In 793 a monk described a frightening attack on a monastery in England.
Suddenly giant men jumped from the long ships.
They were a head taller than any of us, and some had bright red hair.
They had all manner of armor and weapons, and they killed every monk they saw, even though we had no weapons. Luckily I escaped.
When I returned to the monastery, anything made of silver or gold was gone—everything of value. Who were these strange, terrifying warriors?
The warriors were Vikings.
From the eighth to the eleventh century, the Vikings raided the coasts of Europe during an era now called the Viking Age.
England, France, Scotland, and Ireland were prey to their attacks.
The Vikings came from the Scandinavian countries in northern Europe now known as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
They were also called Norsemen, which means men from the north.
Viking warriors stole whatever they found and killed many people, usually attacking with iron swords and large battle-axes.
They wore skillfully made metal armor, and for defense, they carried round wooden shields with a center made of iron.
Today many pictures show Vikings wearing helmets with horns, but this idea is an error that began in the nineteenth century.
Most Viking warriors actually wore simple iron caps.
At home the Vikings were farmers.
They kept cattle, pigs, ducks, and chickens, and their farmlands produced crops like wheat and rye, as well as vegetables.
Early spring was a busy time as they prepared their crops for planting.
With help from slaves and servants, they plowed and fertilized the fields and planted seeds for grains.
And then, after this spring work was finished, the Vikings left to attack foreign lands.
The Vikings set sail in their boats to raid monasteries and villages for precious metals and for people to enslave.
Carved from wood, their "longships" enabled the Vikings to travel swiftly and efficiently.
The ships were light and long, with high curves at the front and back.
They had oars along their entire length and a square sail above,
so the Vikings could travel on the sea and then use the oars to make a speedy attack.
Many of the ships also had a tall, fierce-looking dragon carved into their prows.
When villagers saw one of these ships approaching, they often fled in terror!
Because their boats were shallow, the Vikings were also able to travel inland by river.
Their trade routes reached deep into Europe.
France, Poland, and Russia were all part of the dynamic world of Viking commerce.
Eventually the Vikings realized that many of the countries they raided (or traded with) were better for farming than their own homeland.
They began to establish forts or settlements, and from these strongholds, they continued their raids and conquered new territory.
The Vikings' ships were small, but they were very sturdy, which allowed the Vikings to travel to faraway places and become great explorers.
Iceland was first settled by Vikings.
When the famous Viking Erik the Red was banished from Iceland, he set sail in his longship in search of adventure.
He discovered Greenland, and one of his sons, Leif Erikson, was the first European to reach North America.
Leif sailed west of Greenland and discovered Baffin Island, Labrador, and Newfoundland almost five hundred years before Columbus reached America.
Strangely enough, despite their warlike manner, the Vikings often adapted to, and joined the people they conquered.
Over time the Vikings who conquered England became English;
the Vikings who conquered Normandy quickly became part of its native French-speaking population.
While the Vikings were raiders and pirates, they were also traders and merchants.
Their trading ships carried fur, ivory, amber, and slaves.
The Vikings were superb metalworkers, so they exported swords and other weapons.
And some Vikings worked as mercenaries. They were never a unified group; instead they were separate bands of sea pirates.
The Vikings are often portrayed as barbaric savages, but they were well organized and had a written language called Runic.
The Vikings' mastery of this written language helped them conquer many opponents because it allowed them to send messages with ease.
Much of their heritage survives today in the Norse sagas, which describe the adventures of their heroes and gods.
These great legends inspired famous operas and poems, written many centuries after the Viking Age ended.
The Viking heritage is still remembered today.
In Scandinavia there are several Viking ship museums,
where people can see restored Viking ships and admire the amazing craftsmanship of these bold sailors.
And many cities hold annual Viking festivals.
People can live and dress as Vikings, and craft weapons and jewelry using traditional Viking methods.
Some people even participate in mock Viking battles!
During the Viking age, the "men from the north" explored distant lands—and terrorized many people.
With their longships and thirst for adventure, they left a permanent mark on both ship technology and European history.