What should we call the Vikings?

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“Viking” was not an Ethnicity, but I still call them such. In this video I will explain why.
Sources
"Vikings" and the Viking Age - John Lind
The Vikings - Ian Heath
The Viking World - Stefan Brink
Ship and Society - Gunilla Larsson
Konunga-boken - Snorri Sturluson, translated into Swedish by Hans Hildebrand
kulturbilder.wordpress.com/20...
www.sagadb.org/egils_saga.is
www.sagadb.org/viga-glums_sag...
www.abc.se/~pa/publ/vik-rodd.htm
sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A4...
runkartan.se/runristningar/ru...
sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sm%C3%A...
0:00 Introduction
3:40 Usage of "Viking"
9:38 Etymology of "Viking"
11:36 What others called them
15:23 Vikings in the east
#vikings #history #vikingage

[@thecreweofthefancy]

I think Viking Metal music should be called Ragnar Rock. *I will see myself out now*

[@gustavsvensson1944]

oh you better

[@shibolinemress8913]

🤣🤣 Good one!

[@runeguidanceofthenorse]

😂😂😂

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

Just dont call the band "Ragnar Lodbrok´s" and tour the UK. The englanders are still sore about our monestary sightseeings at Lindisfarne and a few thereabouts :D ...Second thought; Go Iron Maiden on it and throw in a dedicated and CAPITAL LETTERED longboat as tourbus !

[@douglasfur3808]

The value of the umbrella term Scandinavian gives us... Q. Why do all the ships in the Swedish navy have bar codes on their funnels? A. So they can scan-di-navi-in.

[@janvanhoyk8375]

last time i was this early to a baltic empire vid, Ymir was still around

[@Felix-nz7lq]

I’ve never considered how strange it is we say Nordmenn in Norwegian. It’s an exonym we’ve still come to use ourselves

[@Sviareik]

Rus/Routsi/Roosti also literally means ”men who row” pointing to swedish vikings coming on their ships along the rivers

[@Kabriste]

Ruotsi/Rootsi*

[@ZS-rw4qq]

It's interesting, because in Bulgarian Rus means blonde

[@INSANESUICIDE]

@@ZS-rw4qq I have not seen very many blonde Bulgarians, usually the ones I have seen have darker features, maybe not as swarthy as southern Spain or Italy, but definitely a few shades darker in both hair skin and eye color than the avg northern European.

[@ZS-rw4qq]

@@INSANESUICIDE Exactly! To the Bulgarians, the people from Rus would appear blonde

[@captainreza1]

Persian call anything that comes from “abroad” or outside “Farangi”. It must have some relation with English “foreign” and/or “ Varangi”, as you highlighted in your video. For example, tomato is called “Gojeh Farangi” (literally means foreign Plum), or Carrot called “Haveej Farangi” (literally means foreign Carrot). These are most likely due to their import from abroad in the early stages. Also any foreigner used to be called Farangi. Based on the info and examples in your video, it seems, or it is likely that local Scandinavian of old age might have used Viking to refer to one who has gone abroad, far away or outside of his homeland!

[@neecogwheelsword3627]

To my knowledge this came from the arabic 'Al-farangi', an exonym based on the Franks for all Western Europeans that developed during the crusades, stemming from most crusaders being Franks (I think Hindi also uses a cognate of this)

[@captainreza1]

@@neecogwheelsword3627 maybe! please note that Arabic doesn't have the sound "g", as "give" or "glad"; that's how "g" in Farangi is pronounced.

[@QualeQualeson]

The meaning of the term likely changed with time and circumstance. Insofar as there was any unification worth mentioning, I think that in the beginning it was probably somewhat derogatory, until larger parts of the culture started depending on it in a more general sense. It doesn't matter how specific and accurate you can get though. To almost everyone, the term for Scandinavians in this age is just going to be Vikings.

