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Bursting forth from Scandinavia in the late 8th century, the Vikings rapidly made their presence felt across the early medieval world. To some, these often-bearded seafarers were little more than barbarians, bellicose brutes intent only on slaughter and plunder. To others they were recognised as traders, worldly travellers with coveted wares. Sometimes they were settlers, sometimes slavers. Above all, they were explorers, whose exploits took them across the Atlantic, down to Iberia and as far as Constantinople.
Over the next 28 pages we’ll explore not only the legacy of the Vikings, but some of the biggest questions surrounding them – many of which are shrouded in mystery. Did they deserve their bloodthirsty reputation, for instance, and what was Norse society like away from the battlefields? What is Valhalla, and why were Viking warriors so keen to get there? What role did the gods play in daily life? Turn the page to set sail into the Viking Age – and be sure to leave the horned helmet behind...