Fans of the History Channel’s “Vikings” can see relics of the real deal, right in Times Square.

Axes, swords, tools, jewelry and some 500 other artifacts from real-life Norsemen are now on view at “The Vikings Exhibition” at the Discovery Times Square Museum. Better still, they tell a far different story of a 1,000-year-old culture rife with myths.

“People think they were just a bunch of bloodthirsty warriors wearing horned helmets,” says curator Lena Hejll, “but they were a very diverse, civilized group. Most were hard-working farmers and merchants, not warriors.”

While “Vikings” hero Ragnar Lothbrok spends most of the TV show slaying enemies, actual Norsemen preferred more peaceful pastimes, like board games, replicas of which visitors can play via touch screens.

Ancient Scandinavians also loved to look good. They’d never sport those impractical helmet horns mythologized by 19th-century artists, Hejll says. Rather, they accessorized with fish tail-shaped silver pendants, and the occasional crucifix.

Vikings may not all have been warriors, but as this exhibit shows, they sure knew how to live large.

“The Vikings Exhibition” runs through Sept. 5 at Discovery Times Square, 226 W. 44th St.; 866-987-9692; $27.50 for adults, $20 for kids 4 to 12, free for kids under 4; discoverytsx­.com.