They were the most feared warriors of their time. People, struck with terror, would try and run away when they saw a Viking ship headed toward their shore. It didn't matter to them that they may have out numbered the Viking because the sight of Vikings so terrorized them that fighting was out of the question. But who were these fierce warriors that could strike this type of fear into the hearts of people? The Norse people were primarily made up of Danish and Norwegian peoples but there were others like the Swedes. They were not a single ethnic group as pictured in many movies. These people did have things in common however. They had a similar religion along with similar customs. Not all Vikings could understand each other since they spoke several different languages even though the languages had the same root. The word Viking means Piracy in Norse. Piracy seems to have been the code of the Vikings. In battle they were fierce enemies whipping themselves up into a barbarian frenzy before fighting. Each Viking would almost be in a self induced state of insanity, not unlike the results of drugs gone bad. Here is what a monk that survived wrote of their famous attack on the Lindesfame monastery, the first major Viking attack, off the coast of England in 793 AD:

Viking ship under sail towing small boats.

"The same year the heathens arrived from the north to Brittany with a fleet of ships. They were like stinging wasps, and they spread in all directions like horrible wolves, wrecking, robbing, shattering and killing not only animals but also priests, monks and nuns. They came to the church of Lindesfarne, slayed everything alive, dug up the altars and took all the treasures of the holy church".

As you can see they were not too popular in England at the time. The Vikings were so satisfied with this raid that they returned to raid many other monasteries and convents in England, Scotland and Ireland. After all, to them this was easy pickings that offered them gold and treasure. These Viking raids would last for about 300 years and keep the British Isles in constant fear. But the Vikings didn't stop there. They attacked most of Europe and even reached as far as Jerusalem.

Viking troop carrier

Vikings were also known as Norse, Norsemen and Northmen. The Vikings were not only warriors but farmers and tradesmen. The English attackers were mostly Danish Vikings. The Swedish Vikings mostly settled in Russia. Some say that the Vikings didn't always slaughter people when they raided. They even go as far to say that many times they would leave the people alone and just take what they wanted. But why then are they pictured as so unmerciful? The story goes that the early church wanted the raids stopped and felt the best way to do this was to turn the people against the Vikings by telling tales of slaughter. It seems there was some terrible raids where many lives were lost but lives were not always taken.

The sea faring ability of the Vikings had much to do with their attacks. At the time they built the best and fastest ships afloat. These ships enabled them to cross the vast amount of ocean and plunder where ever they desired with little chance of being out run by the ships of the areas they attacked. Not only were the ships relatively fast but could hold many warriors They had many different types of ships but the two main classes were war ships and merchant ships. The ships were strong. They were built by a method called Clinker. Clinker is when each plank in the hull of a ship overlaps the other. In 1957 five Viking ships were discovered in Roskide fiord in Denmark. These ships were restored and are an example of the different types of ships used. One of the ships discovered was the Knorr a Viking ship that actually sailed to Iceland, Greenland and the Americas. How fast were the Viking ships? Modern day replicas have reached 14 knots which is about 16 mph.

Viking ship with sail down

The Viking's religious beliefs were serviced by a godar. A godar was a sort of priest-chieftain. Religious ceremonies were usually out doors near sacred places, but wooden temples were used later. The temple in Old Uppsala in Sweden was considered the most important. This was a place where animal sacrifices and sometimes human sacrifices were made. The Vikings believed that if they were killed in battle they would go to Valhalla. Valhalla was the home of the gods and this was where Odin lived. They believed that once there, they would fight during the day and their wounds would then heal and that at night they would attend a banquet with Odin.

We now know that the Viking raids lasted for a period of about 300 years, but what happed to all the Vikings after that? In the 11th century the Vikings ruled England. The Viking king was Knut. In 1066 William, the Duke of Normandy conquered England and the Viking reign was finished there but they still ruled some of the islands and small pieces of the mainland which they were driven from in the mid 12th century. There rule of the islands extended for about 300 years more. Some historians think that because of all the travels of the Vikings and their settlement of different lands, their culture disappeared. They feel that since the Vikings were primarily farmers in these places that their culture changed. No one knows for sure if this is why the Vikings disappeared but it is as good a reason as any.