The medieval sources on the discovery and settlement of Iceland frequently refer to the explorers as “Vikings” but, technically, they were not. The term “Viking” applies only to Scandinavian raiders, not to Scandinavians generally. Some of settlers of Iceland may have been involved in Viking raids but they came to Iceland as farmers looking for a new start.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1310/the-vikings-in-iceland/.
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