Horned helmets, commonly associated with Viking costumes, are a myth. Vikings did wear helmets in battle, but without horns, though some Viking Age artwork suggests that horned helmets may have played a role in ceremony or been associated with the gods. The misconception of the horned helmet began in the 1800s, when Scandinavian artists created images of Viking warriors wearing horned helmets in their artwork.
Ships were essential to the success of Viking exploration. They enabled travel along coastlines and across the North Atlantic, allowing Vikings to reach distant destinations such as Greenland, the Americas, and Constantinople.
