Viking Warfare Activities?

Question

Anyone have any suggestions for activities to do in class on viking warfare? A year 9 class in particular. With 80 minutes for time.

Answer 1

Read, or give them the text of a Norse poem about warfare and then have them discuss the attitudes it contains. Explain to them about "kennings" (a kind of metaphor popular with the "Skalds" - Norse poets - i.e calling a longship a "dragon" or a "sea stead").

Here is one about a battle with the Irish:

Far and wide
with the fall of the dead
a warp is set up:
blood rains down.
Now, with the spears,
a grey woven fabric
of warriors is formed,
which women friends
of Randver's killer
complete with a red weft.

The fabric is warped
with men's intenstines
and firmly weighted
with men's heads;
bloodstained spears serve
as heddle rods,
the shed rod is ironclad
and pegged with arrows.
With our swords we must strike
this fabric of victory.

Hildr goes to weave
and Hjorthrimul
Sangrithr, Svipul,
with unseathed swords:
the shaft will break,
the shield with shatter,
the swords will pierce armour.

Let us wind, let us wind
the weaving of the pennant
which the young king
had before:
we must go
and advance into the throng
where our friends
set weapon against weapon.

Let us wind, let us wind
the weaving of the pennant
and follow the prince
afterwards:
there Gunnar and Gondul,
who protect the king,
saw men's shields
covered in blood.

Let us wind, let us wind
the weaving of the pennant
there were the standards
of fighting men go forth:
let us not permit
his life to be lost;
the Valkries have
their choice of the slain

Those men will
rule the lands
who dwelt until this time
on the outlaying headlands:
I say that death is decreed
for the mighty king;
now the earl has sunk down
before the spears.

And the Irish will
undergo grief
which will never fade
in men's memories;
now the fabric is woven
and the field dyed red;
the tidings of men's destruction
will travel throughout the land.

Now it is fearsoe
to gaze aroudn
as blood-red clouds
gather in the sky:
the heavens will be stained
with men's blood
when our prophecies
can spread abroad.

We spoke well
of the young king;
let us sing with good fortune
many songs of victory:
and let him
who listens
learn many a spear-song
and entertain men.

Let us ride out fast
on our bare-backed horses
away from here
with brandished swords.

"Darradarljod" from "Njal's Saga" - this poem prefaces the saga writer's account of the Battle of Clontarf between the Norse King of Dublin, Sigtryggr and the Irish High King, Brian Boru.

Answer 2

Best bet would be to show a VikingMovie, second bet would be to read a stoy to the class describing Viking behaviors while warring. Clive Cussler does a little of this in his Viking book.