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King Gorm The Old ruled all of Jutland, the main
peninsula of Denmark. In 908 his wife Thyre give birth to a son. Little
Harald learnt early in life to respect the strong family bonds that formed
Viking society and kept it secure from intruders. The Scandinavian peoples
in Harald's time were mostly farmers. They lived in settlements where they
kept cattle and horses and cultivated the land. These communities were
ruled by 'great men' who created kingdoms and claimed new land and
subjects. The weakest and poorest in Viking communities were slaves. It
was this society which produced young Harald, later known as Harald
Bluetooth - probably taken from two old Danish words, 'ble' (blue) meaning
dark skinned and 'tan' meaning great man.
Like his companions, Harald soon learnt the art of
sword fighting and archery. Hunting animals and battling with enemies were
essential skills for Viking men. But so was dressing correctly, for they
were particular about their clothing and liked strong colours. Viking
warriors wore woollen smocks over long pants with impressive belts and
buckles. Sometimes a cloak was hung from one shoulder, ensuring that the
sword arm was always ready for action. Viking women wore an undergarment
with long arms, covered by a woollen vest. Their dresses had shoulder
straps fastened with bronze buckles. Sometimes shawls were added and also
held in place with buckles.
The Vikings lived in a world on a tree known as
Yggdrasil. The roots of the tree grew deeply into the Underworld. The
crown of the tree comprised the Overworld, divided into Midgerd where
humans lived, and Asgerd, the home of the gods. In Asgerd was Valhall, an
immense castle for the god Oden, foremost of all the gods, with great
knowledge and wisdom. Like other Vikings, Harald dreamed of an honourable
death with his boots on and weapon in hand. This would lead to a divine
life in Valhall with practice in the arts of battle and magnificent
feasts.
Like many Vikings, Harald considered it honourable to
fight for treasure in foreign lands. When still young he developed a
passion for adventurous journeys in search of gold, beautiful clothes,
jewellery and new lands for Viking settlements. The Vikings were skilful
boat builders. Their shallow-bottomed boats moved swiftly over the sea,
presenting a terrifying sight in the shape of a dragon. A carved head was
set at the bow of the boat, with shields on either side. Fearsome warriors
would leap from the boats with sword or axe in one hand and a shield in
the other. Warrior Vikings did not hesitate to plunder churches and
monasteries, causing their victims to picture them as devils. Thus the
idea was created that Vikings had horns on their helmets.
Harald's sister Gunhild was widowed after the death of
the violent Norwegian king, Erik Blood Axe. Thus Gunhild travelled to
Denmark seeking Harald's help to secure control in Norway. Harald took the
opportunity to seize control himself. By 960 he was at the height of his
powers, ruling over both Denmark and Norway. To defend his land, Harald
began to build impressive ringed fortresses at strategic sites. His
workers also constructed many bridges, including one almost a kilometre
long. Harald's throne was moved from Jutland to Roskilde, near modern
Copenhagen.
Harald married twice. With his second wife, Tove, he
produced two sons, Sven Fork-beard in 945 and Thyra in 958. Some claim
Sven was born out of wedlock. In any case he was raised in the household
of the Danish 'great man' Palnatoke. A Viking wedding was a rather
political matter. With a decision to marry, Viking men and women became
more or less equal partners. Women could own land and take care of their
private interests, but did not have the right to vote in communal decision
making.
At a large feast in 960 Harald Bluetooth entertained
Poppo, a priest sent by the German emperor. Poppo asserted that there was
but one Christian god. This was a bold claim, heard amid much drinking
with toasts to Tor and Oden. To prove the truth of Poppo's claim, Harald
required him to submit to a test. A metal glove was made red hot and Poppo
thrust his hand inside. Miraculously he received not the slightest burn.
This was taken as proof of the existence of the supreme Christian god.
Harald was promptly baptised, leading to similar conversions among the
Danish Viking elite. In practice however, many of the ancient gods were
retained along with the new 'one true god'.
When Harald was at the height of his rule he created a
monument that read: "King Harald raised this monument to the memory
of Gorm his father and Thyre his mother. Harald conquered all of Denmark
and Norway and made the Danes Christian." These words were carved in
stone as rune symbols. Such symbols were also carved onto weapons and
jewellery. The Vikings believed they were protected by secret magical
symbols on objects kept close to them. During the later Viking age,
memorial stones were raised providing a permanent record of rune
inscriptions.
After several goblets of mead, the 'great man'
Palnatoke would tell wild stories of his marksmanship. Harald heard his
claims and demanded proof. Palnatoke was ordered to place an apple on his
son's head and shoot it down with an arrow. Palnatoke was successful and
Harald asked why he'd selected three arrows since the instruction was that
he could have only one attempt. Palnatoke answered that the other arrows
were for Harald if the first had gone wrong. Shortly after this
confrontation, Harald ordered Palnatoke up to the dizzy cliffs of
Kullaberg, in what is now Sweden. Palnatoke was ordered to ski down a
hazardous snow-covered peak. He survived this test but could never forget
the injustice. Palnatoke created a rift between Harald and Sven Fork-beard
that grew into open hostility between father and son.
Sven Fork-beard began a rebellion against his father
that ended in a battle in 987. As he fled the fighting, Harald was struck
by an arrow from Palnatoke and died soon thereafter. In Viking tradition,
the dead were burned in a ship which was later covered with earth to
create a large grave mound. In his grave a Viking warrior had all he
needed for his final journey, such as his horse, weapons, jewellery and
food. Since Harald had converted to Christianity, he was buried without
cremation - then proscribed by the new faith. His body was taken to
Roskilde for burial at the church he had built there. Roskilde has
retained a memorial to Harald to the present day.
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