Humans Not Heathens: The History Channel's "Vikings"

This photo provides images of the characters along with major themes. These themes include: strong women in the home and on the battlefield, amalgamation of heathens and Christians, and a power struggle between kings and brothers.

The TV series Vikings, which airs on the History channel, is based on the legendary leader and king of the Northmen, Ragnar Lothbrok. Although the topic and focus of this series may come off as self-explanatory the characters are complex as they follow a deeply entwined story-line during a critical period in the development of the British Isles. The main Vikings are Ragnar, Rollo (brother), Lagertha (first wife), and Bjorn (son).[1] This show is focused on the Viking’s perspective. Therefore, the foreigners are the Anglo-Saxon and Frankish kings Ecbert of Wessex, Aella of Northumbria, and Charles of Frankia. As the series unfolds it follows Ragnar and his family through their raids first into Northumbria, then Wessex, and finally to Paris (Frankia). Through the period of Viking raids, beginning in year 793, the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms faced not only invasion but occupation.[2]  Through this period there were power struggles between kings and a supernatural battle between the gods of the Northmen and the Christian God. 

Characters ordered from right to left: Ragnar, Lagertha, Rollo, and Bjorn

All of these themes and ideas are what the TV series Vikings focuses on. Despite its presence in popular culture and use of dramatization, I argue that Vikings is helpful in gaining a basic understanding of historical figures and the events that happened during the ninth and tenth centuries. This includes major characters in the period and commonly agreed upon themes such as a desire for expansion and religious confusion.

Vikings offers exposure to characters of the past. Although sources do not confirm the proven existence of a King Ragnar Lothbrock, twelfth century sagas do reveal the story of Ragnar. Sagas and folklore accredit Ragnar as the father of many famous and recorded Viking leaders during the ninth century including Bjorn Ironside, Ivar the Boneless, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigrud Snake in the Eye, and Ubba. All of these men were leaders of the Great Heathen Army which invaded the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in 865.[3] According to the sagas, along with being depicted in the series, these men were all the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Concerning Ragnar’s foes in the TV series, King Ecbert was an actual king in Wessex. And, as depicted in the series, Ecbert’s son was Aethelwolf. Despite the dramatization within the series concerning his son’s legitimacy, Aetholwolf did have a son named Alfred who eventually became Alfred the Great. The character of Alfred the Great is important to the contribution Vikings makes for a historical understanding and connection to Medieval Europe because the unification of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms is greatly attributed to the actions of King Alfred the Great.[4] Finally, just as it is depicted in Vikings, King Charles was a king in Frankia. Within the series King Charles is depicted as the grandson of Charlemagne. According to records a grandson and a great-grandson of Charlemagne were both kings in Frankia and they were both named Charles. So, not only do the names line up, but, similar to the role Alfred and his family play, King Charles contributes to the understanding of the importance of Charlemagne in this period. Historical records explain that kings following Charlemagne such as Otto II and Otto III were so concerned with him that Otto II was buried in the same church and Otto III descended into the tomb of Charlemagne.[5] In Vikings, King Charles is haunted as much as he is praised for being the descendant of Charlemagne because of the expectations that bloodline was believed to uphold. Today, we know that Charlemagne played one of the most essential roles in the foundation and organization of northern Europe. Therefore, the constant reminder of King Charles’ ancestry in Vikings adequately portrays the importance and legacy of Charlemagne in this period. 

King Ecbert, pictured to the right of Aethelstan, is granting
 Lagertha land for a Northmen's settlement in Wessex.

Next, Vikings shows the concern of more than raiding and pleasure by Ragnar for his purpose in raiding new lands. In the first season Ragnar shows his curiosity in what else is out in the world. This is a major fact that is typically glossed over and ignored in films depicting Vikings. A large amount of popular culture depicts Vikings as solely desiring war and money. However, in their homeland Vikings main economic source was farming and livestock, and due to large estates owned by few people the Northmen faced a shortage in land availability.[6] As a result, along with some other factors, the Northmen went in search for farmland as Ragnar does in Vikings.

Finally, Vikings does contain inadequacies that harm its representation of medieval culture. First, King Ecbert is extremely interested in the Roman artifacts that surround him. In the second season of Vikings King Ecbert uses a monk, Aethelstan, that Ragnar had captured during the first season to transcribe scrolls and translate them from Latin. He makes comments about the “wonders” and “insight” of the Romans. Through King Ecbert’s character the writer for Vikings ignore the argument that many people saw the kingdoms of Europe as a continuation of the Roman Empire not a recession from the Romans’ achievements. In a letter to an Abbot, Charlemagne describes himself no only as king but also as the, “Patrician of the Romans.”[7] This statement by Charlemagne reveals a sense of continuation rather than cessation from the Roman period. Despite this variance, King Ecbert and the monk Aethelstan do reveal a struggle between a full faith in the Christian God and the idea of pagan gods having power and influence in the world. This could be used to show Bennett’s argument about the Irish missionaries that worked within the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and their lack of forceful repentance from cultural traditions. As a result of the amalgamation of Christianity and cultural traditions a coexistent belief could have been present which King Ecbert and Aethelstan reveal in their characters. 

Another inaccuracy is the strong presence of shield maidens, or female warriors. In Vikings there are many women shown on the battlefield fighting alongside women and although the sagas and folklore highlight a presence of shield maidens many scholars argue their presence was a rarity. Bennett explains that the society of Northmen was very patriarchal and states that men raided but men and women settled.[8] Therefore, the use of women on the battlefield as a commonality is inadequate but showing their importance in the process of holding and settling the land following a raid is not. As a result, there may not have been shield maidens but many arguments do claim that the women of Viking culture were present and played a major role during the Viking period.                                     

Overall, Vikings may not be chronologically correct, and some of the characters may be based off of sagas from this period rather than historical records but it can reveal the relation of the different rulers in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms along with the importance of Charlemagne to Frankish royalty. This series also displays that there were push factors, such as a need for more land, along with pull factors, gold, that drew the Northmen to raid the mid-European kingdoms. And finally, despite its inaccuracies, Vikings shows that there could have been a development of coexistent religious beliefs and that there was a role for women within the Northmen’s culture. Although Vikings embellishes and dramatizes some aspects of the early Medieval Anglo-Saxon period, it shows viewers many aspects that spark interest and escape the traditional thought of Vikings as blood thirsty gold seekers.    

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[1] Relations are in reference to the individuals’ relationship to Ragnar in the series Vikings. 

[2] Date provided by: Judith M. Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History (New York: McGraw Hill Education, 2010), 109.

[3] "Ragnar Lodbrok", Wikipedia, last modified September 8, 2016, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragnar_Lodbrok. 

[4] Judith M. Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History (New York: McGraw Hill Education, 2010), 112.

[5] Class notes.

[6] Judith M. Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History (New York: McGraw Hill Education, 2010), 107.

[7] Charlemagne, Letter to Baugulf, Abbot of Fulda. Course Packet, ed. Shelley Wolbrink (2016): 28-29.

[8] Judith M. Bennett, Medieval Europe: A Short History (New York: McGraw Hill Education, 2010), 109.