Topic 10 - Raiders or traders? the Vikings: The last great wave of invasions for western Europe came with the Vikings. Who were they, where did they go and what did they want?
The term 'Viking' is as complex and ambiguous as trying to characterise 'the Vikings' themselves. According to the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology this ambiguity is found in the origin of the term viking itself. Its general meaning is 'Scandinavian searover', but on closer inspection, it contains two meanings. Its first appearance is in the Icelandic form vikingr; vik, meaning creek, inlet, ingr, as in 'frequenter of inlets of the sea' . However, the Anglo-Frisian linguistic meaning of the word wick is "in the sense of 'camp', the formation of temporary encampments being a prominent feature of viking raids" . Many of these encampments over time became long-term settlements. Therefore, there is the polarity of 'seafarer/pirate/ raider' and 'settler/farmer/trader'.
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