Vikings in the East

“They are the dirtiest creatures in Allah’s world; They do not clean themselves after excreting or urinating… Nor do they wash their hands after eating. They are like wild asses”. The quote is from the Arab traveler Ibn Fadlan. He describes a people he calls Rus. He also says that everyone washes themselves, spits, and blows their noses in the same water every morning..

He observes that they are blonde and engaged in the slave trade. The Rus are on a trade trip along the river Volga in today's Russia. That’s where Ibn Fadlan meets them. But who are the Rus? Today, researchers believe that they are Vikings — Scandinavians, or descendants of Scandinavians, who travel east.

Mostly from today's Sweden. They are called Rus by the people they meet during their travels. In addition to enslaved people, they also sell skins from various animals, furs, iron and honey. When they return to the Nordic countries, they bring precious stones, luxury items, silver coins, spices, and clothes. Even before the Viking Age, Scandinavians made trade trips around the Baltic Sea and along the rivers that lead there.

In the 800s, Scandinavians' voyages to the east increase. Vikings begin to cooperate with the Finns who have contacts with traders to the east. Through intermediaries, multi-level trade, the Vikings get access to goods far away. They also start sailing and rowing further away, over lakes and along rivers in what are now the Baltic States, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The Vikings call the large area to the east Gardariki .

Gard comes from the Slavic word Gorod which means City. In old Norse language, Gardariki means a kingdom full of cities. The first stop on trips to the east is usually the trading post Ladoga, where Scandinavians, Finns and slaves work together. Here, jewelry, pearls and objects are made out of metal and bone. Ladoga is a small village that grows larger as many traders pass on their way to other countries.

The voyages continue along the Volga River towards the Caspian Sea and to a large area in the Middle East and North Africa, the Muslim Caliphate. Today this area has several different countries, but back then it was a kingdom ruled by a religious and political leader, a Caliph. Other voyages took place along the Dnieper River towards the Black Sea and Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today, Constantinople is called Istanbul and is located in Turkey. On the way to Constantinople there are several trading towns: Novgorod, Ririko Gorodishje, Gnjozdovo, and other villages where people shop and stock up on supplies.

Many Scandinavians settle in these towns and villages. In the City of Kiev, Scandinavians buy smaller boats from the Slavic population to facilitate the journey along the Dnieper. It's still dangerous. Strong rapids can pull one into the water and robbers like to attack the merchants in search of their goods. To reduce the dangers of robbers, people travel together and build fortified trading posts.

In Constantinople, the range of goods is outstanding. Fabrics, spices, glass, gold and silver objects. Artists and scientists from different countries also meet there to discuss their work. The city is so big that the Scandinavians call it Miklagård, which means - the big city. Inside a large sacred building, Haga Sofia, a Scandinavian "scribbles" his name: Halfdan with old letters, runes.

In addition to trade, there are many Vikings who fight for payment. They serve the Byzantine emperor. They fight around the Mediterranean and elsewhere. These Norsemen do so well that they become their own elite military unit, the Varangian Guard. It is said that they are the emperor's personal bodyguard.

Maybe the scribbler, Halfdan, was a bored elite soldier?