Post 8

Today I do not have any news about me personally, but I would like to let you in on some gossip I heard.  It is news from the East, a place I have never been but am fascinated by.  I have heard that some of our Scandinavian brothers have traveled down rivers through the East towards a city called Constantinople.  The city was described as having amazing buildings with gold and colors of all kinds.  There is much art and riches there as well.  Apparently, he great Princess Olga went to meet their leader and outsmarted him when he tried to marry her.  Rumor has it that the city is very well defended, so mostly we trade will be conducted, not war.

Post 7

Hello hello,

Well my first child has been born.  I have named him Harald after my father who has recently died.  I feel t is a great honor to him and hopefully he will grow up to be a great and honorable man.  I am happy about the birth of my child, but it is also a sad time.  You see, not only has my father just died, but my brother Jon died bravely in battle.  He decided to go on the next big raid.  He was staying in France, and his chieftain had joined part of a larger Viking fleet that was going to explore Iberia.  The Moores are tougher opponents than the French however.  We got word that on their way home after an unsuccessful bout of raiding that they were attacked at sea!  Those treacherous Moores.  Of course, our fine Viking ships were never intended for sea battle.  At least he is in Valhalla now.  Maybe one day I will be with him again.

Post 6

Well, the raiding season is coming to a close.  it is time to head back to the farm and hunker down for the coming winter.  Thankfully Inga performed her household duties well and there is plenty of food.  One of the first things I did when I returned home was to go and visit my neighbor Leif Ericsson.  I brought him some mead as a gift.  He was working on carving a wooden serpent when I got there.  He liked the mead and we drank it and talked of our travels.  He said that he had spent some time in Dublin, a new city founded by us Scandinavians in Ireland.  He said it was like a fortress there.  They didn't have to farm, but obtained food through other ways, like trade and dealing with the Irish clans.  He described it like a nicer Denmark, with farmsteads and clans and feuds going on.  He said it was a pretty prosperous trip; maybe I'll go there sometime to see for myself.  Well, after that I headed home and to Inga.  Maybe If I find a suitable place to settle down in my travels I will bring her with me.

Post 5

Hello! I am now married to Inga, daughter of Ari.  My family and another agreed that I and their daughter should be married.  Because of my increased status due to raiding I got a sweet deal.  This wife is really good at weaving and cooking and other household things.  Along with the marriage I also got a fat new piece of land and some animals too.  Inga is very capable of handling things around here while I go on the occasional raid.  In fact, her father is in possession of a pretty nice ship and he said I could go with him on the next raid.  He had heard of my prowess in battle and my strength behind an oar.  Because of this he agreed to let me have a larger than average share of the booty.  Hopefully on the next raid I will find something special to bring home for Inga.