“We and our fathers have lived in this fair land for nearly three hundred and fifty years and never before has Britain seen such terror as we have suffered for hand of a pagan people. Such a trip was not thought possible. The church of St. Cuthbert is splattered with the blood of God's priests." These are the words of Alcuin of York, an Anglo-Saxon scholar, describing the first recorded presence of Norse warriors and their attack on Lindisfarne, an undefended sacred and monastic island on the coast of England in 793 AD. This attack by the pagans from Scandinavia introduced a new type of warrior to the known world and established a new chapter in history known as the Viking Age. From this time and for the next twelve centuries, the Vikings were perceived as uncivilized pagan murderers and thieves who left an insignificant impression on European society and culture. It has only been in the last 100 years that historians have come to appreciate the magnitude and influence of Viking culture on the modern world and how years of misrepresentation have tainted Viking history. These misrepresentations led to missing or even false information. The fundamental argument of this article is to present the Vikings in a new historical light and attempt to reintroduce them as a more intelligent and proactive civilization by asking what their financial, political and cultural motivations were for the raids and what kind of influence and impact they had the Vikings in the modern world. The goal of this article is not to defend the cruel actions and terrorist attacks of the Vikings against innocent people throughout medieval Europe. There is no denying that raiding and looting occurred. But there is more to Viking sustenance than terr...... middle of paper ......f Rurik answered the call and led an army into the modern city of St. Petersburg. This event triggered decades of further Russian conquest by the Rurik dynasty, which did not end until the death of Fyodor, son of Ivan the Terrible, in 1598. Further Russian and Eastern European migrations by primarily Swedish Vikings include the use of Varangian mercenaries serving for the Greek emperors in Constantinople. Throughout the 10th century, the Varangians fought battles for the emperors in Mesopotamia, Crete, southern Italy, and other areas. The Varangian guards protected the Byzantine emperors until the 13th century. The Norse Vikings used their fighting skills in exchange for economic prosperity especially in northern France. Some were mercenaries like their Swedish brethren, but the Norse Vikings let fear work for them and extorted large profits for not attacking. Paris.