Kirsten Wolf is Professor of Old Norse and Scandinavian Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.

Preface
Introduction
1. Vikings Were One Nation
2. All Scandinavians Were Vikings
3. Vikings Were Barbarians
4. All Vikings Were Pagan
5. Vikings Were Hated by Their Peers
6. Wives of Vikings Had Equal Rights
7. Vikings Had Primitive Weapons
8. Vikings Were Unhygienic
9. Vikings Wore Horned Helmets
10. Vikings Carved the Blood Eagle
11. Vikings Drank Out of Skull Cups
Bibliography
Index

This book explores 11 popular misconceptions about the Vikings. Each chapter looks at a particular misconception, examines how it became popular, discusses what we now believe to be the truth, and provides excerpts from primary source documents.
When people think of the Vikings, they often envision marauding barbarians who lived violent lives. While a number of mistaken beliefs about the Vikings have become engrained in popular culture, they are not grounded in historical facts. This book examines popular misconceptions related to the Vikings and the historical truths that contradict the fictions.
The book discusses 11 mistaken notions about the Vikings, with each fiction treated in its own chapter. Topics include whether the Vikings wore horned helmets, whether they were unhygienic, whether they had primitive weapons, whether they drank out of skull cups, and more. Each chapter examines how the misconception proliferated and discusses what we now believe to be the facts contradicting the fictions. Excerpts from primary source documents help readers to understand how the misconceptions came to be throughout history and provide evidence for the historical truths.