--- title: "The Vikings" description: "Who the Vikings were: seafaring warriors and traders from Scandinavia; longships; Viking raids on Britain; that Vikings also settled and farmed" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-vikings-mt_X5fdB4haHf source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-vikings-mt_X5fdB4haHf.md retrieved: 2026-10-19 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # The Vikings Who the Vikings were: seafaring warriors and traders from Scandinavia; longships; Viking raids on Britain; that Vikings also settled and farmed Subject: History · Area: Medieval Times · Ages 5 to 7 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/the-vikings-mt_X5fdB4haHf ## Ready when they can - Describe who the Vikings were and where they came from - Explain how longships used sails and oars and could travel in shallow water; describe the carved animal heads on some ships - State that Vikings were not just raiders but also farmers, traders, and settlers ## Lesson: Who Were the Vikings? Vikings came from Scandinavia, the lands we now call Norway, Sweden and Denmark. They travelled by sea to places including Britain. People in Scandinavia also grew crops and kept animals. Farming was part of their lives. Vikings built long wooden boats called longships. Wind pushed their sails, and crews rowed with oars. Longships could move fast. Their bottoms did not reach far below the water, so they could travel up shallow rivers. Some had carved animal heads, such as dragons, at the front. These may have been meant to frighten enemies. *(drawing: A longship could cross the sea and then enter a shallow river.)* **Example.** A raid was an attack to take things from other people. Some Viking crews raided places in Britain. They took goods and harmed people. Raiding was one part of Viking life. Many Vikings were farmers who grew crops and kept animals. Traders bought and sold goods. Settlers made homes in new places and stayed there. A person could farm at home and also go on a sea journey. **Recap.** Vikings came from Scandinavia, sailed fast longships, and were raiders, farmers, traders, and settlers. ## Practice 8 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Opens up - [Anglo-Saxon Britain](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/anglo-saxon-britain-mt_26OJ9MetR9) - [Vikings vs Anglo-Saxons](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/vikings-vs-anglo-saxons-mt_6XnezHOcM3)