According to the historical development of mankind, the footprints of the Vikings cannot be missed. The warriors of the Scandinavian peninsula were also talented explorers and traders with lifestyle lessons that are still valuable today.

Strength comes from a lifestyle that emphasizes physical and mental health

If the greatest Viking warriors were alive, they would probably laugh at today’s men who just sit with their phones and laptops all day.

The reason why the Vikings were strong warriors was because they had a lifestyle of not sitting still from the moment the sun rose until night fell. They wake up to collect firewood, build ships, go to sea, hunt, and farm. And the concept of free time is fiery wrestling matches to practice your fighting ability.

Clive Standen, the actor who plays Berserker Rollo in the TV series Vikings, shared that he regularly performs walking exercises while carrying dumbbells weighing around 30kg. Yet that was not the only exercise Clive had to practice to play a true Viking on screen.

Furthermore, the Vikings’ physical strength also came from their “not afraid of death” spirit. For the Vikings, death was predetermined and no armor or weapon could defend against it. Fear is different, fear will paralyze and hesitate you in the most important moment.

From that spirit, the Vikings always acted decisively and extremely brutally in their battles. In other words, between set goals, only actions can be achieved, not thoughts. Instead of being afraid of dangerous diseases, change your lifestyle today, exercise and eat moderately for your health. That is also the spirit of the Vikings.

Viking men always respected women

Having roamed the shores of Europe since the late 8th century, Viking men were ahead of their time when it came to gender equality.

Viking women were not bound by the rules of being submissive to men. On the contrary, they also have the right to leave or even punish themselves if they are betrayed: “In Viking society, if a woman was treated badly, she could stick a knife into her ribs. man. Or she will divorce with the right amount of property” – Historian Justin Pollard shares that gender equality partly comes from the fact that a large number of Viking women were trained to become talented warriors, or also known as “shieldmaidens”.

Betraying one’s spouse was also a despicable thing among Viking men. For them, their wife is the one who always stands by their side, and it would be foolish to lose their valuable ally.

Viking friendship

Friendship played a very important role in the Viking lifestyle, sometimes even more than kinship.

Friendship is not only between people of the same class, but rather, friendship must be formed between the positions of captain and sailor, who are brothers together. While in this era, men sharing too many emotions would be considered weak, Viking men raised glasses of wine and praised each other day and night. According to Professor of Psychology Thomas Joiner, modern men’s lifestyle has less intimacy and loneliness can be dangerous both psychologically and physically. Perhaps emotional attachment is what supported the Viking warriors to become a great people.

In this era, we are too dependent on the internet, which is why face-to-face meetings are no longer as important as before. Have you ever thought about how long it’s been since you last saw a friend? If so, don’t forget to pick up the phone to schedule a coffee right away.