VIKINGS LAWS

 

BE BRAVE AND AGGRESSIVE

Be direct

Seize all opportunities

Use varying methods of attack

Be versatile and agile

Attack one target at a time

Do not plan everything in detail

BE PREPARED

Keep your weapons in good condition

Keep yourself in shape

Find good battle comrades

Agree on important points

Choose one chief

BE A GOOD MERCHANT

Find out what the market needs

Do not make promises you cannot keep

Do not demand overpayment

Arrange things so that you can return

KEEP THE CAMP IN ORDER

Keep things tidy and organised

Arrange enjoyable activities which strengthen the group

Make sure everybody does useful work

Consult all members of the group for advice

Original Norwegian Version

We believe the "Viking Laws"  are drawn from the Birka Code (Bjärköa law), Birka being one of the largest Viking trading towns, in Sweden.
More of these ideas can be found in the "Vikings' Guide to Good Business", published in Iceland by Gudrun in 1997, which contains excerpts from the "King's Mirror", written about 1240 probably with roots in the Birka Code.

Niven Sinclair writes:

The Vikings were the most intrepid sailors the World has ever known.  They sailed their long ships (and their knarrs) from the Rivers of Russia in the East to the Eastern Seaboard of America (both North and South) in the West.

True, they plundered but they were also looking for new lands to settle as can be seen from their occupancy of Orkney, Shetland, the Faeroes, Iceland, Greenland, Vinland, Helluland, Markland, the Isle of Man, Ireland, the Eastern side of England and, of course, the Province of Neustria in France which became known as Northman'sland or Normandy and that, in part, is where the story of the Sinclairs begins.  It is also where the 'rude crude' Vikings became the aristocratic Normans who stretched their tentacles and their culture into every corner of Europe.

Prince Henry with Queen Margretta wished to build up a Norse Northern Commonwealth of nations which would have included Scotland, Scandinavia, Henry's 200 islands in the North Atlantic, Iceland, Greenland and the New World.  If they had succeeded it would have changed the face of history.  They were defeated in their purpose by the unholy alliance of (a) the Germans who wish to dominate the North Atlantic, (b) the English who wished to establish new trade routes and (c) the Church which wished to ensure that their right to collect taxes (ostensibly to save people's souls) was universally applied.

We owe more to the Norse than we do to the Saxon although, at times, we disguise our Norse descent under the glossier Norman label.  The package doesn't change the content.   We still have that Viking wanderlust which the Sinclair diaspora around the Globe clearly demonstrates.

Viking Links

Vikings The North Atlantic Saga: excellent flash animation
Index of The Viking Network Web a Norwegian Site
Birka, the major Viking trading town in Sweden
The Vikings - a page from a Norwegian site
The World of the Vikings; the definitive guide to Viking resources on the Internet
Viking Voyage 1000 - Viking Lore
Ragnar's Viking Page
The Briese-Bane Viking Information Centre - a very comprehensive site in Australia (Brisbane)

Shetland.org - Official Gateway to the Shetland Islands- activities including Up Helly Aa Festival in February each year
What are some facts about vikings? | Smart QandA: Answers and facts you can trust, verified with Encyclopedia.com
The Online Guide to Vikings
Pirates of the Past: The Vikings

The music playing in the background is "Pål sine høner", a traditional Norwegian folk tune, "Paul and his hens".