: toast, health —often used interjectionally.

The word for bowl is “skål” in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian. From that tradition of passing the bowl, the term “Skål” is now also a toast — ”cheers!”

From Danish/Norwegian/Swedish skål, which is used when making a toast and also means “bowl”.

Simply memorize this one word: “Skål!” Yes, “Skål,” pronounced like “skoal,” is what people say when they toast in Sweden. But traditional Swedish toasts involve far more than just shouting out cheers and taking a drink.

The faces of men and women in the Viking Age were more alike than they are today. The women’s faces were more masculine than women’s today, with prominent brow ridges. On the other hand, the Viking man’s appearance was more feminine than that of men today, with a less prominent jaw and brow ridges.

Norway

The Vikings originated from the area that became modern-day Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. They settled in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Iceland, Greenland, North America, and parts of the European mainland, among other places.

The Vikings chose Christianity during the 900s, partly because of the extensive trade networks with Christian areas of Europe, but also particularly as a result of increasing political and religious pressure from the German empire to the south. By the end of the Viking period, around 1050, most Vikings were Christians.

The odd twist to the story, said researcher James Barrett, is that it was the selective killing of female newborns that led to a shortage of Scandinavian women in the first place, resulting later in intense competition over eligible women.

The Norse colonization of North America began in the late 10th century, when Norsemen explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic including the northeastern fringes of North America. Remains of Norse buildings were found at L’Anse aux Meadows near the northern tip of Newfoundland in 1960.