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Viking Culture and Runes: A Complete Beginner's Guide

Known mostly as raiders, the Vikings were also Scandinavian seafarers with remarkable navigation skills and a wide trading network. Here are the basics worth knowing.

The Viking Age (roughly 793 to 1066)

The Viking Age is commonly dated from the 793 raid on the monastery at Lindisfarne in England to around 1066, when a succession struggle over the English throne played out. It refers to the period when people from Scandinavia expanded actively across much of Europe and beyond.

The longship

A longship had a symmetrical, sleek hull and a shallow draft, letting it sail both open seas and shallow rivers. This shipbuilding technology is considered one of the key reasons Vikings could travel so quickly across such a wide range of territory.

The runic alphabet (futhark)

Runes are an ancient Germanic writing system made up mostly of straight lines, well suited to carving into wood, stone, or metal. Depending on the era and region, several distinct systems exist, including the Elder Futhark and the Younger Futhark, differing in the number and shape of characters.

Trade and exploration

Vikings are best known as raiders, but they were also active traders β€” dealing in goods like fur and amber β€” and skilled explorers. They're believed to have built a trade and exploration network stretching west through Iceland and Greenland to a region believed to be part of North America, called Vinland, and east as far as Constantinople.

The Thing assembly system

The Thing was a self-governing assembly where free people gathered to discuss and settle legal disputes. Iceland's Althing is a well-known example whose name and tradition continue today, and the Thing system is sometimes cited as an early form of representative governance.

The horned helmet is a myth

The horned helmets so often shown in pop culture have never been confirmed in actual Viking Age artifacts. This image is widely believed to originate from 19th-century Romantic-era opera costuming rather than historical fact.

The status of women

Women in Viking society held real authority to manage the household and property while their husbands were away, and could initiate a divorce β€” rights that were relatively broad compared with many other European societies of the same era.

More than raiders: traders and explorers

Vikings became known through their raids, but they were also active traders dealing in goods like fur and amber, and navigators who built a wide-reaching trade and exploration network β€” stretching west toward the edge of North America and east to Constantinople. This more complete picture is somewhat different from the popular-culture image.

A society that recorded and governed itself

Viking society left written records carved in runes on stone and wood, and developed a self-governing political culture centered on assemblies called Things, used to resolve disputes. Women, too, held real authority to manage the household and property in their husbands' absence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Vikings really wear horned helmets?

No. Horned helmets have never been confirmed in actual Viking Age artifacts. This image is widely believed to have originated from 19th-century Romantic-era opera costuming rather than any historical basis.

What did the word 'Viking' originally mean?

It's believed to come from Old Norse, and originally referred less to a specific ethnic group and more to the act of going on a raiding or trading expedition by sea. Over time, it came to be used broadly to refer to the Scandinavian peoples of that era as a whole.