Summer of Midnight Sun - Chapter Nine: Vikings, More Than Men

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When the term "Viking" comes up, it conjures images of a brutish Nordic raider, clad in iron armor and weaponry, potentially in a blood rage. Despite this clear image of a person or group, no person or group of people ever considered themselves Vikings and this style of warfare was not organized. To find what exactly is meant by the term, researchers have turned to linguistics and archaeology to find answers and dispel some common myths.

Linguistics has turned to the language of Old Norse, a predecessor to Icelandic, Norwegian, and Danish, spoken by those living in Nordic areas in the Viking era. The first of two leading theories is that the word was used as both a noun and a verb, using the words Vikingr (referring to a lone man), Vikingar (a group of men), and Vikingum (to go a Viking). With these words, it's important to explain that linguists believe that Viking would equate to a seaborne adventurer, raiders second. 


The other leading theory comes from the prefix of Vikingr and Viking, Vik. In both Old Norse and modern Icelandic, a Vik is a cove or bay, which a Viking would be likely to originate from. A related theory suggests that it could refer to those coming from the area surrounding the town of Vík in Southern Norway, where many raiders originated from.

Archaeology offers a bit further in terms of insight, providing additional context clues. Many of these come as runestones, providing a common language experience, compared to the formalized documents of the government or church. Many of these explain why the stone was risen or where someone had gone, only to be lost. 

"Tóki, Tóki the Viking, raised the stone in memory of Gunnarr, Grímr's son. May God help his soul!" (Sm 10 runestone)

"Hvatarr and Heilgeirr(?) raised the stone in memory of Helgi, their father. He traveled to the west with the Vikings." (G 370 runestone)

"Asrathr and Hildung/Hildvig/Hildulf erected this stone after Fretha, their kinsman, … he died in Sweden and was first .... of every Viking." (DR 216 runestone)

Regardless of which theory is true, it's clear that Vikings were not necessarily the bloodthirsty armies that more modern media have translated these people as. I've come to the conclusion that a combination of these theories is true, equating essentially to seafaring pioneers. What do you think this group looked like nearly a millennia ago? 

Comments

  1. Roman CascianiOctober 24, 2023 at 4:15 PM

    Gabe, this is very interesting. I did not know where the term "Viking" came from. I agree with your conclusion. I believe modern media tends to focus on the warfare and pillaging side of Vikings for entertainment purposes. However, they were likely much more organized than they are depicted in those scenarios.

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