The most important aspect of Viking colonization was the idea that most of their voyages were raids of towns and villages. As stated earlier, these raids started in England in 793, and then expanded as far as Russia, Italy, Georgia, and Spain. A story is shared in an old Icelandic tale, "and we [the Vikings] set fire to the town. And so they did. The Villagers say, ‘You do not want us to go to the Vikings if you will have life and money.’ And now the Vikings came to the town with fire and weapons and ended them. By Thorvald burned they therein fifteen men, but a few came away from the fire. The Vikings took all the wealth that they could come by.” (Vandræðaskáld) This was an important part of their culture and history, and it brought much terror
