50+ Facts That Will Change the Way You Watch Netflix’s “Vikings”
Vikings Never Referred to Themselves as Vikings
The term “Viking” is a modern label. Historically, these Norse seafarers didn’t call themselves “Vikings.” Instead, they identified by their familial ties or place of origin, such as “Svear” from Sweden or “Dane” from Denmark.
By now, it should be clear how the word “Viking” originally described the act of overseas expeditions, deriving from the Old Norse “víkingr,” signifying “pirate.” It wasn’t until later centuries, especially the 19th-century Romantic period, that “Viking” became a popular term to describe the Norse people of the Viking Age.
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