Archaeologists searching for traces of Vikings in Istanbul reported finding a place where the Vikings settled. It turns out that they lived in Bathonea, on the shores of Lake Küçükçekmece. The Vikings stayed in Istanbul at different times between the 8th and 11th centuries serving as mercenaries. ¹⁾

The popular image of horned helmets of Viking warriors emerged in the 19th century, probably borrowing horned helmets from Bronze Age finds a time much earlier than the Vikings. ²⁾

Sacrifices to Odin were made by hanging people from a tree. According to Scandinavian mythology, Odin hung himself on the Yggdrasil tree for nine days, pierced by his spear, through which he learned eighteen magic songs and twenty-four runes. ³⁾

Sweyn Forkbeard (born c. 950-960, died 1014), king of Denmark and Norway, was the first to become king of England. In 1013, after numerous plundering campaigns, he exploited the weakness of Anglo-Saxon defenses and conquered and annexed the English lands, crowning himself king of England. He was followed by his son Knut the Great and William the Conqueror in 1066. ⁴⁾

Axes were the most common weapon among the Vikings, but this is not because they were more effective, but because they were extremely cheap to make. Swords were more difficult to make and required much better material, making them unaffordable for a small number of Vikings. As for hammers, they were generally unused by the Scandinavians. ⁵⁾

Ragnar's son, Ivar the Boneless, attacked England in 865 at the head of a large Viking army, conquered Northumbria and York, and thus set the stage for regular Viking settlement in the area. Described in the Ulster Annals as “the king of all Scandinavians”, he suffered from a condition similar to congenital bone brittleness or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. ⁶⁾