Darrell Canfield, age 8, of Williamsport, Pa., for•his question:
WHO WERE THE VIKINGS?
Some say the Vikings reached the New World before Columbus did. In 1961 Norwegian archaeologists found what they believed was the remains of a Viking town near St. Lunaire in northern Newfoundland in Canada. The settlement, a great many scientists agreed, was established about 1000 A.D. They believe this is all the proof needed.
Between the late 700s and the late 1000s, a group of daring Scandinavian sea rovers launched successful raids on England, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The sailors, called Vikings, also explored and settled Iceland and Greenland.
Vikings were Nordic people who were also called Norsemen, Northmen or Danes. They were the ancestors of today's Danes, Swedes and Norwegians. Their language resembled that which was spoken in 'England at the time: It was a German dialect.
The most efficient shipbuilders in all of Europe were the Vikings. And they were also the most skillful and daring of all seamen.
The Vikings lived near or on the shore of the sea. The word Viking probably came from the old Norse word vik, which means inlet or bay.
At first, Viking invasions were simple acts of piracy and plunder. As time went by, however, they specialized in exploration and the settlement of new lands. Their daring and imagination as they roamed the seas became an influence on all of Europe as it developed.
Some of the Vikings' ships were about 70 feet long and 16 feet wide, but others stretched an amazing 300 feet in length. Most of their ships were propelled by oars with a single sail used to help maneuver the craft. Crews were usually made up of 30 to 40 sailors.
It is said that as the Vikings became more civilized, they gave up their cruel and savage ways. Their intelligence made it possible for them to shift from piracy to peaceful and productive commerce.
As the Vikings turned from warring to trading, they helped to create a new Europe. For example, the Vikings from Norway founded the city of Dublin in Ireland about 840 A.D. For many years it was the center of Viking power in Ireland.
Swedish Vikings were called Varangians. They raided along the rivers of Germany and conquered the section that is now western Russia. Kiev became the capital of the Varangian state. As a matter of fact, the word Russia probably comes from a Varangian tribe called Rus or Rhos. The Varangians were too few in number to maintain their identity over a great stretch of land, and by 1000 they had merged completely with the surrounding Slavic peoples.