However, as these are three major regional identities, differences still had to exist. What further reinforced the view that the Scandinavian Vikings were a homogeneous group was the specific, common culture that connected the Vikings from Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Even after abandoning their powerful old Norse belief system and converting to Christianity (around the 10th century), the Nordic people retained many of their pagan beliefs until the late medieval period.
Since the Scandinavians of the Viking Age were known as enemies of the church and the ones who did not believe in God, they were often viewed as one nation (pagans) who needed to be converted to Christianity. At the time these writings were created, the Christian and Islamic religions were dominant, and they preached about their monotheistic religions. Well, the fact is that most of the records of the Vikings came from religious scholars. Now the question arises - what was the difference between them?īefore we try to answer this question, let's see why the Vikings are seen as one nation. Accordingly, the three largest groups that stood out originated from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. For example, various sources state that the Scandinavians already developed certain forms of identity depending on their geographical origin back in the 8th century. Regardless of the fact that all Scandinavians who lived in the period known as the "Viking Age" are considered Vikings nowadays, the real truth is that these people were divided into groups that still differed from each other.