A Typical Day in the Viking Community

Where could I be? The last time, I remember it was morning and I was swimming and now it is afternoon and I am somewhere. I guess I drowned and landed up here. I am surrounded by many people and they all look different from my country people. Men are fierce looking and wearing woolen undershirt and leggings under a belted tunic and coat. Women are wearing long linen shift under woolen tunic, clipped at the shoulders by two brooches. All were wearing woolen and fur hats, socks, soft leather shoes and boots.
They told me that I was drowning and they saved me and brought me inside their Viking community in Scandinavia. I heard about this place from my grandparents before but I can’t remember exactly what they said. I stood up and found myself in this long house and there was a hole on the roof. I asked them about the hole and they told me it was to escape smoke from while cooking or while men were smoking. Inside this house I saw a small table, oil lamps, stools, storage chests and wall tapestries. In my country I saw many of these but here there is less and some houses didn’t even have any of these. This house had an earth floor and a thatch roof.
I went out and saw lots of people working, even kids. I was first attracted by Vikings who were building both war ships and trading vessels. A man was guiding me; I guess he was thinking I might be their enemy. I still kept on looking around and saw women’s spun sheep and goats’ wool to make cloth on wooden looms. They were dyeing cloth with vegetable and minerals. I went around and saw Vikings who didn’t have any work were passing time wrestling, swimming, skiing, and playing a board game called hnefnatafl and listening to sagas told by storytellers.
I was hungry so I told the person guiding me about, some women gave me a midday meal. It was dried pork, lamb boiled in an iron pot with carrot, peas, wild onions, nettles, herbs and dandelion leaves. I finished the meal and went on looking around the area. Iron weapons