Winter reading and reference

 This time of year makes for good research into winter wildlife. Going out for country walks and observing wildlife, the birds in winter, the plants, trees, berries and frost. Some prefer to watch it online or TV, or read up on it all. One of the most chill and information packed magazines is Countryfile, and this is based on the BBC documentary series about the wilderness.  

There are beautiful and fascinating books that are published by the RSPB (Royal society for protection of birds) that cover a lot of subjects, mostly about birds, and also books on other animals, trees and nature of the British Isles. There are books aimed at different ages, so the children's books are creative and so interactive. There are encyclopedia type books and a whole library of books about birds, animals and plants throughout the year in every season.

  

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Harii

There was a type of ancient warrior that isn't well known because it hasn't been taught in schools. We've all been told about the various tribes in Europe, but not everything has been explained thoroughly. There was a tribe of people called Harii, that lived in Germania. They were fearsome warriors who were entirely covered in black paint and their own shields were black. Nicknamed "ghost warriors" as they were often nocturnal, or attacking at nightfall, and being like shadows. 

The Roman historian Tacitus, described the Harii as "feralis exercitus" which means "army of the dead". Many believe that the Harii warriors have a lot of similarities with the legendary einherjar (the souls of fallen warriors who dwell in Valhalla). This may also include the Wild Hunt as ghost warriors that ride. 

Today there are the Harii warrior performers with the folk music band Heilung. 

For more description of the Harii read Germania by Tacitus.  

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A Viking table

 

People from the cold north feasted during Yule and then waited under the midsummer solstice for another feast. Vikings had tables packed with food that also included wooden cutlery, plates, jugs and cloths. Meat was always fresh, and the animals were just hunted, then cooked for the meat. Vikings kept cattle for milk and they could live for years, but some animals provided meat. Milk didn't keep so without proper facilities, the milk was turned into butter. Depending on how much milk there was available, if there was a lot of it, they also made it into cheese. The Vikings had ducks, chickens and geese for their eggs and sometimes meat, but Vikings enjoyed eating wild eggs too. A lot of the meats and root vegetables were made into stews. 

They had a lot of roasts. They ate pork, lamb, goat, fish. As very efficient and clever hunters, the Vikings caught a variety of animals. Boar, deer, reindeer, so their food was often rich in meat. On of the most interesting foods the Vikings ate was bone broth. They would get animal bones, then roasted them and this was transferred to a pot of boiling water. The cook would be done slowly until the marrow escaped. Today eating a meal with roasted bone marrow is so Viking!

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The enigma of the Ulfberht swords

 

Before I continue, I want to bless all a happy New Year. 

There is a mysterious sword that exists and has baffled archaeologists for a long time. It's a type of Viking sword with "Ulfberht" carved on the blade. There are about 170 of these swords, dating far back in ancient history. It's guessed that they were forged between 800 AE to 1000 AE. Some Vikings, but maybe not everyone of them, just a select few, were given these incredible swords. 

So what makes the swords different to other swords at the time, is what they appear to be made of. These swords are made of crucible steel. 

It's said by research that the creation of each Ulfberht swords needed to heat iron at extremely high temperatures, such as 3000 degrees fahrenheit. But back then there wasn't the technology to get temperatures this high! Blacksmiths generally used hammers to get the metal blades perfect although the Ulfberht swords were at such high temps that the heat burned impurities out. What also is found in the Ulfberht swords is full of carbon, far more than any other sword from those times.

Is this one of those mysterious artefacts with completely lost technology? Yes. Nobody has the answers as to how furnaces back in the era of the Vikings were so hot to make these particular swords. Could this also have been a lost art? Yes it is. Unfortunately there are many forgotten skills and missing details. Is this a true to life Valyrian steel? Kind of, but the real life Valyrian metal is Damascus steel. 

I hope that this has been quite an interesting and different post to begin 2021.

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