Vikings

The Vikings

The Norsemen lived in today's Denmark, Norway and Sweden. They were farmers, fishermen and traders. Norsemen who sailed were called Vikings, the most magnificent seamen the world has ever known. The Viking ships could sail the roughest seas, making long voyages to land warriors or unkind shores..

Between the years 800AC-1000AC the Vikings conquered many territories in the west and in the east of Europe. They enjoyed fighting, so they used to robe and plunder other lands.

However, despite their frightening notoriety, the Vikings established themselves on the conquered lands extremely fast and became Christians in only two centuries. Well, it's true that in the same period they conquered the north of the Atlantic, Greenland, and a part of South America. Their main kingdom was formed in Scandinavia and in the South-East of Europe. 

   

The Vikings and their history represent one of the world's greatest mysteries. Even the origin of the word "Viking" is not yet well-known. It is believed that it meant "pirate" or "barbarian thieve", but this is not the only possibility.  Also, it can mean "gulf" (Viken), trying to name Oslo, the gulf from Norway with the northern side of the city of Bohus from Sweden.

Anyway, there are a lot of things which remained unknown and unclear until today.

For example: it is supposed that Columbus wasn't the discoverer America. Many historians agree that the Vikings discovered it firstly. The Viking objects found in Vinland somehow sustain this opinion. 

The Vikings were the best seamen ever known. They knew how to guide themselves after the wind, the way sea-birds flew, after the sea's waves. Vikings possessed qualities which helped them discover America in 986 A.C., a long time before 1492, when it was thought Columbus discovered it.

A well known Viking leader, Red Eric, could sale from an island to another towards west, leaving from Bergen (Norway) and discovering the Feore Islands, Iceland and Greenland.

Even better known, Leif Eriksson is the one who sailed hundreds of kilometres on the west coast of the biggest island in the world, and then got to the islands in the North of Canada. There, the Vikings began to explore the coast, going towards south, trough the Labrador's Sea, and arrived near the New-foundland Island. They named it "Vinland".