“They were not dirty or religious fanatics.”

Barraclough, an expert on the Scandinavian world, says she stays away from the great “sagas,” medieval Viking stories that intertwine reality and myth, to raise facts and destroy fallacies. “My story is a story Viking era “Through the common people, those who survive on a daily basis,” he explains to this newspaper. He defends that his history has been shaped by “parts of his autobiography that have been lost between the cracks of time”: stones, writings and inscriptions that have survived to this day. He explains that it is time to put aside the “great kings and Viking heroes,” which have been repeated a thousand times “through laudatory poems,” to make room for ordinary people. “I was always keenly aware that there were many stories waiting in the wings, stories of people we can all truly relate to: the most ordinary people.”

His article dates from the second century AD, more than five centuries before these Norse warriors jumped into European texts to attack the English monastery of Lindisfarne. “Although this raid is considered the beginning of the Viking Age, there is another earlier attack in the writings,” he asserts. It also takes issue with the idea that the Battle of Stamford Bridge, which took place in 1066, was a swan song for these towns. The truth of that Harald Hardradathe last great Viking king, losing his life in that battle was not a decisive blow. This is confirmed by numerous Viking monuments in the following centuries. He concludes, “The smallest details can offer us windows into everyday life, whether they are the runic inscriptions that people wrote to each other, the scribbles of children, or more dramatic memories, such as what appear to be sacrifices to a fiery creature.”

– What is the evidence that the Viking Age did not begin with the attack on Lindisfarne Abbey?

The question is what do we really mean by the Viking Age, because the original Old Norse meaning of “víkingr” is actually “pirate” or “raider”. Hence, in a literal sense, the evidence for the first raids tells us when we should date the beginning of the Viking Age. This is why Lindisfarne is important: the attack on the opulent and rich Northumbrian monastery in 793 AD. C- It shocked Britain and abroad. As the Anglo-Saxon cleric Alcuin of the Carolingian court wrote: “Never before had such terror appeared on our shores, nor was it thought that such raids could be made from the sea.” However, we also know that this was not the first time in that period that Norsemen had shed blood on the shores of the British Isles; There is a report a few years ago that tells how three ships full of Vikings appeared on the southern coast and killed a sheriff.

– What archaeological remains show that the Vikings were not dirty?

In fact, they had very sophisticated bathing habits, especially compared to the Anglo-Saxons, who complained about their neat hairstyles, regular grooming, and clean clothes. Combs are one of the most frequently found objects in Viking Age burials. Even their word for “Sabbath” was “laugardagr,” which means “washing day.” It assumes both clothes and bodies. But everything was relative, and the opinion they aroused depended on the eyes with which you looked at it. It must be taken into account that the geographical scope of the activity and influence of the Nordic countries was wide. If we read the account of the Baghdadi diplomat Ahmad ibn Fadlan, written around the year 921, we see the opposite. This character met “the Russians” – merchants of Scandinavian origin and heritage – on the Volga River, and was horrified to see their disgusting cleaning habits. Which, to be fair, is pretty terrible as you describe it. Although from a Muslim’s point of view, they did not wash with running water, so it was annoying for him.

-Did the Vikings file their teeth?

Archaeologists were unable to find a specific explanation. The engraved teeth appear to be particularly associated with the island of Gotland, off the coast of mainland Sweden. However, the remains found with this specificity appear to be those of slaves and warriors; Always men. I’m cautious, I prefer to wait for new evidence to emerge.

– He described the Vikings as a society with a strange variety of religious beliefs…were they open-minded in that sense?

Surprisingly, they were quite open about this. At least compared to European Christians. They had a form of baptism called “key signing,” which effectively meant they were not baptized at all…just enough so that Christian merchants would be willing to trade with them. I collected an example in my book of a soapstone mold from Hedeby, which later became an important trading city in Denmark. In this city there were casts of Thor’s hammers and crosses. In fact, whoever made them was happy to do both, as long as they paid him for his work.

-How did the Vikings adapt to Christianity?

Christianity was slowly introduced into the Scandinavian world, as there were Christians living there before the formal conversion process began. Take the colonization of Iceland: there were many settlers from the British Isles and Ireland (often, but not always, enslaved), and they were Christians. But official transitions were top-down and managed by rulers. In the case of Norway and Iceland, for example, this happened around 1000 AD

-What did the collapse of Greenland as a homeland mean for the Viking community?

By the time Norse settlements in Greenland ended, the Viking Age was already over. This happened in the early 15th century, and it is unclear exactly what happened. But just as I begin the book with three beginnings, I end with three endings. The latter focuses on North Greenland, because it was a product of the Viking Age, which was inhabited around 985 AD. Eric the RedWho was expelled from Iceland for murder. The bottom line is that I wanted to show it as a slowly fading ending, rather than a dramatic transition.

-What was life like for prisoners in the Viking Age?

It depends on what you mean by prisoners. Viking pirates usually used them for ransom or sale. I devote an entire chapter to slavery, but, as I have shown, it is difficult to find evidence to support the lifestyle of those who experienced it. The key is that it was not a unique model: you could fall into it for not paying your debts, you could be kidnapped, you could be born a slave… For my part, I try to narrate the experiences of the most striking individuals. There are amazing stories like that of the blacksmith Toki, who was freed by his master and obtained the gold with which he requested a rune stone that told of his experiences. But also others such as slaves who were sacrificed to join their masters in the afterlife.

-What is the most painful myth we keep repeating about the Viking Age?

There are some obvious ones. The first is the one that shows Vikings wearing horned helmets drinking from the skulls of their defeated enemies. But also the one who represents them tormenting their enemies with the terrifying “Blood Eagle.” The truth is much more interesting than these cartoonish stereotypes, and that is what I try to show in my book.

-What the hell was a blood eagle?

Legendary torture. They are said to have broken their victims’ ribs and removed their lungs from their backs, making them look like the wings of a bloody eagle.