No, they're pagans. Non-believers who have never had a missionary go to them. Can't be a heretic to a faith if you haven't been taught the faith in the first place! Athelstan (a captured monk), on the other hand, is pretty definitely struggling with his faith, and may have fallen all the way to apostacy (rejecting his faith).
A little late to the bandwagon, but Vikings were definitely pagans, not heretics. A heresy is a specific deviation from orthodoxy. For example, the heresy of Arianism rejected the teaching of the Trinity (in a nutshell --- I am keeping a complex subject to one sentence). The Vikings were not Christians who had an unorthodox interpretation of a specific doctrine, therefore were not heretics.
@Elric of Grans Agreed. Pagan fits them perfectly. It is interesting how much they effected Europe in the longrun. Especially the places where they intermingled with the native populations.
Now, my Border Reiver ancestors were Christian, so raping and pillaging would definitely make them criminals, and probably heretics, too. Considering that the Reivers thought of raiding as 'good sport.'
Pagan might fit some of them, but keep in mind that as of 800's Ansgar had built a church in Birka and prior to political enforcement of religion, the Viking councils of Scandinavia had agreed that the cross and Thor's hammer were regarded as equal symbols and those who wished to worship this new faith were free to do so without interference from the rest of the community. Vikings were subjected to missionary efforts until the religion took hold around the 10th or 11th century and the late Viking age. So they were absolutely aware of the teachings during most of those raids.
That is a interesting point. Most people have never heard of that including me. History s quite a fascinating subject is it not?
I do not think that 'heretic' is a term that someone ascribes to oneself. It is a term used to 'blame' someone else. I think many pagans were called heretics by certain members of the church. So the question is not 'what were those raiders', but 'how were those raiders called by others, and how did they describe themselves'?
Here you go. Ingredients 100 g unsalted butter 2 medium eggs 200 g caster sugar 150 g plain flour 4 tbsp cocoa powder 1 tbsp vanilla sugar 1 pinch salt Optional 75 g crushed mint sweets <-- This is heresy right here. Finally a good definition! Instructions Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly Whisk the egg and sugar together until the mixture is light, fluffy and pale Weigh all the dry ingredients and sift them into the egg and sugar mixture. Fold in until everything is incorporated Fold in the melted butter until you are left with a smooth chocolate mixture Pour into a lined cake tin. This recipe fits a normal 20x30cm tin. The cake will not rise, but it will puff up slightly during baking Bake at 180°C for around 20 minutes. The exact time can vary, so keep an eye on the cake. A perfect kladdkaka is very soft in the middle, but not runny once it has cooled – but almost runny If you press down gently on the cake whilst its baking, the crust should need a bit of pressure to crack. When this happens, the cake is done. Leave to cool in the tin for at least an hour. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
For baking unsalted is preferred because not all manufacturers use the same amount of salt. If the recipe needs salt you can add it, but it's very hard to remove salt if there's too much.
Similar situation with self-rising flour, which contains salt and baking soda... Ah, I see that Mahtamori posted a recipe for pastries. Don't believe that it is any good. He's a mere Swede. Every schoolboy knows that Danish make the best pastries. Mmm, raspberry Danish... (Having a Homer Simpson moment, eh?)
Careful, there are French people on the board, don't let them see you claiming anyone else is better at pastry!
*whilst pointing at pastries and waving Krone* "I say old chap, awfully sorry that I don't speak the local lingo but those Danish pastries look positively divine and I would very much like to purchase one from your fine establishment."
