The Vikings as Important Historical Figures - Essay Example

The Vikings were essentially pagan, illiterate and virulent. However, there is much work today that revisits common perception and stereotype of the Vikings as mere barbarians to a more complex race that had more to offer as traders and explorers with sharp business acumen and propensity to travel faraway lands to further their trade links and craft.

Much of the Vikings’ history was written by monks and natives who were the victims of the attacks by the Vikings. There is speculation that their accounts might be overly dramatic and extraneous. The Vikings were superior craftsmen, most commonly associated with lightweight, well-built ships that took them from Greenland to North America. Archaeological explorations reveal that these ships were meant for long-distance, solid travel rather than battle. The Vikings have also been found masterful at crafting swords, artefacts, paintings and clothing.

The Vikings voyaged to the land of America which they called Vinland the Good, as early as 1000 A.D., which is almost 500 years before any written record of Columbus. Vikings are known to be explorers, thus it is not incorrect to surmise that they explored the land, seeking fodder, habitable area and semblances of culture. They also traded and worked with the local people of this land, by them called the ‘skaelings’; they also took residence with them by building houses, which is another indication that they did not intend barbarism and pillaging but cohabitation in peace and harmony and general prosperity of society.

These conclusions are drawn by the translation of the Icelandic sagas of the Vikings into more common European languages, around two hundred years ago (National Museum of Natural History). There is general consensus among people that the land called Vinland is situated south of two other lands in North America explored by the Vikings, Helluland (Baffin Island) and Markland (Labrador) (mnh.si.edu); this summation has been compounded by the archaeological discovery of a Viking settlement on the northern tip of Newfoundland Island in 1960.

Research on these discoveries has led to the belief that Vinland the Good is in the general direction of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Just like the Mongols in the East in around the 11th century, the Vikings were predominantly present in faraway areas through travel and invasion. The Vikings did not, contrary to popular belief, lust after violence and brutality; instead, they were extremely protectionist of their own within the Viking clans, for which they had to rely on goods and bounty secured rightfully through trade, or forcefully through raiding (MNH).

The Vikings happened to be one of the most prolific and shrewd traders in history, with their “economic network stretched from today's Iraq all the way to the Canadian Arctic” (Lemonick, 2000) which spans half the planet. They were a violent gang but they believed in and practised the concept of democracy; apart from being great ship makers, they were experts with metal, creating unique silver, bronze and gold jewellery pieces. They also colonized Iceland and Greenland. There is evidence of their language influence on current English (Bator, 2007).

Viking deities of Odin, Thor and Freya can be referenced for the English weekdays of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (Lemonick, 2000), which is named after them. The Vikings were also the first users of tooth fillings in Europe (New Scientist), which shows their progressive, adaptive side. My overall understanding of the Vikings has much improved and broadened after reading varied material on them. There is no point in denying the brutality and plundering associated with them but these traits were quite ubiquitous in the civilization at that time including among the Christian practitioners.

What is important about the Vikings is that they were traders and businessmen, good craftsmen, travellers and explorers who took a culture, language, craft, trade goods and democracy from one place to another, not always with terrible, invading intentions.