The Vikings and their Exploration is a short, full-color, 1958 instructional film produced by Coronet Films. Aimed at a young audience, it provides an overview of Viking history. Historical re-enactments help the viewer understand who the Vikings were, where they came from and conquered, and why they are famous.
Coronet Films was an American company that produced educational films often shown in schools. This film in particular was made in collaboration with history professor Ralph W. Cordier.
(00:54) A boy examines runes
(01:01) A model of a wooden Viking longship
(01:23) Beginning around 800 AD, Norsemen reached Ireland, England, France, the islands of Iceland, Greenland, and later many other lands.
(01:36) They were from Scandinavia
(01:54) Footage of young Scandinavians in the 1950s
(02:06) A re-enactment of a simple Viking house
(02:16) Vikings ate porridge and drank buttermilk
(02:26) Bread, cheese, honey, and butter were often served
(02:39) Fish, also an important food for the Vikings, were preserved by smoking to last through the long winter
(02:55) Rocky mountains and forests made farming challenging
(03:10) Narrow inlets called fjords provide water access
(03:12) Tall trees that grew near the sea were used as ship masts
(03:18) Norsemen carved dragons on their ships for protection
(03:32) Large oars were used to move the boat
(03:35) Shields were placed on the side of the boat. This protected against both the sea and enemy attacks.
(03:48) A square sail was used to catch the wind
(04:15) A re-enactment of Vikings disembarking the boat to raid a foreign land for treasure
(04:37) They wore helmets with horns
(04:52) A victim tries to flee, unsuccessfully
(05:02) A Viking plunders his victim’s body
(05:06) Crops were torched
(05:12) Survivors were sold as slaves
(05:26) Christians in these lands prayed for protection from the pagan Vikings
(05:31) The first organized Viking raid occurred in Ireland in 795 A.D. in the eastern part of the Island. Many settled on the Isle of Man.
(05:55) Other Vikings from Denmark invaded England and settled in an area called “Danelaw,” the territory governed by Danish laws.
(06:09) In 862 A.D. the Vikings sailed to Novgorod and continued south to Kiev then further on to the Black Sea and Constantinople (now Istanbul.)
(06:46) Those who settled in this region were known as the Rus Tribes.
(07:07) Vikings traded furs. They used a white shield to indicate openness to trade.
(07:21) In 900 they settled a region in northern France, in what is today known as Normandy.
(07:58) Drawings of the ships Normans, descendants of Vikings, used to cross over into England in 1066. The Normans conquered England.
(08:16) Viking carvings and a personal chest of a Viking quest.
(08:56) Viking decorative jewelry and figurines.
(09:08) Earthenware
(09:16) Metal tools for shipbuilding and carving. Battle axes and spears.
(09:57) An animated map shows Leif Erikson’s trip to North America.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
