Vikings

Vikings were sailors from Scandinavia. Scandinavia is the area where Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are today. From around the year 800 to 1100, Vikings traveled far and wide. They raided towns, traded goods, and settled in new places. They sailed to places very far away. Some went to the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa. Others sailed all the way to the Middle East. Some Vikings even reached Greenland and a place called Vinland. Vinland is what we now call Newfoundland in Canada.

The Vikings were excellent sailors and explorers. They built special ships called longships that were very fast and strong. These ships could sail in shallow water and deep ocean water. Vikings settled in many places including Britain, Iceland, Greenland, and parts of France. They also traveled along rivers in Eastern Europe. In these new lands, they built towns and started governments. Some Vikings went so far south that they worked for the ruler of Constantinople. They even attacked that great city. The Vikings were the first Europeans to reach North America. They lived there for a short time in Newfoundland.

Vikings spoke their own language called Old Norse. They wrote using special symbols called runes. At first, Vikings believed in the old Norse gods. But over time, most Vikings became Christians. Vikings had their own laws, art, and ways of building. Many Vikings were not just raiders. Most were farmers, fishermen, makers of things, and traders. They had a complex and advanced way of life.

Today, many people have wrong ideas about Vikings. Some people think Vikings wore helmets with big horns on them. But this is not true. Vikings never wore horned helmets. That silly idea started in the 1800s. People often think of Vikings as wild and violent. But the real Vikings were much more complicated. They were skilled builders, traders, and farmers. Learning the real facts about Vikings is much more interesting than the old stories.