VIKING MYTHS

1. They were giants.

–  the short summers and harsh winters did not provide the food necessary to grow big

–  their skeletons indicate the men were about 5’6” –  not much taller than the average European male in the Middle Ages

2. Viking kings were cremated on their ships with a live maiden.

–  archeological evidence shows men were usually buried, sometimes cremated, in burial mounds

–  important Vikings were buried with treasures for the afterlife, it would not have made sense to burn these treasures

–  there is no evidence for women joining the corpse

3. They loved killing.

–  most Vikings were farmers or traders

–  the raiders were usually young men looking for adventure

–  on the raids, they were no more violent than other Europeans

–  they attacked monasteries because that is where the wealth was, not because they hated Christianity.  While sacking the monastery, if the monks got in the way, well…  Since the monks were the only literate group in medieval Europe, they naturally enhanced their description of the raiders.

4. Their main weapon was the battle axe.

–  they did bring axes, but that is mainly because it was useful. 

–  their main weapon was the spear

–  swords were expensive

5. They had poor hygiene.

–  excavations found combs, tweezers, and razors

–  they used lye soap to bleach their hair to keep out lice

6. They pillaged for treasure.

–  they raided to supplement the wealth of their village

7. They wore horned (or winged) helmets.

–  Sorry, Minnesota Vikings.  Their helmets were simple pot helmets.

–  a helmet was excavated and it had eyes and nose protection

–  the horns were first mentioned in a 1825 book, but the image was cemented by the costume designer for Wagner’s Ring operas.  The truth was killed when the fat lady sang.

8. They were uneducated.

–  they were actually more literate than most medieval men

–  they wrote in runes

9. They drank from skulls.

–  they actually drank from cattle and goat horns

–  this myth came from misinterpretation of a passage that mentioned “the curved branches of skulls” which was a reference to animal horns

10. They tortured victims with the blood eagle.

–  they were not sadists who pulled a victims ribs outward like wings with the heart beating.

–  they may have carved eagles on the backs of victims

11. They treated their women poorly.

–  Viking women had more rights and freedoms than other European women

–  they could divorce

–  if the men went raiding, the women ran the household

–  they could become rich and powerful.  One of the richest graves was for a woman.

–  some did go on raids, but it was rare

https://www.ranker.com/list/vikings-myths-debunked/ryan-sargent?fbclid=IwAR1rA9mA8MwYnOMYBfJwJmtDp624zaMI_X97_ib9wRiuUqBS74s6YdoFG4 

https://blog.oup.com/2016/10/ten-myths-vikings/

https://skjalden.com/myths-and-misconceptions-about-the-vikings/