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Viking Work List of Categories
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What jobs did the Vikings do?
During the Viking Age the job most people had was farming and running their farms. There were few specialized jobs during this time. But a few other jobs that were available were metal working, glass making, shoe making, carver’s horn and bone and traders. Most of the time the people doing these jobs were the farmers themselves since knowing many crafts was helpful. In the rare case of large villages, these craftsmen would not have to farm, but trade their items for food and other goods.
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Did Vikings “specialize” in any work?
Vikings, as others in their time, didn't have jobs as we know them today. They had to deal with situations as they came, and know how to handle them. A farmer not only had to know how to take care of animals, but also grow the grain to feed them, prepare them for the meat they used, prepare the hides for use as clothing, shoes, blankets, etc., know how to utilize everything about the animal from horn to tail. They used "everything except the moo" that the animal had to offer.
A craftsman who made furniture needed to know his material... wood, and would make the best of every part of the tree that he had to cut to use.
Then he had to cure it, cut it, shape it and put it together... all without the power that we have today! Think about a ship builder and the lumber that he would need for a boat. He would select trees years in advance, cut them down and dry them out until he could split the lumber just he right way! They really had talent!
A merchant would travel, needing a boat and a crew to operate it. Then he would need to know the value of the product that he wanted to buy, and the value of the items that he wanted to sell. They used Arabic coins to buy and sell things, but didn't use them as we use nickels & dimes... they cut them and weighed them on scales! They traded all over the known world at the time, and then brought their goods back home to make their fortunes!
One man could be all of these things, and a warrior too, and a loving father to his children! They needed a variety of skill to survive in those tough times, and succeeded quite well.
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Was it just the men who had jobs in Viking times or did the women have jobs as well?
Women were home, working on anything that had to with the farm: cleaning, making clothing, taking care of the children and livestock, planting and gathering the harvest, maintaining the buildings, storing food for the winter and much more! Women were very strong in Viking culture, and wielded a lot of power, and also did a lot of work!
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What type of house work did the women do?
Women in the Viking age were in charge of everything that had to do with running the household - making the food (i.e., bread, meat, cheese, etc.), making/repairing clothing and other cloths (sometimes the tightly woven cloths were used for bartering; this was called "wadmal"), gardening, cleaning the house, taking care of the livestock while her husband was gone, etc. If this was a wealthier family, she would have servants to help her do all of those things. Another important task she had was making sure that the family had enough food to last through the winter. Food would be stored in locked cabinets, and the woman of the house would have the only key, so that people wouldn't steal the food. (Sometimes other precious things, like herbs, linens, and metals would also be locked up.)
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Were the jobs easy or hard?
What the Vikings did would probably seem harder than what we are used to, but people in that time worked to survive, and adapted their lives around the work that needed to be done. If a farmer didn’t grow his crops, he wouldn’t have food to eat!
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How many hours did the Vikings have to work each day?
All of the people, men and women, and even kids worked from sunup until sundown, but there is a "kicker" in that, during the summer, days were 23 hours long! At the other end of the year, winter, you might have one or two hours of light. It could be difficult at times, but they used what daylight they were given.
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Did the Vikings earn a lot of money from their jobs?
Very few Vikings earned money for their jobs, because most people in that era worked for their own supplies – i.e., a woman would make the fabric that she would use to clothe her family; a farmer would grow plants and take care of animals that would be used to feed his extended family. Some Vikings were craftsmen, and would create things that they would trade for other items, but money was rarely used.
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Did the Vikings have to travel far to work?
Most “Vikings” were farmers and craftsmen, who didn’t travel far, in fact, their home was usually their workplace! Those that did travel for work were mostly merchants, who traded goods produced where they lived to folks that had items they wanted, like fabrics, spices, and other items. The Vikings that are stereotyped in cartoons and movies were the warriors, who traveled from place to place to steal land, people, and other items.
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Did the Vikings have to wear special clothes to work?
While the Vikings would wear different clothing in different seasons, they tended to layer their clothes, using a pair of pants all year, adding a tunic top if it was a bit chilly, then more clothes as it got colder, a cape for protection in cold damp weather, hats and even gloves to protect the extremities in the bitter winters. Most of their clothes were hand made, mended as it wore out, used and reused until it fell apart. They didn't go to the store to buy it, because they weren't near stores that sold it! Once in a while the men who were out trading or raiding would bring back exotic materials (silk from the orient, or linen from other countries) for finer clothing, but only the very wealthy Vikings could afford that... mostly they used wool from their sheep or deer, elk skins and fur for clothing.
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Were Viking’s blacksmiths, and what did they make?
Iron ore, or 'bog iron' was found in many parts of Scandinavia. The Vikings had learned to make iron from this ore and used the iron to make many useful things.
Those who worked with this iron were blacksmiths, who heated the iron in a forge and worked into various shapes, mainly by hammering on the soft white hot iron over an anvil to shape it as they wished. When it was cooled, it could be filed or sharpened as needed.
They made many things from this iron; tools, hammers, knives, spear points, axes and other weapons. They also made pots, pans, bowls, and other decorative objects. One of the most common things they made were nails, used to fasten the wooden planks together to form the sides of Viking ships.
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How did a Viking child choose what they wanted to be when they grew up?
Male Viking children would, for the most part, "apprentice" in the skills of their father, whether it was as a jewelry maker, storyteller, or shipbuilder. It was a part of their life and growing up. Viking girls would learn the skill needed to manage a farm, house livestock, knitting and weaving and sewing, managing the family money or barter. Women in the Viking's day were quite powerful, holding the keys to the family’s valuables and participating in decisions on a regular basis.
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