Tracinya wrote:I know their weapons weren't that primitive. I meant their way of life, it differs a lot from the rest of Europe at that period. Vikings lived in so Long Houses with dirt walls (as I said) and grass on the roof, and only one chimney. There's a movie called When the Raven Flies (terrible film) that describes this pretty well. They all live in rather simple houses, even these supposedly powerful families live in either wooden or dirt buildings.
I never liked the levelled world-thing in Oblivion. Some mods improve this problem, but I have never seen one that removes it altogether. I hope they revert to a system more like in Morrowind. Still, if they mess up, there are always mods, right?
Note: This is not a rant... though on reading through a second time prior to posting, it certainly seems it. The quote isn't to direct ire at the original statements, but as an appropriate segue to the topic.
I do love how the term 'primitive' is used when describing the Norse/Viking peoples... Personally, I'd use the same term, but with a wholly different connotation. Primitive simply in what they used to survive and thrive. While we need 'advanced' materials to carve out our place in the world, many past cultures did so with 'primitive' resources.
Most people see their shipbuilding as their greatest achievement, but I see it as merely a single facet of their prowess of ingenuity.
(For reference:
http://www.vikingdenmark.com/viking-hou ... ayout.html)
Some of their buildings were certainly primitive in outward appearance, but with the available building materials and terrain, they were actually quite advanced. The 'grass on the roof' wasn't simply thatching to be replaced each season, but was transplanted grass and soil from the ground or hillside they built on/in. The soild acts as a very efficient insulation, and the grass keeps the soil from simply running off in the rain. I believe this design was put to practice quite often in Ireland, but I'm unsure where the design was initially introduced.
Buildings in areas with the capacity to provide wood for house and shipbuilding leant on their quite advanced ship designs to provide the roofing. Quite simply, it's an overlarge Viking Galley turned on its head and given walls and outter support beams. With their maritime raiding practices, the use of their boats for shelter if needing to take to land during inclimate weather (or perhaps even a whole season) could easily see this practice being put to use.
I think the largest disparity is that too often 'simplicity' is seen and described as being 'primitive'. Cultural beliefs have changed over the millenia, and with the changes there is more and more lack of acceptance of past cultures. I've watched a barn, built by licensed contractors and carpenters, go from bare earth to foundation and framework and then full completion in the space of a week. Meanwhile, literally just down the road, a community of Quakers erected a similar, though simpler, structure in exactly two days. One day to clear the land, and another to raise the building. A barn built in a single day, without the use of electric tools.
Living a simple life does
not make one 'primitive'.