[@jimbenge9649]

I really enjoyed watching this well balanced, in my opinion, view of what the word 'Viking' . I used to protest at it's use as I believed it to be grossly inaccurate, or at least so I had been taught. I find it's use exagerated in modern film and video, but then I think, so what! If the audience is happy with some entertainment, then fine. If the audience is curious to learn more then better. My prefered description is from the Anglo Saxon Chronicles where they are first described as 'The Northmen from the land of the robbers.

[@veronicajensen7690]

yes however as explained in the Video it does not tell anybody about the time period as they were called Northmen way before and after, and for us Scandinavians the Norweigians are the Northmen , the word Scandinavians use when not saying Viking as we do in most cases is Normanerne= Norman but then people think about Normandy only, however it's called Normandy and Norman due to the Norman's of Scandinavia who went there

[@hrafnofthule5962]

Seriously underrated channel.

[@veronicajensen7690]

great video with more details than I knew before, thank you from a Dane who are so tired of people usually always non Scandinavians commenting on every single video or post about Vikings "they were not called Vikings" "Viking was a job" "Viking means pirate there were pirates all over the world not only Scandinavians"ect. and then they always write "they are called Norse" like Scandinavians speak English and ever called ourselves Norse

[@unknowntrooper_2791]

Some of these days I need to do a deep dive into the Viking era history. Until then, these videos are a good primer. Cheers!

[@ThreeHistorians]

So basically to go “viking” was the initial “work and travel” program

[@acaydia2982]

Viking Holiday

[@cosmicplatano3185]

Truly appreciate your content watch every one of your videos and wait for each one to come out

[@feldgeist2637]

ancestors on my fathers side are from a village which has, according to the finds from there, a very defined raider-background and my village is said to have been founded by "pirates", but I have real problems to call this a viking area, since there must have been a lot of farmers here too (actually the majority, I suppose) can't even call it norse, as it's southern Nordfriesland for me Vikings are simply early medieval fortune seekers who travelled from vik to vik to seek, well, fortune (in whatever way was necessary to do so....)

[@GeneralCalculus]

Gotta start using Al-Madjus just to confuse everyone

[@_p3t3r_34]

11:16 Your pronunciation here is very good; nice work (going to check that Zbigniew Gołąb guy). I'm happy to see someone spending the entire one minute to actually know how things are written. I'm kind of tired of big KZbinrs saying, "I don't know how it's pronouced," like, bruh, did you even check it? Anyway, maybe it's something small, but it definitely adds to the quality of the work.

[@balticempire7244]

my approach to pronounciation is essentially if I don't have an existing pronounciation I look it up

[@InssiAjaton]

Nice "new" understanding and science! In my school days it was much simpler - they just depended on the texts written by those who could read and write, meaning mostly priests and monks. There was some attempt to explain WHY. The presented reasoning was that only the oldest son inherited the land. That forced the younger brothers to go and seek their fortunes far away. Part of them were traders, while others (as witnessed by the written texts) were just pagans and monstrous robbers. That was about the extent I recall, except that those from present Norway and Denmark went naturally towards the Atlantic, while Swedish explorers went more naturally aimed to East, that is, to the rivers of present Russia, Ukraine and others, "all the way to Byzantine - go and figure". Oh, yes, then there is the other added info about Iceland, Greenland and even North America. But that was way after my school years.

[@Sorlendingen82]

As a Norwegian I just call them what they are, My Ancestors.

[@rhzyo]

Conquerored would also be another word you could call them then 😂

[@sigurd_7613]

man I love your videos, keep it up.

[@aightimmaheadout3573]

i love this channel thanks ❤

[@janks4608]

Like Denmark and Sweden, Norway had many tribes, like Horder, Ryger, Rane, Håløyg, Møre and even more tribes

[@bjorreb7487]

I also heard or read that Russia come from Rus wich come from Roslagen. In Hagia Sophia Mosque Istanbul is run carvings on the railing up on the balcony.

