it is the answer, no longer a theory. Thanks a mil for the enlightenment!

We need another Randy Godwin guest story up soon as you gained yourself some fans through here. How about "Deadly Wall of Stone" later on this week my good friend. Let me know your thoughts. Glad you got to relax and have some fun with Beth in Orlando. Keeps a person refreshed, eh lol!

Phyllis Doyle Burns link
4/6/2014 05:34:44 pm

You know, when you guys talk about the Vikings coming that far down into North America, I do not find it strange at all and very likely quite possible. They were, after all, masters of the sea, using the planets as their guide at night. I am working on an article on the Vikings and can really get lost in time when I work on it. I keep coming back to this article of yours, Dane, to see if there are any updates on the Vikings from you. I am actually working on two articles about them: The End of the Viking Wars in Ancient Ireland and The Rise and Fall of the Vikings (sad that). It seems those guys got a bad rap over the centuries and now scholars are beginning to look at the Vikings with a different perspective.

Elizabeth Longshanks
12/15/2013 10:27:25 am

Dane, what an adventure you had! And I envy you having the chance to visit the land of your ancestors! It is my dearest hope to be able to one day visit Norway and Iceland, where my paternal grandfather's people hailed from. And who knows, if fate is favorable, perhaps I will get to beautiful Denmark, too.

One word in defense of the Vikings - it has also been theorized their own healthy population was detrimentally affected by diseases carried to the Norj lands by Christian crusaders, for which the Scandinavians had no natural immunity (at the time anyway). If this is true -and I am inclined to believe it is- it would account for a reason behind their very active a-viking expeditions for new lands during the "dark ages".

Great article, truly, truly enjoyed it!

dane turnbull link
12/16/2013 06:28:22 am

Ms. Longshanks it is my fervent wish that you do indeed get to visit the land of your ancestors in Norway and Iceland. I have a rather deep feeling that you will. All the countries you mentioned have unarguably some of the finest folks in the world.

Your thoughts on diseases being brought to those north lands and possibly being one reason for their expeditions seems a very viable one to me. The Danes took a great effort on the Danevirk barrier across southern Jutland to keep out many things no doubt and for example. Although we now know they were trading, raiding, and colonizer to a further extent than perhaps previously thought, they definitely wanted to keep their way of life and worship fervently. As mentioned in the story and as you knew they were indeed the last to accept the Roman Church in Europe. By that point they really had no choice did they.

Thank you so much for the interest in my own little expedition way back when and great comment. So very pleased you enjoyed it!

Randy Godwin
12/16/2013 02:45:11 am

Feel free to publish my tales whenever you feel like it, Dane. I always appreciate your doing so, that goes without saying of course. As to the viking excursions to the New World, I think we will find out more about the extent of their travels in the near future. I think Elizabeth may have something there with her thoughts on why the Norsemen may have been looking for 'greener pastures,' as it were.

Dane Turnbull link
12/16/2013 06:45:40 am

Thanks Randy, it's an honor to have your stories on Once Upon a History. You truly have gained many new fans as my e-mails can attest to. It'll be a pleasure to have your next one up and running soon.

In total agreement with you on Elizabeth's thoughts about those greener pastures as well. The near future as you say is going to be very interesting as concerns the Norsemen and what a present some of its revelations may be!

Sannel link
4/6/2014 01:17:56 am

The origin of "The eel must swim" Mr. Pac. . . .Turnbull's four legendary words, notable to so many of us, are finally revealed! Ha! So it's the Danish Viking, Kurt who's the man behind them! .Does he know that his words was to become famous one day? ;-)
Well, my friend it sounds to me that you had a most wonderful and fun experience visiting this part of the world. Too bad I wasn't in the neighborhood at the time. . . Oh, BTW, it was probably for the best, since I would most likely have snatched you up and dragged you over to the coastline of Sweden, and then, well, who knows what would have happened? ;-)
Anyway, Denmark is a beautiful country and the Dane's are warmhearted, good-humored and very sociable. My very best friend is half Danish, so I know, lol!
Thank you, for a a very enjoyable and interesting read, Dane. (Oh, Alastar, feels so much more familiar, lol) I know, I'll get used to it.
Take care, my friend!
Sending warm hugs from Sweden and me. . .The eel must swim!
Sannel

alastar link
4/6/2014 05:13:09 pm

Oh lady so close to my heart. I can remember looking across to Sweden at its closest part to Denmark and wishing there was time to visit. Now I know why! You were there! You could have snatched me up at will, despite the Danish gal pal! and mission. You can call me either name, will answer to both! Ah, what a special lady you are!


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