Vikings, ferocious Norse warriors from Scandinavia, sailed the seas in flat-bottomed boats with dragon prows from about 700 to 1100 CE. They rowed up rivers to raid European communities, burning buildings as they left. But Vikings were also adventurous traders, going as far as Constantinople with wool, fur, and timber and bringing back spices, silk, and metals. Explorers like Leif Erikson were also the first Europeans to go west as far as “vinland”, now believed to be at L’Anse aux Meadows in northern Newfoundland.

Vikings had three social classes: Jarls, Karls, and slaves. Women were skilled farm managers, crafters of garments and peacemakers. Thatched longhouses sheltered multiple village families, developing strong kinship bonds. Their oral sagas, combining history and mythology, included a pantheon of gods and goddesses essential to their worldview: Odin and Freya, Thor, trickster Loki and many others. Their culture helped build our world. Detailed graphics, diagrams and exciting video reinforce important concepts.