Vikings and What I Didn’t Know About Them Until Today

Lately I have become interested in the Vikings. It’s not just because they are quite trendy with a series on the History Channel and an exhibit at the British Museum. But I  learned fairly recently that I have Viking ancestry traced back to the Shetland Islands in the 1700s.

One of my great-grandmothers was born in the Shetland Islands and her ancestors had names like Mary Erasmusdaughter, Erasmus Magnuson, and Marjory Magnusdaughter. This knowledge has opened up a brand new view into my family’s past. Thanks to my brother-in-law David for doing the digging.

Today I went to the exhibit on Vikings at our local museum and here are five things I learned about them that I didn’t know:

1. Viking means “to go on an expedition” in old Norse.
2. Vikings didn’t have horns on their helmets.
3. They used curse tablets (thin sheets of metal inscribed with pleas to the gods for justice/revenge) like the Romans did.
4. They cruised down the rivers of Russia to the Black Sea and got as far as Constantinople (now Istanbul).
5. They had slaves and were known as slave traders.

Now I think I’d like to do a viking to the Shetlands to have a look around. Perhaps via Iceland. Maybe on a boat.