The Northern Folk started out as hunters and gatherers on the Scandinavian Peninsula. They didn’t live in homes and they only ate what they could find in the forest, like berries and herbs. They also hunted for animals to eat like reindeer, wild boar, and rabbits.

The Northmen were a strong industrious people that came from Scandinavia and the Germanic Continent. They traveled all over the world and influenced many nation’s cultures and traditions.

Ancient Scotland does not start with a study of Celtic Scots, but with the Picts. The Picts were an ancient Folk that inhabited Northern Scotland prior to the migrations of the Scots from Ireland.

In the time of the Northmen, life was harsh. Six months of Sun in the Spring and Summer gave way to six month of dark in the Fall and Winter. Is it any wonder that they were constantly looking for new uninhabited lands? The Northmen used their longships to travel, trade and attack with.

Celtic homes were called `round houses`. As the name implies, they were circular and made of wickerwork, wood or stone with thickly thatched dome shaped roofs. They usually had a single entrance, aligned according to cosmological principles. The majority were oriented towards the east for equinoctial sunrise or the south-east for midwinter sunrise.

The Celts were the first Europeans to emerge from the Alps in recorded history. There were two distinct times in Celtic culture, the first being the Hallstatt dating from 1200 B.C. to 475 B.C. Hallstatt Celts were known for their geometric art style and expert craftsmanship of metals. As the Hallstatt era came to an end, a new cultural style known as the La Tene period started to emerge.

For a student of history to truly understand and appreciate the Oral History of a family and Folk, he or she should engage in creating one. Have the student create a family history and memorize the stories from his/her family. The following is a recipe for an Oral History.

The Classical Method (CM) emphasizes the learning of History. History is the story of our World from its origins to its present state. The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer suggests the following format to teach History: Ancients 5000 BCE- 400 CE Medieval/Early Renaissance 400 CE-1600 Late Renaissance/Early Modern, 1600-1850 Modern 1850- Present day For instance, 1st grade-Ancients, 2nd -Medieval, 3rd -Late Ren., and 4th -Modern.