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For about 300 years, the Vikings sparked fear in their enemies. The Vikings were brave warriors. They raided villages. They attacked forts. They stole gold. They captured slaves.

Not all Vikings, however, were villains. Some were farmers and craftspeople.

Others found new lands. They were the first Europeans to sail to America. Yet their story is clouded in the mists of the past. Now it’s time to meet the real Vikings.

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All stories have beginnings. This one is no different. It starts on June 8, 793. That's when the people on an island near England saw ships. At first, the ships were far away.

The ships came closer. Each had 100 men. Some of the men were oarsmen. They used long oars to move their ships. Warriors sat with the oarsmen. They wanted to capture the island.

The warriors jumped out when the ships touched shore. They took everything of value. Then they sailed away.

That was the first Viking raid. It was the beginning of the Viking Age. For the next 300 years, people feared seeing Viking ships.

Many Vikings lived in small villages. Most villages were in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

People built houses in the villages. They pounded large posts into the ground. They wove branches through the posts. They covered the branches with mud. They used soil to make the roof.

Vikings had many jobs. Some made things. Others ran shops. They bought and sold goods that other Vikings brought from faraway lands.

Not everyone lived in villages. Most people lived on farms. They grew peas, cabbage, and other crops. They raised cattle. They ate beef and lamb. They drank milk.

Life was busy. Farmers had to make sure they had food for the long, cold winters. Still, Vikings had some free time. They played chess. They liked a game similar to checkers.

Vikings believed in many gods. Odin rode in the sky on a horse that had eight legs. Thor caused lightning and thunder.

Some of the names for the days of the week come from the gods. For example, Thursday comes from a Viking word that means Thor's day.

Vikings built great ships. No one else made ships like they did. Some of their ships were 90 feet long. They could carry warriors and horses.

Each ship was built for speed. The hulls were made to glide over waves. That made them faster than other ships. The wind pushed large sails.

Vikings took the sails down when their ships came close to shore. Then the oarsmen went to work. Some ships had 50 oars. The oars could also be used in rivers.

Vikings often went on long voyages. Some lasted for years. These long trips took them to faraway lands. They sailed to England, France, Spain, and Italy. They went to Africa and Asia. They also traveled to America.

These were exciting times. Vikings were finding new lands. First they found Iceland and Greenland. Then they heard news that another land had been seen. Erik the Red set out to find the new land. After falling off his horse, he did not go.

Then his son, Leif Eriksson, set out to find it. He finally did. He named it Vinland.

Vinland was the East Coast of North America. Eriksson may have sailed along the East Coast. He may have even sailed to what is now New York City. All of this happened 500 years before Columbus.

The Vikings left proof that they went to North America. Old myths tell about Vinland. A Viking village has been found in Canada. There may even be a Viking map that shows Vinland.

The map is hard to read. You can see Europe, Iceland, and Greenland. Beyond them is Vinland. It looks like an island. The Vikings only knew about a small part of it.

Some people say this map is a fake. It is the only known Viking map. Why make just one?

We may never know the Vikings' full story. We do know one thing. The Vikings' stories are an important part of our history.

Article by Fran Downey. Top-of-page art by Antony Wootten. "Viking Voyages" appears on pages 6-13 of our Nov.-Dec. 2005 issue.

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