“Christin Viking” may sound like an oxymoron (a term that seems to contradict its own definition), but there were some, to be sure. Christianity was a powerful tool in the Viking arsenal, but probably not for any reasons the church may have confessed to. It didn’t give them access to a more powerful god who could help them in combat. It didn’t give them access to the spiritual realm. It didn’t make them wealthier or safer from enemies, famine, or the cold. For the average Viking, Christianity did very little for them… other than possibly preventing a disgraceful death (but we will get into that a bit more later.) For certain others though, Christianity was truly magnificent asset, assisting them in their conquest for power!
Word up! Word on the street is that there is a new religion in town, and their god has control over your eternal soul. Not only that, but he can control all the elements and cause victory in battle against incredible odds! Yep, that was the story alright.
Word up! Word on the street is that there is a new religion in town, and their god has control over your eternal soul. Not only that, but he can control all the elements and cause victory in battle against incredible odds! Yep, that was the story alright.
To really understand the impact of the message above, we have to remember that not only was the advent of Christianity in the Viking world was a long time ago(before the internet), but we have to realize exactly what it means to be a polytheistic people. In the real daily lives of the Norse, their gods were present in every aspect, whether you realized it or not, and every Viking realized it…
Basically, the idea of “gods” was a driving cultural force to believe that deities were all around us all the time. Sometimes they were in the rocks and sometimes they were the rocks themselves. Sometimes they were guiding the people around you, but other times, the gods were the people around you. Maybe the gods took a human form and retained their godhood, but sometimes a god may have taken on human form and by virtue of being human, they may have forgotten that they wereever a god at all.
Yes, that is a real situation that could really happen in the daily lives of our Scandinavian brethren. It was just a known fact that anything and everything may be a god, even if they were unaware of being a god. It really is a new way to stretch your perception of what it meant to be alive and what it meant to be a mortal. Imagine just knowing that you were such a tiny part of a massive world of gods who could be anywhere, do anything, look like anything, and who were just as flawed as you and I.
An interesting thing about the Viking gods is that they were the furthest thing from perfect. There is nothing perfect in nature no matter how you look at it. There are no “perfect” trees, rocks, or fish. There is always some flaw. There aren’t even perfect gems or crystals, until you cut away occlusions and imperfections. People certainly aren’t perfect. So, why would it be that the gods were perfect either?
How the Norse saw the gods was similar to how the Greeks and Romans did. They viewed their gods as aspects of the world around them, embodying strength or honor, wrath or grace, beauty or even ugliness. Unlike the Greek or Roman gods though, the aspectual incarnations of the Norse gods were not perfect representations of the human condition. The “righteous indignation” of an angry god was anything but righteous.
The idea was that, if the natural world was imperfect the gods must be that way too. It wasn’t the idea of being flawless that made them so important to the Vikings, it was how they got along. Freya was the picture of beauty, but she was also sleeping with nearly every god and mortal… so maybe she wasn’t the most virtuous. Thor was strong, but not the brightest. Loki was clever, but used his mental strength for useless trickery. Odin himself, the all-father, hides a dark past of having been a mortal and an outcast, no better than a lawless animal.
Despite all their ‘flaws’, the gods of Norse mythology were accepting of one another. There were conflicts and even wars, but overall, they worked together to confront their own trials and tribulations, to protect the home they loved. In this way, the gods acted as a guide to resolving conflict and maintaining relationships despite struggles and even war. Time and time again, the same gods would confront different crises and capitalize on each other’s strength and weaknesses to come out victorious, creating even stronger bonds between them.
Despite all their ‘flaws’, the gods of Norse mythology were accepting of one another. There were conflicts and even wars, but overall, they worked together to confront their own trials and tribulations, to protect the home they loved. In this way, the gods acted as a guide to resolving conflict and maintaining relationships despite struggles and even war. Time and time again, the same gods would confront different crises and capitalize on each other’s strength and weaknesses to come out victorious, creating even stronger bonds between them.
Every Norse god was the embodiment of a complete duality of the positive and negative aspects of the mortal world. So, to hear tales of a god who is pure and perfect (who possessed all knowledge, all wisdom, and all power) must have been incredible.
