The Trouble With Viking Hypermasculinity | History Extra
"Vikings are known to have commonly chosen prudence over passion, restraint over rage, and diplomacy over demolition.
That's not to say that vikings were handing out hugs and flowers to the places they visited. Violence was certainly a part of the viking toolkit, with many a home, harbour, and church put to the torch, and their occupants and possessions carried off.
But even when taking up the sword, vikings seem to have done so in a calculated and controlled fashion – a far cry from the rampant carnage often ascribed to them. It's now well-understood that even early medieval authors themselves deliberately exaggerated these violent episodes so as to make the incoming vikings look all the more barbarous."
Well well well... Who woulda thought the Norse were more than marauders? /s
"Vikings are known to have commonly chosen prudence over passion, restraint over rage, and diplomacy over demolition.
That's not to say that vikings were handing out hugs and flowers to the places they visited. Violence was certainly a part of the viking toolkit, with many a home, harbour, and church put to the torch, and their occupants and possessions carried off.
But even when taking up the sword, vikings seem to have done so in a calculated and controlled fashion – a far cry from the rampant carnage often ascribed to them. It's now well-understood that even early medieval authors themselves deliberately exaggerated these violent episodes so as to make the incoming vikings look all the more barbarous."
Well well well... Who woulda thought the Norse were more than marauders? /s
