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Quote by Tom Shippey

“The fact is that in the Vikings’ own language, Old Norse, víkingr just meant pirate, marauder. It wasn’t an ethnic label, it was a job description. And what this means for us is that if you come across headlines – as these days you very often do – which say something like ‘Vikings! Not just raiders and looters any more!’ then the headlines are wrong. If people weren’t raiding and looting (and land-grabbing, and collecting protection money), then they had stopped being Vikings. They were just Scandinavians. But while most Vikings were Scandinavians, most Scandinavians definitely weren’t Vikings, not even part-time. The two groups should not be confused, not even with the aim of making ‘the history of the Vikings’ look nicer.”

Quote by Tom Shippey

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Tom Shippey
Tom Shippey

Tom Shippey is a British scholar known for his research on J.R.R. Tolkien's works. His studies encompass various aspects of Tolkien's literature, history, and mythology. more

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