Have you ever thought about who invented the comb?! Let’s discover five exciting Viking routines facts for kids.
Viking women sewed clothes for their husbands and children and would mend tears in clothes. They would have used a weaving loom to make clothing. Viking women knitted long dresses for themselves and they also made aprons in order to keep their dresses clean from housework. Viking women would have also prepared two meals a day for their family. They would have made bread and porridge for the morning and for dinner they would cook fish or meat with vegetables, probably in a stew.
When Viking men weren’t raiding, they mostly spent their everyday life taking care of the agricultural work on the farm. They grew crops such as wheat, barley, oats and rye and kept cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, chickens and horses. Vikings would have used their animals for food and for clothing. When they didn’t have enough food to feed the animals they would kill them and preserve them in salt. Viking men would have also gone fishing and taught their sons how to catch fish. The most demanding physical work, such as building houses and plowing were done by slaves.
In their down time, Viking men and women played hnefatafl, which is known as Viking chess. It is pronounced as “neffa-taffle”. You can see a Viking chess set at the British Museum. The Viking chess set that was found is called the Lewis Chessmen. It was named after the area where it was found, which was Isle of Lewis in Scotland. Lewis was densely populated with Vikings in the past. The chess pieces from the Lewis Chessmen were carved from whale teeth and walrus ivory.
Telling stories was a huge part of a Vikings life. By telling stories, Vikings educated their descendents about Viking culture, history and faith so that they could then pass it on to future generations. Vikings told stories around the fire, in the hall, or with a jug of mead. Vikings called skalds recited epic tales aloud, to honour heroes and legends of Viking history.
Considering that Vikings took part in battles and lived on the land, you may think that they were quite dirty, however, the opposite is true. Vikings took pride in their own appearance and the tidiness of their homes. Hygiene was more important to the Vikings than any other Europeans during that time. The Vikings were quite ahead of their time as they used tweezers, razors, combs and ear cleaners. They also would’ve bathed at least once a week, when other Europeans during the Middle Ages may have bathed once a month or even less.
Viking Routines Facts for Kids: Hair comb
Leave a Reply