Viking Funeral Traditions: Burning Ships, Complex Ancient Rituals And Incredible Up Helly Aa Festival

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Ancient Viking funeral traditions and rituals were very complex. Before they adopted Christianity, Vikings were Pagans and had many customs, practices, and beliefs.

Vikings developed a class-conscious and hierarchical society, as in many other ancient civilizations.

Many relics in ancient tombs reveal that the type of burial a Viking received depended on his importance in the society. When a Viking died, he could either be buried or burned.

Vikings originated from present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and their burial customs depended on the region where they lived.

Vikings Were Burned Or Buried

Before the age of Christianity, when Vikings still worshipped pagan gods, it was common to bury a Viking with his belongings, often lying in a boat or a wagon to make the journey to the next world easier. People believed the deceased person would need particular objects in the afterlife.

Based on discovered archaeological evidence, it seems that the funeral boat or wagon was a practice that was reserved for the wealthy.

Viking Death House: Unique Tomb With Rare Remains Of Powerful Couple And Artifacts Discovered In Denmark

Most of the notable burial finds throughout the Viking world are cremations. Another option was that the Viking was burned, and cremation was relatively common during the early Viking Age. Ashes were later spread over the waters.

Ship Burial Was Reserved For Great Viking Warriors

A great Viking warrior received a ship burial. It involved placing the deceased on the ship, sailing it out to sea, and setting the Viking ship on fire.

This burial was not very common but rather reserved for sea captains, noble Vikings, and the very wealthy. In Old Norse times, proper boats took several months to construct and would not have been wasted without a reasonable cause or a suitable amount of status.

Several intriguing archaeological discoveries shed more light on ancient Viking burial customs. For example, one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20^th on Orkney Island is the Scar Dragon Plaque, an artifact that testifies to the skills of the unknown Viking craftsman who made it. It was discovered at the site where archaeologists unearthed a Viking boat burial.

Excavation of Oseberg ship in 1904 - Photo: Museum of Cultural History (Photographer: Væring)

Although all wood of the boat had rotted away, the marks left in the sand by over 300 rusted iron rivets marked out the shape of the vessel that had carried its occupants to the Viking otherworld.

The discovery of the Gokstad Viking ship and the mysterious, unknown Viking Chief is exciting. The Gokstad ship was accidentally found by two curious young boys who began to dig into the mound to see if they could find anything interesting.

It caused a sensation in Norway. Onboard the ship was a dead man. He was fully dressed and surrounded by ancient artifacts such as a bronze kettle, runic inscriptions, a game board, and a sleigh. It soon became apparent that, about 900 A.D., a rich and powerful man died, and the Gokstad ship was used for his burial.

You can experience a Viking Ship burial in modern times.

Incredible Up Helly Aa Festival – Experience A Viking Ship Burial In Modern Times

During the Up Helly Aa festival in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, one can experience the sacrifice of a longship. The annual festival began in 1870. It celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands. The Norse ruled Shetland and neighboring island Orkney for about 500 years until they became part of Scotland in 1468.

Up Helly Aa is an incredible and unforgettable experience. Several thousand people work the whole year to organize this fantastic event on the last Tuesday of January each year.

People from all across the world come to the Shetland Islands to see this celebration. Hundreds of people dressed as Vikings march through the town in the wind and rain.

Gokstad Viking ship

They work together to recreate the ancient past, in a tradition that dates back to the 1880s.

Viking Burial Customs Changed When Christianity Took Over

Around the year 1,000, Christianity started to take over as the main religion of the Vikings. Some Scandinavian countries accepted Christianity fast. By the mid-11th century, Christianity was well-established in Denmark and most of Norway.

Up Helly Aa Festival takes place every year on the last Tuesday of January. Credit: Shetland.org

It took longer for Sweden to convert entirely to Christianity. A temporary conversion took place in the early 11th century, but Christianity was finally established in Sweden in the mid-12th century.

As a result of the Vikings’ conversion to Christianity, burial practices changed. Cremation was no longer practiced as often, and inhumation was more widely adopted.

Written by  Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on November 13, 2022

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