One of the great myths of today is the way in which we determine the mental image we have of the ancient inhabitants of Scandinavia. Our conception of the “Viking” has been shaped by the media, novels, series, films and cartoons, always referring to a community of aggressive, dirty and maladjusted beings who lived outside the walls of Rome and who were the cause of nightmares on the borders of the great European empire.
It is not surprising that when we ask about the image we have of the Vikings, we are told of gigantic beings, covered in fur and wearing horned helmets. And nothing could be further from the truth.
First of all, we must clarify that the group we commonly call Vikings were actually called Scandinavians.
The term Viking was coined by the victims of those massacres and lootings that the Scandinavian peoples organized throughout the European continent and the surrounding islands. That is why this era between 793 CE and 1100 CE (approx.) is called the “Viking Age”.
The term Viking comes from Vikingr, which means a buccaneer, pirate or sea raider. However, the Vikings did not identify themselves under this term: They were Scandinavian soldiers belonging to different clans, communities and kingdoms such as those of Norway, Denmark or Scania (present-day Sweden).
Although the word "víkingr" appears on runestones, it is not found in the sagas when referring to them. Even at that time, Christians called them "normannorum" or "norsemen", which means "the men of the north", from which we now use the word "Nordic" which derives from the French "nordique".
Although the word "viking" as Kim Hjardar mentions begins to be attested since Beowulf with the words "Wigfrecan, wigendra and wigend", it is not until the Exeter Book where they refer to some Germanic peoples or tribes, "the Wenlas, Waernes and Wicingas", although some experts differ because the words refer to verbs or an activity.
The word "Viking" also appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, possibly to refer to pirates from the island of Viken off the Oslo Fjord. But again this is debatable, as the word seems to have been used as a verb to refer to the act of piracy as a Norse-style activity.
In the time of the "Great Heathen Army", they were called "Danes" or Danes. The word began to become popular in Ireland where, possibly due to a greater knowledge of their geography, they were differentiated as "Norwegian and Danish Vikings", with words like "Finn Gall and Dub Gall" for their locality respectively, followed by the word Viking, showing that it was not a geographical adjective, but rather a professional one. It is also beginning to be seen on rune stones referring to them as warriors/looters.
On the stones we also find the use of the word accompanied by a name, such as "Tóki Víkingr" (Tóki The Sea-warrior). This supports the theory that at first the word was not used by the Vikings themselves, but by people from outside.
The word began to be used more commonly in the writings of Adam of Bremmen in the Gesta Hammaburgensis of 1070 (after the Viking Age ended), but in the rest of the Nordic sagas the term is not used.
Among so many other historical sins, it is normal to see people calling runes "Viking", even when they refer to the Elder Futhark, when there is nothing Viking about it since the Runes used in the Viking Age were predominantly Young Futhark, with some late influences from the Elder Futhark (almost obsolete now).
Something similar happens with the Icelandic Galdrastaffir such as the "Vegvísir" and the "Ægishjálmur". In most cases they are presented as Viking symbols used by fierce warriors. Unfortunately, these claims are far from accurate because the Galdrastaffir are not symbols that were used in the Viking Age and even less were they used by the primitive peoples of the Scandinavian area.
These symbols belong to a completely different branch that appeared until 1400 CE, several centuries after the Viking Age and possibly influenced by other traditions.
So, we have one last question: Nordic or Scandinavian? What should we call them?
Both terms are valid to refer to the group of inhabitants of the northern part of the European continent, however, their roots are different.
Calling them “Nordic” would be the correct word to refer to their culture, it is a word that encompasses everything that belongs to these geographical areas and would also encompass their myths, customs, exploits and the Vikings themselves.
On the other hand, we could call them Scandinavians. The word Scandinavia is believed to have its origin in ancient Rome, where it referred to what they believed to be an island, Scania, north of Germania. Today we know that it was not an island, but Skåne (Scania), the southern tip of Sweden. The name is believed to be derived from the local word skada (damage or disaster), alluding to the danger that the sandbanks on these coasts represented for ships. The suffix "avia" probably derives from a word meaning island, as does the modern Norwegian word "øva". So the word Scandinavia originally referred to the Scandinavian peninsula, where the states of Sweden and Norway are located today. Over time, the geographical area named by the word expanded to include Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Finally, it should be added that the term “Scandinavian” in Roman times was not a very friendly word (to put it mildly). It was generally a derogatory way of referring to those distant men who, according to Roman customs, were savages and brought destruction and hardship when they attacked.
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