Fun Facts about Vikings:
– The days of the week are named after viking gods.
– Despite popular belief, Vikings never wore horned helmets.
– Several popular words we use today have Viking origins. Snort, lump, scrawny and anger.
– Evidence suggests Vikings had good personal hygiene and were well-groomed.
– While we do not know exactly what they referred to themselves as, the term Vikings is a 19th century phrase.
– When a prominent Viking died, they were given a grand send off via a funeral service that involved laying the deceased on a boat with their clothes.
– In a remote valley in Sweden, people still speak an ancient dialect of Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.
– The Bluetooth symbol is a bind-rune representing the initials of the Viking King for whom it was named.
– In Viking culture, everyone got together to make laws and settle disputes. They called it the “Thing”.
– The Vikings were considered overly concerned with cleanliness for bathing once a week
– The Vikings sacked Paris in 845 and did not leave until King Charles the Bald paid them 5,670 lbs of silver and gold.
– 20% of all words in the English language are words from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.
– The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in 1190 to protect Paris from the Vikings.
– Vikings used to give kittens to new brides as an essential part of a new household.
– Native Americans successfully fought off a Viking raiding party of 50 warriors after they landed in New Foundland, 985 AD.
– The main viking gods were Odin (the Allfather), Thor (God of Thunder), Loki (the god of mischief), Freyja (the goddess of love and fertility).
– The word Viking is a derivative of Vikingar, which in old Norse language means “raider” or “pirate”.
– While we know them as Vikings, they probably never called themselves that.
– The longest Viking longhouse ever found is the chiefdom of Borg, which is thought to have been 273 feet long.
– Just like many other civilizations, slavery was commonly practiced by the Vikings.
– Viking villages were quite simple, and they usually consisted of 5-6 farms or smaller houses.
– Viking mercenaries fought for the byzantine empire.
– The age of the Vikings lasted for just under 300 years between 900 A.D. and 1066.
– Due to the Norse religion, it was believed that viking warriors went to incredible realms after their death.
– Primitive skis were developed 6,000 years ago by Scandinavians.
– The majority of Vikings spent their time farming barley, rye, oats, as well as raising cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep on farms.
– Due to the beauty ideals of Norse culture, brunette Vikings (often men) would bleach their hair.
– 500 years before Christopher Columbus “found” the shores of America, the Vikings landed on what is now Canada in around A.D. 1000.
– Compared to other cultures, Viking women had more rights than most women.
– It’s difficult to gather information about the Vikings, because they never wrote down their own history.
– Some of the Vikings kept pets – from cats, dogs, falcons, peacocks, and bears.
– Only 80% of Viking children survived past 5 years old.
– One of the Viking kings once ruled as the King of England for 5 weeks.
– The Vikings are notorious for their impressive boat building skills for their time.
– The national sport of Iceland is Glíma, which is a Scandinavian martial art used by Vikings.