The name of "Viking»It was first used by foreign authors in the 11th century AD. Its origin is probably the Swedish word for the bay, "Vik." This shows the close relationship between the people and the sea, on which they were totally dependent for their livelihood.
They had a mythology of their own. Their gods were called "asar". Vikings are often considered savages, drunks, ruthless thieves. In fact, their main occupation was agriculture and commerce. Viking expeditions were mostly trading expeditions that sometimes degenerated into looting. But to be honest, there were also expeditions whose main objective was to plunder foreign coastal regions.
Swedish Vikings
Here is a distinction between the "Swedish" and "Danish / Norwegian" Vikings. The Danish and Norwegian expeditions went westward, concentrating on Western Europe and England. The Swede, on the other hand, went eastward, mostly in Russia today and later on to Byzantium and the Caliphate.
Runestones and archaeological artifacts found in eastern Sweden and on the island of Gotland show that trade between eastern Sweden and the Near East was very intense at this time in history. These expeditions frequently start in shopping malls such as "Birka", located on an island in Lake Mälaren, not far today from Stockholm.
The Vikings also settled in the Russian city of Novgorod, which they called "Holmgard." Over time his influence on economic and political life grew and became decisive. According to a chronicle written in the 12th century AD, the Swedish Vikings were the founders of Russia.
Although this is not very likely, the influence of the Vikings is still visible. The name of Russia for example, probably originated from one of the names of the Swedish Vikings, "ruser."