1 Viking Helmets Had No Horns
There is no historical evidence that Vikings wore horned helmets. Only one of the five discovered Viking helmets remains fully preserved, and none exhibit any signs of horns. Karl Doppler created this Nordic stereotype in the 1870s to depict Vikings for a German opera.
2. Viking women had more masculine facial features than today’s women, while Viking men had more feminine faces, with less prominent jaws and brow ridges. Their ambiguous facial features make it challenging to determine the sex of a Viking skeleton based on the skull alone.
3. In 2021, scientists used a dating method to show that a Viking axe cut trees on the North American continent 1,000 years ago, in 1021 C.E. This method relies on a spike in solar radiation that left a mark in tree rings worldwide, proving that the Vikings arrived before Christopher Columbus.
4. Viking military tactics succeeded primarily because they disregarded the conventional battlefield tactics, methods, and customs of the time. Instead of following unspoken rules, such as avoiding attacks on holy sites, Vikings deliberately targeted religious locations for their vulnerability and wealth.
5. Viking girls married as young as 12 and managed the household while their husbands embarked on adventures. Despite this, they enjoyed more freedom than other women of their era. Viking women could inherit property, request a divorce, and reclaim their dowries if their marriages ended.
6 Most Vikings Were Skilled Traders
While many Vikings were fearsome warriors, most were farmers, fishermen, craftsmen, and traders. Viking trading centers and trade routes generated tremendous wealth, and their economy and trade network significantly helped rebuild the European economy after the fall of the Roman Empire.
7. King Harald Bluetooth, who ruled in the 10th century, inspired the bind rune that serves as the Bluetooth symbol.
8. The Vikings believed that a giant goat named Heiðrún (Heidrun), whose udders provided an endless supply of beer, awaited them in Valhalla upon their death.
9. Vikings brought Native American wives to Iceland, and their DNA is still present on the island. A genetic study of Icelanders found that some carry a mutation predominantly found among Native Americans, suggesting that American women bred with Viking men during Norse exploration of America in the 11th century A.D.
10. In Viking culture, everyone gathered at an annual event known as the “Thing” to make laws and settle disputes. These yearly assemblies were open to all citizens, where they discussed disputes and made political decisions. A lawspeaker who memorized the entire legal code presided over the assembly, holding the power to demote and elect kings.
11 Viking Warrior’s Last Stand
During the Battle of Stamford Bridge, a lone Viking warrior attempted to hold off a Saxon army of nearly 15,000 men. The unnamed Viking managed to take down 40 men with his axe, until one Saxon soldier floated in a barrel underneath and killed him with a spear.
12. In 1954, archaeologists excavating an 8th-century Viking settlement in Sweden discovered a Buddha statue from India.
13. In 2015, microbiologist Freya Harrison and Anglo-Saxon scholar Christina Lee recreated a 1,000-year-old Viking/Saxon recipe that effectively killed 90% of MRSA bacteria in lab tests. The remedy, from Bald’s Leechbook, combined cropleek, garlic, wine, and bullock’s gall.
14. The Vikings had their own version of rap battling called “flyting,” which was a ritual, poetic exchange of insults practiced mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries.
15. Brunette Vikings, typically men, bleached their hair with strong soap with a high lye content. In some regions, they even lightened their beards.
16 Vikings Known for Cleanliness
Vikings were extremely well-kept for their time. An English cleric even claimed that they bathed regularly, combed their hair, and changed clothes frequently to seduce highborn English women into their heathen ways. Numerous bone combs, tweezers, and earspoons have been found as evidence.
17. Vikings served as the personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor, known as the Varangians—Men of Oath. They were highly trusted and renowned for their loyalty.
18. Viking warriors who had suffered wounds were given a strong onion soup. Someone would smell the wounds after a few minutes, and if they detected onions, it indicated serious abdominal injuries, signaling that death was inevitable.
19. Some Viking runes are simply graffiti, translated as “Ingigerth is the most beautiful of all women” or “Tholfir Kolbeinsson carved these runes high up.”
20. Iceland was once covered in trees until the Vikings cut them down to make room for sheep.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
21 Largest Viking Ship Discovered
In 1997, archaeologists discovered the largest known Viking ship, the ‘Roskilde 6,’ buried beneath the Roskilde Viking Museum during the construction of an extension.
22. Valhalla is one of two halls where dead Viking warriors go after death—Odin selects half for Valhalla, while Freyja chooses the other half for Folkvangr.
23. The Viking “Berserkers” used to consume hallucinogenic mushrooms to incite their battle rage.
24. When Paris was under siege from a Viking raid in 886, King Charles III, known as “The Fat,” chose not to fight them. Instead, he paid them 700 livres (257 kg of silver) to redirect their raid to the rebelling Burgundy.
25. In 985 A.D., Native Americans successfully repelled a Viking raiding party of 50 warriors after they landed in Newfoundland.
RE: Fact #26 (Vikings Created Portable Fire Kits) – Sven, you know what would make that fungus burn? Just boil it in my pee.
RE: Fact #23 (Berserkers Used Hallucinogenic Mushrooms) – There’s nothing like feeling like you’re battling dragons and warlocks to make you fight even harder.
RE: Fact #22 (Valhalla: Viking Warrior’s Afterlife) – It definitely seems better. You get the same perks as Valhalla, but this time it’s ruled by the lovely goddess of love, not some old blind guy.
RE: Fact #37 (Vikings Gifted Cats to Brides) – She’s not actually the goddess of love, more like the goddess of having babies. Her chariot is pulled by these two cats, Högni and Þófnir.
RE: Fact #24 (Paris Paid Off Viking Raiders) – Yeah, that didn’t exactly make him a fan favorite with the Parisians, who had to deal with his army laying siege for almost a whole year. You can find out more about him on his Wikipedia page.
RE: Fact #28 (Elfdalian: Ancient Norse Dialect) – Nope, they’re not still speaking Old Norse. They’re speaking a North Germanic language that evolved from Old Norse, like all the other North Germanic languages.
The language keeps some things from Old Norse that other North Germanic languages don’t, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t changed.
RE: Fact #16 (Vikings Known for Cleanliness) – Think about those fancy English dudes trying to figure out why the Vikings have all the ladies. Turns out, it’s because they don’t smell like a barnyard.
RE: Fact #30 (Vikings Navigated Using Sun Stones) – Just finished watching Vikings.
RE: Fact #48 (King Cnut Commanded the Tide) – So, this old historian, Henry of Huntingdon, tells this story about Cnut. He says Cnut sat on his throne by the beach and told the tide to stop, not to get his clothes wet. But the tide just kept coming, right? It splashed all over his feet and legs, like he was nobody special. Cnut jumped back and said, “Look, everyone! It’s clear that kings don’t have much power. The only real power belongs to God, who rules heaven, earth, and sea.” He hung his fancy gold crown on a cross and never wore it again, to show how powerful God is. It’s funny because a lot of people get this story wrong, they think it shows Cnut was arrogant, but it’s really the opposite.
RE: Fact #9 (Vikings Brought Native Wives Home) – Women who are married.
That book about the Mongols really threw me for a loop. Apparently, there was this whole fight in the palace, and Genghis Khan just took all these women and made them his wives right then and there. It was super confusing!