33 Things Nobody Told You About Famous Swedish Vikings!

Vikings have been a part of our fantasy fiction for a very long time now, and are part of history for even longer.

We think of Vikings as people who mindlessly raided lands, and drank mead or some other drink all the time. But is this all that is to know about them?

How much of this is fact and how much is just stereotyping them without any basis? What does the record tell us about these brave men? Let’s dive into the facts that we know about them and debunk all the myths!

There are various kinds of Vikings in the world from various origins. Who were these Vikings? What did they look like? Vikings is a name given to people from medieval age Scandinavia (modern-day Norway, Denmark, and Sweden) who traveled across the sea. The word Viking came from the term ‘Viking’ in Old Norse, which stands for ‘pirate’.

They were the people who left their homeland in Scandinavia to search for more land and trading opportunities. They looked very much like what we look like today.

While usually, we think of Vikings as one group, they were actually divided into three categories based on their location: the Swedish Vikings, the Norwegian Vikings, and the Danish Vikings. Vikings were warriors who were involved in trading and also explored faraway lands.

Comparing Swedish Vikings vs Norwegian Vikings will help you better understand the Swedish Vikings' history as well as those from across the world. After reading about the most famous Swedish Vikings, also check out facts about Christmas in Sweden and what is Sweden known for.

Best Facts About Famous Swedish Vikings

The Viking Age is considered to have started in 700 AD and ended around 1100 AD. It started when they left Scandinavia to raid and explore nearby lands. The best Vikings in their raids amongst all three categories of Vikings were the ‘Danes’ or the Danish Vikings.

Their strength in the world was in their military power. On the other hand, Swedish Vikings or ‘Varangians’ stayed true to their pagan ways. They were excellent traders and were not as violent as the other Vikings.

Vikings were also called ‘Norsemen’ because they were originally from northern Europe where Scandinavia was located. They used to worship Norse Gods such as Thor Odinson (the very same one we know about from Marvel). Unfortunately, as they would soon find out that, they lost business deals because Christians gave preference to other Christians.

They started wearing the cross when they went to negotiate business deals and when they returned to their lands they would go back to wearing pendants of Thor’s hammer. But soon Vikings started to convert their faith and when Danish Viking king, Harald Bluetooth, had been baptized, Christianity had taken a firmer hold on the land of Scandinavia.

By the end of the Viking era, most Vikings had been baptized into Christianity.

Interesting Facts About Famous Swedish Vikings

Although we use the word Viking as a noun to describe Scandinavian explorers, it actually is a verb. It was usually used for people who left their lands to raid other places. Why did they do so? It is not very well known, but scholars assume that they began raiding because of competition among chieftains in their native lands.

Other reasons may include poor farmland, not enough harvest, or the allure of adventure in foreign lands.

Their technological innovation helped them design their longships. These ships were so versatile that they could carry a huge number of men over large distances. The design of the ship was unique and powerful and helped them navigate both shallow water and deep rivers with ease.

Vikings traveled on these ships, reached Iceland first, and tried to colonize Greenland. Vikings eventually did colonize Greenland. Vikings established two outposts in Greenland.

When Viking men left their homes, women stepped up to take care of the household. It is fascinating that women during this period had a lot more power than other European women did around that time. They could own their own property, go on raids with male Vikings, divorce their husbands and do anything else that they wanted to.

There were several places that Vikings created for the first ruler, Normandy Rollo, like the Stamford bridge. Leif Erikson, Leif Eriksson or Red Erik also known as Leif the Lucky, was a full armor Norse explorer from Iceland.

Viking society, which had developed by the ninth century, included people that lived in what is now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Leif is generally considered to have been the first European to set foot in North America. This famous Viking leader also founded the first Norse settlement in Greenland.

Vikings from Denmark were called Danish Vikings. Denmark Vikings were the strongest. There has been the death of many Vikings in the culture. After the death of Vikings, they were either set on fire or were cremated.

The famous Viking warrior, Ragnar Lodbrok, fathered many sons who later went on to become great Viking warriors in their own capacities across Europe. He was a Norse Viking hero and a Scandinavian king. He claimed the throne in 804 after the death of his father. His son Sigurd was part of the Great Heathen Army.

Did you know that Edmund the Old is one of the most famous Vikings but was the illegitimate son of Olof Skötkonung?

Another Swedish King, Harald, held the Norwegian throne from 1015 to 1066 but his claims on the Danish throne to become the Danish king were not successful. He is considered the last Viking ruler of his era whose last campaign was for the English throne that failed.

