10 Surprising Facts about the Vikings.

One of my favourite topics to lecture on is the Viking Age. My students always find it surprising to learn so many new facts and misconceptions about the Vikings. Here are some of my favourite surprising facts about the Vikings:

1. The Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets. These are 19th-century creations yet have become iconic symbols of the Vikings.
2. Women had significantly more rights than their Anglo-Saxon counterparts. They could inherit property and land and were permitted to control finances. They could even submit a request for a divorce.
3. Debate rages on as to whether the Vikings were barbarian conquerors or predominantly farmers looking for new lands. It seems they may not have been so ‘Viking’ as we have been previously led to believe!
4. Vikings were extremely hygienic for their time, bathing and washing regularly and they used their own hand-made soap.
5. To the Vikings, blonde was best and would try to achieve blonde hair by using another Viking-made soap.
6. Viking lords were usually given ship burials. Offerings including personal possessions and even sacrificed slaves were placed alongside them to see them into Valhalla.
7. The Vikings came from all across Scandinavia and never formed one homogeneous group. Quite often these different groups were rivals.
8. The Vikings referred to themselves as Norsemen and so did their contemporaries. Other names included Northmen or Danes.
9. The word ‘Viking’ only emerged in the 19^th century and derives from an old Norse word meaning pirate.
10. The most terrifying Vikings were known as ‘Berserkers’. These men wore animal skins and made noises akin to wild animals such as wolves. The word ‘berserk’ is still in common use today referring to someone who is unable to be controlled.

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