Vikings wore horned helmets. No the vikings were practical people. The horns would add unnecessary weight to the helmet. They would also cause the helmets to get entangled during battle. Not very practical.
all Scandinavians were Vikings. 1000 years ago Viking was something you did, not the name of a people. To go viking simply meant you went raiding. Many Scandinavians choose more peaceful professions.
The Vikings dressed in brown leather clothes. This is a common mistake in tv shows and movies about Vikings. The truth is that they much preferred colorful clothes like blue, red and yellow.
. Vikings wore black makeup to battle. Another popular myth created by tv companies. The truth is that some vikings may have worn white eye makeup to look scary. But we are not sure about it.
The Vikings were invincible. The vikings lost battles in England and on the European continent although they were mostly successful for 250 years.
The Vikings were fanatics who fought to the last man.
Although it is true that dying in battle would increase the chances for an afterlife in walhalla( Viking heaven) Viking warfare was first and foremost about increasing ones wealth. If the Vikings had the odds against them on the battle field they would withdraw and come back to fight another day.
Vikings were strong and hardy men but lacked in organization and planning
Viking raids were well planned. The Vikings knew exactly where when to strike., which meant they made good use of spies. on the battlefield they used many different tactics . Like shield castle and pig formation.
Vikings were all blond, like modern day Scandinavians.
That holds true for the Swedish vikings. However, the majority of Danish vikings seem to have had ginger hair, where as Norwegian vikings often had dark hair, which is still common on the western coast of Norway.
Vikings were all heathens.
Although the Vikings originally believed in Gods like Thor and Odin Many Vikings who settled down on the British isles, France and Russia converted to christianity. Most tombs in Scandinavia dating after 950 A.D. are christian. At the end of the Viking era Christianity became the official religion in both Denmark and Norway. Kings like Harold Bluetooth, Canute, Olav Haraldson and Magnus the Good were all christians.
The vikings were misunderstood people who practiced a peaceful religion.
This may seem odd. Everybody knows that the vikings were violent, still in Scandinavia many people portray the old Norse lifestyle as a peaceful way of life. The Northmen praciticed a religion which was all about being one with nature. That the Vikings had a close relationship with nature is beyond doubt. Moreover they raided and invaded their neighbors and enslaved hundred of thousands of people, which can not be said to be very peaceful way of life.
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