[@jonswanson7766]

Excellent video!👍

[@insertyournamehere4328]

I learned the meaning of Viking as “Who came from fjord” in my history textbook in high school… it perhaps indicated 2nd hypothesis of 10:20

[@jamesivey5573]

This channel is legit my favorite despite the fact I typically don’t get as excited about history from this region. Every upload is a TREAT, and I’ve seen every video multiple times. Once I am stable financially and clear of debt (which miraculously will be relatively soon!) I will certainly figure out how and what amount I can contribute to the channel.

[@balticempire7244]

thank you for watching, don't stress with financial support

[@jamesivey5573]

@@balticempire7244 and thank you for making ‘em. I would love to see more videos about: Danish and Swedish colonization in the Americas (specifically the Caribbean) and India a short video on Norway’s attempt at colonizing East Greenland (Erik the Red Land) as well as its success with Svalbard. Could also mention minor island claims like Jan Mayen, and the Antarctic islands. Another thing that could be cool is the Swedish training mission to Persia in the 19th century where they raised a Persian gendarmerie. I would also just like to ask you a question - if 1/4 of Sweden’s population moved to America during a relatively short period of time, wouldn’t that have had some crazy negative effects on life in Sweden? And trust me, I don’t worry and/or lose sleep over not supporting all my favorite content creators…🫥 However what I mean to say in my first comment is: when the time comes that I have money left after all my needs and most of my (healthy and personally constructive) wants are taken care of, this channel (and some other channel like it) are places that I would want to support with that extra income

[@TheTubeTube2]

How very useful, thank you.

[@Aliskandr]

It really feels as though the answer lies staring us straight in the face with the root word “Vik”. The Vikings were not doing beach landings like in Normandy (the exception of Lindisfarne). They were rowing up river and deep into the heartlands of England, Ireland, and France which is why they were so effective. No geographical chokepoints could block them nor could armies figure out where in the world they were going to show up. That they called the Spanish galleys under the same name I think is very insightful because these galleys had the ability to row up river. So to go “a Viking” sounds very much like hunting up river estuaries in search of vulnerable prey🤓

[@rhzyo]

I've never seen anyone claim they were doing "beach" landings lol

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Thank you!

[@holextv5595]

Can you make video about routes to Bohemia and origin of saint Wenceslaus helmet wich have Scandinavian decorations and probably origin.

[@mohamedsalat4077]

Did the abbasid had vikings soldiers 😮😮😮😮

[@ZS-rw4qq]

4:02 You might be surprised to hear a different analogy. In modern day Serbian the word for pirate is "gusar". I would need to check for other Slavic languages, but some have words similar to our just replacing the G with H. Hence the famed Hussars - could just be pirates/raiders

[@sunrisesparkle6363]

14:41 I kinda like the Ashmen name, just because it can be tied to the mythology. And Ashtrees are just so cool, with how long and how large they grow.

[@feldgeist2637]

you aren't fully swedish but part polish ? damn ! that's why you are such a wend-admiring "slavic Revisionist" 😂 still gonna finally become a subscriber now granny on my mothers side is also from Ukraine and was born in Kiev (which is a good old Rus city !)

[@D.S.handle]

Yeah, it’s pretty much the Rus city.

[@feldgeist2637]

@@D.S.handle yup ! together with Novgorod (Holmgard) pretty much running the whole Rus Show one of our first known dukes, Knud Lavard, was married to Ingeborg of Kiev, showing how much the Rus were still connected to the nordic realm and how little they sometimes cared to even just slightly morph their names into more slav sounding versions ......he also ruled over the pesky Wends, Slav Revisionists......lol.... the instigator of his murder, Eric II of Denmark married Malmfrid of Novgorod and I dare to say that Malmfrid sounds just as slav as Ingeborg does

[@D.S.handle]

@@feldgeist2637 yeah, this is fascinating stuff. A good number of names of the first rulers of Rus (Vladimir, Olga, Igor) are very similar to some of the nordic ones (Waldemar, Helga, Ingvar), although it is plausible that in some cases some of these names were adopted from very similar names of Slavic origin.

