Vikings (DATS. vikinger, Swede. vikingar, норв. vikingene) - Scandinavian[ navigators, in VIII - XI eyelids accomplishing marine hikes from Винланда to Биармии and from caspian Sea to North Africa. In a bulk these were tribes in the stage of decomposition of line-up, living on territory modern to Sweden, Denmark and Norway, that was pushed outside the home countries by overpopulation and hunger[1]. On religion vikings, in swingeing majority, were pagans[1].
The Swedish, Norwegian and Danish vikings that moved westward are known on the Latin sources under the name of (lat. Normanni). Exact ethnic composition of vikings in Eastern Europe (in Baltic earth and on Rus) is unknown, but the European historians suppose that these could be Swedes[1]. In the Russian chronicles they were known as varangians.