Guide to Vikings

Everyone has heard of the Vikings - ancient explorers who were warriors, merchants, and pirates who sailed much of the range of the European and Northern Atlantic. But who were they really? Are they the brutish pillagers that we are shown in movies? Are they romantic explorers that we have read about? What about those figures we passed down through mythology and legend? Beings like Loki, Odin, and Thor; are they just mythical heroes that we know from comics and video games?

Here, we'll look at these people known as the Vikings - where they came from, who they were, what they did, and how their culture and their people have gone on to influence our entertainment.