The Vikings were Scandinavian seafaring traders, who mainly spoke the Old Norse language, and were known for raiding and settling in many parts of northwestern Europe during the late 8th to the late 11th centuries. Vikings traveled on the Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea to sea routes in the south. They used various ships for different purposes, though the longships are the most well known; these were used for warfare and exploration and designed especially for speed and agility.

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The Vikings

Vocabulary to Know

• banish – to send away from a country or place as an official punishment

• fjord – a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between high cliffs

• Inuit – the native peoples who inhabit the Arctic regions of Canada, Denmark, Russia and the United States

• saga – a long and detailed story that involves the heroic events of a legendary character

The Vikings used runes as the characters in their alphabet. Each rune represents a phonetic sound and has a meaning connected with Norse mythology.

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Written Language

Vikings have captivated people’s imagination for hundreds of years. They have been vilified and romanticized. Were they “barbarians” or traders and explorers?

Viking Settlement Areas