Viking history has many interesting aspects, from technology, conquests and exploration, to social dynamics and religion. Among these, some elements are particularly noteworthy. The most obvious point of interest is that popular images and portraits of the Scandinavians known as the Vikings are quite inaccurate. These views have distorted our interpretations of their social structures and religious views. They were not barbaric, uncivilized people with an insatiable bloodlust. They were explorers, traders, farmers, artisans, and skilled workers who raided to supplement their income and expand. Knowing this opens the door to other surprising facts, and I will discuss what I found to be the most interesting things in this article. To elaborate on what I had mentioned before, the Vikings staged raids as a way to supplement their income mainly because Scandinavia did not offer many resources. The terrain was rocky and the climate cold, making farming and raising livestock difficult. Raids provided a good and easy source of income. Although they eventually sought to expand their lands, they sought profit when they raided monasteries along the coasts. Among the looted items were typical valuables, but also slaves who could earn them quite a bit of money. I found this particularly interesting because it forces you to think about them in a different light. Most of the things we do in this life are for some sort of profit, so one quickly realizes that they were not looting and pillaging to cause terror and spread chaos. People in other parts of the world did not have to face the harsh conditions they faced in their homeland. They were simple... half paper... D's are not acceptable by today's standards, it worked for them at the time. Pagan religions seem diabolical and mysterious to us today, but compared to the ancient Nordic religions, Christianity is young. Reading about the Vikings made me realize that not everything always worked the way it does now, and that we shouldn't get trapped in the mindset that it will always work the way it currently does. Works Cited Larrington, Carolyne. The Poetic Edda (Oxford World's Classics). New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Print. Lindow, John. Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print.Sawyer, Peter. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.Sturluson, Snorri, and Jesse L. Byock.The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology. Penguin Classics, 2006. Print.