Viking age is an important period in European history which started date backed in 793 AD. Historians refer to this age as the time when Scandinavian colonialization expanded all over Europe. These colonial people were basically traders and brutal raiders on a mission to expand and conquest. However, archaeologists found historical evidence that the Vikings used to play unique games and gamble during their leisure time. Let us learn in details about the games and entertainment in the Viking Age which was the popular leisure time activities of the Norse People.
Details about the different type of Viking games and gambling played during the Viking Age
Historical evidence proves Vikings were avidly playing board games centuries back. Viking Games was broadly categorized into indoor and outdoor games. Most of the games were played for leisure, but many of them were associated with gambling. The gambling games were quite popular and played during feasts and gatherings.
Hnefatafl
This was the most popular board game played by Vikings during the 12th century. The game was extremely popular and spread across Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland and Great Britain as the Vikings expanded their colonization. This was a game of strategic skill where the basic rule was the players playing the game should be of unequal strength. The strongest player job was to corner the king with different strategic and tactical moves. This game could be compared with modern-day chess and was also called the game of kings. Generally, it was played in front of an audience where gambling used to take place between two opposing teams betting on the winner.
Dice Rolling Games
This was also a popular type of game played during the Viking age. Archaeological evidence shows that a dice game similar to modern-day Yahtzee was played by the Vikings. This was an interesting game where players used to roll the dice and score points based on the number they receive after each roll. The interesting part of the game is they were not allowed to see the opponents rolls. Now the players call off about their roles if a bluff was called the opponent loses one life and vice-versa. The audience watching the game generally used to gamble about the rolls which made the game exciting.
Island Gambling Games
According to the gambling experts from Casinospesialisten.net Gambling was extremely popular across all levels of society during the Viking age. Some stories from the Sagas narrates how two kings played the rolling dice game and gambled to decide on the ownership of the island of Hisingen.
Outdoor Games
The Vikings also used to play various kind of outdoor games associated with lots of gambling. Archery, wrestling, swordplay and stone-throwing competitions were extremely popular. Betting used to take place during the gameplay as who would be the winner. Horse fighting as another extremely popular outdoor gambling game. Vikings used to gamble around which horse would win the fight. Running, swimming, tug-of-war, etc. are some of the other popular outdoor games played during the Viking age.
Final Verdict
It is really exciting to know about the different games played during the Viking Age. Most of these games played centuries back resembles with many modern-day games which are an interesting fact to know. However, some of these games were brutal, and it was common that the player gets injured or killed while playing.