While girls did get married at a disturbingly young age, they had considerably more freedom than women from other cultures. They were ahead of the equality curve, too. They also bathed weekly or more, which was exceptional compared to most Europeans at the time. A number of items like combs, razors, and tweezers have been found at Viking sites. They were shockingly focused on personal hygiene. While they were remarkable warriors, they were actually among the more civilized peoples of their era. Modern representations often portray Vikings as filthy, ruthless war machines. Yet again, pop culture did Vikings dirty- literally. Myth #3: Vikings were uncivilized brutes. Going “a Viking” was more a verb than a title, and it meant far more than mindless theft and violence. Then, it meant a person who explored the high seas. The meaning behind it, however, is totally different from the modern definition of piracy. Technically speaking word Viking is derived from a Scandinavian term, “viking”, which does mean pirate. They did have helmets for combat, just not with horns. While earlier Norsemen did wear horned helmets for cultural ceremonies, the Viking era was decidedly horned-hat-free. No one is entirely sure how this rumor became so securely cemented in our portrayal of vikings, but the classic horned Viking helmet wasn’t actually a thing. Replica Viking helmet, “The Vikings Begin” exhibit, Nordic Museum, Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Mythical nordic warriors