Level: DRA: Social Studies Strategy: Word Count: Build Vocabulary Online Leveled Books HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

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1 HOUGHTON MIFFLIN

2 by Nancy Wu ILLUSTRATION CREDITS: 4 Joe LeMonnier / Melissa Turk; 6 Arvis Stewart c /o Kirchoff/Wohlberg PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover Bettmann / Corbis; 1 AFP / Getty Images; 2 Bettmann / Corbis; 5 Leslie Garland Picture Library / Alamy; 9 Philip Gould / Corbis; 10 Ted Spiegel / Corbis; 11 AFP / Getty Images; 13 Douglas Williams; Bkgrnd PhotoDisc: H2O Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of Houghton Mifflin Company unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Address inquiries to School Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Company, 222 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA Printed in China ISBN-13: ISBN-10: X NOR

3 The Vikings Are Coming! Picture what could have happened long ago: The watchman on the shore stares out at the sea. For hours, he sees nothing but endless waves. But what s that to the north? It s a black dot, on the cold, gray water. The black dot grows quickly into the shape of a ship as it moves swiftly across the waves. Only one kind of ship can move that fast. The watchman rushes to the village, crying out: Dragon! Longship heading this way! Terror spreads through the village. The Vikings are coming! Viking ships battled high waves and winds. 2

4 Viking Exploration These are some of the places the longships carried the Vikings. 789 C.E. England 860 C.E. Constantinople (Turkey) 1000 C.E. North America 840 C.E. Ireland 981 C.E. Greenland 862 C.E. Russia Raiders, Traders, and Explorers The Vikings were ruthless raiders who attacked villages and towns to take riches and slaves. But they were also traders who traveled to other lands. They exchanged furs, lumber, and ivory for such things as wheat, cloth, and gold. Viking explorers settled the islands of the North Atlantic, including Iceland and Greenland. They may even have reached as far as the eastern coast of North America. The age of the Vikings began in the late 700s and lasted about 300 years. The Vikings were likely the best sailors in the world at that time. 3

5 Life on the Vikings ancestral lands could be hard. The winters were long, and the growing season was short. Most people lived near the sea because the coast offered the mildest climate. Viking explorers combed the coastlines of nearby islands. They searched for adventure, wealth, and new places to settle. While the sea was a friend to the Vikings, it was also a cruel enemy. Storms and high waves easily tossed ships around and often sank them. Many Viking sailors met their destiny in the cold waters of the North Atlantic. The Vikings lived in the present-day countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. 4

6 Most Vikings stayed close to home. Many were farmers. Others were craftspeople spinners, weavers, and jewelry makers. And then there were the master shipbuilders. They designed the majestic Viking longships. The secret behind the artistry of the longship was that it was clinker-built. Clinker-built ships were made of planks that overlapped, much like the siding on a house. The gaps between the planks were sealed with tarred rope or animal hair. The longships were double ended, meaning both ends came to a point. Onlookers could not tell if the ship was coming or going. The Vikings attached fierce dragonheads to each end of the ship. This made the ships even more frightening. Frightening dragonheads were said to scare off sea monsters. 5

7 The mast on a longship was about 40 feet (12 meters) high, about half the length of the ship. Its large square sail gave the ship great speed. During battle, the sail would be lowered so that it would not be damaged. Some large longships had room for 20, 30, or even 50 rowers on each side. The crew slept in tents on the open deck. The rowers were also fearsome warriors. In battle, they used shields for protection. When in port, the shields rested on a rack along the side of the ship. While at sea, they were removed from the rack. They could not risk losing such valuable armor in the sea. A Viking longship Mast Sail Anchor Deck Planks 6

8 Storm-Proof The planks of the longship were sometimes tied together, not nailed. This allowed them to twist up to six inches in heavy waves. It kept them from breaking apart in a storm. Tales Told in Song and Story They... sailed for three days before losing sight of land. Then their following wind died down, and north winds and fogs overtook them, so that they had no idea which way they were going. This scene comes from the Norse sagas, or tales, the Vikings told over many years. It describes the journey of Bjarni Herjolfsson. Although we can t believe every word of these sagas, they do give us some information about the past. In the above saga, Bjarni sets out on a journey to find his father. Bjarni believes his father lives in a Viking settlement in Iceland. When Bjarni s ship reaches Iceland, his father is not there. He is told that his father has left Iceland to live in Greenland. Unfortunately, Bjarni doesn t know where Greenland is. All he knows is that Greenland isn t green at all. It is covered by a giant ice cap. 7

