Viking Sword with Scabbard

The modern word known as Viking derives from the word vík, meaning "creek, inlet, small body of water inlet". The term also occurs as a proper name on some Scandinavian area rune stones. The Viking Age is considered to be the time from approximately 790 AD to 1071 AD in European history, especially the Northern European and Scandinavian historical records, following the Germanic Iron Age.

The Vikings were a seafaring, that spoke the traditional Old Norse language, who from their homes in Scandinavia, raided, traded, explored, and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th centuries. They were quite proficient with sword and shield and were fierce warriors in battle. They adorned themselves with varying hair styles as well as tattoos and body paint. They typically carried a large round wooden shield with a metal boss center to protect themselves in battle. They used the shields much as did the Romans in formation to thwart attackers. The Vikings employed wooden ships with wide, shallow-drafts, allowing navigation in rough seas or in shallow river waters. They developed sophisticated ocean navigation systems that allowed to travel far distances across water and land precisely at their intended destination which was previously unheard of for the time period. The ships could be landed on beaches, and their light weight enabled them to be hauled over portages. These versatile ships allowed the Vikings to settle and travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, and as far south as Nekor and England to the East. This period of Viking expansion, known as the Viking Age, constitutes an important element of the medieval history of Scandinavia, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Sicily, Russia, and the rest of Europe. There cause much havoc in England along the Eastern coast raiding and occupying lands in that country. Resulting ransoms by paid to them in return for not raiding the lands ... which they did anyway.

Popular conceptions and misconceptions of the Vikings often differ from archaeological and written sources. A romanticized picture of Vikings as noble savages began to take root in the 18th century, and this developed and became widely propagated during the 19th-century Viking revival. The views of the Vikings as violent brutes or intrepid adventurers owe much to modern myth of the early 20th century. Current popular representations are highly clichéd, presenting them as familiar caricatures. In reality the Viking culture was quite sophisticated and structured and they had a strong code of ethics within their community despite there seemingly savage treatment of their enemies. They have just trials and courts for crimes committed. Justice was swift and fair but sometimes harsh for crimes against the community and it's people