So last Tuesday I was scrolling through Twitter like ya do, right? Saw some dude ranting about Viking kings and suddenly realized - wait, I know nothing about Erik the Great at all. Seriously, who WAS this guy? Felt dumb. Grabbed my cheap Walmart notebook and a pen that kept skipping ink. Here's how I dug in:
My Stumbling Start
First thing I did? Obviously, googled "Erik the Great Viking." Big mistake. Got flooded with Norse mythology junk, tourist ads for Scandinavia, and some weird Marvel Thor memes. Scrolled past three whole pages before finally hitting pay dirt - a dusty university history page buried under all that trash.
Phase One: The Coffee-Fueled Rabbit Hole
- Tried reading this PDF scan someone uploaded. Looked like it was photocopied in 1987. Could barely see the text. Squinted so hard my eyes hurt.
- Got desperate and hit up YouTube. Found this Finnish guy doing dramatic readings from old stones about Erik’s battles. His accent was thicker than peanut butter. Had to replay that six times.
- Randomly remembered my library card still worked. Pestered the librarian via chat for translations of obscure Norse texts. She sent me three blurry screenshots of manuscripts.
The Big "Oh!" Moment
So Wednesday rolls around, coffee mug permanently welded to my desk. Found mentions of Erik UNIFYING tribes near Jelling. Most sites gloss over this! Everyone loves raiding stories, but merging violent warlord clans? Absolute insanity back then. Felt like uncovering hidden treasure nobody else noticed.
Started connecting dots:
Guy didn’t just trade some furs - he set up a trade NETWORK stretching all the way east. Forced old enemies to work together through sheer stubbornness. Probably scared ‘em into it too. Found this saga passage where he sat on a throne made from rivals’ melted swords. Pure intimidation theater!
Why He Actually Mattered:
- Built forts that became major cities. Not just for Vikings either - invited foreign merchants in.
- Didn’t ditch Norse gods for Jesus when others did. Stubborn pagan vibes kept traditions alive longer.
- Made future kings actually organize crap instead of constantly raiding. Led to actual countries forming!
Finished my notebook scribbles at 2AM today. That cheap coil notebook's totally wrecked now - pages falling out, coffee stains everywhere. But honestly? Mind blown. History books undersell Erik BIG TIME. Guy basically created Scandinavia’s operating system. Total game changer.
