Vikings were seafaring Norse people from Scandinavia who raided and traded across northern and central Europe from the late 8th to late 11th centuries. During this Viking Age, they used the Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea to travel south to places like the British Isles, France, Kievan Rus, and Sicily. Vikings also settled in some areas they raided, like the Duchy of Normandy in northern France. Their large ships allowed them to navigate across the open ocean and reach places like Greenland, Iceland, and possibly Canada hundreds of years before Columbus. Vikings used the sun, stars, and special rocks to navigate even when out of sight of land or in the Arctic. Some stories suggest

2. Vikings were Germanic Norse seafarers, speaking the Old Norse language, who
raided and traded from their Scandinavian homelands across wide areas of northern
and central Europe, as well as European Russia, during the late 8th to late 11th
centuries.

3. Nordic this period of military , commercial and
population growth is an important element in
the Early History Medieval Scandinavia , the
British Isles , France, Kievan Rus and Sicily.

4. The period from the earliest recorded raids in the 790s until the Norman conquest
of England in 1066 is commonly known as the Viking Age of Scandinavian history.
Vikings used the Norwegian Sea and Baltic Sea for sea routes to the south. The
Normans were descended from Vikings who were given feudal overlordship of
areas in northern France—the Duchy of Normandy—in the 10th century. In that
respect, descendants of the Vikings continued to have an influence in northern
Europe.

5. Their ships were not the easiest to manage because of its size and weight, and yet
they managed to cross the Atlantic many times. With guidance capabilities and
knowledge of places , they could bring their large boats destination. Thus they came
to Greenland and Iceland , and even Canada, 500 years before Columbus reached
America .

6. Unlike other navigators, the Vikings traveled in open and not close to the sea coast.
Even when they had to enter the Arctic Circle, used sundials to navigate, because in
the summer the sun never goes down. The stars could not be of help, and thus could
know where they were located. When the day was overcast used "magic crystals"
rocks that polarize sunlight allowing orientation.

7. Nordic berserkers stories tell of warriors that
were surprising in battle and were motivated by
the presence of blood. The new studies suggest
that the attitude of these Vikings had to do with
eating a hallucinogenic mushroom called
Amanita muscaria.

8. When we show a Viking in movies or animations, almost always wears a helmet
with wings or horns, totally detached from reality . True Viking helmets were a
simple piece of metal that covered the entire head , with a small visor and metal
that protected the nose. On the other hand , the women dressed provocatively
with long coats in bright colors and a piece of metal on the chest that showed off
her figure