The raids on the Frankish kingdoms and the British Isles brought increased contact with Christianity. Although Vikings often seem to have maintained their beliefs throughout the periods of their raiding, there was considerable pressure to convert to Christianity if they wished to have more peaceful relations with the Christians. This could happen on a political level, as in the Treaty of Wedmore in 878. The treaty bound the Viking leader Guthrum to accept Christianity, with Alfred of Wessex as his godfather, and Alfred in turn recognised Guthrum as the ruler of East Anglia.

Another more or less formal convention applied to trade, since Christians were not really supposed to trade with pagans. Although a full conversion does not seem to have been demanded of all Scandinavian traders, the custom of ‘primsigning’ (first-signing) was introduced. This was a halfway step, falling short of baptism, but indicating some willingness to accept Christianity, and this was often deemed to be enough to allow trading.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/religion_01.shtml

This was similar to the Vikings/Rus who sailed to Constantinople in the 900s, creating havoc as they went and accepting great tribute. The choice of religious conversion was pragmatic for the tribal leaders.

Kire, du är bäst! [moderated] Gord appear to be you’re the opposite. Your posts just lift this thread to the next level. I like to add something, though. The first missionaries that came to Scandinavia were taken slaves and pagan people really was amazed by the strength they showed resigning their self to their fate. And fate was everything to the pagans. This “new” God seemed to be a really strong one.

The Vikings war skills were a result of many factors but most important by necessity. As only the oldest son was entitled to the inheritance of the farm and Vikings took a pride in having many children there became a great surplus of men that rather sought honor and gold abroad than stayed home working for a brother. The pagans also truly believed in fate, being practical people with much fighting training, good seamen, and being, what we today call, hungry. There were very, very few berserks. As a matter of fact, although we know that the Koryaks an indigenous people in Siberia use the mushroom fly agaric or fly amanita (Amanita muscaria) there’s no evidence that the Vikings did.

The Vikings didn’t burn down churches to loot them. Nope! The valuable stuff had often been hidden prior to the attack and there’s no meaning destroying things you want to steal, is there? I don’t think they ever started an attack by burning a church or monastery down but they carried out their threats if nobody would show them the hidden treasures or pay the ransom. As I said, Vikings were practical people and they found it convenient that people had gathered in one place.

The runes have been around for more than a thousand years and there’s no way some of them can be disqualified and banned (forbidden) because the Nazi’s that ruled for merely 12 years used them for certain purposes! That’s something the modern German state is dead wrong about! The fasces are still used by the Swedish police in their emblem and by the U.S.A in theirs in spite the fact that it was the Italian state insignia under Benito Mussolini and the source of the word fascism!

say appropriate word of this all runology

In many cases, pressure was put on the people to convert, but it was kind of inevitable. Even in 11th century Iceland, half the people had voluntarily converted already, before the vote was taken to make the entire island Christian.

To everyone else besides DT and gord greatly insightful comments.