Dragon-headed longships, devastating raids, intrepid navigators, the word Vikings evokes a universe that marked the imagination and inspired The Lord of the Rings of Tolkien, the Tetralogy by Wagner and countless films and TV series. This people is at the heart of Vikings – North Sea Dragonsrich exhibition of the Pointe-à-Callière museum presented until October 10 where myths and reality mingle.
Posted yesterday at 7:00 a.m.
Based on the form of the tale, the exhibition is structured in four rooms presented as so many “stories” where it is a question of the origins of this people, their daily life, their expeditions and the “end of times”. Each room is full of hundreds of pieces (650 in total) from the collection of the National Museum of Denmark and some objects discovered on Canadian soil. The presence of the Vikings, who sailed the seas from 793 to 1066, is indeed attested to L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, in 1021.
In the first room, we discover the Viking cosmogony, made up of nine worlds carried by the Yddgrasil tree. Humans live in the center (Midgard), but are dominated by Valhalla, kingdom of the god Odin.
The following spaces, which evoke the feats of arms and the commercial expeditions of these great navigators, tell their reality through tools (axe, spearheads, etc.), everyday objects (comb, finery for horse, spindle… ) and jeweled jewelry from as far away as Asia. Skilled blacksmiths, the Vikings created an alloy close to steel which made their swords lighter, more flexible… and sharper than those of their adversaries!
The world of the Vikings at Pointe-à-Callière
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Yddgrasil tree carries the nine worlds of the Viking cosmogony. In the center, Midgard, the land of humans. At the very top, Valhalla, kingdom of the god Odin.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Vikings generally wore leather helmets. This one, which is made of metal, is presented with a coat of mail and was reconstructed from a rare fragment of a visor found in a blacksmith’s chest dating from 950 to 975.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Two objects found on the site of L’Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, where the presence of the Vikings is attested in the year 1021: a whetstone (at the back) and a spindle whorl in soapstone, accessory used for spinning.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Reconstruction of a banquet scene borrowed from the video game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from Ubisoft
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Vikings and their mythology have inspired countless works over the centuries. On top, The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. In the center, the comic strip vinlandQuebecers Yves Martel and Patrick Boutin-Gagné.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Fearsome warriors, the Vikings succeeded in forging swords in an alloy similar to steel, reputed to be lighter, more flexible than iron and sharper! Their most fearsome weapon, the Ulfberht sword, is featured elsewhere in the exhibit.
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PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
To be buried in a boat was a great honor among the Vikings, the deceased thus joined Odin in Valhalla.
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In this multitude of objects, a few large pieces stand out. Two replicas of shallow boats, in particular, which were designed to be modeled: neither the oars, nor the rudder, nor even the mast are fixed, which allowed sailors to navigate in both directions and to face the bad weather. . It was not with these ships that the Vikings crossed the Atlantic, but with much larger ones, explains Peter Penz, curator of the National Museum of Denmark.
Large ships could be 40 to 50 meters and had a crew of 100, including 80 warriors and about twenty other sailors assigned to various tasks.
Peter Penz, curator of the National Museum of Denmark
These large boats could carry three or four boats like those presented at Pointe-à-Callière, whose flat bottom allowed the Vikings to land very close to the banks and launch furtive attacks at daybreak.
We know the reputation of the Vikings, among other things, through the stories of monks who recounted the raids on the English coasts. However, they were also a people of traders who made their way to Constantinople, by the Mediterranean and by the rivers of Eastern Europe. Some argue that the Vikings even had contact with the Chinese, adds Peter Penz.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Peter Penz, curator of the National Museum of Denmark, in front of a replica Viking bark that can carry six warriors
The exhibition, focused on objects, includes an interactive part. Touch screens make it possible, among other things, to gather the materials necessary for the construction of a longship or even to engrave its name in runes. A room is also devoted to the presence of the Vikings in popular culture (the superhero Thor and his hammer, in particular) and several others present explanatory animations and even imposing scenes borrowed from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The Montreal-based video game producer has a reputation for being very meticulous when it comes to historical re-enactment. His images majestically dress the place.
Vikings – North Sea Dragonsuntil October 10 at Pointe-à-Callière.