7 Brutal Viking Warriors You Didn’t Know About

Those of you who think that Vikings and literature can’t possibly have anything in common – think again. This guy is Egil Skallagrimsson. He was a poet at the age of three before he became a murderer at the age of seven. Poetry and murder were arguably of equal importance to him. Yes, the same savage who’s been exiled by the Norwegian king to Northumbria for being too murderous was a poet. The exile did little to decrease his murderous inclinations, though – Egil continued to kill and ravage in Northumbria. His preferred method was tearing out throats with his teeth and gouging out eyes with his fingers. Even Eric Bloodaxe of Northumbria – next one on our list – was afraid of Egil, although he liked his poetry too much to kill him. Strangely enough, Egil died of old age in his 80s.