Utfred
Veteran
I quickly looked into it and there is indeed not a lot of difference between Danes and Norwegians in that time. Swedes could maybe considered a separate entity but that's all.
The term ‘Norsemen’ is a phrase that has existed since the Iron Age and is a word that was used mainly by English and French monks who were harassed by raiders from Norway and Denmark. The meaning is simply ‘men from the North’ and is of course a reference to all ‘Viking’ raiders or people from what is now known as Scandinavia. [...]
”Danes”
The term ‘Danes’ dates back to Roman times and is the name of the tribe of people who lived in present-day Denmark and Norway (as well as southern Sweden). The first time the ‘Danes’ are mentioned is in accounts of the barbarian raids on Rome in the 5th century. [...]
The term ‘Denmark’ is first mentioned in Frankish texts from the early 8th century and describes the area of present day Denmark, Norway, Iceland and southern Sweden. It means ‘The borderland of the Danes’ The term ‘Norway’ comes from the present-day word ‘Norge’, which again comes from the term ‘Nord Rige’ or ‘Nord Rike’ which means ‘The Realm to the North’. [...]
Throughout Western Europe, the term ‘Danes’ was universally used to describe the raiders from Denmark and Norway. By the 10th century the Danes were feared throughout Europe. [...]
To understand why the Norwegians were not distinguished from the Danes, one must understand the cultural links between the two.
Denmark and Norway have historically always been linked. Of the three Scandinavian languages, Danish and Norwegian are by far the most similar – Swedish is considerably different.
Norway was part of the Danish kingdom throughout the Viking era and all the way up until the early 19th century
Here's the link below. The source might seem crappy but the man's argument are solid and logical.
http://apolyton.net/showthread.php/188206-Scandinavians-Norsemen-Vikings-Danes-Time-to-clear-this-up-once-and-for-all
The term ‘Norsemen’ is a phrase that has existed since the Iron Age and is a word that was used mainly by English and French monks who were harassed by raiders from Norway and Denmark. The meaning is simply ‘men from the North’ and is of course a reference to all ‘Viking’ raiders or people from what is now known as Scandinavia. [...]
”Danes”
The term ‘Danes’ dates back to Roman times and is the name of the tribe of people who lived in present-day Denmark and Norway (as well as southern Sweden). The first time the ‘Danes’ are mentioned is in accounts of the barbarian raids on Rome in the 5th century. [...]
The term ‘Denmark’ is first mentioned in Frankish texts from the early 8th century and describes the area of present day Denmark, Norway, Iceland and southern Sweden. It means ‘The borderland of the Danes’ The term ‘Norway’ comes from the present-day word ‘Norge’, which again comes from the term ‘Nord Rige’ or ‘Nord Rike’ which means ‘The Realm to the North’. [...]
Throughout Western Europe, the term ‘Danes’ was universally used to describe the raiders from Denmark and Norway. By the 10th century the Danes were feared throughout Europe. [...]
To understand why the Norwegians were not distinguished from the Danes, one must understand the cultural links between the two.
Denmark and Norway have historically always been linked. Of the three Scandinavian languages, Danish and Norwegian are by far the most similar – Swedish is considerably different.
Norway was part of the Danish kingdom throughout the Viking era and all the way up until the early 19th century
Here's the link below. The source might seem crappy but the man's argument are solid and logical.
http://apolyton.net/showthread.php/188206-Scandinavians-Norsemen-Vikings-Danes-Time-to-clear-this-up-once-and-for-all