Curious About Vikings

In episode 215, we get curious about Vikings for Amy of Dayton, Ohio, Adam of Westchester, New York, and Forrest and Thor of Collingwood, Ontario, Canada.  We learn who the Vikings were and what they did (outside of fighting).  Did they really wear helmets with horns attached?  Was hygiene important to them?  What English words are the Vikings responsible for?

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Transcript

PODCAST 215: CURIOUS ABOUT VIKINGS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH, 2022

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  A FEW MONTHS AGO, BACK IN SEASON EIGHT, WE GOT CURIOUS ABOUT PIRATES.  IT WAS A VERY POPULAR EPISODE, AND IT CURRENTLY HAS MORE LISTENS PER DAY THAN ANY EPISODE WE’VE EVER RELEASED.  WHEN IT COMES TO WARRIORS THAT LIVED LONG, LONG AGO THAT STRUCK FEAR IN MANY PEOPLE FOR THEIR SOMETIMES VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, THERE ARE TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE THAT IMMEDIATELY COME TO MIND… PIRATES AND THE SUBJECT OF THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

“DEAR OLIVIA AND JACOB, MY NAME IS AMY AND MY 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER ELISE AND I ARE FROM DAYTON, OHIO, AND HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO YOUR SHOW FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS.  ELISE’S FAVORITE EPISODE SO FAR IS THE ONE ABOUT CODING.  SHE LIKED THE PART ABOUT THE MOTH GETTING INTO THE COMPUTER.  ELISE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR AN EPISODE ABOUT VIKINGS.  SHE WATCHES THE SHOW HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON AND IT HAS VIKINGS IN IT.  WHAT DO THEY EAT?  HOW DO THEY CLEAN THEMSELVES?  THAT’S IT!  THANK YOU GUYS FOR PUTTING THE SHOW TOGETHER EVERY WEEK.  WE LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING MORE.

ALL THE BEST, ELISE AND AMY”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB!  MY NAME IS ADAM AND I AM 7 YEARS OLD.  I LIVE IN WESTCHESTER, NEW YORK!  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THE VIKINGS AND HOW MANY YEARS AGO THE VIKINGS WERE AROUND.  ARE THEY STILL AROUND?  THANKS FOR ALL THE GREAT PODCASTS.  I LOVE LISTENING IN THE CAR DURING ROAD TRIPS.  -ADAM”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB!  FORREST (8) AND THOR (7) FROM COLLINGWOOD, ONTARIO, CANADA.  FORREST SAYS “HI CURIOUS KID PODCAST!  I REALLY LIKE YOUR PODCAST AND IT’S REALLY ENTERTAINING!  I LEARN SO MANY NEW AND COOL THINGS!  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT WHY HAVE THERE BEEN SO MANY WARS IN HISTORY?  HOW DID THE VIKINGS AND NATIVE PEOPLE GET SO GOOD AT BATTLING?  BYE.  THOR SAYS “I LOVE YOUR PODCAST AND WE LISTEN EVERY DAY ON THE DRIVE TO AND FROM SCHOOL WITH OUR DAD, DOUG.  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT DOGS, DINOSAURS, AND WHY WE SEE THINGS IN 3D.”

O:  GOODNESS.  THOSE WERE THREE INCREDIBLE EMAILS.  I’M LIKING THE FACT THAT WE’RE GOING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT VIKINGS FOR ELISE, ADAM, FORREST, AND THOR.

D:  AND BEFORE THE LEARNING BEGINS, WHAT’S THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK?

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, SOME VIKINGS WERE CALLED BERSERKERS.  THE ENGLISH WORD BERSERK COMES FROM THE BERSERKERS.  CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THE BERSERKERS WERE LIKE?

D:  INTERESTING QUESTION.  THE VIKINGS WERE A GROUP OF PEOPLE FROM A REGION OF THE WORLD CALLED SCANDINAVIA.

O:  SCANDINAVIA INCLUDES DENMARK, NORWAY, SWEDEN, FINLAND, GREENLAND, AND THE FAROE ISLANDS.  SCANDINAVIA CAN BE FOUND IN NORTHERN EUROPE, WHERE IT’S USUALLY VERY COLD.

D:  VIKINGS OFTEN GET A BAD REPUTATION, BECAUSE MANY OF THEM WERE BRUTAL WARRIORS, BUT THEY ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING MANY IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS, LIKE SETTING UP TRADE ROUTES THAT HELPED IMPROVE THE ECONOMIES OF COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.  

