Vikings TV Series

[Queequeg]

Currently watching.

Pleasantly surprised by it.  However, I have trouble believing that either the Vikings or (especially) the Saxons were so ignorant of what lay on the other side of the sea.  Wasn't Beowulf already around?  That presupposes an understanding of the differences between Geats, Danes, Swedes and others, and familiarity with certain Norse families even.  Also, weren't Norse and Anglo-Saxon still somewhat mutually intelligible? 

[Viking]

Currently watching.

Pleasantly surprised by it.  However, I have trouble believing that either the Vikings or (especially) the Saxons were so ignorant of what lay on the other side of the sea.  Wasn't Beowulf already around?  That presupposes an understanding of the differences between Geats, Danes, Swedes and others, and familiarity with certain Norse families even.  Also, weren't Norse and Anglo-Saxon still somewhat mutually intelligible?

You are completely right. Virtually no historical detail in this show is true. If you find it entertaining watch it. It's just not remotely related to actual vikings.

[Queequeg]

That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?  I don't know even how many facts are known about the life of Ragnar.

[Queequeg]

I kind of think there had to have been some kind of recognition of irony among the Saxons.  Something like "Oh Christ, so this is what it was like for the Britons."

[The Brain]

Isn't this History Channel? Did the aliens show up yet?

[Viking]

That's a bit dramatic, isn't it?  I don't know even how many facts are known about the life of Ragnar.

We do know quite a bit about fuzzybritches. It's all oral history. We know quite a bit about the other "characters". This is not historical. Floki lived 60 years after lothbrok and was from western norway. Lothbroke was a dane, from denmark. It's basically fantasy in a vikingesque setting.

[Viking]

I kind of think there had to have been some kind of recognition of irony among the Saxons.  Something like "Oh Christ, so this is what it was like for the Britons."

It was probably a reaction of the kind "how the hell are these backwater hillbillies getting away with this shit?" interspersed with the "when are they coming back to sell us more slaves?"

[Queequeg]

Couldn't Floki just be a generic name of a Loki devotee? 

[Viking]

Couldn't Floki just be a generic name of a Loki devotee?

the character is based on this guy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrafna-Fl%C3%B3ki_Vilger%C3%B0arson

who lived a few generations after lothbroke. There is no relation between the name and Loki.

[Viking]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikings_(TV_series)


Historical accuracy[edit]
Some critics have pointed out historical inaccuracies in the series' depiction of Viking society. Lars Walker, in the magazine The American Spectator criticized its portrayal of Viking Age government (in the person of Earl Haraldson) as autocratic rather than essentially democratic.[30] Joel Robert Thompson criticized the show's depiction of the Norse peoples' supposed ignorance of the existence of the British Isles, and the use of the death penalty instead of outlawry (skoggangr) as a punishment for heinous crimes.[31]
Monty Dobson, a historian at Central Michigan University, criticised the show's depictions of Viking Age clothing, but went on to state that fictional shows like Vikings could still be a useful teaching tool.[32] The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that the series incorrectly depicted the temple at Uppsala as a stave church in the mountains, whereas the historical temple was situated on flat land and stave churches were a hallmark of later Christian architecture in Scandinavia.[33]
Regarding the historical accuracy of the show, showrunner Michael Hirst comments that "I especially had to take liberties with 'Vikings' because no one knows for sure what happened in the Dark Ages" and that "we want people to watch it. A historical account of the Vikings would reach hundreds, occasionally thousands, of people. Here we've got to reach millions."[34]

[Queequeg]

Yeah, the Norse temple with bells is a little much.

[Razgovory]

Well some guy from the American Spectator said something about the historical accuracy, so can't be all untrue.

[Viking]

Well some guy from the American Spectator said something about the historical accuracy, so can't be all untrue.

He is right though.

[Josquius]

The Uppsala part was insane. Having some guy in the wrong time period is fair enough. But what is today a decent sized city in totally the wrong terrain?

[Queequeg]

Couldn't they have used another sacred ritual site? Also thought there wasn't a dedicated clergy.

Also Aslaug might be the greatest piece of ass I've ever seen. Holy Moly those cheekbones.