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Exhibition argues Vikings more than hairy raiders

By Jill Lawless
Published March 4, 2014 5:25pm ET
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Exhibition argues Vikings more than hairy raiders
Visitors wander around a new exhibition entitled 'Vikings: Life and Legend' at the British Museum in central London, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. The centerpiece of the show is the biggest Viking ship ever found, which was unearthed on the banks of a Danish fjord in 1997, it is 37 meters (120 feet) long and had 40 pairs of oars. Its scale is awe-inspiring, though imagination is required to picture it as it once was, because only about 20 percent of the ship's timbers remain, set within a modern steel skeleton the size and shape of the original vessel. The new exhibition strives to make people think again about the Scandinavian pillagers who raided and struck terror into English villages. The exhibition aims to show how Viking energy and ideas re-drew the map of the world, through the presentation of their ships, their weapons, their crafts, their words and even their skeletons. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) | Lefteris Pitarakis

LONDON (AP) — They had names like Thorfinn Skull-splitter, Erik Bloodaxe and Ragnar Hairy Pants. No wonder the Vikings have a rough and bloody reputation.

A new exhibition at the British Museum strives to make people think again about the Scandinavian pillagers whose name means “pirate” in Old Norse. Through their ships, weapons, crafts, words and even skeletons, “Vikings: Life and Legend” aims to show how Viking energy and ideas redrew the map of the world.

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