Page 41 - A History of the World in 25 Cities

Traditional Viking homes had a long open fireplace, which was the centre of life for cooking and keeping warm. Despite having a hole in the roof, Viking houses were often full of smoke. Houses in Jórvík reflected the fact that the city was a
real mixture of different cultures. Instead of having a grass turf roof as a Viking home would have, many were built from timber with an Anglo-Saxon thatched roof.
The toilet was a hole, or cesspit, in the ground outside, and for toilet paper people used old pieces of cloth or a handful of moss.
If there was something to celebrate, like a great victory or the return of an important warrior, then you can bet that the Vikings
would throw a feast. These took place in the King’s Hall and could go on for days. Vikings drank ale and mead
from a hollow horn. While they ate, Vikings would be entertained by musicians and skalds
(storytelling poets), who recited long poems about heroic acts, daring deeds and great battles.
People in Jórvík practised a mixture of religions. Some Vikings had converted to Christianity, while many others still worshipped the old Norse gods. Vikings believed in the gods of Asgard, a magnificent fortress in the sky reached by
travelling along a rainbow bridge. The king of the gods was Odin, who had many children, including the mighty Thor, God of Thunder. Vikings believed that thunder and lightning were signs that Thor was riding through the sky.
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