why did the Vikings raid other countries?

Question

The Vikings come to north America

Answer 1

Note: the people were the Norse; "Viking" is a verb.
The Norse went "a-viking". In some cases this was raiding; in others (particularly along the eastern river route) it meant trading. The word is derived from the Old Norse "vikja" (a detour) and originally meant someone who temporary did something else (like going on a raid). In written Scandinavian sources, "viking" generally means the act of piracy and one who participates in such action is a "vikingr".

There are a lot of theories of what moved the Norse to go viking - one is that a period of particularly warm weather in the early 7th century made more of what is now Norway & Sweden ariable and thus raised the population. All those "extra sons" then needed something to do ...

(I'm not sure what your second line "The Vikings come to north America" has do with your question. Yes, a Norse band from Iceland under the leadership of Lief Ericksson explored the coasts of Greenland, Labrador and established a temporary settlement in Newfoundland. They were explorers).

Answer 2

Because the one time they tried raiding their own it didn't work out too well?

P.S. -- If Elise can show me one reference that says Viking is a verb, I'd like to see it. Maybe - but in English it's a noun, maybe derived from Old Norse for a creek "vik". http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Viking

P.P.S. Thanks Elise, I appreciate that you know what you are talking about. However, you told the person they were wrong to use it as a noun -- and then you cite a series of articles and books which use it as a noun in their titles.

You could support this statement ("BTW -- while we use it as a noun now, did you know that some people think it was originally a verb.") but what you originally wrote was way more than that.

Answer 3

Northumbria England, only examine a e book on all that. They then went south to take over the guideline something of england. They did have difficulty in Wessex however some even went over to eire

Answer 4

For riches, glory, and fame. For the looks on the faces of their astounded kinsmen at returning bearing tales of strange creatures; the feeling of power they felt holding the fates of a nation in their hands...the indescribable joy and boundless excitement; the energy, the rush, for pure greed.

Answer 5

They lived in a cold climate and that helped drive them to explore. They were a warlike people who needed to be fighting to gain status and riches.

Answer 6

Tim Horton's coffee and BC weed?

Answer 7

It's a GUY THING...you can't explain it!

Answer 8

because they were barbaric