9 The fog finally lifts after many days at sea. The crew sees a flat land covered with green forests. Knowing this lush land cannot be Greenland, the ship sails past without stopping. Days later Bjarni finally lands on the coast of Greenland and reunites with his father. The saga describes the geography of each land Bjarni saw. Historians believe the first land he saw was probably Labrador, part of present-day Canada. If so, Bjarni Herjolfsson would have been the first European to see North America. The Viking sagas give clues to what daily life on a longship was like. But scientists have now discovered more reliable clues to shipboard life. They have unearthed and studied real Viking ships! Uncovering the Past The Vikings very lives depended on the sea and their ships. Many Viking burials took place at sea. Other Vikings were buried on land with their ships! A deep hole was dug as near to the sea as possible. Then the ship was lowered into the gravesite. The clay in the dirt helped preserve the ship for hundreds of years. 8

10 In 1957, underwater explorers discovered five Viking ships off the coast of Denmark. More ships were found later. 9

11 Inside buried ships, scientists have found weapons and tools. These items are clues. Maybe the Vikings wanted to use these items in the afterlife. One buried ship was discovered in The deceased was an important Viking queen. It was a very large burial site. It held several wagons loaded with her belongings. Viking coins, jewelry, and a sword were found at the site of an ancient Viking city. 10

12 Other graves held Viking warriors. Most of them had been buried with their weapons. Some graves contained small ivory carvings. These were more clues! The trinkets may have been used for board games. Recreational activities must have been welcome at sea. Boat builders in Norway spent four years building The Sea Stallion, a Viking longship replica. Every effort was made to use the same methods that the Vikings used long ago. 11

13 12 Artistry on the Waves The narrow Viking ships could sail quickly over long distances. Their light weight helped them glide easily. The longships were superior to any other vessels of the time. They were shallow enough to land upon almost any shore. They could even sail along rivers. The longships were more than just a way to get from here to there. They were an important part of Viking culture. Fine carvings, weather vanes, and gold designs decorated the ships. Even the anchors showed artistry. These were carved from solid oak, then weighed down with iron or stone. Only the fastest longships were used for raids. The Vikings had other boats for trade and exploration. Large, wide cargo ships were ideal for trade. They had plenty of room for carrying goods. Other ships carried Viking explorers and settlers to new lands. Some boats were small enough to be carried aboard larger ships. They were used to move passengers along rivers and across lakes.

14 The striped, square sail on a Viking longship was meant to look like a dragon s wing. The oars were made to look like a dragon s legs. These details were meant to frighten villagers before a raid. 13

15 14 The End of an Age Their ships allowed the Vikings to forge a culture built around the sea. But it was the longship that best embodied the Vikings character. Their skill and craftsmanship made the ships both beautiful and useful. The Vikings were fearless and enjoyed adventure. These fierce warriors built an empire that lasted for more than 300 years. Over time, the victims of the Vikings began to learn from their attackers. They got better at defending their territory. They built better boats, using the longboats as models. The Vikings also began to change. They settled in new lands. They slowly adapted to new cultures and gave up many of their old Viking ways. Thanks to the Norse sagas and the discovery of the longships, the age of the Vikings is far from forgotten.

16 Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder The words ancestral and ancestry have the same root word. Copy the chart below and list another word that shares the same root word as ancestral. Write the meaning after each word. Root Word Word Meaning ancest ancest ancestry??? Write About It Text to Self Write a paragraph describing some challenges the Vikings faced in their ancestral lands. Use one of the words from the Word Builder in your description. 15

17 TARGET VOCABULARY ancestral artistry destiny embodied forge majestic recreational ruthless sagas unearthed TARGET STRATEGY Summarize Briefly tell the important parts of the text in your own words. Remove the prefix of this word to make a word that tells where you live. 16

18 Level: U DRA: 44 Social Studies Strategy: Summarize Word Count: 1, Build Vocabulary HOUGHTON MIFFLIN Online Leveled Books