How bloodthirsty were the Vikings? New study questions long-held assumptions

Unfortunately for those looking at 2022 The Northman an underrated gem whose blood-soaked depiction of Viking life may not be entirely accurate, even without the supernatural elements. Relics studied by anthropologists show that the Vikings in what is now Denmark were relatively peaceful compared to their Norwegian counterparts, owning fewer weapons and using them less frequently than their southern neighbors.

The new study, published in Journal of Anthropological Archaeologycombined analysis of human skeletal remains and ancient weapons, as well as reading ancient runestones, to examine how Viking societies differed in the two different locations. They found that the Danes were not only less violent, but also had a more centralized power structure, and these two characteristics may be related.

While Vikings are often viewed as bloodthirsty marauders who thrived on chaos and murder, the truth about the role of violence in their society is more complex. Some historians have claimed that the Vikings were no more violent than some of their contemporary societies. Even if that's true, the study's authors point out that violence was an integral part of Viking culture, as their origin story revolved around the murder and dismemberment of a giant. As anyone who's seen the best Thor movie knows, the Vikings' view of the end of the world was equally grim, revolving around a final battle called Ragnarök. Viking poetry and religious beliefs were similarly bloody.

Nevertheless, Viking Age swords are relatively rare finds in Denmark. Only one sword from the Late Iron Age has been found per 547 square kilometers in the country. By comparison, in the region around the Norwegian city of Stavanger, one sword was found per 32.7 square kilometers. Norwegian skeletons also showed much more signs of injuries that occurred before death. Of the 30 Norwegian remains examined, 18 showed signs of injury. Six of the Danish skeletons showed signs of injury, but these were clearly at the time of death; four of the 82 skeletons examined had been beheaded, while another had been hanged. In contrast, none of the Norwegians had lost their heads (although the sample size was much smaller, at 18 skeletons).

This discrepancy led Jacobson to conclude that violence was not the only difference between Danes and Norwegians. The Norwegian Vikings may have had a might-be-right approach to social organization, he wrote, while the Danes submitted to a centralized authority, making everyday life more “civilized.”

“The results of these patterns suggest that we are talking about different societies in the regions of Norway and Denmark,” Jacobson said in a statement. “This is quite remarkable, since Scandinavia was thought to be essentially a unified space in social terms.”

The researchers said their work could potentially shed light on the relationship between centralization and authority in other historical civilizations. They pointed to tribes in the Andes, where evidence from the Archaic and Late Horizon periods shows that human bodies suffered more trauma in areas with less political centralization. At the very least, the new research shows that societies, even those considered violent, are more complex and nuanced than we typically assume.