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Big Vikings and Little Mermaids
For a small country, Denmark has had a big influence
on the world.
The small European kingdom of
Denmark has a population of only 5 million, but it has a long
and influential history. Denmark
is made up of a large peninsula
and a group of islands ___1___ in the northeastern seas of Europe. Its people have
always been skilled sailors and fishermen, and this strong
___2___ with the sea was the source of Denmark's early power.
Early on, Denmark was home to
Europe's most feared pirates — the Vikings. These fierce
seamen would farm and fish in the winter before ___3___ in their
longboats to hunt along the shores of Europe in the summer. They fought
and traded as far away as Egypt and Russia, and even sailed
thousands of miles to settle in North America.
Gradually, however, the pagan traditions of the
Vikings were ___4___ by Christianity, and the warrior chiefs
became kings and lords. Denmark had joined the rest of European
civilization, and its sailors were no longer
terrors on the coast.
___5___ the Vikings had brought fire and the sword to the mainland,
Denmark's most famous citizen, Hans Christian Andersen, brought joy. Born in
1805, Hans Christian Andersen wrote many famous fairy tales,
___6___ The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, and The Little
Mermaid. These stories are still told all over the world, further than the
Vikings ever sailed.
Nowadays, Denmark is a peaceful country. Its fearsome
Vikings no longer pose a threat ___7___ the rest of Europe.
Instead, tourists come to the beautiful capital,
Copenhagen, to see its historic buildings,
as well as a cute attraction — a
statue of the Little Mermaid.
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