If you’ve watched a tv show or played a video-based in the Viking era then most likely You’ve heard the term skål being used.
Usually, Vikings raise their drinking horn and shout skål!!! before taking a drink, during a feast at the great hall to celebrate winning a battle.
Skol is written “Skål” in danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, and “skál” in Faroese and Icelandic. “skaal” in the translation of any of those languages is the Danish-Norwegian-Swedish word for “cheers”, or “good health”. A salute or toast.
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Where Did The Term Skål Derive From?
It is believed that the usage predates the late Scandinavian Iron Age, also known as the Viking age.
The word Skål also means bowl even when traced back to its Norse equivalent skál. How Skål came to be associated with both bowl and cheers may have to do with the drinking customs throughout the ages.
It is believed that until the 16th century it was custom to pass a bowl of either Ale, Wine, or mead from person to person. And that Skål is just a shortened version of “min Skål” or “my bowl”. And thus became associated with cheers and is still used today in Denmark, Norway, and Swedish.
Did Vikings Say “SKOL” Before Battle as Portrayed In Popular Media?
With the rise in popularity of Viking culture, it’s not uncommon to see the term being used Not only on tv shows, movies, and video games, but even the Minnesota Vikings NFL team uses SKOL in their fight song
Skol is also a part of the team’s war chant in which fans raise their hands and clap twice to the beat of a drum before yelling SKOL!
This has led some to believe that the word Skål was actually part of an ancient Viking war cry. But that is not the case. For I don’t think that a word meaning “cheers”, sending well wishes and good health is exactly something you’d yelled to the enemy while running into battle or raiding a village.
The MN Vikings chant was inspired by the “Viking thunder clap” used by Iceland’s national soccer team but instead of yelling skol they clap twice and chant “HUH”
The team gained international attention from it in 2016 when the country threw a homecoming party for the team after being eliminated from the euro championship.
With a population of just over 320,000 at the time. roughly 10% of Iceland’s population attended the gathering where they performed the ultimate “Viking war chant”
Can I Use Skål In Place Of Cheers If I’m Not Scandinavian?
Yes, even if you’re not of Scandinavian descent and rather just a fan of the Viking culture it’s fine that you use the term “skål”. That being said, there are many ways to say cheers all around the world!
Here is a table showing the different ways to say cheers:
| Language | word for cheers | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Italian | Salute | saw-lutay |
| Japanese | kanpai | kan-pie |
| polish | Na zdrowie | Naz-droh-vee-ay |
| Spanish | Salud | Sah-lud |
| welsh | Iechyd da | yeh-chid dah |
| Moldovan | Noroc | No-rock |
| Yiddish | sei gesund | say geh-sund |
Though keep in mind that depending on where you are and the people you’re with, not everyone may understand what it means. In which case you can send them this article!
Conclusion
Before drinking their drinks, Vikings would shout the word “Skal”. This word means “cheers” and “good health”. It is similar to how modern-day people raise their glass for a “toast”.