Читать книгу Search Engines - Jon Jonsson - Страница 30

This was voted on, and the majority moved to adopt Christianity. This newly settled country of violent Vikings changed their religion by casting a simple majority vote. The Viking population threw out their Viking idols, and Iceland became a "Christian nation." This was done without any bloodshed whatsoever. Over the next few centuries, Iceland sustained a micro population that remained painfully isolated. It was dirt poor, but it was the most literate corner of the planet. The main hobby of the Icelandic settlers was writing down the famed stories of their Viking heritage. No papyrus was to be found in Iceland, but there were enough cowhides and berry ink to produce leather books, and reading became a popular entertainment for all. They kept meticulous records of who lived where and who was the son of whom, as they did not want inbreeding to happen among their small ranks. Most of those leather-bound sagas have been preserved. Today, every Icelander can trace his or her ancestral lineage, name by name, back through the centuries to the year 960. I feel lucky to know my own background so far back. I also appreciate that it was a desperate survival story, one of seeking shelter and food against all odds.