[@feldgeist2637]

@@D.S.handle the latter option is just what those slav revisionists want us to believe and in the case of Ingeborg Haraldsdotter's father Harald Valdemarson (names used by Snorri S.) totally not appliable since they call Harald Valdemarson by the barely halfrelated name "Mstislav Vladimirovich" Ingeborg btw named her only son, who later became king of Denmark, after her grandfather Valdemar .....Valdemar, not Vladimir....

[@D.S.handle]

@@feldgeist2637 I can see how these kind of names could have been perverted by the revisionists, but I am not sure that this necessarily goes against some of the names having native Slavic equivalents. I’m guessing that Mstislav Vladimirovish is simply the name from some Slavic historical record. The first use of the name Vladimir by the Slavs predates the Vladimir of Kiev, it was the name of Vladimir-Rasate of Bulgaria.

[@sunrisesparkle6363]

6:26 I would personally use the word Adventure instead of Military expedition. They seem like they were just military.

[@ogreunderbridge5204]

Well, uh, hmm.. No trigger thingy really, but more a point of view from a native norwegian. Take it with a good pinch of salt. As you say, "Vik" means cove/bay. As our weather adaptations, geographical challenges and traditional means of travel dictates, we still today majorly tend to live within or inside the winter oceanic protection of our fjords. it also provided us military advantages as we practized a lot of internal hair pullings. "Vik" and " Fjord" mainly differ in meaning of size to a body of salt water snaking its way inland. "Fjording" is still used for describing origin of someone growing up/living in a fjord. "Varang" updated in pronounciation; VÆRING, comes from traditional living habitates of fjords/coves, but todays meaning also may include origin of inland areas only made populable by means of more modern transportations. Linguistically in use especially in our most northern regions. I would like to hear a native Icelender´s point of view on this as they have conserved the old language traditions way better than we have done. As far as I have understood the Viking tradition, it was mainly base epicentered around the ocean area of Kattegat, including todays Denmark, most of the land areas westly connected to the Easter Sea thereby Sweden and the greater part of Norway stretching at least up to Nordland (above the polar circle, midnight sun and all that). I dare assume "VIKINGU" is not far fetched to say was their own identify naming, as I find the word referred as self descriptions in very old norse songs. First historically recognized King of All Norway was Harald Hårfagre, question of "Norse Viking inclusion" is, I figure; What geographical areas was recognized to be under his reign ? As this was right about the same time somebody figured import and obligation of chritianity was a good idea and consequentially popped a giant hole in our baloon. Must have been a swede... Its always a swede ! ...I figure they did not call themselves "Danes". Unless case be of those happening to habitate the flatlands still known as Denmark. "Norway" or "Nord veg" basically means direction or road, to North.

[@veronicajensen7690]

agree only the ones who were Danes called themselves Danes, it is in historic records from England they tend to call all Scandinavians Danes because they spoke the same language and acted much the same, plus the Danes dominated in England, I think it's the same with Rus and Verangians Swedes dominated to the east but there were other Scandinavians among in lesser amounts, in Normandy there was also both Norweigians and Danes

[@HrRezpatex]

