I was reading about king Harald Hardrada of Norway and the battle of Stamford Bridge. Someone referred to them as “Vikings” and that didn’t really seem right to me. Not only were they Christian, but they were there as an occupying army, not a group of pirates. That got me thinking: what even is a Viking, anyway? Am I right in my skepticism, or completely off the mark?
I hope /u/Platypuskeeper's answer in Did the Medieval and early Modern Nordic countries identify with the pre-Christian vikings or is that part of the legacy of Nationalism in the region? and mine in At What Point Were Vikings no Longer Considered Vikings, and Just Seen as Christian/Christianized Danes, Swedes, Norwegians, etc.? respectively will shed light on the complexity of the topic, that is to say, there are indeed different definitions of the 'Vikings' both in academic and in popular history usages.