Like Allah and Alan, the cousin of Mohammad (names found sewn into the hems of Viking burial garments), the Vikings were willing to accept any gods into their way of life if they were seen as beneficial to them. We know this not only due to the names of foreign gods embroidered into burial clothes, but from the burials themselves. What we mean by this is that not all Vikings were Norse, or even Scandinavian for that matter. DNA evidence from burials shows us that many honored Viking warriors were from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
Like Allah and Alan, the cousin of Mohammad (names found sewn into the hems of Viking burial garments), the Vikings were willing to accept any gods into their way of life if they were seen as beneficial to them. We know this not only due to the names of foreign gods embroidered into burial clothes, but from the burials themselves. What we mean by this is that not all Vikings were Norse, or even Scandinavian for that matter. DNA evidence from burials shows us that many honored Viking warriors were from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
Like the whaling crews of old, likely the Vikings took on new crew members wherever they stopped. Any willing sailor who could be useful in battle could be taken on to work as a Viking, and based on the burial evidence referenced above, this wasn’t just ‘day labor’ either. These new Vikings fought hard, likely participated in religious rights, and were buried as honored warriors along-side their spoils, exactly in the same tradition as Vikings who were ethnically Scandinavian.
Getting back onto the topic of the Christian Vikings though, this all builds up to the way Christianity was interpreted and eventually accepted by the Norse. As stated above, the Vikings were more than willing to accept new gods, but without embracing the Christian god as the only god, the parishioners of Christianity were not satisfied. And certainly, the Vikings would never leave the gods who had fought the Ice Giants for a new god they had never heard of, especially when he had yet to defendall gods were equal any of his own believers against their raids. For the Vikings, all gods were equal, but for the Christians, it was all or nothing. You could not be a Christian and a Viking too…
Now we get to dive into the history of events! In 793, the first contact the Vikings had with Christianity was one made so popular by the TV series Vikings, as Ragnar’s crew landed on the eastern shores of Europe and stumbled upon an exceedingly unprepared monastery and chapel.
The poor Britons who escaped the slaughter wrote the following to commemorate the event. 'On the Ides of June the harrying of the heathen destroyed God's church on Lindisfarne, bringing ruin and slaughter' (The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle).
At this point, it was likely the Vikings had no idea they had even attacked a church. Organized religion was unknown to them, and the imagery of the chapel crosses had no point of reference for them. Even if they had assumed the building was meant to honor a god, the god was either not there, or he was already dead (as the crucifixion imagery may have implied). Not only this, but the god’s champions (monks) protecting the shrine were much smaller and would not have even attempted to fight the Viking raiders.
It would not be for a few more years that the Vikings would really understand their position in relation to the ‘dead god’ of the Christian monks.
The Scandinavian sailors were a multi-lingual people who did possess writing, despite not using it to document daily events. Archaeologists have found inscriptions left by Viking trade ships as early as the year 800 BCE. Yes, Viking trading over the ocean and leaving written record over 3,000 years ago! The interesting thing is that the particular inscription we are referring to is found in Peterborough, Canada and is written in an ancient Berber script, so it was a while before the message could be cracked… Feel free to learn more about Viking Petroglyphs in our other blogs!
Back on topic though, the Vikings learned languages and writing, despite being perceived as an insular and isolated population, and after taking captives from their first raid on Britain, they were able to learn that there were many, MANY more churches ripe for the picking. And so, many, MANY more raids were launched on the smaller peoples of the British Isles.
An isolated event may have been able to be covered up by the church of England, but continuous successful raids, even raids carried out on fortified cities, began to take their toll and needed to be dealt with in an official capacity. Initially bribes and payoffs were a quick and easy defense, but a long-term solution was needed. And what better way to end religious persecution than to convert the savage Sea Wolves to the same religion? And thus, a religious conversion effort was underway.
