Test your viking knowledge with these five questions

True or false: the Vikings were a genetically related, homogenous group of blond, blue-eyed Scandinavians.

A. True

B. False

C. It’s complicated

B. False. A new extensive genetic analysis of Viking remains has revealed that being a “Viking” was more defined by a lifestyle than genetics. Some Vikings even had Southern European or Asian ancestry.

When did the ancient Vikings rule the seas?

A. 400-200 BC

B. 750-1050 AD

C. 1200-1450 AD

D. 700-350 BC

B. The Viking Age is considered to stretch from 750-1050 AD.

True or False: Viking helmets had customary horns.

A. True

B. False

C. It’s complicated

B. False. The horned-helmets stereotype was born from a series of operas about Vikings in the 1870s.

What popular winter activity did Vikings partake in?

A. Snowboarding

B. A primitive form of ice hockey

C. Skiing

D. Building snowmen

C. Skiing. Scandinavians developed skis about 6,000 years ago, and by the Viking Age skiing was seen as an efficient way to get around.

True or False: The word “viking” means “pirate.”

A. True

B. False

C. It’s complicated

B. False. The term “viking” actually refers to the act of going on an expedition, or “a viking.”