Think Like A Viking
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When we say ‘think like a Viking’ what does that mean? It means that you must be prepared for everything. You must have your weapons, and know how to use them. You must also learn how to defend yourself with your bare hands. You must also be able to think quickly on your feet. If you are not prepared, you will die.
The first thing you need to do is to train. Train hard. When we were young, my father would take us out into the forest and we would spar until our arms felt like they might fall off. We did this every day. And we had to keep up our strength in order to be ready for anything.
The second thing you need to do is to get some experience. The best way to get experience is to fight other men. But it’s hard to find other men to fight when you’re only fourteen years old. So I went out on my own and fought anyone who was willing to face me.
It wasn’t long before I was fighting men twice my size and with many more years of training. I had to learn how to move quickly so as not to be overwhelmed by their brute strength. I also had to learn how to make myself small so that they couldn’t hit me easily. And I had to learn how to attack from different angles because they would expect me to attack from the front or side.
If you want to be a good fighter, you must learn these things. Then you can be ready for anything.
***
The Road To Becoming A Warrior
I was born in the village of Hjorungar. I am the youngest of eight children. My father was a farmer. He farmed our land and he also made leather goods to sell to people in the nearby villages. I liked working with him. I learned how to farm from him, and I learned how to make leather goods from him. I even learned how to hunt from him.
When I was twelve years old, my father was killed in a raid. His throat was slit. The man who did it was an old enemy of my father’s. He had been at odds with my father for years, and now he finally got his revenge. I was devastated.
My mother and my sisters were left with nothing but their grief. We could barely feed ourselves. One night, while we were sleeping, our door was kicked in. The raiders dragged us out of bed and beat us all with clubs. They took everything we owned and burned it. They even killed my mother.
Then they turned their attention to my sisters. They stripped them naked and began beating them. When they were done, they threw them into the fire. I watched them burn to death. It was one of the worst nights of my life.
After that, I ran away. I was alone, but I was determined to survive. I wandered around the countryside, sleeping on the ground or in barns when I could find them. I tried to stay out of sight of the people who lived there. I knew I would have to fight if I wanted to keep from starving.
I was young, and I was weak. I was too slow to catch anything larger than a rabbit, and I couldn’t throw a spear very well. I was always hungry, and I was always cold. But I didn’t give up. I kept walking until I came to a settlement.
It was the town of Njord. It was larger than any other place I had seen in my travels. There were many people there, and they seemed friendly enough. I decided to settle down there.
There were many things I had to learn before I could become a warrior. I needed to learn how to throw a spear properly. I also needed to learn how to use a shield. And I had to learn how to fight with my bare hands.
I found a master who taught me everything I needed to know. He was older than most of the others. His hair was white, and his beard was long and gray. He was tall, and he carried himself like a warrior.
He had been in many battles, and he told me about them. I learned what I could from him, but I could tell that he was no longer able to be as fierce as he once had been. “You are young,” he said to me. “The years have not been kind to you. You have the strength of youth, but you don’t have the experience of age.”
“I want to be a warrior,” I said. “I will be a good fighter.”
“That’s the spirit,” he said. “But you need more training. And you must learn to fight in different ways. If you want to be a warrior, you must think like a warrior. You must always be thinking about how to defeat your enemy. If you don’t, then you won’t stand a chance.”
I took the advice and I kept at it. I practiced throwing spears. I learned how to hold a shield. I learned how to fight with my fists.
As I gained more skills, I began to win more fights. I became known as a fierce fighter.
When I was fifteen years old, I went on a raid. I killed an enemy man who was twice my size. He had a spear, and he tried to stab me in the back. I threw my shield at him and knocked the spear out of his hand. Then I hit him in the face with the flat of my shield.
My blow split his nose and drove the tip of my sword into his eye. He fell to the ground and I finished him off with my sword.
After that, I was ready for anything.
***
The Road To Becoming A Warrior
I was born in the village of Hjorungar. I am the youngest of eight children. My father was a farmer. He farmed our land and he also made leather goods to sell to people in the nearby villages. I liked working with him. I learned how to farm from him, and I learned how to make leather goods from him. I even learned how to hunt from him.
When I was twelve years old, my father was killed in a raid. His throat was slit. The man who did it was an old enemy of my father’s. I couldn’t believe it. He had been a friend when we were young, but he had betrayed us. He had murdered my father.
My mother was devastated. She didn’t know what to do. We had no one to help us. Everyone in the village knew about my father’s death, but there was nothing anyone could do to bring him back.
Then a stranger came to town. He was tall and muscular, with dark hair and eyes. He looked like a warrior. He had a scar running down the side of his face. It was so deep that it reached all the way through his left eye and across his cheek. He wore a silver ring on his right thumb. I watched him. I had never seen a man who looked like him before.
“Your father was a good man,” he said to me. “He would have done anything for you.”
I nodded. “Yes. He was a good man.”
“Do you want to learn how to fight?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “But I don’t know where to start.”
“You need to train hard and learn from an experienced fighter,” he said. “But you should also find someone to teach you how to use a shield. If you are going to be a warrior, then you must know how to defend yourself from attacks on all sides.”
“I will,” I said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to become a warrior.”
“Good,” he said. “Now come with me.”
He led me to the edge of the settlement. There was a large river flowing just beyond our fields. We went down to the water’s edge, and he showed me how to hold a spear properly. Then he took his shield and held it out at arm’s length.
I took my spear and drove it into the ground beside the shield. He took his shield and rested it on top of mine. “If you’re hit here,” he said, “then your spear will drive through your shield and into your chest. That’s the last thing you’ll ever feel.”
He had me practice this again and again until I got it right. He taught me how to hold my shield. Then he showed me how to use it in combat. Finally, he told me that I needed to learn how to fight with my hands.
“The enemy is going to try to hurt you with their fists,” he said. “So you must learn how to protect yourself. You can’t afford to be injured or killed. That would put you in a bad position.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Now go back home and practice,” he said. “Practice every day. Soon you will be a fearsome warrior.”
“Yes,” I said. “I will.”
“When you are ready, come back to me. I will give you the rest of your training.”
“Thank you,” I said.
He smiled. “No thanks are necessary. You need to learn these things, and I’m here to help.”
He walked away. I watched him as he went. He was a handsome man. When he looked back at me, I thought he saw me too. He smiled again, and I knew he did.
Then he turned and disappeared into the trees. I never saw him again.
The End