Danes means Danish, and remove the Vikings from Norway and Sweden. Varangians for most people means those that served in Byzantine. Vikings for most people means those from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Iceland (even if there was Vikings elsewhere too) And the Vikings often called them self Vikings, this is something you can read about in more then one Viking saga where they refer to a person as a great Viking. The word Viking can be used like "going on Viking", but at the same time it could also be used as "he is a Viking, or he is a great Viking, a famous Viking and so on. I don`t understand this trend that have come the last years that they did not refer to them self as Vikings, when they do that so often in many Viking sagas.. Let it be clear, they did refer to them self as Vikings, even when they was not on Viking. But even if they did, it does not always mean that they did so always. If you for example was a Icelandic Viking, some times you would be referred to as a Icelandic, or a farmer, or many other things. It is absolutely no problem to be all this things at once. By other in Europe, you might be referred to as a Norseman, and if you as a Viking was in a country where it benefitted you to call your self a Norseman in stead of a Viking, you would use that, depending on what the locals preferred. Maybe if you was hiring your self as a mercenary it would be better to refer to your self as a Viking, depending on time and place. If you say Viking, there is nobody that automatically believe you are talking about Italians or Spanish, they will think about Scandinavians, for a very good reason. So please stop this trend about changing history and saying that the Vikings did not refer to them self as Vikings, or trying to say that it is not clear what a Viking was. A Viking is crystal clear, no matter how much fog they try to create around it this days. In Norway the word "vik" means the same as fjord, so even if i can not prove it, my personal theory about the word Vikings comes from this, "those that lives in fjords", so in a way it could just as well have been "fjordlings" even if this do not have the same ring to it. But another word that was often used at the same time, and still is, is "vikværing" that also means "people who live in fjords" and at the same time can be used more spessific about those who live in the Oslo fjord, that also had the name "Viken". Even if i do not like that they start to question our history, and even try to change it, i will give you a like, because usually you have great and interesting videos. 🙂 (Edited) i wrote this before i even saw the video, and yes, i agree that the word Viking can have been used about pirates other places long before the Scandinavians made it a crystal clear description of Scandinavians from the Viking age. Just like since the Second World War the Nazi cross was no longer a ancient symbol, but have become a crystal clear symbol for Nazism. It would be silly to go around with that cross now and expect people to think they it might or might not be a old Norse cross. Since the Nazi`s adopted it, it will for many hundreds years now be a symbol for them, even if a handful historians in the future probably will say it is impossible to know what it really means, since the Nazi`s took it, it is very easy to know what it means. Jepps, i think i shall see the whole video before i comment your videos in the future.. lol Yes, your headline triggered me, lol, so after having written what i did, i must add that i have great respect for your knowledge about this things. 🙂

[@rhzyo]

Tldr

[@fennisdembo34]

another great video only nitpick, your pronunciation of "rus" (though i might be wrong)

[@tadhgcronin175]

See You Next Tuesday s

[@soyelsueco]

Tjenare! Det du säger 18:27 hur stavas det? Alltså det som frankerna kallade de svenska "vikingarna", något med "suyoness". Försökt att söka själv men hittar inga resultat. Tack på förhand.

[@balticempire7244]

Suiones

[@snorungar70]

I only call them my people.if you are one you know....

[@anoordman1028]

I am the last generation of the pure blooded frisians in our family here in America oops I forgot DNA says I have more Swedish🤔 but I prefer My Family's last names go perfectly together Sterk Noordman

[@blyysm]

Sneekings (formerly Phoenicians)

[@shibolinemress8913]

Why did scientists make the Latin "varanus" the genus name for monitor lizards? And on a fun note, did the writers of Star Trek take the name "Ferengi" from a word for "Vikings"? 🖖😊

[@artursbondars7789]

There where also other names used by Baltic peoples to describe their neighbours.

[@enquist88]

Vik-ing. Folk från/av viken eller vikarna. Speciellt om vattnet var högre förr. Kustlevande nordbor. Intressant tanke.

[@trystanfranziskus]

The Ash men word could be related to the Ruß men or Rus because Ruß is a word for Ash in german

[@ew-uy6cs]

I thought about Asatrue the native name for Nordic paganism. Ask is the native word for ash tree and Yggdrasil the world tree one of the most central beliefs in Nordic paganism is an ash tree.

[@ew-uy6cs]

And trees played a huge role in Germanic paganism. Sacred trees of Saxony that Charlemagne cut down after conquering Saxony and Christianising it.

[@EresirThe1st]

@@ew-uy6cs Asatru isn't an ancient word, it's a modern icelandic word invented in the 1970s. Ancient people, Germanic or otherwise, never named their religion because it was never separate from their other folk customs. That's an idea that only came with universalist religions like christianity, islam, and buddhism. The closest thing you can get to the name of these traditions is the name of the tribe, because they are folk religions. Also Yggdrasil being an ash is disputed. A better reading in my opinion is that it's a yew tree.

