Vikings - Episode One (History Channel)

The Vikings (from Old Norse víkingr) were the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.

These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, and as far south as Nekor. This period of Viking expansion -- known as the Viking Age -- forms a major part of the medieval history of Scandinavia, Great Britain, Ireland and the rest of Medieval Europe.

Popular conceptions of the Vikings often differ from the complex picture that emerges from archaeology and written sources. A romanticised picture of Vikings as Germanic noble savages began to take root in the 18th century, and this developed and became widely propagated during the 19th-century Viking revival. The received views of the Vikings as violent brutes or intrepid adventurers owe much to the modern Viking myth which had taken shape by the early 20th century. Current popular representations are typically highly clichéd, presenting the Vikings as familiar caricatures.

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  Education

[upsednieks]

Can't hear this about "bloodthirsty savages who attacked holy grounds" and "poor bishops" .

Wasn't christians the savages who attacked pagan lands, destroyed heathen holy places in the name of rotting flesh they eat and praise in church? And raised their churches full of stolen treasures in the very place.

Lo there do I see my father, Lo there do I see my mother, my Sisters and my brothers , Lo there do I see the line of my people, back to the beginning. (..)Where the brave may live forever

[Thomas Don]

actually, it was the norwegian,swedish and icelandic vikings that made the vikings notorious worldwide. All those who invaded russia,attacked constantine,pillaged italy,invaded paris,england etc came from norway/sweden. And the viking tribe leader who reached America came from Iceland i think. So no wonder why the danish vikings held the north when the rest of them were busy raping the coastlines elsewhere in the world.

[SacredNutrino]

savagery? they are talking absolute shite in this program



[tickedoffnow]

Those aren't Real Christians.

[upsednieks]

I think a true christian is who believes in his god without questioning whether he should go and kill everyone even of his family for denying it.

Go to church and eat my dead flesh otherwise you will burn in hell - isn't this evil enough?

[Emilie P.]

I think this discussion is pointless. Swedes, norwegians and danes have a lot in common. Let's focus on that, instead of bitching about which country that is most famous for it's history. And maybe the danish viking were lazy, I don't know, but the ships that was found in Ireland and England were vikingships made out of danish wood.

[MstrShadowheart]

Agreed...sacrilege is dependent on perspective. Sure, the monks and the Christian church would cry sacrilege, but the Norse would call them fools for not knowing how to fight back and defend themselves.

[odinsdaughter1]

History is written and rewritten by people,with their own beliefs and standpoints on issues of what is sacred,true,beautiful,fair and good.This type of piece tells me more about the people who produced then the actual Viking culture itself.If I didn´t had some previous knowledge of what Viking means,the term barbarian would problably come to mind...as it is I just took all the visual information afforded (beautiful views and shoots from the North ) and did not register all the other crap

[fadde98]

No, it wasn't. Denmark became a country later on in history.

[aequitasveritas9]

And that single country was Denmark.