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English: An illustration of Vikings on a boat. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Well, last weekend was fun, at least if you like history (or somewhat pseudohistory, with good characters) first I managed to catch Braveheart on AMC. I imagine that we’ve all seen it so I won’t pontificate on it, it’s an enjoyable flick and bears some resemblance to history, which is often good enough for a couple spare hours.
Then in the wonder of wonders The History Channel decided to try history instead of truckers, or fishermen, or pawn shops. And in truth they didn’t do too bad at it.
The first one was their new series The Vikings. This is sort of a natural given the amount of source material available, both the sagas of the Vikings themselves and the chronicles of their victims but, I can’t think of any even reasonably accurate films that have been done.
Here is the trailer
In truth I enjoyed it, it’s a lot better than normal TV fare. Completely accurate? No, but that would be asking more than we’re going to get.Marissa over at Medieval Musings noticed much the same things I did, so I’ll let her tell you.
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But what about the history? For me, this aspect of the show was much more mixed. On the one hand, this first episode centred around the genuine concerns of mediaeval Scandinavians: land disputes, loyalty to a liege, and the difficult business of growing into adulthood. Some details, however, simply didn’t fit. Earl Haraldson, for example, calls Ragnar to a private audience during an important gathering, eating alone like a mob boss in the back room of a nightclub rather than presiding over the feast he is hosting–taking the conspicuous out of conspicuous consumption. In another scene, Ragnar pays for the services of a shipwright in coin, when I would have liked to see hack-silver–a distinctive use of bullion for payment that could have lent verisimilitude.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Viking silver from the Cuerdale Hoard, held in the British Museum. © Jorge Royan via Wikimedia
These small details, however, hardly detract from an enjoyment of the show. One glaring error in the premise of the plot–and indeed the whole worldview ascribed to the show’s characters–was far more disappointing. This is the dispute between Earl Haraldson, who wishes to raid in the Eastern Baltic, like every other year, and Ragnar, who wants to explore the unknown lands and fabled riches of the west. From further elaboration in the show, it becomes clear that ‘west’ does not mean Iceland, Greenland, or even Vinland in the New World (all places explored by Scandinavian sailors), but the British Isles.
We are asked to believe that these remained, until the 8th century, unknown to Scandinavian seafarers.
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Clik here to view.Model of the mediaeval trading town of Birka, Sweden; (Holger Ellgaard viaWikimedia)
This is rather improbable. Even in the ‘Dark Ages’ the North Sea was a small, well integrated kind of place. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes had settled the British Isles from their homes around modern Denmark in the 5th and 6th centuries, and Frisian traders were active in the trading ports (called emporia or wics) that spanned from the Thames to Russia. Given these centuries of transmarine interaction, it is nearly impossible to imagine the Vikings as utterly ignorant of Britain and Ireland.
Continue reading History TV: First Voyage with Vikings | mediaevalmusings.
A couple of things that I noted as well.
I think this is a fairly late date for the innovations that made the longship so effective, the keel and the stepped mast, it seems to me that the original innovation in this area would have been a few decades, at least earlier.
I also noted that if you were paying attention, that gathering that Marissa referred to was a Thing, the traditional Scandinavian legislative assembly, it is important to remember that democratic traditions in northern Europe go back far into the past. Another thing that jumped out was that the conviction for murder at the Thing required a unanimous vote, as it still does to this day.
All in all a satisfying show with fairly good history, I’m booking passage on this voyage and recommend that you join me.
The other one on Sunday night is the new version of The Bible, from producers Roma Downey, Touched by an Angel an Mark Burnett, Survivor, who in an interview I saw last week said that they had trouble getting their kids (yes, they’re married) to watch Cecil B. Demille‘s Ten Commandments because the special effects were so dated.
Here’s that promo video
This one is just plain good. There’s not a whole lot of you can do to mess up this story, especially if you’re a Christian and it’s done straight, with good special effects. Watch this one as well, you’ll like it.
Good stuff for history lovers, bring some popcorn.
Related articles
- ‘Vikings’ Exclusive Interview: George Blagden on the Brutality, Humanity and Women’s Role in the Viking Society (buddytv.com)
- History Channel’s ‘Vikings’ provides obligatory gore, more (triblive.com)
- Vikings … The Journey Begins (ohlalamag.com)
- ‘Vikings’ Premiere: Five Reasons to Watch History’s New Scripted Drama (buddytv.com)
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
