Viking Month: Research

 

Just before my birthday I should be able to squeeze in the last challenge out of the 6 I gave myself last year. I’m expecting this one to take 2 months. 

I’m going to immerse myself in Viking-era research. What do I mean by this? 

I want to learn as much as I can about Viking culture, partly through TV shows, but also by speaking to people like historians and museum curators. Why? Because my ancestors were Vikings, and I find it utterly fascinating.  

The Tuckey surname derives from the Toki Viking tribe, the name of which in turn, I’m told, comes from the Old Norse name ‘Thortekill,’ meaning ‘Thor’s Sacrificial Cauldron.’ At some point in the Viking conquest of what would become the United Kingdom, The Toki tribe did a deal with one of the British kings. We don’t, as of yet, know which one. The deal: convert to Christianity, and receive some land. Give up your pagan ways, and we’ll leave you alone. 

They took the deal. 

Some generations later – we don’t know how many – in 1069-1070, William the Conquerer ordered The Harrying of the North, the ethnic cleansing of Vikings from Northern England. The Toki tribe were left alone, as they weren’t really a tribe any more. The Toki name became a number of other names like ‘Tookey,’ and also Tuckey. 

In case you hadn’t noticed, I find all of this fascinating. I must learn more about this. My dad tells me that, before I was born, he was visiting a Museum somewhere – he doesn’t recall where – and he spoke to the curator. The curator explained the above story, and described how, when the Toki tribe converted, they were given a ceremonial spoon as a symbol of their assimilation with Christian British culture. This spoon, Dad tells me, went to either St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey. This is as much as I know as it stands. For the next month, I’ll ask around and see what knowledge I can absorb about this spoon, the Tokis, and Viking history. I’ll send a few emails, make a few calls, take some leave to do so. I’ll also start trying to intermittent fast, as Vikings did, by eating Dagveror (day meal of porridge, apples, bread and dairy) and Natveror (an evening meal usually of vegetable broth, frequently with fish but on occasion some meat). I’ll watch a ton of Viking shows – The Last Kingdom and Vikings: Valhalla are on my watch list. I’ll tailor my gym workouts to what Norse warriors would have done: rowing, deadlift, cable work to simulate the movement of wood chopping. I have many more ideas. Next month, having researched, I’ll throw in a bit more practical work and live closer to how my ancestors would have done (as much as a public sector office worker can living under 21st century British laws). Stay tuned to see what I mean.