The Dark Truth: Why Vikings and Pirates Shouldn’t Be Romanticised in Fiction
A Closer Look at the Brutality, Crimes, and Atrocities of History’s Most Notorious Raiders
In modern media, Vikings and pirates are often portrayed as rebellious heroes, fierce warriors, or misunderstood anti-heroes. Whether it’s the brooding Ragnar Lothbrok from Vikings or the charming Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, pop culture has a way of glossing over the more brutal aspects of these figures. While it’s easy to get caught up in the swashbuckling adventures and epic battles, the reality of Viking and pirate history is far darker than fiction suggests. Both groups left a bloody trail of atrocities, crimes, and suffering that shouldn’t be ignored.
The Viking Era: Savage Raiders, Slavers, and Conquerors
The Viking Age, spanning roughly from 793 to 1066 AD, was a period marked by frequent and violent raids across Europe. While Vikings have often been portrayed as noble explorers or misunderstood pagans, their actions tell a different story.
Pillaging and Destruction
Vikings were infamous for their brutal raids on monasteries, villages, and towns. The Lindisfarne raid in 793 AD is one of the most notorious Viking attacks, marking the beginning of their reign of terror in England. They looted precious religious items, burned buildings to the ground, and killed monks and villagers without mercy. This attack was not an isolated event; Viking raiders continued their destructive campaigns across the British Isles, Ireland, France, and beyond.
During their era of expansion, it is estimated that the Vikings were responsible for the deaths of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people. Raids such as those in England, Ireland, and France often left entire communities decimated. Some historians believe that up to 100,000 people may have perished due to Viking violence, although exact figures remain speculative due to the lack of reliable historical records.
Both Vikings and pirates, much like ISIS, were known for large-scale violence and killings. Viking raids on monasteries, villages, and towns resulted in the deaths of thousands, often indiscriminately. Pirates, too, were notorious for slaughtering entire crews and townspeople during their raids. Similarly, ISIS engaged in mass killings, both of military combatants and innocent civilians, often as part of their strategy to spread fear and exert control.
ISIS has been responsible for atrocities such as the massacre of Yazidis in Iraq, the beheading of prisoners, and attacks on religious minorities. Their use of extreme violence mirrors the terror-inducing tactics Vikings and pirates employed, though with modern technology and media, ISIS broadcast their actions on a global scale to magnify the psychological impact.
Human Trafficking and Slavery
Vikings were not just raiders but also slavers. They captured men, women, and children during their raids and sold them into the slave trade, primarily in the markets of the Middle East and the Byzantine Empire. The suffering of those captured and sold into bondage is rarely acknowledged in popular fiction. Slavery was a vital part of the Viking economy, and countless individuals were subjected to unimaginable cruelty, torn from their homes, and forced into servitude.
Atrocities and Torture
The Vikings also practised extreme forms of violence. One of the most feared Viking punishments was the "blood eagle", a brutal execution method that involved the victim’s ribs being severed from the spine and their lungs pulled out to resemble wings. While historical accounts of this practice are debated, it underscores the terror and savagery that accompanied Viking raids.
Pirates: Cutthroats and Marauders of the Seas
While Vikings terrorised the land, pirates ruled the seas, especially during the so-called Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730). Pirates are often depicted as charming rogues, outlaws with a code, or adventurers seeking freedom. However, the reality of pirate life was far more violent and lawless.
Murder and Plunder
Pirates earned their infamy through ruthless attacks on merchant ships, coastal towns, and even naval vessels. They killed without hesitation, often massacring entire crews of ships they overtook. Figures like Edward "Blackbeard" Teach and Bartholomew Roberts didn’t become legends because of their wit or charm but because of their fearsome reputations for murder and mayhem. Blackbeard, for instance, blockaded the port of Charleston, South Carolina, threatening to kill prisoners unless his demands were met.
Historians estimate that during the Golden Age of Piracy, pirates may have killed tens of thousands of people. While it is difficult to pin down an exact figure, given the dispersed and lawless nature of piracy, the death toll from pirate raids on ships and coastal settlements was significant. Pirates were responsible for the deaths of sailors, merchants, and innocent civilians, often slaughtering entire crews and leaving communities devastated in their wake.
Torture and Terror
Torture was another tool pirates wielded with cruel efficiency. Many captives were subjected to horrific methods to extract information or simply to instill fear. Some were "keelhauled" — dragged beneath a ship by a rope, often resulting in death from drowning or being torn apart by barnacles. Pirates also made a practice of marooning prisoners on deserted islands, leaving them to die of starvation or exposure.
Enslavement and Human Trafficking
All three—Vikings, pirates, and ISIS—relied heavily on enslavement and human trafficking as a source of wealth and power. Vikings captured men, women, and children, selling them into slavery in markets across Europe and the Middle East. Pirates, particularly during the Golden Age, captured and sold enslaved people, including Africans, whom they either sold in slave markets or used as forced labour on their ships.
ISIS took part in the systematic enslavement of Yazidi women and children, treating them as property to be sold, abused, or given as rewards to their fighters. This horrifying practice echoed the use of human lives as commodities seen in Viking and pirate societies.
Torture and Psychological Terror
Torture was a common method of control for both Vikings and pirates, who inflicted physical and psychological trauma on their victims. Pirates employed brutal punishments like keelhauling, while Vikings were infamous for the blood eagle, a gruesome execution method.
ISIS, too, became notorious for its gruesome acts of torture and execution, including public beheadings, crucifixions, and burning captives alive. These acts, much like the bloodshed committed by Vikings and pirates, were not only meant to kill but also to terrorise, ensuring that their enemies—and anyone who might oppose them—lived in constant fear.
Cultural Destruction
Both Vikings and ISIS specifically targeted symbols of cultural and religious importance. Viking raids on monasteries across Europe, such as Lindisfarne, were not just about looting but also about attacking the Christian faith and its followers. ISIS similarly destroyed ancient monuments, religious sites, and cultural artefacts, most infamously in Palmyra, to erase the heritage of regions they sought to control.
Write stories about Vikings and Pirates sure, but do me a favour and don’t make them out to be heroes. They weren’t.