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Viking refers in a loose sense to the North Germanic (ethnically Scandinavian) population of Northern Europe in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th centuries, which during this time colonized, raided and traded the lengths of the coasts, rivers and islands of Europe and the northeastern shores of North America.
More narrowly, and originally, the name Viking refer to traders, settlers, and most famously, raiders or pirates from Scandinavia.
They called themselves Noršmenn (Northmen), which was rendered as Normanni in Latin, Norsemen in English, and Norman in French. Modern Scandinavians still refer to themselves as the people of the North, nordbor or nordmenn.
The Northmen were also known as Ascomannii by the Germans (perhaps due to their mythological ancestor Ask), Lochlanach by the Irish and Dene ( Daner) by the Anglo-Saxons. The Slavs, the Arabs and the Byzantines knew them as the Rus'The ethnic origins of the Rus' people are controversial. Whereas most Western historians tend to give credence to the Normanist theory, many Slavic scholars are strongly opposed and work to find other origins. Culture and heritage is what is ultimately at or Rhos (probably from various uses of rožs-, i.e. "related to rowing", hence RussiaThe Russian Federation ( Russian: , transliteration: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya or Rossijskaja Federacija , or Russia (Russian: , transliteration: Rossiya or Rossija , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of eastern Europe and northern Asia. With). The Slavs and the Byzantines also called them VarangianThe Varangians or Variags were Vikings who travelled eastwards from Sweden. Promoting trade, piracy and mercenary militarism, they roamed the river systems and portages of what later became Russia, reaching the Caspian Sea and Constantinople. They createds (Vęringjar, meaning "sworn men"), and the Scandinavian bodyguards of the Byzantine emperors were known as the Varangian Guard.
The modern day nations descended from the Viking population are IcelandersIcelanders may refer to people with an Icelandic ethnic identity, whether living in Iceland, emigrants, or descendents of emigrants. nationals or citizens of Iceland., NorwegiansThe term Norwegians may refer to: People with a Norwegian ethnic identity, whether living in Norway, emigrants, or the descendents of emigrants. Anyone whose mother tongue is Norwegian. Nationals or citizens of Norway, which also includes Samic and Ethnic, Danes, Swedes and Faroe Islanders. A significant part of the populace of modern England, Scotland, Russia, Belarus, the Ukraine, eastern Ireland and northern France has Viking ancestry as well.
