Viking Invasion!

On Monday 2nd March Years 3 and 4 were invaded by a Viking warrior! In Maple class, we learned the Viking game Hnefatafl and played two rounds against our visitor, Hrothgar (we lost both). We also learned a new word to add to our mathematical vocabulary: orthagonal (up and down, left and right) as that was how the pieces moved.
 
After learning the rules of Hnefatafl we acted out a story that ended with a Viking burial. We discovered that upon the death of a Viking chieftain or king, one of his slaves would volunteer to be killed and buried alongside him so that she could cook for him in the afterlife (those slaves who didn't do so and died later on would go to Nifelheim, a cold and dark underworld and the last of the nine worlds). The eldest of the slaves was given the task of killing the volunteer and she was called the 'Angel of Death'. As well as these grizzly facts, we packed the chief's boat into which he was going to sail into the afterlife with his precious items: sword, shield (which always touched the body, either the body was lain on top, or the shield covered the face), hunting dogs, a horse, birds of prey and food. Importantly, gold and treasure was not sent with him! It was divided into three portions: one third to his hearth warriors, one third to his family and the final third to pay for food and drink for the wake afterwards.