Viking Stories and Storytelling
The stories that the Vikings told to their friends and family were usually of recent raids or trips. They recited poems to the Chieftain and at gatherings for entertainment. They also recited poems to the Chieftain to avoid banishment from the village. If a villager was a disgrace to Viking society the punishment was banishment.
The most famous of Viking storytelling are the Sagas. The Sagas were usually stories based on oral history, passed on from generation to generation. However, they were not written down at the time but 200-300 years after they took place.
The people that wrote them down were the Christians, and most contained magical events.
The Viking laws and myths were largely oral and retold (publicly) through memory. They also communicated their memories of Scandinavian origins through their oral stories.
The most famous of Viking storytelling are the Sagas. The Sagas were usually stories based on oral history, passed on from generation to generation. However, they were not written down at the time but 200-300 years after they took place.
The people that wrote them down were the Christians, and most contained magical events.
The Viking laws and myths were largely oral and retold (publicly) through memory. They also communicated their memories of Scandinavian origins through their oral stories.