TV series, movies, comic books, graphic novels and football teams that are emblazoned with Viking imagery are very much a part of our pop culture.  We easily conjure up horned helmets on muscular men clothed in animal skins and carrying heavy weaponry.  However, these images are not merely the creative output of Hollywood.  They are the very threads that weave together the tapestry of our day-to-day lives. The Vikings’ language, government, religion, and mythologies form the basis of our modern language, government, religion, and beliefs. Our Thursday was originally Thor’s day and, yes, our Wednesday was originally Wodin’s day. No other form of governance and no other form of expression feels as comfortable as that of the Viking Age.