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    1. OP it may shock you but there was more than one viking around and they did different things. In fact the word viking specifically means raider or pirate.

    2. elder_george on

      Technically, *viking* was a name of an occupation and yes, that was a raider. But *besides* the raiders came traders and such. It’s also worth mentioning that their major goods were enslaved people and loot captured by the raiders, so they weren’t angels either.

    3. Own_Watercress_8104 on

      I know it’s a hard concept to grasp, but a civilization can be refined and rich in culture while also partaking in murderous barbarism.

    4. You’re mistakenly identifying “Scandinavian people” with vikings. Most Vikings were Scandinavian people but the inverse is not true 

    5. jonascarrynthewheel on

      After listening to Dan Carlin for 9 hours, they were only as barbaric as other people of the time, its the not giving a shot about churches that caught the Byzantines off guard

    6. Vikings weren’t the ones writing poems, they were the ones pillaging, raping and enslaving.

    7. Stanislav_Shnajder on

      Horned helmets were indeed used by Scandinavians, but in earlier periods, prior to the Vendel era. The stereotype of horned Vikings emerged in popular culture after Richard Wagner’s opera cycle “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (“The Ring of the Nibelung”)

    8. Vikings were raiders. Not everyone from Scandivania in 11th century were vikings. Calling all of them Vikings is the same as calling every Englishman from the 1650-1720 pirate/privateer.

    9. Emotional_Newt_2227 on

      the horned helmet thing came from a single ceremonial piece found at a burial site that was probably never worn in combat and almost certainly had ritual significance one helmet.

    10. Rare-Exit-8700 on

      When im in a romanticizing the past competition and my opponent is r/historymemes

    11. leopardus343 on

      Almost every culture is “mostly farmers and traders” cause people have to eat and trade. That doesn’t mean militaristic cultures don’t invade and murder people.

    12. MisterAbbadon on

      Oh and don’t forget they brought slavery back to the British Isles after various Saints had ended the practice.

      The popular image of the Norse Viking is 90% fair outside of esthetics.

    13. EnergyHumble3613 on

      The 13th Warrior, at least the parts leading up the arrival of the messenger and call to action, was based on the real life Ibn Fadlan’s journaled observations about the northmen camp he encountered… so it is not as inaccurate as some films.

      Not gonna say it is perfect but it tries since the novel it was based off of did take inspiration from those notes as well.

    14. AceOfSpades532 on

      You must be seeing different pop culture Vikings to me, everything recently makes them the super cool heroes

    15. ChampionshipFit4962 on

      Which weird me out they cared about hygiene but they all spat and snot rocketed into a communal wash bowl. It’s like “Motherfucker…. I would kill you and your mother if you spat and blew snot into my fucking mouth, why are you doing it into the bowl we’re all going to share?”

    16. Distinct-External-46 on

      naw they were both these guys, and a few other guys too. except for horned helmets, I hate that shit

    17. Why not both, you never somebody chill get a little mean? I mean people act bipolar today, it makes sense that behavior was always out there. It would be beneficial i imagine when you gotta get some gold for the village to enjoy getting crazy from time to time. Just dont do it at home and its pretty acceptable behavior.

    18. Successful_Pea7915 on

      No offence but I don’t think having combs proves you’re really hygienic

    19. HoneyBeeTwenty3 on

      you should read Ibn Fadlan’s account of the Rus bathing rituals if you want to talk about viking “hygiene”

    20. Kamenev_Drang on

      Vikings axiomatically weren’t mostly farmers and traders, because “Viking” is old Norse for “pirate”

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