People talk a lot about “unity” these days.

A major factor in the Romans abandoning their conquest of Germania was there was no one unified political centre to subdue, no one king to parade through Rome in golden chains. Take out one chieftain, a dozen more will fight on in his place.

Wars of unification were ultimately what ended the period of exploration and innovation that was the Viking Age. Scandinavia never truly recovered, and was never as feared nor respected again. Yet, centuries later, the very word “Viking” still conjures an image in the minds of millions.

Unity is overrated. The ethos of a people is ultimately what shapes history.

Painting: Furor Teutonicus by Paja Jovanović, 1899. 𐘾