Were the Vikings Raiders or Explorers?
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They were both! In fact, Norse seafarers were more than raiders or explorers. And they revolutionized the world at the time.
When most people hear "Viking," they picture horned helmets* and burning villages. But the truth is far more fascinating. Between 793 and 1066 AD, Norse seafarers connected continents, established trade networks that spanned three continents, and built settlements that would become modern cities.
And they weren't alone. Dogs and cats joined the crew as companions, rat hunters, and watchful guardians.
Masters of the Impossible Sea
The North Sea was their proving ground. While other civilizations hugged coastlines, Vikings sailed straight into storms that would have destroyed lesser vessels.
Their secret? The longship - a masterpiece of engineering that could cross oceans yet navigate rivers barely three feet deep. They were build for speed and to withstand storms on open water.
From the late 700s and onward, these masters of the waves didn't see barriers - they saw opportunities. Each wave conquered was a path to new worlds, new wealth, new possibilities. The North Sea wasn't an obstacle; it was a highway to everywhere.
Were all Scandinavians Vikings?
But here's what history books often miss: Vikings were merchants as much as warriors - maybe even more. While raids made headlines, trade built empires.
Most Norsemen weren't even Vikings. They were farmers, traders and fishermen. Víkingr meant "to go Viking," an activity, not an identity. Less than 10% of Scandinavians actually went raiding, and those who did, only set sail part of the year. The rest of the year, they tended their fields, raised livestock, and lived ordinary family lives.
But for simplicity, we'll keep calling all of them Vikings.
The Trading Post Revolution
So how did the Vikings trade with others? Except for the sea journeys, there were trading posts. One of these trading posts were Birka. A Swedish trading post, located on a small island outside of Stockholm, today known as Björkö. Here, Arabic silver met European amber and Byzantine silks exchanged hands for Scandinavian furs.
So Vikings didn't just take. They connected East and West in ways that wouldn't be replicated for centuries.
The innovation? Before modern commerce and before there were even paper currency in many regions, Vikings created trust-based trading networks that stretched from Baghdad to Iceland.
Face-to-face deals, handshake agreements, and a reputation system where your word was quite literally worth more than gold.
The Explorer's Mindset
What drove them? The same thing that drives any true explorer: the fundamental belief that there's something worthwhile beyond the horizon.
When Leif Erikson reached North America around 1000 AD, nearly 500 years before Columbus, it wasn't luck. It was the culmination of generations of navigators who mastered the sun compass, read the stars, followed seabirds, and trusted their instincts when instruments failed.
They established settlements in Greenland, Iceland, and Vinland (Newfoundland) not as conquerors, but as pioneers seeking new opportunities. Some came for timber, others for trade routes, many for farmland. They were explorers, yes, but also entrepreneurs.
Your Exploration Starts Now
The Viking Age may have endedover 900 years ago, but we can still be inspired by their determination to create a better life for themselves, their families and their communities.
So whether you're navigating stormy seas in business, exploring uncharted territories in your career, or simply trying to build something meaningful in a complex world, the Viking ethos remains relevant. Be bold enough to venture out, skilled enough to survive the journey, and wise enough to build rather than just take.
After all, the greatest voyages aren't always measured in miles sailed, but in horizons expanded.
Shop our "Trading Post of Birka" and "Masters of the North Sea"
Trading Post of Birka - Funny Viking Shopping T-shirt
Masters of the North Sea - Viking Adventure T-shirt
Tips for further reading
- About Birka and tips if you want to visit:
Birka – step back into the Viking Age
- About the tecnology behind the longships, and what types of longships they had:
The Trailblazing Technology of Viking Ships
- About how Old Norse has infuenced English:
30+ Old Norse Words You Already Know
*As mentioned in a previous post, the horned helmet-part was made up in the early 1900s, but it stuck. Now it's more used in a humorous way by Norse fans and merchants.
You can read the blog post about the Viking Helmets here:
Did the Viking Helmets Have Horns?