The saga of Egil Skallagrimsson is one of the greatest tales in Icelandic literature. In the city of York (then "Yarvik") Bloodaxe had determined to execute Skallagrimmson the next morning. But Skallagrimsson stayed up all night composing and commiting to memory "The Head Ransom" a poem offered--literally--as a ransom for Skallgrimsson's own head. It was considered a poetic tour de force, although I am sure you had to "be there" to really appreciate it.
The vikings were tough hombres. Gouging out an opponent's eyes is bad enough, but for real impact they devised the "blood eagle," whereby they would hack open the backs of their vanquished foes and pull their lungs through the openings to evoke the appearance of wings. This was intended to terrorize the local populations that they wished to conquer, and tended ot have that very effect.
In Yorkshire today you can see clear evidence (faces and hair) of the Viking influence in the gene pool of the local population.
One group of vikings went west and settled Iceland. Another group went east and settled along the great rivers of Russia.
"In Yorkshire today you can see clear evidence (faces and hair) of the Viking influence in the gene pool of the local population."
Princess Di, the actress from "Ronin" are good examples.