I’ve heard from reliable, but previously unknown sources (not family relatives either), there is the likelihood that I am a direct descendant of the infamous Vikings who go all the way back to the 8th century. Even a stranger or two, probably as wise as King Solomon, commented as I walked past, “There’s goes an authentic Viking if I ever saw one.” When I do look in a full-length mirror and study my muscle-toned physique with a chiselled chin centred by a prominent dimple, I recognize it too, like they have!
This brainteaser has inspired me to explore my similarities with Vikings of the past to maybe prove that I have a trace or more of Viking genetics. Although the term “Viking” is Scandinavian for “pirate.”, it is meant to reference their overseas expeditions — not piracy, even though my ancestors were a seafaring people who established a name for themselves as traders, explorers and warriors. In my own case, I’m not seafaring because of the very long distance to an ocean. Here, there is only the Ottawa River and small lakes for fishing and none with both the depth and width to accommodate large vessels that sailed back in those earlier centuries. Valley fishing only nets small species, compared to marlin and sharks, so I’ll wait until I do some deep-sea venturing. Thus, the comparison between myself and the Vikings is mute. I do fish around for compliments occasionally.
In the years that followed, those foreign ancestors of mine besieged coastal villages, monasteries and even cities for an excellent source of income, not unlike the rivalries Westmeath guys had with La Passe and Beachburg to keep their guys in constant fear of us. During the Viking era, frequency of sea places under siege resulted in walled-in harbours and sea-facing stone walls that proved to be quite effective at deterring raids. Similarly, our village elders back then considered enclosing our village with an impassable Trump-like wall to keep those LA and B’Burg guys from infiltrating. As with the Vikings who returned home at the end of each summer to survive another cold winter, our snowbirds retuned in the spring from surviving another cold winter, suntanned and well-prepared to endure the hot summer.
The reach of the Scandinavian people extended to all corners of northern Europe and other nations. The furthest reported records of Vikings were Baghdad for the trading of goods like fur, tusks and seal fat. In fact, they had discovered the Americas long before Columbus. By the 10th century they had set up colonies on Greenland, then on to the New World, such as Baffin Island, Labrador and Newfoundland. I too have travelled in my time, to the Caribbean Islands for winter vacations, Vancouver out west and Moncton down east. Many others from here have made long trips to Costco in Ottawa frequently.
There are many myths about Vikings passed down for generations, most unfounded. One such falsehood is that they wore horned helmets, propagated by the thunder-god Thor. Instead they traditionally went bareheaded. I am like that. I’ve had too many shockers from guys who always wore caps, maybe even in bed, and usually without warning suddenly remove them to expose a bald head, shattering the macho image of them I had.
At the heart of the Viking culture lies the Viking ships from small fishing boats and cargo vessels to the famous lightning-fast long-ships which shaped the lives of the sea-faring Norse and changed the course of European history. Their skills led to a variety of vessels and with the addition of a large mast and sail, would ultimately allow the Vikings to make long journeys across the North Atlantic. These vessels are now looked back upon as revolutionary in design and as a technological miracle. Boat construction wasn’t my strongest forte but in high school shops I did start building a rowboat but wasn’t able to complete it; the school term and my allotment of materials ran out too early.
There was no dramatic or tumultuous end to the Viking age. Instead, the Scandinavian kingdoms were slowly integrated into the ‘wider body politics of Europe’. I suppose there is no dramatic evidence to establish my heritage of being Viking but still, a little voice convinces me that it must be so.