O:  DID YOU KNOW THAT THE VIKINGS WERE ALSO THE FIRST EUROPEANS TO DISCOVER THE AMERICAS?  THE CREDIT OFTEN GOES TO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, BUT THE VIKINGS DISCOVERED THE AMERICAS ABOUT 500 YEARS BEFORE CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.  

D:  THAT’S AMAZING.  HERE’S SOMETHING ELSE THAT MIGHT BE SURPRISING.  USUALLY, VIKINGS ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE WORN HELMETS WITH LONG HORNS ATTACHED.  YOU EVEN SEE THIS IMAGE AS THE LOGO FOR THE NFL FOOTBALL TEAM THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS.  IT TURNS OUT THAT VIKINGS WORE HELMETS, BUT THOSE HELMETS DID NOT HAVE HORNS.

O:  VIKINGS OFTEN WORE HELMETS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY WERE FIGHTING, AS WELL AS A LONG CLOAK AND A BELT FOR STORING THEIR KNIVES.

D:  SWORDS WERE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO THE VIKINGS, TO THE POINT THAT THEY WERE OFTEN CONSIDERED LIKE AN EXTENSION OF THE FAMILY.  SWORDS WERE FREQUENTLY HANDED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.  

O:  VIKINGS WOULD ALSO USE SHIELDS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, AS WELL AS AXES AND KNIVES.

D:  BECAUSE, WHAT WOULD A KNIFE BELT BE FOR IF IT WASN’T HOLDING A FEW KNIVES?

O:  VIKINGS WERE AROUND A VERY LONG TIME AGO, BETWEEN THE 7TH AND 11TH CENTURIES.  THAT’S ABOUT A THOUSAND YEARS AGO OR MORE.

D:  WHEN THEY WERE AROUND, VIKINGS WERE NOT ACTUALLY CALLED VIKINGS.  THE WORD VIKING DIDN’T COME ABOUT UNTIL LATER.  THE ORIGINS OF THE WORD VIKING AREN’T EXACTLY CLEAR.  THE OLD NORSE WORD VIKINGR TRANSLATES TO PIRATE, WHICH CERTAINLY APPLIES.  A PIRATE IS LITERALLY SOMEONE WHO ROBS OR COMMITS VIOLENT ACTS AT SEA, SO VIKINGS FIT THAT NAME.  

O:  WHATEVER THEY WERE CALLED AT THE TIME, PEOPLE WERE PRETTY SCARED WHEN THEY CAME ACROSS VIKINGS.  

D:  VIKINGS WERE VERY GOOD FIGHTERS, AND THEY WERE USUALLY SUCCESSFUL IN TAKING OVER ANY PLACE THEY DECIDED TO INVADE.  THEY SUCCESSFULLY INVADED PARTS OF ENGLAND, IRELAND, ITALY, SCOTLAND, AND EVEN PARTS OF NORTHERN AFRICA AND PARTS OF RUSSIA.  THEY SETTLED AROUND A GOOD PART OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE.   

O:  THE EXCEPTION TO THEIR SUCCESS WAS WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN THE AMERICAS.  

D:  WELL, THEY WANTED TO TAKE OVER THE AMERICAS, BUT THEY WERE CONFRONTED BY INDIGENOUS AMERICANS, WHO WERE NOT PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN GIVING UP THEIR LAND IN BATTLE.  NOT ENOUGH VIKING WARRIORS WERE IN THE AMERICAS TO SUCCESSFULLY DEFEAT THE INDIGENOUS AMERICANS, SO THEY SIMPLY LEFT THE AMERICAS TO RETURN HOME.  

O:  WHEN VIKINGS TRAVELLED, THEY DID SO ABOARD A VIKING LONGSHIP.  THESE SHIPS WERE EXTREMELY WELL BUILT AND STURDY.  VIKING SHIPS WERE BEAUTIFULLY WOVEN FROM THE WOOD OF TREES.  VIKINGS EVEN CARVED THINGS INTO THEIR BOAT, LIKE DRAGONS AND SNAKES, THAT WOULD SCARE OTHERS.

D:  THE LONGSHIPS ALSO MOVED VERY QUICKLY THROUGH THE SEA.  THEY COULD REACH SPEEDS OF UP TO 15 KNOTS, WHICH IS ABOUT 17 MILES PER HOUR (OR 28 KILOMETERS PER HOUR).  

