Play is not a recent development in history in fact from grave goods and the sagas, we learn that Vikings played board games avidly, they carved dolls and toys for their children, played dice and gambled as well as partaking in boisterous sports at their feasts and gatherings.
Despite their reputation as brave warriors and terrifying raiders, the Vikings spent most of their time farming and fishing. The Vikings grew wheat to make bread and beer, and raised animals such as sheep, pigs and cattle. The seas were very important for Viking life and fishing provided a big part of the Viking diet.
When they weren't in longhouses playing their “hnefatafl” board games and downing flagons of ale, Vikings took to the iced-over fjords and snow-covered slopes of Scandinavia, where they raced and shred the gnar. Vikings didn't invent skiing or ice skating.
From written sources we know that the Vikings played “hnefatafl” and “nitavl” (Nine Men's Morris) and chess also appeared at the end of the Viking period. Hnefatafl is a war game, in which the object is to capture the king piece – a large hostile army threaten and the king's men have to protect the king.
12: Vikings were keen skiers.
It's known from archaeological evidence that rudimentary skis have existed for at least 6,000 years. By the time of the vikings, skiing was both a popular way to get around and a common leisure activity.
Vikings also engaged in more physical pastimes including running, swimming, a version of the tug-of-war called toga-honk and wrestling. There are records of Vikings having played a game with stick and ball.
Viking children must have played, as all children do. Wooden toys have been found: small ships, swords, dolls and animal figures. Most of these were probably made for children to play with. But some of the objects were also useful to train various skills, which the children could use as adults, in work or in conflict.
From grave goods and the sagas, we learn that Vikings played board games avidly, carved wooden dolls and toys for their children, played dice and gambled and played rough sports at their feasts and gatherings.
Knattleikr (English: 'ball-game') was an ancient ball game played by the Vikings of Iceland. The term is also applied to a modern sport created by re-enactors, and now played at a few United States institutions as a college club sport, based on what is known about the historical game.
The games, sports, and competitions played by Vikings included full-contact physical games, such as ball sports and combat sports, but also included board games, swimming sports, poetry competitions, and others. Games and sports took place almost anywhere and anytime in the Viking world.
✦ Viking children didn't go to school.
and ✦ Unless they were very rich, they had to help their parents with their work. sewing clothes. They were expected to keep their fingers busy all day long: sewing and weaving, but most of all spinning wool.
It's not often that people associate Vikings with playing games. So it might surprise you to know that they played a version of chess for more than 1000 years. These chess-like games were known as Tafl games and they were once popular in medieval Scandinavia.
During this time, the Vikings had no concept of celebrating a person's birthday annually. Instead, they would wish them “sæll burðardagr,” which translates to “happy luck day” in the Old Norse language. This phrase was used to congratulate someone on the success of their current or upcoming endeavors.
The children would have porridge and dried fruit or perhaps buttermilk and bread. The evening meal could be fish or meat, stewed with vegetables. They might also eat some more dried fruit with honey as a sweet treat. Honey was the only sweetener the Vikings knew.
A Viking family would typically eat two meals per day. Dagmal was the morning meal in which the adults would eat leftover stew from the night before with bread and fruit. The children would usually have porridge and dried fruit or, on occasion, buttermilk and bread.
Life was hard for a Viking. Infant mortality was high and the Vikings rarely reached 35-40 years of age. Only a few people lived until they were over the age of 50. As is the case today, the women often lived slightly longer than the men.
The Vikings needed all the energy that they could get in the form of fat – especially in winter. Meat, fish, vegetables, cereals and milk products were all an important part of their diet. Sweet food was consumed in the form of berries, fruit and honey. In England the Vikings were often described as gluttonous.
Wrestling
According to archival data, wrestling is the oldest sport today. Of course, it has changed over the years, but in the 800 to 1200 BC period, it was included in the original set of Olympics. Professional wrestling circuits were initially launched at the same time in Paris, France, in the 1830s.
Wrestling is regarded the oldest sports in the world and we have proof. The famous cave paintings in Lascaux, France, dating back to 15,300 years ago, depict wrestlers. So we can safely say, wrestling one the more popular sports of that time.
The majority of women in the Viking period were housewives, who managed the housekeeping on the farm with a firm hand. It is also possible that there were female entrepreneurs, who worked in textile production in the towns. Just like today, women in the Viking period sought a suitable partner.
The defeat of the king of Norway, Harald III Sigurdsson, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 is considered the end of the age of Viking raids.
Historical accounts
There are historical attestations that Viking Age women took part in warfare. The Byzantine historian John Skylitzes records that women fought in battle when Sviatoslav I of Kiev attacked the Byzantines in Bulgaria in 971.
The Vikings loved their children, and when they weren't exploring, travelling, farming, raiding or invading faraway shores, they dedicated much of their lives to raising strong children who would do them proud.
Viking children were primarily raised by their mothers, although sometimes Viking boys lived with another family for a period of time as a foster child. This was meant to forge bonds between the two families and entitled the boy to help from his foster family, as well as his birth family.