Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution

The article contains a systematic in-depth examination of key approaches to the concept of Vikings in historical science with a focus on its origin and evolution. Scandinavian historical studies and linguistics know the etymological, historical, and cultural approaches to Vikings as a term and a con...

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Main Author: Vladislav O. Martynenko
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Kemerovo State University 2025-07-01
Series:СибСкрипт
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.sibscript.ru/jour/article/view/5986
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author Vladislav O. Martynenko
author_facet Vladislav O. Martynenko
author_sort Vladislav O. Martynenko
collection DOAJ
description The article contains a systematic in-depth examination of key approaches to the concept of Vikings in historical science with a focus on its origin and evolution. Scandinavian historical studies and linguistics know the etymological, historical, and cultural approaches to Vikings as a term and a concept. The historicalgenetic, comparative-historical, and content-analytical research methods made it possible to reveal its etymology and diachronic concept signs. Both foreign and domestic historiography, as well as Scandinavian and Icelandic historical sources, prove that the etymological approach alone cannot provide a full understanding of this concept because it had a different semantics in the Viking age. Only in sagas did it acquire its key features of seafarers, looters, gangs, etc. These features correspond to the historical approach to the concept. The Scandinavian nationbuilding process in the 19th century blurred the line between the historical and cultural approaches: the term Vikings started to be applied to all peoples of Scandinavian origin engaged in trade, colonization, and looting. Today, most researchers use it as an umbrella term for all Scandinavians of the VIII–XI centuries.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2949-2122
2949-2092
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publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Kemerovo State University
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spelling doaj-art-f6f063c90a7f4013ba73f4c94e3757342025-08-20T03:50:00ZdeuKemerovo State UniversityСибСкрипт2949-21222949-20922025-07-0127351953010.21603/sibscript-2025-27-3-519-5304932Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and EvolutionVladislav O. Martynenko0Altai State UniversityThe article contains a systematic in-depth examination of key approaches to the concept of Vikings in historical science with a focus on its origin and evolution. Scandinavian historical studies and linguistics know the etymological, historical, and cultural approaches to Vikings as a term and a concept. The historicalgenetic, comparative-historical, and content-analytical research methods made it possible to reveal its etymology and diachronic concept signs. Both foreign and domestic historiography, as well as Scandinavian and Icelandic historical sources, prove that the etymological approach alone cannot provide a full understanding of this concept because it had a different semantics in the Viking age. Only in sagas did it acquire its key features of seafarers, looters, gangs, etc. These features correspond to the historical approach to the concept. The Scandinavian nationbuilding process in the 19th century blurred the line between the historical and cultural approaches: the term Vikings started to be applied to all peoples of Scandinavian origin engaged in trade, colonization, and looting. Today, most researchers use it as an umbrella term for all Scandinavians of the VIII–XI centuries.https://www.sibscript.ru/jour/article/view/5986vikingsnorsemenviking ageviking campaignsicelandic sagasscandinavia
spellingShingle Vladislav O. Martynenko
Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution
СибСкрипт
vikings
norsemen
viking age
viking campaigns
icelandic sagas
scandinavia
title Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution
title_full Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution
title_fullStr Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution
title_full_unstemmed Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution
title_short Vikings as a Concept: Etymological, Historical, and Cultural Approaches to Origin and Evolution
title_sort vikings as a concept etymological historical and cultural approaches to origin and evolution
topic vikings
norsemen
viking age
viking campaigns
icelandic sagas
scandinavia
url https://www.sibscript.ru/jour/article/view/5986
work_keys_str_mv AT vladislavomartynenko vikingsasaconceptetymologicalhistoricalandculturalapproachestooriginandevolution