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| The Vikings by Brian Wood. (GS)
This, my personal interpretation of the viking period attempts to highlight aspects of their rich and diverse culture. A superstitious and pagan society, their influence was felt far beyond their native Scandinavia. 1 . The upper background deals with their pagan worship and tales from their mythology. This is represented by Odin & Thor, their principal Gods along with the saga of Sigurd the Dragonslayer. 2. The dominant figure at the centre is Aegir, God of the Sea whose goodwill was all important to the seafaring Viking. The scene now comes into the real world of their ships and seamanship, expertise for which they had no peer. 3. The extension of their seafaring was to raid, trade and pillage foreign shores, resulting in colonisation and settlement, with scant respect for Christianity or the Church. They ventured still further, exploring the unknown world, this is suggested in the two lower corners. 4. In England, the only King to successfully rise up against these Norsemen was Alfred the Great, a Saxon, represented in the lower centre drawing his sword from a swamp. This symbolises the raising of his army from the marshes of Wessex.
Their legacy remains with us today, in language and art.. |