A Viking is one of the Norse (Scandinavian) explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe from the late eighth to the early eleventh century. These Norsemen used their famed longships to travel as far east as Constantinople and the Volga River in Russia, and as far west as Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland. This period of Viking expansion is known as the Viking Age, and forms a major part of the medieval history of Scandinavia, the British Isles and Europe in general.
The Viking's left few written records behind - but their surviving artwork shows they had many important designs and symbols. The original meaning of most Viking symbols remain a mystery to this day, but many of these symbols are still popular today. Viking symbols range from complex knot work designs to ancient pictograms like crosses, swastikas and triskeles (these were swirl designs with three arms or triangle like symbols).
