The Vikings have inspired the creation of movies, TV shows, video games, and books, although that inspiration is almost always in the stereotypical sense of war, plundering, and pillaging. But aside from the stereotypes—which are stereotypical because they are true—the Vikings actually contributed to Western civilization in ways we often don’t consider.
Arthur Herman, historian and bestselling author of numerous works, including his latest, “The Viking Heart: How Scandinavians Conquered the World,” suggests that we can tie many of our customs, laws, and commercial enterprises to the Norse, along with the obvious popular culture.
The start of that cultural influence can easily be traced back to A.D. 793, when Vikings, either the Danes or Norwegians, raided a monastery off the eastern coast of England. The monks of Lindisfarne suffered brutally, but it was just the beginning of two centuries of Viking dominance. That dominance is typically noted as ending in 1066, when the last great Viking, King Harald Hardrada of Norway, was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge—a battle that ensued shortly before the Battle of Hastings, where William the Conqueror of Normandy defeated, and therefore dethroned, King Harold Godwinson of England….