The Vikings Research Paper

The Vikings were Norse seafarers, mainly speaking the Old Norse Language, who raided and traded from their Northern European homelands across wide areas of northern, central and eastern Europe, during the late 8th to late 11th centuries. Vikings were not what most people say they were, they're are a lot of myths about them. In this research paper I will cover the facts and myths, their religion, everyday life, and exploration. The Vikings lived in what is now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The Vikings are quite the opposite of what people think. They didn't wear horned helmets contrary to popular belief. They didn't spend all their time raiding; they actually spent most of their time farming. Due to the lack of food they weren't big and

Vikings actually spent most of their time farming. Food wasn't plentiful at the time of the Vikings so they weren't the giants like most believe. When the Vikings began raiding they targeted small villages and monasteries. Over time they began targeting bigger villages and built bases where they could store loot and rest in between raids. Many of the villages along the ocean feared they would be raided and often were. But eventually the Vikings made exploration their main focus. One strange thing the Vikings did was that they would boil a type of fungus and urine for three days and it became a fire starter like modern day lighter fluid. The Vikings explored long before most countries started. They discovered Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Canada and America. It is believed they were the actual first people to discover America. The Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Iceland. The Vikings encountered Native Americans in their journeys. They described them as weird people. Only few Vikings stayed in Iceland and Greenland, many return to their home lands.The main explorers for the Vikings were Leif Erickson, Thorfinn Karlsefini, Erik the Red, and many