x
Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an Arab scholar, diplomat and secretary to the Caliph of Baghdad, explored Russia's lands in search of new routes, providing essential information about a completely unknown population, whose members he calls Rus or Rusyyah , none other than the Vikings. originally from Sweden [60] describing them as physically gifted, tall, blond-skinned, blond-skinned people wearing an ax, a sword and a long knife, from which they never parted.The diplomat will witness some unimaginable scenes at the court of Baghdad, that of maintaining intimate relations between men and slaves, in front of the crowd. Ibn Fadlan would be amazed by the particularly high sexual appetite of the Vikings. One of the most eloquent accounts of Ahmad ibn Fadlan is the funeral of a Viking chief. The Vikings offered Arab visitors furs, and in return, they received Arab gold. He also attended a cremation funeral of a Viking chief. After being buried for 10 days, his body was placed on a ship with his belongings, and a priestess named the "Angel of Death" sacrificed a young slave to accompany him in the next life in Valhalla.. The ship was set on fire by a close relative of the deceased. The Vikings built beautiful boats with a sturdy hull that supported the entire ship. The long ships sailed at high speeds and were stable, sailing with the help of sails and oars. They could be picked up by the crew and transported by land over long distances from one river to another or could be easily brought to the beaches, without the need for arranged ports. The dragon's head at the bow was meant to frighten away evil spirits, sea monsters, and enemies. In the 8th century, the Vikings began to leave Scandinavia in search of adventure, wealth and fertile lands. At first they raided rich monasteries and coastal towns, but later sailed up the Rhine , Seine.and the Loire , attacking cities on the European continent. Local leaders redeemed their safety with gold and silver. The Vikings were not only robbers, but also farmers in search of land, merchants in search of business, and excellent sailors and merchants who ventured to Constantinople and Baghdad in search of conquests and trade. They settled in England and Ireland . Normandy , southern Italy and Sicily and Iceland destroying monasteries and took over the Baltic Sea, founding trading cities like Visby in Sweden, Kiev in Ukraine, Dublinin Ireland, York in England, Rouen in France and Novgorod in Russia, where they founded state formations. They organized incursions into the Mediterranean basin, the defeated by the Byzantines putting themselves in their service as merchants and mercenaries. They sailed to Greenland and North America . After the year 1000 , the Viking formations converted to Christianity, becoming Christian kingdoms. Their influence on Northern Europe was immense, as they established trade routes and founded cities. Their successors in France, the Normans , who later settled in England, led the Crusades against the Muslims.