By the late 900’s, many Vikings had heard of Christianity through raid or trade, and many took it as a given that Christ was a god, but that he was just weak(as recorded by Widukind of Corvey). Many Norse were already aware of the religion and had begun to hybridize it to an extent, going so far as to wear a “Christian” cross right alongside their Thor’s hammer pendant (as found in several graves between 900 and 1100 AD), so convincing Vikings to convert to a purist form of Christianity was to be an uphill battle.
Jesus and his disciples went around teaching religious virtues to the peasants, creating a religion of the people, which sought to influence the ruling class and slowly empower the underrepresented. The meek shall inherit the earth, and so on and so forth… This was the exact opposite of how Christianity was introduced (formally) to the Vikings. Predominantly, the leaders and chieftains of the Vikings were the 1st to officially convert to Christianity, and paying fealty meant to honor the guidance of your Yarl, even to the point of accepting that chieftain’s religious choices. In this way, the official conversion of the Norse was a top-down doctrine of affiliation, more than personal belief.
But this raises the question as to why a Yarl would ever convert to ‘serve’ a weak god.
As we’ve mentioned before, gods had an impact of the world of the Vikings and this impact was largely measured in the physical. To be clear, a Norseman would choose to align himself to a god that could‘do something’ for them. If a prayer was made to Freya for a man, and the woman married that man, she would likely devote her entire life the Freya. But if a prayer was offered to Ran (goddess of water) for good fishing, and over and over the nets came up empty, a different god would be pursued.
The Vikings needed a physical worldly reason to consider that a god was in their corner. They needed real tangible evidence to align themselves to a particular deity, whether that be victory, wealth, health, or what have you. This was the same for the Christian god. The Vikings had heard the tales and seen the lack of intervention when raiding the churches. To them, the Christ was far weaker than any other god they already had access to. There was no consideration of ‘salvation,’ so the spiritual argument of damnation was completely moot.
In short, the more tangible evidence of divine benefit, the stronger the god. So, what was it that the Christian god was able to give to a Yarl?
The cities of England and France were powerful, well-fortified, rich, and ruled by absolute power. This was in stark contrast to the world the Scandinavian Norse lived in. As they saw it, they had the strength to fight and dispute, but not the absolute divine power to rule beyond question. This power of the kings and emperors was far beyond that of the lowly chieftain or Yarl. This was the power of Christ!
The cities of England and France were powerful, well-fortified, rich, and ruled by absolute power. This was in stark contrast to the world the Scandinavian Norse lived in. As they saw it, they had the strength to fight and dispute, but not the absolute divine power to rule beyond question. This power of the kings and emperors was far beyond that of the lowly chieftain or Yarl. This was the power of Christ!
The combination of church and state held absolute sway over the populace. The king would decree, and the church would threaten damnation of the mortal soul for disobeying. Disobedience could be redeemed with monies paid to the church, and the church would in-turn, continue to support the king. Christianity integrated with the ruling body was a wickedly perfect system. And if this ‘absolute authority’ over body and soul was the power of the Christian god, the Vikings wanted it!
Christianity in politics was a complex system, and one that had been growing in its own way for a few hundred years prior to the official attempts at conversion within the Viking communities. Traders had long since realized that it was easier to trade with developed nations if they professed Christianity. Christian traders worked in part as missionaries and would bring new goods as far as they could reach, but would refrain from trading with heathens and grant strong privilege to Christian traders.
This meant that for a select population of Vikings, the Christian was already able to show his hand at measurable benefit. And as Constantine had already brutally converted the Saxons at sword-point, under pain of death, much of the local world had already converted (or at least outwardly).
But, the real power of Christ was in the ruling class, and a legitimate claim to lineage would be tricky for any would-be ascender…
Back in the day, becoming a Christian meant no longer being condemned by your worldly lineage. Many people have likely heard of ‘savages’ being given a Christian name upon baptism, but that practice has changed so much over time that it is likely you aren’t aware of its true origins or impacts.
When an unbeliever was baptized in the days of early Christianity, they were not only given a new name, but they were also adopted as the foster-child of the one who baptized them. And while this may have been a cute moniker for a member of a church community, e.g., foster child of your local parishioner, back then it actually held legal legitimacy for heritage. Though not a blood relative, an adopted child is still that person’s child in all rights and respects other than biology.
