Where Does the Word “Viking” Come From?

The word “Viking” was introduced into Modern English during the 18th century at which point it acquired a romanticized significance. Most notable in the exaggeration of the Viking myth was Richard Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries”, a 19th century play devoted to the ideal of the honorable barbarian. It is this same mise-en-scène that saw the creation of the Viking horns: they were a wardrobe prop, nothing more (and certainly not historically accurate). Etymologists frequently trace the word “Viking” to medieval writers referring to “one who set about to raid and pillage”. The word ” Viking” in the sense in which it is commonly used is derived from the Old Norse, “víkingr”, signifying a sea-rover or pirate. But we must not forget that Scandinavians were not all savage pillagers and rapists. They had a thriving society in the north, which was created out of scarcity. We tend to remember the bad apples of history, but in reality the Scandinavians of the latter portion of the first millenia were no more savage or violent than their germanic cousins in the south and west (Saxons, Angles, Franks, Burgundians, etc…).