O:  EVEN THOUGH THE VIKINGS ARE DEPICTED AS FIERCE WARRIORS, VIKING MEN ACTUALLY SPENT MORE TIME FARMING THAN FIGHTING.  THEY SOWED BARLEY, OATS, AND RYE, AND THEY RAISED GOATS, PIGS, SHEEP, AND MORE ANIMALS ON THEIR FARMS, TO HELP FEED THEIR FAMILIES.  

D:  THEY ALSO TRAVELLED TO OTHER COUNTRIES TO SETTLE THEIR FAMILIES, TO FARM, OR TO TRADE GOODS.  AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY DID A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN JUST BURN HOUSES, STEAL GOLD, AND OTHER THINGS THEY ARE MORE COMMONLY KNOWN FOR.   

O:  ELISE WANTED TO KNOW HOW VIKINGS CLEANED THEMSELVES.  VIKINGS HAVE A REPUTATION FOR BEING DIRTY, BUT IT TURNS OUT THAT GOOD HYGIENE WAS ACTUALLY VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM.

D:  IN THE EXCAVATION OF VIKING HOMES, THINGS LIKE COMBS, RAZORS, TWEEZERS, AND EVEN EAR CLEANERS WERE DISCOVERED.

O:  THESE CLEANING TOOLS WERE MADE FROM ANIMAL BONES AND ANTLERS.  

D:  VIKINGS ALSO SHOWERED AT LEAST ONE TIME A WEEK TO STAY CLEAN.

O:  NOW, YOU’RE PROBABLY WONDERING HOW THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED CLEAN?  AFTER ALL, SHOWERING ONLY ONCE A WEEK ISN’T MUCH AT ALL.

D:  WELL, GUESS WHAT?  ONE SHOWER A WEEK WAS MUCH MORE THAN OTHER EUROPEANS WERE SHOWERING AT THE TIME.  

O:  VIKINGS ALSO HAD THEIR OWN WRITING SYSTEM.  THEIR WRITTEN ALPHABET HAD 16 LETTERS.  SOME LETTERS, INCLUDING E, D, G, O, AND P WERE NOT PART OF THE VIKING ALPHABET.  

D:  YOU CAN’T WRITE THE NAMES OLIVIA OR JACOB WITHOUT THOSE IMPORTANT LETTERS.  

O:  HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW WE GOT THE NAMES OF THE DAYS OF THE WEEK?  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY COME FROM THE NAMES OF VIKING GODS.

D:  FOR EXAMPLE, THE VIKING RAVEN GOD WAS NAMED ODIN, AND SOMETIMES WENT BY THE NAME WODEN.  THE DAY WEDNESDAY WAS DERIVED FROM WODEN’S DAY, A DAY FOR THE VIKING GOD ODIN.  DO YOU WANT TO TAKE A GUESS WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK WAS NAMED AFTER THE NORSE GOD OF THUNDER, THOR?

O:  THAT WOULD BE THOR’S DAY, OR THURSDAY.  THERE ARE OTHER WORDS THAT HAVE VIKING ORIGINS THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH DAYS OF THE WEEK.  WE HAVE THE VIKINGS TO THANK FOR ENGLISH WORDS LIKE ANGER, LUMP, AND SNORT.  

D:  VIKINGS ATE WELL AND MANY PREFERRED FISH OVER ANY OTHER FOOD.  THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THEY LIVED NEAR THE SEA.  ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  SOME VIKINGS WERE CALLED BERSERKERS.  BY HEARING THE NAME BERSERKERS, CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THE BERSERKERS WERE LIKE?

O:  THEY WERE CRAZY VIKING WARRIORS WHO WORE THE SKINS OF ANIMALS, LIKE BEAR SKINS, INTO BATTLE.  WHEN THEY WERE FIGHTING, THEY ALSO HOWLED LIKE WILD ANIMALS.  

D:  THE BERSERKERS EVENTUALLY GAVE RISE TO THE ENGLISH WORD BERSERK, WHICH MEANS “ONE WHOSE ACTIONS ARE RECKLESSLY DEFIANT”.  THE WORD IS SOMETIMES USED TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE WHO IS ACTING ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  215 - VIKINGS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB ELISE, ADAM, FORREST, AND THOR FOR AN EPISODE TOPIC THAT OUR LISTENERS CAN ENJOY FROM THOR’S DAY TO WODEN’S DAY AND EVERY DAY IN BETWEEN.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE SOME ABSOLUTELY AWESOME PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  THANK YOU TO OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, CONNOR L. AND ASHER L.  

D:  A BIG THANKS TO CONNOR AND ASHER FOR THE SUPPORT.  YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT CHESS FOR LISTENERS IN CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, AND NEW YORK.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.