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> And then, on June 8, 793, a group of marauders attacked a small island off the northeastern coast of Great Britain… With that description, the Vikings entered

> And then, on June 8, 793, a group of marauders attacked a small island off the northeastern coast of Great Britain… With that description, the Vikings entered the annals of medieval history I had no idea it was dated that precisely. I don’t suppose there is a June 8 “holiday” in any of the Scandinavian countries?

hvs 3y ago
It's from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A.D. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery, dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter. Siga died on the eighth day before the calends of March. "sixth day before the ides of January" is assumed to be a scribal error because of other sources and because Vikings wouldn't raid in January. So, it's assumed to be June, "the ides" is the 13th, and the 6th day before it, presumably, would be the 8th. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/657/pg657.html https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/657/pg657.html
- awb 3y ago
  What does “dragons” refer to here?
  - Archelaos 3y ago
    Dragons.
  - michaelsbradley 3y ago
    Probably plasma-related phenomenon, e.g. a high current, Z-pinch aurora induced by the solar flare.
  - irrational 3y ago
    There is a documentary about Viking dragons called “How to train your dragon”.
mongol 3y ago
Close but no cigar. June 5th is Denmark's national day, and June 6th Sweden's.
- em-bee 3y ago
  maybe those were the days they set off, taking two days to reach the island? ;-)

hvs 3y ago

It's from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: A.D. 793. This year came dreadful fore-warnings over the land of the Northumbrians, terrifying the people most woefully: these were immense sheets of light rushing through the air, and whirlwinds, and fiery, dragons flying across the firmament. These tremendous tokens were soon followed by a great famine: and not long after, on the sixth day before the ides of January in the same year, the harrowing inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter. Siga died on the eighth day before the calends of March. "sixth day before the ides of January" is assumed to be a scribal error because of other sources and because Vikings wouldn't raid in January. So, it's assumed to be June, "the ides" is the 13th, and the 6th day before it, presumably, would be the 8th. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/657/pg657.html https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/657/pg657.html

awb 3y ago
What does “dragons” refer to here?
- Archelaos 3y ago
  Dragons.
- michaelsbradley 3y ago
  Probably plasma-related phenomenon, e.g. a high current, Z-pinch aurora induced by the solar flare.
- irrational 3y ago
  There is a documentary about Viking dragons called “How to train your dragon”.

mongol 3y ago

Close but no cigar. June 5th is Denmark's national day, and June 6th Sweden's.

em-bee 3y ago
maybe those were the days they set off, taking two days to reach the island? ;-)