Where does this image come from? Popular media continues it, yet it has origins in the past. The earliest written sources are those descriptions of raiders from the north. These were written by the victims. They describe bloodthirsty heathens in dragon ships. This image is also supported by the Vikings themselves. In the sagas the deeds glorified are those of war, and raids. The first human king of Norway drowned, drunken, in a vat of Mead while searching for a place to relieve himself (Sturluson, 15). Thereafter many were slain by kin or died in battle. Even Olaf the Holy, a saint, spent his youth warring and raiding. This paints a grim image of this people. There must be more to them than this. Yet even the arts the myth allows were tainted. The glorious art of the sagas was written for war kings. The smith, magical and wise, made weapons of war. Even the unsung artists that carved the runestones, wrote of death. The Eddas show that even the gods did not bother themselves with such things, the greatest of the treasures of the gods, such as Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, were made by Dwarfs not Norsemen.
Where can we find more of the truth? A small island in the Uppland district of Sweden, Bjorko, and the town upon it, Birka. Why this small island? Other places contain evidence to the contrary of these myths, yet they are tainted by the truths that gave rise to those myths. Trelleborg, Fyrkat and the other military towns were built for the purposes of war. Haithabu to the south was a village with trade and farmers, yet it often was involved in conflict. Birka was untouched by war as far as the historical and archeological record go. This gives us an opportunity to see the life of the Norsemen at the other extreme. Here are found artisans, merchants, traders, and the common folk forgotten in the sagas. We find them in the almost three thousand graves on Bjorko. These graves surround an area called the "black earth," which is the site of the town. Even Birka had a fort for defense. Such a place would be good pickings for Vikings seeking profit. Yet the fort seems unused to fighting, though evidence shows it is manned. This may be due to another difference for Birka, The King's seat at Adelso. This is just across the water from the actual town of Birka and many surmise it to be one of the reasons for Birka's existence.
A Viking raider had to be supported at two ends, Those he raided for, and those he raided. If he raids for himself, that leaves the raided. In the sagas and tales, raids happen in Scandinavia. But this is their home, so someone must be home making the goods to be stolen. History forgets the weaver, the baker, the everyday artisan. The archeological discoveries at Birka have been extraordinary. Among the Jewelry and swords and other glamorous finds, the common can still be revealed. Sixty-four loaves of bread, some miniature, have been found on Birka (Hanson, 9). Archaeology has even provided us with a recipe. In this town people cooked, ate, wove and wore clothing, and worried about fashion.
The first place to see the other Vikings is the workshops. There is no evidence at present of workshops on Birka, though all the tools are there. Gold and silversmiths were prevalent, making wire, brooches, pins, and much more. Alongside them were jewelers working with glass and crystal beads. These artisans produced many of the works found on Birka, yet not all. There are materials and jewelry and coins that come from as far away as Arabia, Byzantium, and possibly Egypt, and China. This introduces the traders both local and foreign. The trade routes that led to and from Birka were extensive. The silver trade came through Birka. Kufic silver coins came from the traders in the Volga region. These were disseminated from Birka as coin, jewelry, and silver work. Glass came through Birka as well, though not as much as through Helgo, Birka's sister island, and predecessor. Many of these goods were brought from afar by foreigners. Graves of these foreign traders have been discovered at Birka (Holmqvist, 106). With peoples from the known world walking the streets of Birka, a system of order was needed to keep them safe, and in line. There survives a set of rules for trade and conduct called the Bjarkeyjarrettr. It is likely that this is the Law code used in the Birka (Jones, 173). The other districts looked after there own people, a trade community needed laws unto itself to protect those who traveled and traded there. These laws were upheld by the Birka Thing. This assembly was headed by a prefect who seems to have had authority from the King.
The King of the Svear had great interest in Birka and places like it. Economics has been about for a long time. Birka could not have existed without royal protection and sanction. Protection was easily afforded. Adelso was within sight of Birka. Many of those who wished to be near the king might stay at Birka and still have influence. Royal support gave Birka the edge it needed to become a world wide trading center. The king must have gained some benefits from this besides wealth, possibly political connections through the trade routes. It is most likely that it was the kings power that caused the building of a third Harbor, manmade in addition to the natural harbors.
The far reaching arms of Birka's trade brought great diversity to the little island. These people brought with them their beliefs and religions. The recognition of Thor, Odin, and Frey was already present within the population. Other gods were tolerated rather well, it seems. A bronze Buddha was found on the Island of Helgo nearby. This was one of the strong points of the Norsemen as both traders and conquerors. Yet Christianity was to extend its hand here as well. There were already some Christians on Birka, and it was for these that the church sent missionaries to Birka, to support them. The Holy roman emperor was Louis, son of Charlemagne, he sent to Sweden a young missionary named Ansgar in 829. On his trip to Birka, he and his aide Witmar, were attacked at sea. They lost all their religious paraphernalia, including, according to one estimate, at least 40 manuscripts. When he at last made it to Birka, Ansgar succeeded in converting the Prefect of the Birka Thing, Herigar. Now Christianity at the time was not always the best thing for a diverse community. As was shown in Iceland less than two hundred years later, Christians of the time preferred to be surrounded by their own or none at all. The Christian Icelanders forced the Pagans of Iceland to convert and live under Christian law, or live with civil war. Though Herigar built a church on his own lands, and missionaries remained behind, Birka was fully heathen again by 840. One missionary was killed and the other expelled. No reason is given, and it seems unlikely that they would be treated so without proper justification, especially with the Laws of Birka in place. Ansgar returned in 850, now a bishop, and restored the Christian faith in Birka. This is one of the Most detailed areas of Birka written history. The life of Ansgar was chronicled by his successor, Rimbert. These actions seem to go against the image of the peaceful trader, yet our knowledge comes from the same source as the myths, persecuted Christians.
Even Birka's demise challenges the Myth of the warrior Viking. It did not end in war, or fire, or some catastrophe. It died slowly. There are two main reasons for the death of Birka. In the Volga region of Russia, something happened to stop the flow of Silver. Silver was the lifeblood of Birka. It seems that some war or raid about 970 disrupted the trade routes. Many hoards have been found on Birka from this period. It is reminiscent of the Stock market crash of the early 20th century. Birka=s Other enemy was the Land itself. The Swedish peninsula had been rising steadily for centuries. No major effect was seen until this time. The southern accesses to Lake Malar began to become inaccessible. What had been easy sailing, now required portage. These portages became longer at the same time that ships became deeper and wider for more cargo. This combination along with the harbors becoming shallow was the final blow to Birka. Cut off from the main trade routes it died. By 1060 Sigtuna had become the bustling trade town of the Uppland district. Bishop Adalvard visited Birka in 1060, he found nothing of its former glory (Holmqvist, 137). Birka died with a whimper, in bed, not even given the honor of being marked with a spear for Odin.
What do we know? The myth of the Viking has been given a mortal blow. Yet how much of this is myth? Our information is founded on imagination and reasoning. Yet even these 'myths' may be disproven with new evidence. The image of the peaceful Norse trader may be as false a picture of the whole as the Viking raider was.
