Viking History: Facts & Myths维京人历史之真真假假

The Vikings were a seafaring people from the late eighth to early 11th century who established a name for themselves as traders， explorers and warriors. They discovered the Americas long before Columbus and could be found as far east as the distant reaches of Russia.

While these people are often attri-buted as savages raiding the more civil-ized nations for treasure and women， the motives and culture of the Viking people are much more diverse. These raiders also facilitated many changes throughout the lands from economics to warfare.

The Viking Age

Many historians commonly associate the term “Viking” to the Scandinavian term vikingr， a word for “pirate.” However， the term is meant to reference oversea expeditions， and was used as a verb by the Scandinavian people for when the men traditionally took time out of their summers to go “a Viking.” While many would believe these expeditions entailed the raiding of monasteries and cities along the coast， many expeditions were actually with the goal of trade and enlisting as foreign mercenaries.

The Viking Age generally refers to the period from A.D. 800， a few years after the earliest recorded raid， until the 1050s， a few years before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066， according to Angelo Forte， Richard D. Oram and Frederik Pedersen， authors of “Viking Empires” （Cambridge University Press， 2005）. During this time， the reach of the Scandinavian people extended to all corners of northern Europe， and many other nations found Vikings raiding their coasts. The farthest reported records of Vikings were in Baghdad for the trading of goods like fur， tusks and seal fat.

The Viking ship

At the heart of the Viking culture lies the Viking ship. These extraordin-ary vessels—longships in particular—shaped the lives of the sea-faring Norse1 and changed the course of European history.

Honed for more than 10 centuries， the ship-building skills of the Norse led to a variety of vessels—from small fishing boats and big-bellied cargo vessels to the famous lightning-fast longships used for raiding. But no matter the size， most of the ships were designed to be narrow in shape with short drafts2 （vertical distance between waterline and bottom of ship）， features that gave them high adaptability for use in the ocean and rivers.

The Vikings’ ship-building craft reached a high point in the 7th century when they invented the keel， a structural beam that runs from the bow to the stern3 and sits lower than the main body of the ship. This feature increased speed and stability and prevented unwanted lateral movement， according to Yachting & Boating World.

To begin the ship-building process， the Vikings would drive wedges into freshly-cut trees until the wood split along the grain4. Up to 20 great oaks might be cut down for a ship. The wood was shaped and arranged so that the planks fit together perfectly in a clinker construction5， overlapping like a fan. In clinker shipbuilding， the outside is started first， and then the frame is put inside it， according to the living history site Regia Anglorum. The ship was coated with a watertight mixture of tar-soaked animal hair， wool or moss and stabilized with iron rivets. The end result was an incredibly fast and flexible longship that nothing could catch.

The men rowed with a series of oars， supplemented with a large sail most likely made of wool. Rather than a rudder， the longships had a steerboard fastened to the right-hand side of the ship at the stern， according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

By the middle of the 9th century， the raids really picked up as word spread across the Norse region of Europe’s removable wealth. Norse villages and communities came together to build ships with the intention of improving their lives through the business of raiding. In 842， Vikings ruthlessly attacked Nantes on the French coast， and because of their ability to maneuver up rivers， they went on to raid towns as far inland as Paris， Limoges， Orleans， Tours and Nimes.

The Vikings’ longships were usually adorned with carved dragon heads at the bow， which were believed to keep evil spirits away. The dragon head coupled with a large square， red-striped sail would come to be known as the signature of the Vikings. The sight would strike fear into the hearts of Europeans for three centuries.

Viking myths

Many modern perceptions of Vikings found their origins through Catholic propaganda. Upon the sacking of multiple Christian facilities and the loss of countless relics and treasures， the Catholic ministry sought to dehumanize them. Until Queen Victoria’s rule of Britain， the Vikings were still portrayed as a violent and barbaric people. During the 19th and 20th centuries， perceptions changed to the point where Vikings were glamorized as noble savages with horned helmets， a proud culture and a feared prowess in battle.

With regards to the more popular Viking myths created through these misperceptions， the following are proven to be clearly false according to historical record：

Vikings wore horned helmets

Vikings traditionally went bareheaded or wore simple leather and metal-frame helmets with the occasional face guard. The idea behind horned helmets came about from the Viking revival during Victoria’s reign.