How to Train Your Dragon (2010) is an animated movie set in the medieval Isle of Berk, home of the Hooligan Tribe vikings. It is a dramatic, yet playful take on the common misconceptions and stereotypes of medieval Europe and of the vikings themselves. The ideas and imagery that the movie conveys and that many people tend to think of when they hear the words ‘medieval’ or ‘viking’ are more of medievalisms rather than an actual historical depiction of the time. Contrary to popular culture, vikings did not actually wear metal hats with horns on them, or speak with thick, almost unintelligible Scotish accents. Many of these cliches are results of celtic folklore interpretation (especially dragons), and the media industry.
How to Train Your Dragon uses these traits of medieval culture successfully to portray a heartwarming story about a young, frail boy named Hiccup whose main concern is to prove himself to his father and to become a skilled dragon fighter. What becomes of Hiccup though, is the opposite of what he wished. Instead he encounters one of the most dangerous species of dragon, and (you guessed it), trains him! Hiccup and his dragon Toothless then come face to face with what they called The Red Death, the most vicious of the dragons whose name could be a nod to The Black Death of the Middle Ages. Hiccups attempt to show that humans and dragons can live in harmony fails during one of his class exercises in dragon hunting, and Toothless is captured by the chief of the tribe, Stoick. This leads to the invasion of the dragon’s nest, and the waking up of The Red Death. As any children’s movie ends, Hiccup and Toothless prevail and dragons and vikings learn to live in peace with one another.
The film is very much based off of the stereotypes of medieval vikings. At one point in the beginning of the film Hiccup says, "we're vikings, we have stubbornness issues" which immediately shows the use of common misconceptions within the movie. Though Hiccup has no accent, many of the big, burly viking characters speak through an intense, almost exaggerated Scottish accent. The horned hats, red hair, long beards, and beer bellies can be added to the list of not-so accurate traits.
The helmet in the image on the left is a copy of a warrior’s from a grave at Gjermundbu in Norway in the National Museum of Denmark. What the museum writes is that "...horned helmets/heads, such as upon the Golden Horns. Similar images are also known from the Viking period itself...Does this prove that all Vikings wore the famous helmets with horns? The answer is probably not." (National Museum of Denmark). Tacitus' Germania could be attributed to the stereotype of beer drinking barbarians as he writes that no other people indulge like the barbarians, and follows by saying, "Their drink is a liquor made from barley or other grain, which is fermented to produce a certain resemblance to wine." (Tacitus).
Though there are inaccuracies, the film takes place in a fictional setting that is very similar to the actual environment that would have occurred at this place and point in time. It places its characters in a realistic setting, as well as providing attire that is pretty similar to what vikings actually wore, like tunics and such. Although it is a stereotype, the ginger hair and large body type might not be entirely wrong as historical accounts of celtic peoples have described them as such.
Altogether, it is clear that the movie does not do history justice. It is not historically accurate, and that is simply because it is a children’s fantasy/adventure film. What many people, especially children understand as ‘medieval’ is precisely what How to Train Your Dragon depicted to get across the wholesome message of creating peace. What has become of the image of vikings is a result of modern imaginitivity being fused with stereotypes, biases, their polytheistic characters, and more. That being said, the movie was made for the correct audience, and if you are a college student in a medieval history class, this movie may not be for you.
Germania, Tacitus. University of Richmond. https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~wstevens/history331texts/barbarians.html
Viking Helmets. National Museum of Denmark. https://en.natmus.dk/historical-knowledge/denmark/prehistoric-period-until-1050-ad/the-viking-age/weapons/helmets/
I appreciated your link to Tacitus' Germania and the mention of the Scottish lilt!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you addressed the Viking stereotypes in this movie, as well as pointing out some details that may be somewhat accurate (such as clothing or location.) This movie is definitely entertaining, but I agree with your assessment of it not being historically accurate. At least it creates an interest in the time period and culture!
ReplyDeleteThis review was written well. I reviewed that same movie and did not even notice some of points you picked out. Such as the red death dragon which I did not even notice the correlation between his name and the real black death.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you described "How to Train Your Dragon" in comparing its similarities and differences to the Vikings. I also thought it was interesting in how you pointed out how stereotypes and the media influence people's perceptions of the Vikings, especially that audiences don't often consider the historical context behind films that are inspired from events in the past. You did a great job organizing and presenting your points and I especially liked how you concluded your review by stating how this movie isn't intended for all audiences, especially college students who want to take a closer look into history. Good job.
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