Norwegian scientists have found that the Vikings had special burial rituals of houses, which were similar to those of their fellow tribesmen. This is evidenced by the study of mounds three thousand years old in Sweden and Norway, according to a study published in the European Journal of Archeology.
According to archaeologist Marianne Hem Eriksen, the custom of burning houses strongly resembles the rite of cremation. At the same time, not all houses were buried together with the deceased tenants.
“In some cases, we have not been able to find human remains, even where one would normally expect them,” explained Eriksen.
The scientist claims that the Vikings associated the architecture of their homes with the structure of the human body. Accordingly, the house, like a person, has a soul.
“Many of the Norwegian words associated with houses come from the human body. The word "window" comes from the words "wind" and "eye", as it refers to the holes in the walls into which the wind enters. The word "pediment" - the upper part of the end wall of the house - comes from the words "head" or "skull", the researcher notes.
It was this attitude towards houses that allowed the Vikings to preserve their architecture for two thousand years, despite the strong influence of the Roman state in the first centuries of our era. In the Middle Ages, the long houses of the Vikings turned into "honey halls", which became the political and religious centers of one or another clan.