The Vikings are one of the highest-rated TV series. It is one of eth watched and one of the most beloved shows as well. While the show is definitely one of the best there are some things which we can specifically outline. The popularity of the show was determined by the plot, the script, actors, and of course the great visuals that the director and the show producers offered. This is something that many shows would have been jealous of.
The show aired back in 2013 and has remained as one of the most favorite shows for many people even now. The show features some of the best historic moments from the Vikings history overall and offers sine of the personal perspectives to the topics and events as well. The acting cast is one of the best you could ever think of, which clearly represents and delivers the spirit of the period and of every single character.
Ragnar, Floki, Lagertha, Bjorn, and many more, are historic characters that have contributed a lot to the formation of the Vikings community and to the development and expansion of their culture in general. This is why the show is even more interesting. It is not only fiction but the show with some relevant and real historic elements.
If you have a bit of understanding and knowledge of the Vikings era, you should know that they used to sail seas and cross the continents in order to discover and conquer different lands. They had everything for that. Strength, power, weapons, courage, and curiosity. Those turned out to be enough to form one of the strongest and one of the most interesting cultures, which turned out to be the biggest pride of Scandinavian people. The freedom, willpower, and beauty of the majority of Scandinavian people are the heritage form the Vikings. Although there are almost no pure Viking descendants, the patterns are still visible both in the visual as well as in the culture of Scandinavian people.
The show has become popular enough to occupy the leading positions in the chart of the IMDB and won some nominations as well. The show, as well as the cast, remained in the center of attention for quite a long time. The merch and the entertainment industries used their opportunity to the maximum. Nordic people adore mythology and history, thus the show with the elements of both should have been one of the most favorite and attractive for the majority. Soon, the Viking age became the most searched historic event on Google. The entertainment industry also puts a hand on the topic. Video games with Viking themes also started to flood the market. Needless to say, most of these games became immediate hits due to their “freedom” to either rewrite history or use Norse mythology for a more interesting story. But where there are video games interested, there are also casino games looking to grab a bite of the market. Many Norwegian mobile casinos introduced a lot of Viking-themed slots and betting opportunities on the show itself to their customers. Although this was believed to be a very short-term burst of popularity, everybody was quickly proven wrong based on the current use of Norse culture inside almost everything we do today. Movies, casino games, video games, comics, TV series, it seems that these warriors of the past really did leave a mark on most people.
On the edge
As mentioned before, the show is very close to the real history and the history line and development of the Vikings. This is why it is twice as interesting and managed to attract many people. Those who did not know much about history would frequently check certain facts after watching the show, while the ones who knew history would watch the show, simply for bringing all of their knowledge to life.
According to history, the Vikings were the wild people, who were strong enough to conquer every land they would settle on. They had their own beliefs and their own gods. This stood as a turning point in the show as well. As mentioned before there are some characters of the show who are Ragnar Lothbrok, Floki, Athelstan, Lagertha, Heamud, and some more. Those characters stood very close to the edge of history and fiction in terms of their beliefs and their gods. Some of the most interesting stories are related to their relationships as well.
While most of the show can be related to history, there definitely are some moments that are more to the science fiction side rather than the history. The beliefs and the gods can be the main reason for those occasions. Athelstan was a clear representation of the Christian culture, who was strongly loved by Ragnar and disliked by Floki, who was also Ragnars best friend. Due to the love of Athelstan and his interest in the Christian culture, Floki killed Athelstan. Though, before Athelstan was killed he had a vision of being killed, which is obviously surreal, and we only read about it in the Bible.
Another case was Floki, who also got a vision of meeting Odin, who is the main god of the religion. From that moment, Floki believes that he is the chosen one and shall find the gods and should become one, once getting to Valhalla. Valhalla is the heaven of the Vikings, where every Viking gets after death. In this place, the gods are meeting people and living together with them.
The strangest moments you may come across while watching the Vikings is when the character called The Sarr, who is the Oracle. The Seer claimed that we had a special connection with God and that he could see the future of everyone. Although his prophets are always very blurry and he never says anything for sure by saying the names. The Oracle is one of the most mysterious characters of the show, who is not indicated in history and should be the fiction character. He frequently has some very messy and extremely uncertain and even frightening visions.
One more moment which is indeed very far from reality is the last season of the show. This is the time when Floki decides to inhabit the island, which is most probably Greenland. On the island there is no fertile ground, the weather is constantly cold and windy and it is very hard to survive in that place. Though, Floki believes that if people accompanying him survive on the island, the Gods shall favor them and take them to Valhalla. Floki also believed that this is then Gods' island. One of the most Sci-Fi moments in the episode is that he sees God in water, and he messes up everything completely, being very uncertain in his wills and wishes. Floki is the character who represents the fanatic believer with deep knowledge and an extremely great ability to love people he chooses.
Bjorn, Ragnar's son is also a very interesting character. There is one moment when he foresees his future, yet which is extremely illogical and quite scary and undesired. He then continues his way and his traveling. He is known as Bjorn Ironside, who was the legendary and one of the most notorious kings of Sweden. Bjorn is also one of the most prominent of Ragnar's sons.
Generally, the show is very interesting. The plot follows the historical line. The characters are represented by the incredible actors who manage to show more than 100% of their acting skills and have input it all in the role. The scenarios and the places the show is set at are picturesque and shall never get boring. The sci-fi moments which might be a bit further from history are also very interesting and add some special flavor to the whole show.
