Igama le "I-Viking»Yaqala ukusetshenziswa ngababhali bakwamanye amazwe ngekhulu le-11 AD. Imvelaphi yayo mhlawumbe iyigama lesiSwidi letheku, "Vik." Lokhu kukhombisa ubudlelwane obuseduze phakathi kwabantu nolwandle, ababethembele kukho ngokuphelele ukuze baphile.
Babenenganekwane yabo uqobo. Onkulunkulu babo babebizwa ngokuthi "asar". AmaViking avame ukubhekwa njengamahlongandlebe, izidakwa, amasela angenasihluku. Eqinisweni, umsebenzi wabo oyinhloko kwakuwukulima nokuhweba. Imikhankaso yamaViking kwakuyimikhakha eminingi yokuhweba okwakuthi kwesinye isikhathi iwele ekuphangeni. Kepha uma ngikhuluma iqiniso, kwakukhona nemikhankaso eyayihlose kakhulu ukuphanga izifunda ezisogwini lwangaphandle.
AmaViking aseSweden
Nanku umehluko phakathi kwamaViking we "Swedish" ne "Danish / Norwegian". Uhambo lwaseDenmark nolweNorway lwaya ngasentshonalanga, lugxile eNtshonalanga Yurophu naseNgilandi. AbaseSweden, ngakolunye uhlangothi, baya ngasempumalanga, ikakhulukazi eRussia namuhla futhi kamuva baya eByzantium naseCalphate.
Ama-runestones nezinto zakudala ezitholakala empumalanga yeSweden nasesiqhingini saseGotland zikhombisa ukuthi ukuhweba phakathi kwempumalanga yeSweden ne-Near East kwakukukhulu kakhulu ngalesi sikhathi emlandweni. Le mikhankaso ivame ukuqala ezitolo ezinkulu ezinjenge "Birka", esesiqhingini esiseLake Mälaren, budebuduze nanamuhla neStockholm.
AmaViking abuye azinza edolobheni laseRussia iNovgorod, abawubiza nge- "Holmgard." Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi ithonya lakhe empilweni yezomnotho nezepolitiki lakhula futhi laba nezinqumo. Ngokomlando obhalwe ngekhulu le-12 AD, amaViking aseSweden ayengabasunguli beRussia.
Yize lokhu kungenzeki kakhulu, ithonya lamaViking lisabonakala. Igama leRussia ngokwesibonelo, mhlawumbe livela kwelinye lamagama amaSweden Vikings, "ruser."