Horrible Histories Viking Peace
We Vikings have an awful reputation with your nation,
But when we’d finished plundering and pillages…
Made nice villages.
Any place name ending –thorpe or –kirk or –by was us, you see;
Scunthorpe, Ormskirk, Wetherby, Scarborough fair…
We named them, yeah.
We split your isles diagonally from south-east to north-west.
Our section called the Danelaw, King Alfred ruled the rest.
Think we’re scary? No don’t flee.
Conquered Saxons would find we
Settled and lived in harmony.
Vike-Eng-land.
Though we began as raiders
So well-planned,
You accepted us as traders.
We introduced some new terms;
Husband, gasp, egg, awkward, nag, leg.
More than fifty words to leave your lingo,
To your liking, thank a Viking.
Your little town of Swansea City
Named for our King Sweyn.
Waterford and Dublin;
Us old Norse Vikings again.
As farmers we made doubly sure
To respect agriculture.
With us, locals felt secure.
Norse-Scot-land;
Large parts of that whole region
Norse got land
Were improved by Norwegians.
London Bridge is falling down
The nursery rhyme comes from our time.
Vikings played key roles.
In 1014 it was pulled down
By Olaf Haraldsson,
You can call him Ol.
In a dispute with King Canute
Olaf’s side won.
Ethelred returned as king
And could be heard proclaiming
“Here’s to you, Olaf Haraldsson”.
Vike-Eng-land
We swapped our life of violence.
Norse-Scot-land
To enjoy the sound of silence.
There’s no doubt under Viking rule
Britain did improve-y
Feelin’ groovy
And that’s no lie
La-lie, la, la, lie.