Back in the day, becoming a Christian meant no longer being condemned by your worldly lineage. Many people have likely heard of ‘savages’ being given a Christian name upon baptism, but that practice has changed so much over time that it is likely you aren’t aware of its true origins or impacts.
When an unbeliever was baptized in the days of early Christianity, they were not only given a new name, but they were also adopted as the foster-child of the one who baptized them. And while this may have been a cute moniker for a member of a church community, e.g., foster child of your local parishioner, back then it actually held legal legitimacy for heritage. Though not a blood relative, an adopted child is still that person’s child in all rights and respects other than biology.
Olaf may have been greedy but more than that, he was ambitious. Olaf wanted to be king, King of Norway, King of the Vikings. He was not satisfied with all the wealth or power he had gained raiding England. He wanted absolute rule and an undying bloodline to bequeath to his kin, to rule for eternity. But to do this, he would need to convince or defeat the other chieftains of the Norsemen to gain the right to rule.
Olaf had several advantages through his wealth gained in raiding and trading, and was able to buy off most of his competition, but even still there was one issue that all Vikings knew, which would prevent Olof from being seen as a “legitimate” king, even if all other chiefs were willing. That was the issue of lineage.
Kings needed a lineage to be ascend the throne, and this was the gift of King Ethelred to Olaf Tryggvason when he had baptized him after paying him off to leave England’s shores and never raid there again. Whether attempting to invigorate the promise to never return, as a spiritual pact, or whether King Ethelred actually believed the power of Christ would compel Olaf to keep his word, the effect was the same. Olaf was baptized and returned to the Vikings as Olaf Ethelredsfostri “Olaf the foster-son of Ethelred.” And as such, in 995, Olaf returned with a legitimate claim to the throne of Norway, as the adopted son of the King of England.
Ascending the Throne, Olaf was quick to reinforce his ranks with ‘believers,’ and much in the way of Constantine, offered heathens a quick conversion or a quick death, placing the tip of a sword in their mouths with hammer held high over the pommel (handle of the sword). A question was asked if they would accept Christ as the only god, and if the answer was “yes” they were baptized and welcomed into the fold, but if the answer was “no,” the hammer was dropped, and they were immediately killed.
As every Viking would know the locations and dates of pagan festivals and rituals, the conversion was swift, and his reputation as a “Christianizer” garnered fear in direct proportion to his fame.
After the passing of Olaf Tryggvason, Norway’s throne was empty for a time, but was taken up by Olaf Haraldsson (a relative), who continued to pursue the destruction of Norse tradition, even to the point of seeking out traditional spiritual sites and destroying them. It is interesting to note that Olaf Tryggvason did not do this, but only attempted to convert traditional worshipers. Was this because Olaf only saw Christianity as a means of ruling Norway and still had a love for the old gods? Who can tell for sure?
One thing is for certain though. Despite its rocky and insidious oppression of the Scandinavian Norse and the devastation of their values and beliefs, Christianity was adopted by the Vikings (at least outwardly). In the year 1022, a runestone was erected which stated, “12 winters had Christendom been in Norway.” And cryptic as that is, it is one of the only records we have from that time regarding the continued conversion of the Vikings.
Was this stone a testament to the full conversion of Norway? Did it mark the conversion of another civic leader? Was it sign-post for Christian traders to know they had safe harbor? Who knows… but what we do know is that for us, it marked the end of the old gods and serves as a reminder of the damnable efforts the lust for power has made to erase the beautiful history of a nearly forgotten people.
Is Christianity bad? No. No religion is bad, per se, but when taken to extremes and misused for personal gain, any system will cause no end of oppression and pain to anyone who dares to believe differently. We know the Vikings did some pretty terrible things by today’s standards, but was this reason enough to wipe them not only from the map, but from the history books too? To us, that is a punishment far too cruel to be considered for culture, regardless of how different it may be from our own.
Live long and live strong, my fellow Vikings.
Dr. Cody J. Dees, Ph.D
Resident Viking,
Norse Tradesman
