Claudiu Climescu cls.

9A
THE VIKINGS
The Norsemen lived in todays Denmark, Norway
and Sweden. They were farmers, fishermen and traders.
Norsemen who sailed were called Vikings, the most
magnificent seamen the world has ever known. The
Viking ships could sail the roughest seas, making long
voyages to land warriors or unkind shores.
Between the years 800AC-1000AC the Vikings conquered many territories
in the west and in the east of uro!e. "hey en#oyed fighting$ so they used to ro%e
and !lunder other lands.
&owe'er$ des!ite their frightening notoriety$ the Vikings esta%lished
themsel'es on the conquered lands e(tremely fast and %ecame Christians in only
two centuries. )ell$ it*s true that in the same !eriod they conquered the north of the
Atlantic$ +reenland$ and a !art of ,outh America. "heir main kingdom was formed
in ,candina'ia and in the ,outh-ast of uro!e.

"he Vikings and their history re!resent one of
the world*s greatest mysteries. 'en the origin of the
word -Viking. is not yet well-known. /t is %elie'ed
that it meant -!irate. or -%ar%arian thie'e.$ %ut this is
not the only !ossi%ility. Also$ it can mean -gulf.
0Viken1$ trying to name 2slo$ the gulf from 3orway
with the northern side of the city of Bohus from
,weden.
Anyway$ there are a lot of things which remained unknown and unclear
until today.
4or e(am!le5 it is su!!osed that Colum%us wasn*t the disco'erer America.
6any historians agree that the Vikings disco'ered it firstly. "he Viking o%#ects
found in Vinland somehow sustain this o!inion.
"he Vikings were the %est seamen e'er known.
"hey knew how to guide themsel'es after the wind$ the way
sea-%irds flew$ after the sea*s wa'es. Vikings !ossessed
qualities which hel!ed them disco'er America in 987 A.C.$
a long time %efore 1899$ when it was thought Colum%us
disco'ered it.
A well known Viking leader$ :ed ric$ could sale
from an island to another towards west$ lea'ing from Bergen 03orway1 and
disco'ering the 4eore /slands$ /celand and +reenland.
'en %etter known$ ;eif riksson is the one who sailed hundreds of
kilometres on the west coast of the %iggest island in the world$ and then got to the
islands in the 3orth of Canada. "here$ the Vikings %egan to e(!lore the coast$
Claudiu Climescu cls.9A
going towards south$ trough the ;a%rador*s ,ea$ and arri'ed near the 3ew-
foundland /sland. "hey named it -Vinland..