Asbjørnthveit

[Tamijo 2,036]

[Tamijo 2,036]

In the year 913 the Danish Viking Leader Njal had been living in Normandy, fighting the Franks with other Danes and Norsemen for several years, now intending to travel back to Isefjord, where his family and wife was living. 43 men left the Frankish scores at springtime 913, 12 Vikings and 29 “trælle” (*), on top of that a number of women and children. Three weeks later after being caught up in a terrible storm, one of the three ships reached land in an unknown world. Onboard was only two surviving Vikings, Njal son Asbjørn and one of his warriors Rune and three male “trælle” and a number of woman and children. They sailed into a river and after some days found a suitable place in a clearing to settle. During the first few months they build a large wooden house for Asbjørn, after all he was of noble blod, followed by a small house for his hirdmand Rune (**), and soon also all the trælle had a simple home.

(*) Træl is an old Nordic name for slave, in this context war prisoners caught for sale on the slave marked in Denmark.

(**) Hirdmand was the named used for free Viking warriors working for a king, other noble Vikings or a war leader.           

[catty-cb 4,413]

Interesting start, if you want some viking themed buildings recommend a visit to the banished ventures website as "tom" has uploaded a number of the buildings from "the north" his viking mod as separate downloads

[Tamijo 2,036]

I have seen the mod - but better keep it simple. 

[Tamijo 2,036]

Winter 917. It is now three years since Asbjørn and Rune arrived at the unknown shores of a land they now call Helluland, The Land of Flat Stone. The first years was fine, but this winter started early, seems to be very long and hard. Rune and Asbjørn worries about the food and firewood. Although they are from farming families, they are warriors and not familiar with a situation like this. They both live with a træl woman. Rune have got a son with a young girl he call Thurid, as he dislike her real name, the first child of Viking blood born in Helluland, he was named Lange, meaning The Tall One. Asbjørn lives with a træl from Hareflot (*) named Gisèle, they got three children in the house, one is Gisèle’s, a child she got before Asbjørn took her in his house. The other two lost their parents at the sea. Resently also a træl was born, 21 people all in all. 

(*) Today Harfleur, a town in Normandy France.

Editorial: Will attempt to count in age years, about 4 every in-game year.     

[Tamijo 2,036]

Autum 921

The winter 917/918 was very hard and not much food was left when it was over, but everyone survived. The two Vikings Asbjørn and Rune, now lives in stone houses. Asbjørn’s favourite træl family, the herdsman Darrod and his wife were allowed to move into Asbjørn former home. Rune chose a large family of five to take over his old house. But housing is a problem and some træls might end up without a roof over their head when winder comes, unless more homes are raised. 16 adults and 6 children live in the village.  

The Village

The focus has been on food and firewood. The Vikings have started hunting from a hunting lodge south of the village, a træl slaughter the animals, creating sausage and other delicate meat products from a small butchery. A group of træls are gathering onions, mushroom and herbs in the forest, others are cultivating greens and grape in the fields, and a sheep pasture deliver meat and wool. A group of people with a strange language came down the river, not warriors, peaceful people trying to sell some seeds for an edible root plant, but way to expensive for us, and too many to kill. 

The Hunting Lodge

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Spring 923

Darrod the Herdsman’s son Ryland is now three years old. Rune’s son Lange is eight, soon a strong Viking. Another hard winter is over, everyone survived, but with very little food reserves left, as all summer and most of fall, was about getting better and more shelter for the trælle. We had some firewood stored at the trade house, that was just enough.

A træl woman picking up the deer, Asbjørn shot with his bow.

The trælle have to walk very far to provide enough stone, working very hard. They know it is a matter of live and death. We still need to set up more shelters for the winter, Asbjørn hope we can make it this season. A small hunting and gathering camp also need to be ready before winter, north of the village. Three trælle already work there, looking for fruit and berries in the forest.

Trælle finding food in the forest is very important to keep up food supply.

The Vikings and trælle have started to make Nordic names for the surrounding area, Sønderlem Woods, Østerleem Woods, Torpvig, Tropvig Forrest and Overåen. With other names they use the words they hear from the local people. Wôbanakiak, Lake Wabanaki, Lake Ojibwe, Wabanaki River, Anishinaa River and Anishinaa.

 

[Tamijo 2,036]

Just a single family got a new home in 923, another house went up in 2024. The Blacksmith was built at springtime 2024 and so was a new Hunting Lodge at Torpvig replacing the old one south of town, located too close to the village. Rune got another son with Thurid in the spring of 925, he gave him the name Halfdan (half Danish). The summer of 925 was very rainy and the Vikings worried about the harvest. Asbjørn got a son with his træl woman Gisèle, he named his first son Jarl (nobleman). There was now five people of Viking blood in the Village. The træls also got children at the beginning of winter 925, 26 people lived in the Viking Village.

The Hunting Lodge at Torpvig

Another træl was born in January 926. An herbalist workshop was added at springtime, to the cluster in buildings at what was called Torpvig, north of the village. In the summer a forester lodge was erected 400 alen (approx. 275 yards) from the village clearing in Sønderlem Woods. The winter came early in 927, freezing cold already in October, with 4 degrees below zero, but this season every adult had a home of their own, even a single young træl, just reaching adulthood during the summer. 27 villagers celebrated Jól together (*), 21 adults and 6 children. Most of the trælle was Christians, singing songs in their own language about the birth of their God Yeshua. While the Vikings celebration was in honor of the ancestors, the coming of sunlight and their God Odin.

Jól 927

Note (*): The Old Nordic word “Jól”, are still used in the Scandinavian word Jul, in Island today the word is Jólin, all words for Christmas. Also know from the English word Yule.

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Interesting info about xmas, and glad they all have houses it looks very cold

[Tamijo 2,036]

It been -4 all winter

[Abandoned 347]

I like that last winter picture with the snowy sky.  We think alike; just yesterday I wrote about Jul and Julmust in a future Small Town chapter.  Christmas is coming 

[Tamijo 2,036]

Indeed it is, I even got a little snow on my lawn.

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928 to 929 passes by fast, while the village population grow to 21 adults and 11 children. Although Rune’s son Lange is now an adult, he hasn’t found a træl woman, he wants in his bed. The former herdsman Darrod was promoted to Blacksmith, a very trusted occupation. He got a daughter in the winter 928. Most of the work have been done with a new large pasture and getting a bigger field under the plough. In 930 a tailor workshop was built. Rune’s son Lange takes the træl woman called Adelina, she already has a daughter.

In the summer of 930, 32 people was living in the village, five of Viking blood, all of them men or boys.

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Epilog

The attack came in the fall of 930, a large band of the local people attacked the village, almost 30 warriors. Although Asbjørn, Rune and Lange fought bravely, they did not stand a chance, every man was killed, woman and children taken to the tribe village.        

Editorial: This is not the end of story about the Danish Vikings in the new world. Just a consequence of the realization that this story deserves Tom Sawyer North mod.