According to the scribes, sagas and Hollywood blockbusters, the Viking era was a time of terror for Europe. In truth, Vikings were neither death defying murderers nor did they wear the horned helmets featured in 20thcentury comic strips. They were also travelling salesmen, inventors, discoverers and scholars. We know with certainty that they were the first Europeans to set foot on the American continent. They did not set sail to prove that the earth is round, but simply because they were curious and enterprising.