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Did the vikings smoke weed?

eskimo

Well-known member
Veteran
Heh heh... Everything could be...

What is historically proven is that in my area cannabis was grown on a large scale during the time of the Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba, and that at least since the subsequent Caliphate, this cannabis was smoked (in beautiful pipes that I can show you if you are interested; in the shape of a boat, a lion, etc...); and it is also true that "your ancestors" Vikings "visited" mine both in the Emiral and Caliphal times...
...Who knows... Perhaps one of my ancestors was the first to teach yours to smoke good grass from the Guadalquivir Valley, he...


Pd:
Photos of anothers beautiful pipes, somewhat later than the previous one I showed you; these others belongs to the time and area of the Hispano-Muslim Nazarite Sultanate of Granada (1238 - 1492); (Exhibited to the public in the "cannabis pipes" section of Room 7 of the Alhambra Museum (Granada, Spain)):

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Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


last one looks like a poppy flower from above...so would think this was used to smoke opium
 

thedudefresco

Active member
Interesting thing about substances is that, depending on the context within which the substance is imbibed, the effects can change.

Gone are the days when one's first "toke" or try of a substance was during a coming of age ceremony or pre-battle lol.

Far too common are the days of sipping ayuhuasca on the couch with sloppy roommates watching netflix.
 

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
Is there any solid evidence of cannabis consumption within the viking society that anyone knows of?

i've never run across anything about them and weed, but i have read that they were into mushrooms. i'd bet that if there was anything usable around, they used it. as much as they traveled, you know they ran into it...
 

armedoldhippy

Well-known member
Veteran
article in todays Newsweek headline is "Did Ancient Vikings smoke pot in North America?" and says "probably." the researchers said that the Vikings traded up & down the eastern seaboard & went up river systems trading with native Americans for butternut squash, wild grapes, and probably cannabis as well...just found this.
 

Blue Rhino

Well-known member
Historical Use

Historical Use

Hi Green Wolf,
I have researched this very question for a historical novel and the Chinese warriors used it around 5000 years ago. The Shahansha's mighty Persian army consumed it before battle, as did the Celts, the Turks, Carthaginians etc. In fact it is hard to conceive that any ancient race would have been ignorant of the medicinal properties of our wonderful Mary Jane.

Peace and happy growing!
regards,
Iffy :tiphat:
I have no idea how someone can smoke some weed and then want to engage in mortal combat.
 

Montuno

...como el Son...
Oh, I'm not denying or doubting that there were/are people who do. I just don't know how. The LAST thing I'm looking for after I get high is confrontation, let alone a potentially mortal one. It's a buzz killer.

...Because maybe your experience with the herb is not "high", but "stoned"...
The physical as well as mental effects of many sativas, be they "caffeine-exciting", "euphoric", or even certain "introspective" effects, can be helpful in combat situations, even taking into account the negative effect of smoking anything on physical performance.
 

Montuno

...como el Son...
...Because maybe your experience with the herb is not "high", but "stoned"...
The physical as well as mental effects of many sativas, be they "caffeine-exciting", "euphoric", or even certain "introspective" effects, can be helpful in combat situations, even taking into account the negative effect of smoking anything on physical performance.

...For example, in the case of the history of my country (although I am sure that Paraguayans, Argentinians and Uruguayans will know this better than I do, and will be able to correct me if I am wrong) it is legend that when the allied Guranian Indian troops descended the Paraná in their big boats to help the colonial troops repel English invasions of the coastal towns of the Rio de la Plata Bay, armed to the teeth and singing songs as beautiful as they are wildly threatening (according to English chronicles), they were under the effects of marijuana.
I don't know how much of the legend is true...
 
Even though there is no scientific evidence does not mean it didn't happen. There is zero scientific evidence that I have smoke countless joints in high school too. I get that they would not have gone to the store to buy papers, but leaves could be used instead.
 

nono_fr

Active member
here they find cannabis dated 2459-2203 BCE in Netherlands, so I think it is used from long times ago ... :smokey:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_medical_cannabis#Ancient_Netherlands
Ancient Netherlands
In 2007, a late Neolithic grave attributed to the Beaker culture (found near Hattemerbroek [nl], Gelderland; dated 2459-2203 BCE) was found containing an unusually large concentration of pollen. After five years of careful investigation these pollen were concluded to be mostly cannabis along with a smaller amount of meadowsweet. Due to the fever-reducing properties of meadowsweet, the archeologists speculated that the person in the grave had likely been very ill, in which case the cannabis would have served as painkiller.[9]
 

Nannymouse

Well-known member
'Smoking' was done long before most people had knowledge of pipes. Censers were used, (but i think that the ancients probably just tossed weeds onto a fire and realized that some firewood was 'better' than others. ) Some censers were big, some where handheld.

Reading the bible...i can see why the words 'censor' and 'censer' seem so close! Seemed to be an ongoing disagreement over use of 'incense'.

When the pyramids were being built, there was a need for labor, so people came from all over to work. Those various peoples brought their religions and customs with them. The use of censers was one custom that 'came in' (possibly already there). But, when the various tribes left Egypt, there were many disagreements.

The vikings, no doubt came across tokers, during their journeys...if they didn't know about it earlier.

You can bet that as soon as humans discovered Cannabis, they found it valuable and traded it.

About 'seeds'. Probably the 'seed head' (bud) was what was just called 'seed'. I might add, that if Cannabis seed is not cleaned, it contains good thc on the hull. I recall cleaning seed with my handy old flour sifter, collecting the powder left from the seed. Wu Wee!!!!!
 

St. Phatty

Active member
If they had access to it, definitely they smoked it and perhaps used Edibles.

There were not a lot of options for Pain Management in those days.

But where, in their normal travels, would they come to Cannabis growing regions ?

The Hindu Kush mountains are a long way from Norway.

I would think that once they found out about Cannabis, if they couldn't get it semi-locally like in Spain, they sent out employees specifically to get them Opium poppies and Cannabis.

Not like they had much choice. Removing teeth with zero anaesthesia is not fun.

Even with alcohol.
 

goingrey

Well-known member
If they had access to it, definitely they smoked it and perhaps used Edibles.

There were not a lot of options for Pain Management in those days.

But where, in their normal travels, would they come to Cannabis growing regions ?

The Hindu Kush mountains are a long way from Norway.

I would think that once they found out about Cannabis, if they couldn't get it semi-locally like in Spain, they sent out employees specifically to get them Opium poppies and Cannabis.

Not like they had much choice. Removing teeth with zero anaesthesia is not fun.

Even with alcohol.
Hemp may have been grown in Norway in pre-historic times. Pollen samples suggest hemp growing in the vicinity of the Oslo fjord in the Roman Iron Age, around the beginning of the Christian era.

All this is, however, uncertain. The first certain proof of hemp in Norway is from the Viking age. Woven textiles of hemp were placed in graves in Southwestern Norway around the year 1000.

 
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