The word "Viking" has long conjured images of big burly men who wore helmets with horns and travelled the seas violently stealing land and fighting in wars.

Popular culture has reinforced these stereotypes but new artefacts on display at the Melbourne Museum's latest exhibition Vikings: Beyond the Legend have debunked some common myths.

Lead Vikings experts Lena Hejll and Katherine Hauptman from the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm have curated almost 500 artefacts that show Vikings lived a more complex life between 750 and 1100 AD.

They were farmers, artists, traded goods and were even rich aristocrats.

No horned helmets

Ms Hejll said it was believed German composer Richard Wagner was partly responsible for the myth of the horned helmet.

In one of Wagner's Operas, his dressmaker wanted to emphasise the evil characters and used the symbol of horns to help the audience understand who was good, and who was bad.

Other European artists also added horns to helmets to make their paintings more dramatic.

A Viking isn't a type of person

Ms Hejll said a Viking was actually something you do.

"They were not an ethnic group or anything. You were not a Viking. You went on Viking. That was something you did," she said.

"A person could be a Viking in part of their life but most people and most of your life, you were farmers."

Ms Hejll said the long journeys they embarked on could often last four years.

The word has now been adopted to refer to the Scandinavian people living at that time.

They were smart

Ms Hejll said that when going on a Viking, the men and women did not have any navigation instruments.

They often travelled to the same places several times.

A double-edged iron. The hilt and pommel have overlays of thin bronze plates. ( Supplied: Museums Victoria )

"Imagine that you set off from the Norwegian coast for example to Iceland and Greenland," she said.

"How did they know they would land there the second time?

"They were skilled sailors, they were skilled navigators. They could read the nature, the currents, the birds, the stars, the winds."

Intricately-made jewellery, artworks and clothing are on display throughout the exhibition, showing they were more than barbaric warriors.

Being clean was important

If you search for images of Vikings, you'll get a lot of scruffy looking characters from the television series.

It turns out combs were a must-have accessory for men and women. ( ABC News: Joanna Crothers )

Artefacts like washbasins, combs, ear spoons and tweezers actually suggest a lot of pride was taken in their appearance, according Ms Hejll.

"Everyone had a comb and I think you have that for a reason — to make your hair look good. You dyed your yarn to have colours in your home and on your clothes," she said.

Aristocrats also wore delicate brooches and jewellery as a sign of their wealth.

Clothes were also important for showing people which region you came from, as Vikings were centred around family.

"You would be buried with your personal belongings, and your own traditional dress," Ms Hauptman said.

"They had heavy brooches and the shape of the brooch tells people which region you're from."

Women were powerful

When a woman's husband was away on a Viking, a key that hung from her belt was a symbol to everyone that she was the lady of the house.

When a woman's husband went on a Viking to trade, find new land or take part in wars, the woman looked after the farm and were responsible for all the people working on it.

A bronze key with an animal depicted in the middle of the handle. ( Supplied: Museums Victoria )

In rich families, a bronze key hung off the woman's belt and was buried with her when she died.

At the launch of the exhibition Ms Hejll and Ms Hauptman said they hoped it would show people the Viking Age has a rich history of culture, trade and exploration.

Despite some facts getting in the way of how we've pictured Vikings, Ms Hejll said mystery still remains and there's always more to discover.

"We found crystal magnifying glasses," she said.

"Maybe they used it for their intricate sewing and artwork. But it's one thing we don't know. We don't know everything."

The Vikings: Beyond the Legend exhibition runs at the Melbourne Museum until August 26.