The Vikings were a civilization originating in Scandinavia, now known as four major countries; Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden from the 8th to the 11th century. The Vikings did many things, including going to war, farming, and trading with other countries. It is assumed that the Vikings were bloodthirsty raiders who traveled to other lands only to raid and kill. However, through warfare, the Vikings proved that not all they did was raid. The Vikings' war strategy, weapons, and armor demonstrated that the Vikings were a people who had a significant impact on the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Some laws were in place to prevent the Vikings from brutally killing the people they triumphed over, and this shows that they are not bloodthirsty marauders. After the Vikings raided and plundered, they often kept the people they raided to sell into slavery or to use for themselves. The war proved that not all the Vikings did was raids. William R. Short says that "Another form of value taken during raids was people, to be sold as slaves", which shows that since they raided and had laws, they had to show mercy towards certain people, "Melkorka Mýrkjartansdóttir says that she was taken as war booty when she was fifteen. Short can be quoted directly because of his use of primary sources using words directly from the sagas. William Short believed that because the Vikings took slaves to sell and use, it shows that they showed mercy towards the people who raided and therefore did not blood thirty raiders. Castella and Short both agree that, even if they did a lot of raiding and stealing, the Vikings would still be merciful towards the people they plundered from. As a result, the Vikings were humane and they didn't just brutally kill the people they took from. The Vikings were predominantly farmers who went to war and fought, looking for land to settle and farm. The Vikings raided lands, loot and places to settle, they did so because they had a growing population to feed and house. Battles and wars prove that not all Viking raids were just for blood. Tom De Castella says that "The Vikings stole everything they could, such as livestock, money and food", this shows that they would also take land to cultivate it. Castella can be trusted to quote directly due to work at the BBC. Tom thinks that even if they broke in and stole, they would also take the land. Tom and William both concluded that because they had raided and stolen, they had taken land to settle and farm for their people. For this reason it can be demonstrated that they went to war and fought for the common good of their people. The Vikings had a belief system that they thought that if they fought well in battle they would go to Valhalla, and that fighting was a God's duty. Valhalla was Odin's hall where the Vikings believed they would go if they died in battle . The Vikings believed that when they fought they could go to Valhalla if Odin and the Valkyries deemed them worthy. After the Vikings died, they would be happy because they believed that going to battle or war was a duty to their gods. The war proves that because they died after fighting, they could go to their version of heaven. Daniel McCoy states: “According to Snorri, those who die in,.