Popular, modern conceptions of the Vikings—the term frequently applied casually to their modern
descendants and the inhabitants of modern Scandinavia—often strongly differ from the complex picture
that emerges from archaeology and historical sources. A romanticised picture of Vikings as noble
savages began to emerge in the 18th century; this developed and became widely propagated during the
19th-century Viking revival. Perceived views of the Vikings as alternatively violent, piratical heathens or
as intrepid adventurers owe much to conflicting varieties of the modern Viking myth that had taken
shape by the early 20th century. Current popular representations of the Vikings are typically based on
cultural clichés and stereotypes, complicating modern appreciation of the Viking legacy. These
representations are not always accurate – for example, there is no evidence that they wore horned
helmets.
Legacy
Medieval perceptions
In England the Viking Age began dramatically on 8 June 793 when Norsemen destroyed the abbey on the
island of Lindisfarne. The devastation of Northumbria's Holy Island shocked and alerted the royal courts
of Europe to the Viking presence. "Never before has such an atrocity been seen," declared the
Northumbrian scholar Alcuin of York. Medieval Christians in Europe were totally unprepared for the
Viking incursions and could find no explanation for their arrival and the accompanying suffering they
experienced at their hands save the "Wrath of God".[162] More than any other single event, the attack
on Lindisfarne demonised perception of the Vikings for the next twelve centuries. Not until the 1890s
did scholars outside Scandinavia begin to seriously reassess the achievements of the Vikings, recognizing
their artistry, technological skills, and seamanship.
Norse Mythology, sagas, and literature tell of Scandinavian culture and religion through tales of heroic
and mythological heroes. Early transmission of this information was primarily oral, and later texts were
reliant upon the writings and transcriptions of Christian scholars, including the Icelanders Snorri