h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Laban9, the point you're making is taken from a tale that was written by a Christian storyteller a couple of centuries after the Vikings had finished their raids. If trying to convert someone to your particular faith, would it not be beneficial if you wrote a ficticious history and made stuff up about the brutality of the Gods of the people you try to convert?

I find the theory about vikings going to battle to die would be pretty much self defeating.

Wow your smart!!!!!
Are you some kind of a professor?!
But I did not meen that they went into battle to die, but to seek glory(I might be wrong?)!
In the old days fighting and who was the strongest one was a bigger part of the lifestyle (I thing)!

And I didn´t try to convert anyone to a strange religion, but I do find Vikings and there ways interresting, after all I am a Norwegian.

Well ... I'd be a bit suspicious of old Magnus and his view of the Vikings. There has been an anxiety in the literature over the last 30 years to redress the 'Vikings as bad-guys' image. Most of it misses the point, and assumes that they were just basically farmers who were mostly peaceful at home. This is not at all consistent with contemporary sources (even assuming some embellishment), and certainly not with the later saga literature. And as for the argument that the Gauls taught the 'peaceful' Scandinavians to fight ... there is no actual evidence beyond someone's fanciful imagining.

The issue to emphasize is not that the Vikings were 'good' or 'bad', but that they were pretty well the same as most other people in medieval Europe. They only stand out as they were pagan for a lot longer than the rest of western Europe, and that their raiding was done in ships so they covered a lot more ground than could be accessed over land.

They were not 'peace-loving' ... but who was??

Bran.

Facts of the day:
Hey! Did you know there was actually found an old prayer in a monestary in England that was supost to save the monks from the Vikings.
(I think I pict that one up in "Ilustrated Sience")

Another fun fact is that my great, great, great ect. was Gange Rolf who actually leaded a massive force in to france.

Any way, back to the point:
I really do think it that to fight was actually a glorius thing to do at this time(I would like to point out that to be carried by the Valcries in to Valhalla one had to die glorius in Battle, and in Valhalla one could fight and die all day(I have probobly said this before).

Facts of the day:
Hey! Did you know there was actually found an old prayer in a monestary in England that was supost to save the monks from the Vikings.
(I think I pict that one up in "Ilustrated Sience")

Another fun fact is that my great, great, great ect. was Gange Rolf who actually leaded a massive force in to france.

Any way, back to the point:
I really do think it that to fight was actually a glorius thing to do at this time(I would like to point out that to be carried by the Valcries in to Valhalla one had to die glorius in Battle, and in Valhalla one could fight and die all day(I have probobly said this before).

Facts of the day:
Hey! Did you know there was actually found an old prayer in a monestary in England that was supost to save the monks from the Vikings.
(I think I pict that one up in "Ilustrated Sience")

Another fun fact is that my great, great, great ect. was Gange Rolf who actually leaded a massive force in to france.

Any way, back to the point:
I really do think it that to fight was actually a glorius thing to do at this time(I would like to point out that to be carried by the Valcries in to Valhalla one had to die glorius in Battle, and in Valhalla one could fight and die all day(I have probobly said this before).

Sorry about all the messages.
I just clicked and clicked and clicked on the post message button, but it just would go back to the conversation menu.
Why God, Why!

Laban, I agree: fighting would have been a glorius thing to do at this time - it was, after all, a "heroic" culture.
Cheers
Bran

Finally someone hwo agrees!
cheers to you to mate!

I must also say you prove a good point yourself "Bran the explorer"!

Did you guys know that most of the Norwegians who moved to Island was in fact Vikings and criminals who were band from the old country (kinda like Australia).

A good day to you all, .