No Cod Fish, no Vikings?

avatar

You may know Ragnar Lothbrok thanks to codfish. I'm a big fan of the Vikings TV Show, and always wonder how they became so important and famous in European history, even reaching popular culture today. From time to time, you will find some post in Hive regarding a makeup inspired by Vikings or anything else related to them.

4802332909_76f82499ee_k.jpg
flickr

Recently, I found an interesting video on YouTube titled "How Cod Saved the Vikings". After watching the video, I understood that something so simple as a fish could be a crucial factor in the success of a civilization. Of course, there would be other factors involved in Vikings success 1000 years ago, nevertheless, the video shows enough arguments to say that Cod Fish could be one of the main reasons for it.

Although I am not an expert in history, medicine, or nutrition, I thought it was an interesting enough topic to write about. Something that has always caught my attention is topics about ancient civilizations and interesting facts about them.

Apparently, the Vikings acquired the habit of drying the meat of the cod they fished, in order to preserve it for a longer period of time during their sea travels. This would increase its protein content significantly. This dried cod meat could be split and eaten as if it were a cookie. In addition to its high protein content, it is a low-cost food that must have also reached the lower classes among the Vikings.

Pixabay

This habit would be acquired by the Vikings before or during the High Middle Ages, between 800 and 1000 AD. Right in those centuries, Vikings were beginning to have an important presence in Europe and ventured beyond, towards Iceland and America. That is why cod would be one of the main reasons for the Viking expansion at that time.

But it is not just about the protein content of cod. As we will see below, another significant factor would make the Vikings overcome the cold climate of Scandinavia.

Pixabay

Interestingly, dried cod meat is not a very popular food in Scandinavia today, but it is popular in other countries in Europe, even in areas where cod is not found in the sea, such as Italy and Spain in the Mediterranean. Trade would have brought this fish to other areas of Europe about 1000 years ago, making other populations in Europe also benefit from this food.

I do not remember any mention of Cod Fish in the Vikings Series. On the other hand, the series shows us not only a civilization interested in raiding and conquest but also trade with other kingdoms.

Pixabay

The Vikings probably were the first people to consume cod liver oil. They developed a method to extract this oil. In the past, it was unknown why cod liver oil had so many curative properties. As the video mentions, Vikings probably know about the benefits of Cod consumption, but not how much or why. When I was a kid, I remember it was common to give cod liver oil to children, I even tasted it a couple of times.

Cod is a fish that does not seem to put up much resistance to being fished, in comparison to other fishes. Besides, its distribution around Europe favored the Vikings, since the Atlantic Cod has a presence around Scandinavia coasts. You can detail this in the following map.

I, Aotearoa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Viking families probably adopted the consumption of cod liver oil following the example of other families. They must have noticed that individuals who consumed this food had better health. This way of transmitting valuable knowledge is described as proto-science. It is interesting how different practices are adopted and preserved in the culture for their development.

On the other hand, one of the main reasons why cod plays an important role in terms of health is due to the lack of sunlight in the Nordic countries in the winter months.

Pixabay

Rickets and Osteomalacia

Lack of sunlight means less vitamin D in the body, which is essential for absorbing calcium. The lower the amount of calcium, the weaker the bones. In medieval times, a disease called rickets, in which the bones are fragile was common in Europe.

If you have watched the series Vikings, you will know that one of its main characters (Ivar the Boneless) was born with deformities associated with the bones of his legs. This historical character might have suffered from some disease related to vitamin D deficiency, although it is not clear if "Boneless" was simply a nickname.

According to the information presented in the video, all areas above latitude 43° are susceptible to not receiving enough sunlight in the winter months. This is favorable for the appearance of Rickets in the population.

Vikings Rickets Cod Fish Vitamin D Hive blog.png
Edited using Paint. Pinpin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

You can see on the map that Viking's home (Scandinavia and Denmark) is very far from the 43° Latitude. They were more propitious to Rickets' disease than other cultures of Europe. However, they were known as strong and excellent warriors. They managed to sail across all of Europe, even settling in Iceland. And Cod may be one of the main reasons for this.

Another interesting fact mentioned in the video is that when they arrived in Greenland, Vikings seem to forget important things about their own culture, including cod liver oil consumption. The Greenland settlement did not last over the centuries, and the archeological remains found point to bone-related diseases.

The Vikings who arrived in Greenland did not have the scientific knowledge that we now have about the benefits of cod liver consumption. Whether or not this is the reason for the failure of the Greenland settlement, the lesson is that if you are going to abandon some aspect of your culture, think about the benefits it brought over the years.

Pixabay

In conclusion, cod could be one of the main causes of the Viking Age. It gave the Vikings enough protein and vitamin D to stay strong and healthy in a hostile climate and poor quality land for farming. Certain practices such as the consumption of cod liver oil may have arisen spontaneously and were passed on to subsequent generations.

It would not be unreasonable to say that without cod, the Vikings could not have been as prominent as they were, as they would not have had a major source of protein and vitamin D that helped them perform well in the Scandinavian climate.

If we look at the map, apart from possible exceptions, there is no other civilization as far north that has been as successful as the Vikings. So if they had been less relevant in history, maybe today we wouldn't know about characters like Ragnar Lothbrok in a TV series.


Versión en Español del video: ¿Por qué el Bacalao salvó a los Vikingos?



0
0
0.000
15 comments
avatar

Congratulations @acont! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :

You published more than 200 posts.
Your next target is to reach 250 posts.

You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word STOP

Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:

Happy Birthday to the Hive Community
A successful meetup and its commemorative badge
0
0
0.000
avatar

Cod liver oil is packaged as a capsule and sold around here. I've seen it a couple of times but never partook in it.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I have not taken them either, maybe there is shortage of these capsules here because of the crisis, but in my childhood Scott's cod liver oil was usual.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Thanks for your contribution to the STEMsocial community. Feel free to join us on discord to get to know the rest of us!

Please consider supporting our funding proposal, approving our witness (@stem.witness) or delegating to the @stemsocial account (for some ROI).

Please consider using the STEMsocial app app and including @stemsocial as a beneficiary to get a stronger support. 
 

0
0
0.000
avatar

Oye Angel este post esta genial.. disculpa si comente en español, veelo por el lado positivo, así no debes usar el traductor jejejeje

0
0
0.000
avatar

Hola @carloserp-2000 si es cierto jeje. A veces lo uso si veo algo que no entiendo. También pensé en agregar una versión del texto en español al final, en posts largos no me gusta usar doble columna. Lo haré para el próximo. Saludos!!

0
0
0.000
avatar

I remember the cod liver oil capsules being given to children , especially in winter, when I was a child. Winters in the northern hemisphere can be really cold some days.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I can not imagine what it is like to live in a northern country in winter. I have lived all my life near the earth's equator. Thanks for your visit to my post.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It’s a way of life here. I enjoy the change of seasons except winter has some cold days but there are activities folks enjoy such as ice skating, skiing, snowmobiling to name a few.

We have the four seasons winter, spring, summer and fall. The other three seasons are pleasant and summer can be hot.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Here we have in general the same climate all year round, sunny. But there are rainy seasons and it is usually a little colder in some months, but nothing more. I have only touched snow once, when I visited one of the highest mountains in my country.

0
0
0.000
avatar

You have the ideal weather conditions. Right now we are in spring season and having sunny weather. It will usually be nice now until late fall.

0
0
0.000