Viking Children. 26 Photos from Ribe in Denmark

Viking child exploring the world outside the Viking house — Viking child exploring the world outside his home at Ribe VikingeCenter

Vikings in Ribe – a favourite subject to photograph

Those who follow this blog will probably have noticed a long time ago, that Vikings are one of my favourite subjects to photograph (I am Gudrun from Danhostel Ribe – the hostel in Ribe, Denmark).

Viking children do also see the beauty of dandelions — Viking child exploring the big world

Photos of Viking children

Throughout the years I have also photographed Viking children. In this new blog post I will show you some of my less known photos – most of them never published before.

Viking woman with child at Ribe Viking Market

Ribe International Viking Market

I hope these photos will remind you of the big international Viking Market in Ribe. In 2016 it will take place from the 2nd of May to the 8th of May at Ribe VikingeCenter. The market brings 500 Vikings from all over Europe to Ribe in Denmark.

Similar Viking photos

A few of the photos might look like photos you saw before. Maybe you have seen one similar to this one here: Vikings

Viking food at the Viking market in Ribe, Denmark — Viking food at the Viking market. Viking woman and her son cooking Viking food at the market

Viking photos I never stopped liking

Most of these photos I took over the last couple of years, but a few are older. Like this one – it is almost 10 years old. The boy is now an adult, and maybe you’ll meet him as a Viking warrior or a tradesman in Ribe .

Viking children learn early to work with their fathers or other grown ups — Viking child learning carpentry

Learning Viking’s skills at an early age

During the Viking Age it was common for the children to start helping their parents from a very early age. They had to learn skills as farming, trading and also fighting. In Ribe VikingeCenter you will see Viking children work with real axes and hammers.

Viking boy working as as a helper or a smith's apprentice — Viking boy working as a smith’s apprentice

This Viking boy works as a smith’s helper and will probably once become a skilled craftsman himself.

Viking girls had to learn to milk the cows — Viking children. Girls help at the farm

Skills of Viking women and girls

Most of a Viking woman’s life was bounded by working at home. She was responsible for the household, and had all the keys to the house in her belt. She was cooking and taking care of the smaller children. If they were farmers, she milked the cows and made the cheese, but she should also be able to run all the farm while her husband was away.

Viking child baking bread — Viking girl baking bread

Viking cooking and brewing

Viking girls helped their mothers. They had to learn to cook and brew beer and mead. They would also learn to make cheese from milk.

Handwork of a Viking girl – while she is keeping an eye on her younger brother

Handwork of Vikings

Women and girls also spent much of their time spinning, weaving and making clothing. Sewing and repairing old clothes were important too.

Viking boy selling Viking beads at the market — Viking boy selling Viking jewelry at the market

Selling Viking jewelry at Ribe Viking Market

At the big international Viking Market in Ribe are many wonderful things for sale – and Viking children are taught to be skilled tradesmen.

A Viking child had to learn how to start a fire and keep it going

Keeping the fire going – a vital knowledge

Viking children and fetched water and collected sticks for firewood, but it was also vital for the older children to learn how to start a fire and keep it going.

Viking baby at the Viking Market in Ribe

A Viking baby

This little Viking baby is lucky. At the Viking Market in Ribe he was cared for and admired. If he had been born in the Viking Age his first challenge would have been to survive. Many children did not survive infancy and childhood.

Viking children also learn to be a warriors — Viking children learn to be warriors early in life

Viking children – Playing and learning Viking life

Viking children had to learn many skills necessary for survival in the Viking Age – for the boys one of them was to be successful warrior. Also some Viking girls learned to fight.

Boys were taught to use sword, spear, battle-axe and shield at an early age. The youngest boys had toy weapons, but the toys were an important part of learning real-world survival.

In the blog post Our best photos from Ribe Viking Market you can see a photo of Viking Boys playing the the Viking board game Tafl (- or Hnefatafl) and another photo of Viking boys playing by a river bank trying to reach the other side with a rope without getting wet feet.

Viking girls made and played with dolls — Viking girl with Viking toy doll made from wool

Also Viking girls played with dolls. This Viking girl is playing with a toy doll made from wool.

Viking instruments

Vikings liked music and had a variety of instruments – castanets were some of them. A wonderful photo of a boy playing a Jew’s harp a can be seen here Our best photos from Ribe Viking Market

Viking childr with dandelion — Viking child with flower

A viking drinking horn — A viking boy with a drinking horn

Viking boy in Viking ship at Ribe Viking Museum — Viking boy with the Ribe cup in Viking ship at Ribe Viking Museum

Viking raids

When Viking children grew up most of them would be farmers, traders and craftsmen, but some of them would also sometimes join Viking raids and bring back treasures from abroad. This boy is admiring the Ribe cup. This beautiful little silver bowl was part of a silver hoard from the 700s found in Ribe. The cup has a Christian motif and was originally used in church ceremonies. The cup is Frankish and produced in southern Germany or the Alpine region. How it ended in the pagan Ribe is still all in the air. Was it stolen goods of a Viking raid or part of a trade?

Weeping viking child — Weeping Viking child

Enough – He wants a break!

For small children, Ribe Viking Market can be a little overwhelming – so I’ll stop for a while.

Viking Places in Ribe

Ribe Viking Museum (Museet Ribes Vikinger). All year
Ribe Viking Centre (Ribe VikingeCenter). From May to Mid-October
Ribe Viking Market takes place at Ribe VikingeCenter one week around 1st of May every year
Book a guide for a Viking Walk at the Viking Museum or walk the hostel’s self guided Viking Walk in Ribe

Viking girl - Ribe, Denmark — Viking girl in tent. Ribe, Denmark

Hope you have enjoyed my photos. Please like and share with other Viking freaks – but please don’t copy.
Here are links to more of our blog posts with Viking knowledge and Viking photos from Ribe in Denmark:

– And don’t forget to book your room at the hostel in Ribe

Danhostel Ribe’ facebook