Stargate SG-1 n°2, p. 18-19, Mythology

Viking Burial Customs

Stargate SG-1 n°2, p. 18-19

Mythology
Discoveries

Mythology
Discoveries

Viking Burial
Customs

The SGC's archaeologists are tasked with bringing back artifacts from across the universe and studying them to analyze the culture and technological progress of alien races. On Cimmeria, a Norse-style world, SG-1 visited Kendra's burial mound and discovered the treasures she held dear.

According to Norse mythology, death was not something to fear, but to look forward to with enthusiasm. The Vikings believed that life did not end with death, but continued on a different plane of existence. Burial rites were therefore very important to them. The family had a duty to provide the deceased with their favorite possessions to use in the afterlife. This rite mattered so much that even their worst enemies were given an honorable burial.

Believing the body would not stay long in the grave, the Vikings dressed the deceased in their finest clothes, ready for the great journey into the afterlife.

Viking coins:

Jewels and coins were placed on the grave for the deceased to use in the afterlife.

Healing device:

This Goa'uld device, a prized possession of Kendra's, channels healing energy to treat illness and injury.

Drinking horn:

This decorated cow horn was used to drink mead at feasts.

Ribbon
device:

A Goa'uld weapon that focuses energy and controls the mind. Only usable by a Goa'uld or a former Goa'uld host.

Burial artifacts from Kendra's grave

Objects
Burial artifacts from Kendra's grave
Cat. No.
SGC/02/06
Location
Cimmeria
Age
Viking items, c. 600-800 AD; Goa'uld technology, c. 2000 BC
Makers
The Cimmerians and the Goa'uld
Material
Horn, silver, naquadria
Purpose
Valuables placed at the burial site were taken into the afterlife by the deceased.

Food, tableware and even favorite animals were left near the grave to make the deceased's journey more pleasant. Warriors were buried with their weapons, and women took their jewelry and everyday belongings with them. The graves of nobles were adorned with gold artifacts and lavish cooking utensils.

Cremation
or burial

The higher the deceased's social standing, the more elaborate the burial rites. The most powerful Vikings were laid on a boat that was sent out to sea, and then the body was set alight. Funeral pyres were meant to carry the deceased to paradise in moments, instead of the time decomposition required. Burial mounds were more common, with Viking graves marked by stone circles. The bigger the mound or cairn, the more important and prosperous the deceased had been.

The realm of the dead

The Vikings believed the dead dwelled in several different realms: in mountains, by the sea, in the heavens and underground. The way someone died decided their fate in the afterlife. Warriors who died gloriously in battle were welcomed by the Valkyries, the comely handmaidens of the oldest god, Odin, and taken to Valhalla, the Viking equivalent of the Christian heaven. There they fought all day and feasted all night.

Helgafell was a world where the dead lived with their families, leading a life much like the one they had known on Earth. A journey to the dark regions of Hel awaited those who died without glory, of old age or illness. Among warriors, it was not unusual to take one's own life to ensure passage to Valhalla.

*Vikings' weapons were laid in their graves for the battles in Valhalla, the equivalent of the Christian heaven.*

File notes:
SGC Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient History.

Discovery of Viking burial objects - M02.06.
Recorded by Dr. Jackson.

When we arrived on Cimmeria, Gairwyn, a local woman, told us that the Goa'uld had killed most of her people. We felt responsible, since SG-1 had destroyed Thor's Hammer, a device that protected the planet from the Goa'uld by forcing the parasite out of its host's body.

We asked to see Kendra, a former Goa'uld host saved by Thor. Gairwyn led us to a Viking burial field, where Kendra "lived". She explained that the Cimmerians left the belongings of the dead on their graves so they could take them on their journey to Thor.

In keeping with ancient Viking custom, burial mounds were covered with jewelry, valuables and everyday items. Kendra's grave held other objects. Kendra was a former Goa'uld, and she used her powers to heal. Among her burial goods were Goa'uld artifacts.

Sam tried on the ribbon device, and it activated, releasing a burst of energy that startled us all. It seems that Sam, having briefly been host to Jolinar, a Tok'ra, could use the Goa'uld device, which "recognized" her because of the protein markers the naquadah left in her blood.

Though it went against Viking tradition, Gairwyn urged Sam to take the burial objects. She explained that it had taken Kendra years to master the Goa'uld techniques. Sam, who seemed to have a similar power, should carry on Kendra's work.

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