When we think of the Vikings, we think of brutal men and women who pillaged town after town in search of wealth and land expansion. However, there’s actually a lot more to the Vikings than what our 6th grade teachers taught us in school. Here are several interesting facts about the Vikings you probably didn’t know.
No Unified Viking Group
Vikings didn’t acknowledge other Viking factions. In fact, there’s little evidence that Vikings actually called themselves “Vikings.” This is a blanket term that refers to all Scandinavian groups and individuals who participated in the overseas expeditions and expansions. In the prime of the Viking Age, the lands we know now as Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were led by tribe chieftains that often got into heated battles with one another.