The Vikings, or as they were known outside of their Scandinavian homes, the Norse or those rotten bums, were aggressive colonizers, who murdered and raided their way across Europe and as far west as Canada--but you couldn't call them imperialists. They weren't primarily interested in acquiring land and power.
Reading Viking histories, you get the impression that the Northerners seem to have been restless, adventurous, irritable young men who left Norway and Sweden to find treasure and excitement, to explore different places, and if they could pillage and burn in the meantime, well, so much the better.
Reconstructed Viking Longhouse, St�ng, Iceland. Photo by Thomas Ormston
But a weird thing happened after these young men arrived in their various places. They settled down. At �th Cliath in Ireland, the Norse simply parked their boat, converted it into living quarters, and eventually founded the town of Dublin. Even if their settlements weren't such a great success, like in the Eastern Settlement of Greenland where climate change and stubbornness eventually conspired against them, the descendants of the violent murderous Norse became farmers and traders and lived quiet productive lives.
More of that you can learn from studies of Viking houses:
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