What interests you about Vikings? Are there any good things to say about them?

Answer 1

As well as the fact that they made quite a nice living by raiding the unprotected and rich monestaries, conquering a great deal of Britain, etc. they had a lot of other qualitied.

Firstly, trade. They traded and settled accross the globe. They also had fine clothes, smithing, boat building, poetry and art. The popular image is of the warior, but they were also great traders.

Luck

Answer 2

Sure, there are good things to say about them, but there are also lots of bad things.
I think what I find most interesting about them is the fact that they were able to penetrate Iceland, Greenland, and Canada all the way from Scandinavia in shallow, square-sailed boats. I think it's amazing that they had such industrious and modernized knowledge of sailing, winds, and directional travel for the 8th-9th centuries. They were brutal when they came across people to conquer or plunder, sure, but at the same time they definitely paved the way for some of the best navigational systems and languages the world has ever seen. Not to mention, who could resist a 6 foot tall blond guy that was half dressed and looking for a place to call home after leaving his home in Scandinavia? :P

Answer 3

They were brilliant seafarers on the open ocean, tough men and women who came out of a very tough land - cold, rugged and isolated from the rest of the world. The interesting thing (well one of the most interesting things...) is that they 'evolved' into some of the most successful groups in Europe in the middle ages.

Vikings who settled in the north of France (a pay-off by the French King who thereby 'bribed' them into stopping their pillaging of Paris) became the Normans, who of course conquered England. The Normans also conquered Sicily and the south of Italy, and did a fair job of getting involved in every fight between Albania and Jerusalem.

Meanwhile Vikings who had penetrated into the Russian steppes set up a kingdom that eventually became Russia (although there is a Russian argument that their origins were purely 'Russian').

One other point to note. Although the Norwegian and Swedish and Danish Kingdoms became involved in European wars here and there, it was only Nazi Germany in all of the time since 1000AD who managed to 'knock over' Scandanavia (if you count the Swedes neutrality (bought at the cost of iron ore shipments to the Nazis) as a 'diplomatic retreat'). The Finns gave the Russians a hiding in the first Russo-Finnish War, and put up pretty stiff resistance in the second. So effectively they've 'held their own' since virtually the beginning of human occupation of that area.

The only thing that ever effectively 'conquered' Scandanavia was Christianity. Even then, if you look at the Christian rituals you'll detect not far underneath traditional Scandanavian pagan echoes.

Answer 4

Vikings weren't illiteate human beings in any respect. They used Runes and have an extremely precise mythology crammed with great thoughts approximately courageous adult males and girls. particular their conjured an excellent style of folk, yet why we take excitement in this project in Romans and hate it in Vikings?

Answer 5

I from Denmark...the country of the Vikings. They have gotten taller, smarter and more polite. Nice people.

Answer 6

They were a proud and hard race, borne out of harsh climate and land. They're legendary (whether we like it or not) so that makes them all the more interesting. As a kid I read about them and shivered at the thought of burning villages..

Answer 7

good sailors and brave men = Vikings

Answer 8

They made interesting clothing choices

Answer 9

Wish they could win a Super Bowl.

Answer 10

Part of history but never thought much about anything else.