Illustration «Viking»
Making off

The Vikings (Danish vikinger, Swedish vikingar, Norwegian vikingene) are early medieval Scandinavian seafarers who in the VIII-XI centuries performed sea voyages from Vinland to Biarmia and from the Caspian to North Africa.

Most of them were tribes in the process of decomposition of the tribal system, living on the territory of modern Sweden, Denmark and Norway, which were pushing beyond their home countries overpopulation and hunger. By religious affiliation, the Vikings, in the overwhelming majority, were pagans.

Crows in ancient German mythology were considered dedicated to Odin, the god of battles and witchcraft. The names of his two crows – Khugin and Munin – “thinking” and “remembering” (or “thought” and “memory”). Crows reflect the prophetic, prophetic, witchcraft nature of Odin just as wolves – his aggressive and predatory side.

Raven – a bird eating the corpses of dead enemies and friends – enjoyed the special attention of the Scandinavian skalds, who sing of the battle. And the Scandinavians of the Viking Age did not see anything bad or unclean in the crow. As a bird of battle, the raven was equal to the eagle that was associated with Odin.