[@feldgeist2637]

I once heard the proposal that it's based on an old name for a specific ship type the Askr, an apparently rather not overly long, but still sleek & swift boat, more used for fast travel than for transporting cargo

[@olleolsson5708]

"U would not have clicked on it you little bastard" 😁

[@fmsyntheses]

muh bois

[@fredriks5090]

Ask and Rus both meaning "Red" could be somewhat true - as ASK as the first man is a red tree, same as Adams name which means to blush (red). The Rugians were likely norwegians of Rogaland - particularly rye farmers whose hair would be distinctly more red than danes and swedes due to the sea-kings having british contacts via the Orkneys.

[@veronicajensen7690]

dna studies have actually found many Danish Vikings had red hair, however that is a trade that quickly disappear with mixing and Danes due to geography mixed more

[@jamesvandemark2086]

Merchant adventurers? Land speculators? Tourists? 😎

[@metanoian965]

numbers ? Kievan Rus - population 1, 000 AD = 5, 000, 000 + [ ? OK ] How many whats their names from West Baltic ? How many ship loads of them to confound the locals and man the forts from Finland to Black Sea ? How many ships ? Maybe, 1 Wiking could sort out 100, 000 Slavs, Reasonable assumption.

[@thescruug2222]

Hey, I would love to see you make a video about the Rügians, wich were the vikings of the 500's

[@ddlockenleo]

Rügen is a amazing island regarding baltic history. Would love to see more about Arkona/ Ralswiek during the Viking Age and as @thescrugg2222 said from migration period…

[@jamesbradshaw9593]

Northern Europeans, the term Norse only means (North) and because there is absolutely no recorded name for these people we call Viking today that's historically survived from antiquity to describe these people or even if they had a name to collectively identify with to begin with that they used to describe themselves. We know other tribes by names such as the Danish Angles and Saxons the Frisians DND Jutes etc.. the Anglo Saxon of chronicles of England simply called all Norse peoples taking part in this sea piracy by the collective term of "Danes" which we now known to be both accurate and false at the same time as peeple come from all over northern Europe to (go a Viking) go raiding The term "Viking" was a description for the act of sea piracy or taking part in raiding, theft and plundering other people's property. This term as a result "Viking" only applied to approximately 13% of northern Europeans who were like other peoples of Europe largely farmers, fisherman and merchants.

[@ew-uy6cs]

And slaves and women. Thralls probably were a large part of the population. If it did exist shield maidens were very few and not unlike in the Vikings series where women are half of the warriors.

[@_robustus_]

Pretty much nobody ends up being known as what they call themselves. See endonyms vs exonyms. Just ask a Berber or Eskimo.

[@veronicajensen7690]

agree, the difference though is that Inuits don't want to be called Eskimoes and Amazigh don't want to be called Berbers, however Scandinavians have no problems people call them or the old Norse Vikings as we use the term ourselves, and as mentioned in the video the term was actually in some cases used by the old Norse, Scandinavians only use the term old Norse (old Nordisk in Scandinavian meaning old Nordic) when we talk about the language spoken then or we use it as a term when saying something is out dated/old , we don't call the religion old Norse religion either we say Asatro= Asa religion as the Gods were Aser

[@victorydaydeepstate]

There is a Viking Diaspora that survives in the millions in the United States and Russia

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

I personally believe most vikings in Britain were Saxons who left Germany and refused to convert to Christianity

[@AnneFrankthe2nd]

Great subtle nods to black crime in the description and the neat little treat on the right side of the thumbnail

[@Tanjutsu4420]

lol hamwich

[@TheRealFeechLaManna]

Easy. Call them what they were called back then by everyone but themselves, Normans.

[@mm-dw2yh]

No, people would think specifically of the Normans of France.

[@tobiasb9645]

It is like a game of thrones episode