Shocking Facts About Famous Swedish Vikings

Vikings used to raid towns, monasteries, and churches with the help of the Great Heathen Army. The army was made up of Scandinavian warriors and was amongst the largest forces of its kind. Churches were targeted because they were places where immense wealth was stored.

Churches were even wealthier than the kings of their time. Vikings didn’t follow the faith and attacked these religious institutions without remorse. Their actions led them to be called barbarians and they developed a reputation for being extremely violent.

One person to embody this reputation was Erik the Red. The ‘red’ in his name didn’t stand for just his flaming red hair but also for his nature of organizing bloody raids and murdering people in cold blood. Erik the Red had a son and a daughter who proved that they were just like their father.

Erik’s son, Leif Erikson, invaded North America and settled there after killing the natives. Legends state that Freydís, Erik’s daughter, who was pregnant during the invasion of North America, managed to single handedly chase off the natives using just a sword.

There are many more legends like the son and the daughter’s and it can be assumed that this is how the bloodthirsty image of Vikings spread. But in reality, they were much more than that. They were peaceful in their trade or explorations.

They created many positive economic relations during their time and created a great reputation for themselves. While some of them were pretty brutal in their dealings, not all of them resorted to violence all the time.

Weird Facts About Famous Swedish Vikings

A lot of what we know about Swedish Vikings or just Vikings, in general, is from inscriptions that they left on stones. But not all the knowledge that we have is accurate. There are numerous myths about these groups of people, and some are just plain weird.

Did you know that Vikings were thought to be filthy and crude? This is entirely opposite to the mighty and noble warrior image that we had going on in our minds.

But it turns out that it is not true at all. Archaeologists have found evidence that shows the presence of spoons, combs, and other grooming items during the Viking Age.

They also used to bathe at least once a week too (nobody is perfect). Men were always well-groomed as they gave great importance to both their hair and beard. This is quite evident from the royal last names that they were given such as Forkbeard and Fairhair.

A typical picture that we see of Vikings are of them wearing horned-helmets over their blond heads. While the second half of the sentence is true, the first part definitely isn’t.

Vikings used high-sodium grade soaps to brighten their hair color to blond, but they never wore any helmets. They were usually bareheaded or occasionally even wore faceguards. The tale of them wearing a helmet probably began in the 19th century with the rebirth of Vikings through literature.

No one can tell when the Viking Age ended. Maybe it is because Vikings didn’t have a dramatic end. Vikings were in constant war with the church during their time in power. After that, the areas inhabited by Vikings were slowly incorporated into a broader political area governed by European Christendom.

Vikings had many notable rulers during their period who made a great impact during their reign and their sagas are something of a legend.

Ragnar Lothbrok is considered to be a legendary king of both Denmark and Sweden. Another legend was a great king of Swedes, Sigurd Ring.

It is said that Ragnar Lothbrok set out to conquer Britain with just two ships, which ultimately resulted in his death.

His son, Ivar the Boneless, then sailed to Britain along with his brothers to avenge the death of his father, King Ragnar Lothbrok. Ivan represented the Viking ruthlessness and cunningness in the way he killed King Ælla to extract retribution for the death of his father.

Rollo led raids in the Kingdom of West Francia. To stop him from invading any more land, Charles the Simple offered him a piece of land and his daughter Gisla’s hand in marriage.

Rollo accepted the offer and vowed to remain loyal to Charles the Simple and protect his land from Viking attacks. Rollo founded the land of Normandy, 'land of the Norsemen', which prospered under his reign.

Erik the Red (also known as Erik Thorvaldsson) was an explorer who came from Iceland and traveled to Greenland where Erik the Red was exiled on charges of murder. His son, Leif Erikson, and daughter, Freydis Eriksdottir, were every bit as ruthless as their father.

According to various sources, Harald Fairhair was the first king to rule over what we know as Norway today. The quest of Harald Fairhair to conquer the separate states of Norway and unite them under his rule is associated with the vow Harald Fairhair made to princess Gyda of Hordaland.

Harald was in love with Gyda but the latter refused his profession of love.

It took him 10 years to win all of Norway and Gyda’s hearts but his story had a happy ending. He fathered two sons who became two of the greatest leaders in Viking history. His sons, Haakon the Good and Erik Bloodaxe, were Viking kings of an English realm.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for famous Swedish Vikings then why not take a look at how tall were Vikings or Vikings in Ireland facts.