The people of Viking Age Scandinavia lived in a rugged enviroment with a harsh climate. In order to survive and thrive in these conditions, the men and women of the North became tough and resilient.
It was imperative for Viking warriors to strengthen their mind, body and spirit. If they didn't, they became weak and would fall when things got tough.
A physical body is the easiest and quickest to strengthen, but if the spirit is not strong, the body can fail. After the body, the mind is the next thing to strengthen, but again, if the spirit is not strong, the mind will fail.
The spirit is the last thing to develop, as it is the most difficult and time-consuming work, but when the spirit is strong, a determined will is built that keeps the mind and body going when they otherwise would have given up.
Having a strong spirit was a greatly prized quality for Viking men and women. It gave them the capacity to endure hardships, inconvieniences and tough times, and gave them the power and courage to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and achieve their goals.
Only through struggling through challenge after challenge do we build the neccesary spirit to fight on. Only through this process are we secure in the knowledge that we will get up one more time than we are knocked down, and fight on.
The Norse people believed they were a part of nature, not something living separately from nature. They understood that in nature there is a constant fight for survival.
For the Norse people and Viking warriors, it was of utmost importance to cultivate a strong spirit, simply in order to survive. In order for us to achieve anything like this today, we train outdoors every week, all year round.
This means training in rain, wind, snow, hail, and freezing temperatures, as well as in warm weather. As it is winter for 6 months out of the year in Norway, this type of training forces us to grow strong, tough and resilient. We grow stronger because we choose to train in these conditions.
