Originally posted by bacon:

Originally posted by OneEye:

Northmen were often employed as mercenaries in the Mediterranean El Monseur if I remember hired a bunch to fight for him and as personal guards and they saw quite a bit of service in the desert areas.

so, southern europe, like spanish or italian desert? or mesopotamia?

They were used all around europe, they charted many rivers through europe. Loads of documents where northmen were fighting even in north africa as mercenaries. They were prized for their fierceness and size. Read up on the Varangian guards.