Vikings Myths

Beginning in about A.D. 800, many Scandinavians sailed south from their homelands to seek their fortunes. These seafaring warriors began by raiding coastal sites of the British Isles but soon grew more ambitious. During the next three centuries, they left their mark as traders, pirates and settlers on much of Britain and the European continent. These raiders became known collectively as Norsemen, or “Northmen,” though they are better remembered by another name: Vikings.

The word Viking is defined as a person of any Scandinavian seafaring pirates and the traders who raided and settled in many parts of the northwestern Europe in the eighth century to the eleventh century. However not much is know about the culture. In the Viking era, the character Beowulf would be seen as a valiant and courageous warrior. On the other hand, today in present times, it may be possible for him to not be seen in such a upstanding light.

Viking history and culture have been depicted in many movies, television series, and stories. Vikings are commonly known as barbarians that raid villages and intimidate others with huge ships with dragon heads, and horned helmets. This information is based on facts, but has been distorted and exaggerated over many years and tales. Viking history spans from the years 780 until 1100, which is the time span of the Viking raids. Not every Scandinavian was a Viking; Vikings were known as the men that conducted raids and bloody battles. The old definition of Viking was synonymous with the term pirate. The modern definition is relevant to the Scandinavian medieval culture, to include farming, crafting and trading.

These Vikings’ were the most feared and brutal, being that their self-control was lost frequently in battle. Fighting and raiding to the Vikings could be seen as a hobby. Scandinavians went on raiding adventures and were heartless to who they killed. Women and children were killed as brutally as men were. Europeans were so terrified of the Vikings coming, some French churches created a special prayer for protection: “God, deliver us from the fury of the Northmen.”

Vikings were just brutal raiders all they did was kill and steal I mean try being the people who got raided you would get killed of torched for a long time I mean stuff that. “This Viking raid on the island of Lindisfarne, just off the Northumbrian coast, was not the first in England. A few years before, in 789, ‘three ships of northmen’ had landed on the coast of Wessex, and killed the king’s reeve who had been sent to bring the strangers to the West Saxon court.” http://www.english-heritage.org.uk. In Lindisfarne, the Viking barged

The Vikings were so successful because of their tactics, weaponry and element of surprise. If the Vikings died in battle they believed they would go to Valhalla (Viking heaven). Which made them ruthless and cut throat in battle. If they die they get to go to heaven and feast & binge drink for eternity,they don't die they get to raid and become wealthier. It was a win/win. But don't get me wrong, their religion wasn't the only reason they were so successful, on of the reasons were their Element of surprise.The first attacks occurred before people realized there was a danger from the ships. Even after such raids became a reality, the Viking ships could sail out of sight of land, had shallow enough draft to go inland up rivers, and could easily

We'll clear up these misconceptions as we go along further in the book and look closely at what the Norse really did and what they were really like. We'll look at the facts of what was real about the Norse people and their culture. We'll also look specifically at the Norse that infamously raided during the Viking Era, giving them the label as Vikings.

Vikings came from three countries of scandinavia; Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. The term Vikings literally means ‘a pirate raid’, they get their name from a scandinavian language called “Old Norse”(BBC-primary history). People who go off raiding in ships were called vikings. Because of the raids and constant battles in many places they were often also called savages, traders, and explorers. In scandinavia they were also called Norsemen. During the time A.D. 700 to 1100(BBC-primary history),

The people that lived in northern Europe between A.D. 800 and 1100 were known as Danes, Northmen, or Norsemen. In later years they became known as Vikings, a name derived from a Norse word for pirate. They were famous and feared pirates and raider. The Vikings were known to be remarkable traders, explorers and warriors. The Vikings were most known for their fighting ability but they were also excellent at trading goods such as slaves and exploring many parts of the world. They were also well known for their weapon choice but also people knew to be scared of them because they are such fierce warriors and if you are not expecting it can be extremely bad for you

This time period is commonly known as the Viking Age of Scandinavian history. A Viking's most treasured weapon was his sword. They were handed down generations because of inheritance, they were often named and could be inscribed with writings by talented blacksmiths to magically increase their powers. The Vikings had no professional standing army and tactics and discipline seemed to have little to no development. They did not fight in regular formations. Aspiring warriors wanted armed service so they fought next to famous fighters in order to be rewarded with weapons and fame of their own. The houses the Vikings lived in were made out of wattle which is sticks. Many people believe the Scandinavian people were big and muscular, but that was not the case. Due to the short summer seasons, growing crops was difficult and resources were always scarce. As a result, many of the Scandinavian people were much smaller than commonly depicted due to limited food sources. The Vikings were a special culture compared to many others before and after

The Vikings used a few different navigation techniques to be successful. One

The PBS video agrees with that but also that they were traders. They liked to explore new markets and trade for different goods. So their society was not centered around raiding because there was another aspect to them which was trade. Moreover, the video shows a Viking ship that was found near the bottom of the Baltic Sea that proves Source 4 in Wiesner’s text. The bigger of the two boast was 55 feet long and 10 feet wide which seems to match the reaction of Wiesner’s boat. Furthermore, there were 34 dead bodies found in the backend of the ship. In the ship there were many artifacts such as swords and cultural items. The video explains that the Vikings were advanced when it came to their ability to work with iron. That is something that both Diamond and Weisner would also a agree

The Vikings spent most of their time raiding villages and killing people. They sailed very far distances in their longships to find land to raid. The Vikings mostly raided western and eastern parts of Europe. They also raided places like Greenland and Canada. While raiding the Vikings would basically kill anyone that got in their way and they would destroy villages completely. If you survived a Viking raid, you were extremely lucky. When the Vikings raided they would steal anything they could, including money, food, cattle and loot from churches. The Vikings would usually not leave places alone. Once they had raided them one time, they would do it again and keep stealing and killing. One famous raid that the Vikings did was in Northumbria, North-east England. Here the Vikings arrived in their longships and burned down buildings, murdered monks, stole things and frightened everyone. Apparently some of the Christian church leaders said

The term ‘Viking’ is essentially defined as a person who lurks in a ‘vik’ or bay. The name ‘Viking’ was given to those of a Scandinavian race, who became known for their raids and settlements of Europe between the years of 700 and 1100. Stereotypically, Vikings are habitually referred to or regarded as barbarians, heathens and savage north men with no concept of Christian integrity, they were considered as lacking reputable mannerisms and their presence in England was that of a punishment by the Lord himself. In this essay I will be exploring the Vikings impact on the history and identity of Northern England. It is significant to note that the modern perception of what is Northern England differs to that of the Northern England during the era of Scandinavian raids, and that the amount of evidence available is primarily of English origin.

It is not uncommon that an individual will find themselves influenced and persuaded by what they see in the media and entertainment industry, regardless of whether or not their source has any historical evidence, or is written fictionally for entertainment purposes rather than historical resource purposes. For most, media and entertainment outlets, with the obvious purpose of entertaining the public, are the only source of portrayals of Norse society that they will experience. This can be dangerous to the image of Norsemen, as movies and television shows have the primary purpose of entertainment rather than historical accuracy, which can lead to an utmost inaccurate representation of Norse society.