June 8 793 The Vikings raid Lindisfarne

[Valin]

The Vikings Are Coming

Nick Attwood

 

 

"AD. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter."
Entry for the year 793 in the Anglo Saxon chronicle

 

 

793 is predominantly used as the starting point of ‘viking’ history in British schools and colleges today; although it was not the first time that raiders from the seas had landed in Britain, it was their most significant visit in the eighth century.

 

 

Six years before Lindisfarne was raided the Anglo Saxon Chronicle’s records for A.D. 787. that "This year King Bertric took Edburga the daughter of Offa to wife. And in his days came first three ships of the Northmen from the land of robbers. The reve then rode thereto, and would drive them to the king's town; for he knew not what they were; and there was he slain. These were the first ships of the Danish men that sought the land of the English nation."

 

 

Undeniably barbaric and savage in its execution it never fails to capture the imagination. Thus 793 provided the perfect dramatic entrance into the fascinating history of the Viking empires and particularly their role in British history. Especially for school children the thought of such a sudden and brutal attack is fascinating, particularly when they come to see the priory and imagine just how powerful an impact that raid would have had on such a remote and peaceful community. Blood-thirsty warriors tearing up Christians and carrying prisoners off to their fierce-looking ships during daring raids are the ‘best bits’ about history lessons at school- the more blood the better it seems. The 793 raid on Lindisfarne should not however be confined to school curricula and treated as just another revision topic or reference point to be forgotten as soon as the exams are over. A terrible day for Lindisfarne it may have been, but nevertheless a very important one, and it also serves as an excellent introduction to a fascinating people and their ‘period’ in European history.

 

(Snip)

 

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Synopsis: The adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok: the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the saga of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods: legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.