The Vikings: A Short Historical Perspective
First, some preliminaries. The word viking is actually
pronounced 'VEE-king' in Scandinavia. The Norse noun Viking probably
derives from similar nouns for soldier or sailor, but is used to describe
an act of piracy or a raid. Exactly how pejorative the term is seems to
depend on the origin of the author. The Viking Age is a term used by
historians to describe the period of Scandinavian history from about 800 A.D.
to about 1100 A.D., characterized by the raids, trade, and exploration of
Norse naval power.
From a North American perspective, perhaps the single most important aspect
of the Viking Age was the first European discovery and colonization
of North America. The saga of the voyages of Leif Eiriksson, often
dismissed as fiction over the past 500 years, have recently found verification
in the archeological digs at L'Anse-aux-Meadows along the coast of Newfoundland.
Carbon dating has confirmed the existence of the settlement during the
Viking Age.
Viking Web Sites
- The Viking Network is the central hub of
information about the Vikings and their descendents.
- AltaVista currently lists over 38,000
web pages which reference the Vikings.
- The efforts of Robert Asp to replicate the voyages of Leif
Eiriksson are well documented at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center.
- Dik and Chris Browne have authored a less serious view of Scandinavian
history and culture through the eyes of Hagar the Horrible .
- Finally, the Minnesota Vikings, a team which seldom lives up to their namesake.
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