Reflections On A Slag Heap

There’s a slag heap in east Iceland that is the height of a two-story building. It’s a remnant from the Viking age where a lot of iron was made for axes and swords and the rivets and washers for ships. At another Viking smelting site - L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland - the wrought iron was rich in silicate impurities which formed a glassy surface on the iron, protecting it from rust, even when immersed in sea water. The bulk of the iron was made from bog iron, impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the biochemical oxidation of iron carried in solution. Oxidation may occur through enzyme catalysis by iron bacteria. What impresses me is the incredible amount of work in smelting this iron. And the artistry & delicate balances involved in bringing the iron bloom to fruition. And a lot of hammering. A continuous ringing of hammer on iron bam! bam! bam! bam! Those iconic images of muscular heathens in bear fur and helmets have the smelt of truth about them. It’s easy to imagine a life hardened by intense cold, jagged rock, bracken seas with huge swells, the monotony of rowing, the rage to live, the rage to kill, the rage to exalt the strange events of life in the ringing metal of a good saga. But why Norse history has such a hold on my imagination is bewildering. It doesn’t make sense. It’s not in me to swing an ax and lop off somebody’s head, to plunder and destroy. Or is it? Is there another me in me I choose not recognize? I do relate significantly to Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents. I know I have impulses that run contrary to the things I value. I’m no stranger to rage. My emotions run the gamut from serene acceptance to fiery opposition. I’ve also been known to go berserk occasionally. Nevertheless, these tendencies are just that: tendencies. I’d make the world’s worst Viking. I lean more toward the unorthodox pleasures of an eccentric, sequestered aesthete à la Jean des Esseintes than a man given to the camaraderie of battle, the lure of adventure and a lust for conquest. What drives my fascination with Viking culture is a more elemental appreciation of life. No cancel culture, climate change or mindless consumerism. One could not ignore the uglier realities of life or the authenticity of one’s inner being with a video game. Norse technology didn’t allow for the palliatives of denial or mental vacuity. And the complexity and subtlety of their literature and art is stunning, especially when you consider the bleak, unforgiving environment of ice and rock in which they cultivated what is undeniably a profound sensitivity, a craving for the marvelous and sublime. Their legacy isn't entirely one of berserker violence: they helped fuel the world's imagination with contrivances of ingenious skill and beauty. They contributed the words 'law,' 'happy,' and 'plough.' The savagery & predation of the Vikings, however, hasn’t gone away. It's just no longer strictly a Viking phenomenon. It's a global, multicultural affliction. War is pandemic. And the weapons are highly sophisticated. The most lethal among them may not necessarily be the nuclear bomb, but money. The ravages of unbridled capitalism. The swords & axes of Wall Street are encased in nefarious hedge funds & deceptive credit expansion. Who needs iron when you’ve got an arsenal of financial instruments with which to bludgeon people & take their money? The violence of bombs is terrible; but so is the violence of austerity and servitude. It's hard to calculate who had the better quality of life, we in the 21st century wearing masks and keeping a safe distance from one another, or the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia. The Vikings didn’t have healthcare. Nor do many of us in the modern age. Life in the 21st century is full of great conveniences, particularly for billionaires, who get to fly into space for a few hours of weightless fun. Those of us with less financial advantage benefit from things like washing machines and wireless internet. We can twitter all day on a smartphone or play Hitman or Valheim while waiting for a pizza delivery. It's a brave new world and nothing beats electric lights or running water. We could say we have some advantages, yes. Penicillin and antibiotics. But life in medieval Scandinavia was enriched with wonderful sagas, prodigious memories & tangible skills. They had sunstones, runes, and intricate arts. We have Netflix, Pornhub, & Pop-tarts.