Bad weather can have its comforts. “Bitter is the wind tonight, / It tosses the sea’s white tresses,” wrote an Irish monk more than 1,000 years ago, “I do not fear the fierce warriors of Norway, / Who only travel the quiet seas.”
A warrior of the sort he feared found his last resting place on the peninsula of Ardnamurchan, north of Mull and south of Skye. His newly discovered grave has astonished archaeologists, for it is the first Viking boat burial found on mainland Britain. There he lies with axe, sword and spear. He must have been a leader among Norsemen to gain this noble grave.
Not all of Viking life was pillage and rape. They ruled half of England, as well as the Western Isles, and the Northmen who became Normans conquered all.
From now on we shall never hear the shipping forecast mention Ardnamurchan without remembering this memorial of an unnamed sea-wolf.
taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/8833966/A-Viking-treasure.html
taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/8833966/A-Viking-treasure.html
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