![]() A Viking interpreter wears standard clothing. Most people were born into this class but others became thralls after losing assets. These slaves had no freedom and very limited mobility within the social hierarchy. The final and lowest class of people were the thralls. They worked as farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, and fishermen. Karls made up the majority of Vikings society and lived under the rule of jarls. They held regional power and controlled petty kingdoms. The jarls were the highest ranking class for several centuries. During much of the Viking Age, society was divided into three main classes. Like other societies in the early medieval world, the Vikings lived in highly stratified culture. Nationalmuseet – The National Museum of Denmark from Denmark, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Social Structure and Status in the Viking Age Examples of clothing, jewelry, and other valuables belonging to noble Vikings. While “Viking” is a modern name and not always preferred, we will continue using it in this article because of its familiarity with most readers. The article concludes with an overview of some elite Viking warrior groups. We examine the social structure of the Vikings and the influence it had on warriors. The goal of this article is to provide a brief but accurate picture of life as a Viking. The berserker is one such category of warrior that is oftentimes misunderstood. Myths surrounding specific types of Viking warriors also warp our understanding of how the Vikings participated in battle. Kennedy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons An illustration depicting the sea voyages of the Vikings. While it is true that the Vikings fought and raided areas in Europe, not all of their time was spent wreaking havoc. Historical documents from the Viking Age that tell of this fierce group were written not by the Vikings themselves, but by those who were often the victims of raids and violence.īecause of this, much of what we know about Viking warriors and military campaigns is skewed. The Vikings are commonly thought of as purely warriors and raiders.
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