The Real Vikings: A Documentary

Popular, modern conceptions of the Vikings—the term frequently applied to their modern descendants and the inhabitants of modern Scandinavia— strongly differ from the complex picture that emerges from archaeology and historical sources. A romanticized picture of Vikings as noble savages began to emerge in the eighteenth century. Perceived views of the Vikings as alternatively violent, piratical heathens (or intrepid adventurers) owe much to conflicting Viking conceptions of the twentieth century. Contemporary representations of the Vikings are typically based on cultural clichés and stereotypes, complicating modern appreciation of the Viking legacy.