Vikings were a group of warriors who lived in Europe a long time ago. They were known for being really good at fighting and exploring new lands. They had cool boats called longships that they used to sail across the seas to places like England and Greenland.
Nowadays, people like to talk about Vikings because they think they're really interesting and cool. They like to make movies and TV shows about them, and they even have festivals where people dress up like Vikings and pretend to be them for a day.
In these movies and shows, Vikings are often portrayed as tough and brave, with big beards and swords. They are shown as fearless warriors who are always ready to fight, and they talk in a special way that sounds different from how we talk today.
People also like to use Viking symbols, like the hammer of Thor or the Valknut, in decorations or on their clothing because they think it looks cool.
So basically, Vikings in popular culture means that people enjoy talking and learning about Vikings, and like to use their images and symbols to make things look cool and interesting.