How Tall Were the Vikings?
Books, TV shows, and even some notable museum displays paint a portrait of tall and powerful men with above average strength and skill at killing others. Are such portrayals accurate?
The general public has a peculiar perception that the Vikings stood taller than other Europeans of the Viking Age. Books, TV shows, and even some notable museum displays portray tall and powerful men with above-average strength and skill in killing others. Are such portrayals accurate? Luckily for historians, the Vikings buried many of their dead in a way that preserved their bones. Through various osteoarcheological studies, we can say with some degree of confidence how tall Viking Age Scandinavians may have been.
How to Answer the Question, How Tall Were the Vikings?
As with everything to do with the Viking Age, nothing is guaranteed, nor is it likely written in stone (both figuratively and literally). The evidence for how tall or short the Vikings may have been can only be inferred from the available pieces of evidence. Written sources on the subject are unreliable for two reasons: first, they were penned by the victims of Viking raids (clerics) who often embellished specific details…
