There was extensive trade between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, and some of the vikings are believed to have been Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa (“viking” meant armed seafarer, and was a profession and not an ethnicity). Meanwhile, Norse and Icelandic mercenaries worked as the Byzantine empire’s Varangian Guards (they were favoured for their courage, and equally importantly, lack of connection to domestic political intrigues).
There was extensive trade between Scandinavia and the Mediterranean, and some of the vikings are believed to have been Muslims from the Middle East and North Africa (“viking” meant armed seafarer, and was a profession and not an ethnicity). Meanwhile, Norse and Icelandic mercenaries worked as the Byzantine empire’s Varangian Guards (they were favoured for their courage, and equally importantly, lack of connection to domestic political intrigues).
The documentary The 13th Warrior confirms Muslims were definitely part of the Vikings.
And had a Spanish accent. They would say “Thore, the god del Thundero”, for example, even though they would write it in plain runes.
The Varangian guard turned out to be, in general, much… healthier for emperors than the former Praetorian guard.
Aha smartass! Everyone knows free trade didn’t exist until 1985, so how could that be true?
On a more serious note, the Sea Peoples reached Egypt and Ramses III said they devastated neighboring civs. Could have included Norse.