User talk:Fred8748

Viking (pron. /ˈvaɪkɪŋ/) is one of the Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century.[1] These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland. This period of Viking expansion is known as the Viking Age, and forms a major part of the medieval history of Scandinavia, Britain, Ireland and the rest of Europe in general.

A romanticized picture of Vikings as Germanic noble savages emerged in the 18th century, and expanded during the Victorian era Viking revival.[2] In Britain it took the form of Septentrionalism, in Germany that of "Wagnerian" pathos or even Germanic mysticism, and in the Scandinavian countries that of Romantic nationalism or Scandinavism. In contemporary popular culture these clichéd depictions are often exaggerated with the effect of presenting Vikings as caricatures.[2]

Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 The Viking Age 3 Viking expansion 4 Decline 5 Weapons and warfare 6 Archaeology 6.1 Runestones 6.2 Burial sites 6.3 Ships 7 Genetic legacy 8 Historical opinion and cultural legacy 8.1 Icelandic sagas and other texts 8.2 Modern revivals 8.3 Nazi and fascist imagery 8.4 Reenactment 8.5 In popular culture 9 Common misconceptions 9.1 Horned helmets 9.2 Skull cups 9.3 Uncleanliness 10 Vikings of renown 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links