Vikings

[Prettyphile]

How is there no topic for this amazing show?

 

A

 

 
Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods, legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.

 

 

Main cast

    Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking farmer and warrior who yearns to raid the rumored riches of undiscovered England.
    Katheryn Winnick as Lagertha, Ragnar's wife; a shieldmaiden.
    Nathan O'Toole as Bjorn, Ragnar and Lagertha's son.
    Clive Standen as Rollo, Ragnar's brother; the character is based on the historical Rollo who became Duke of Normandy.
    Gustaf Skarsgård as Floki, a gifted shipbuilder and friend of Ragnar's.
    George Blagden as Athelstan, an Anglo-Saxon monk captured by Ragnar on his first raid in England.
    Jessalyn Gilsig as Siggy, Earl Haraldson's wife.
    John Kavanagh as The Seer, a seiðmann.
    Donal Logue as King Horik
    Alyssa Sutherland as Aslaug, a princess; Brynhildr's daughter; and Ragnar's love interest.

Filming Locations Ireland & Ballyhenry Studios, Ashford, Co Wicklow, Ireland

IMDB Rating 8.6/10

[Prettyphile]

I'm gonna be the first to say it, how a male model could go from this

to this... and manage to be a talented actor who works his character to perfection is beyond me. If you haven't seen the show I suggest you do so. Yes there are things I can nit pick on, but if I sit back and just enjoy the show for what it is, it's great! Plus Travis Fimmel is sooo god damn attractive it's not even funny. There's some eye candy in the show ladies

[Clauds]

Is it really good? It just premiered here about two weeks ago and the trailers have made me curious but I haven't really take the time to sit and watch

[Prettyphile]

 WATCH IT!!! It's a great show and the scenery alone sold it for me. Beautiful men (I like guys with a little longer hair, and scruffy faces lol, so this show is a god send for me), locations, costumes, the acting is pretty damn good, and the story draws you in and doesn't let go.

[Stormbringer]

It is somewhat historic? Or is it more a fictional story set in the viking culture?

I think it already premiered here too. A friend told me about it and said it was very good, but I haven't watched it yet.

[Clauds]

^ It did, I think we all get the Tv shows in SA at the same time, I don't know if it's on NatGeo or History Channel though.

[Stormbringer]

Here it's on NatGeo. At least I've seen the adds there.

[k_dub]

It was on the History Channel when it aired here, beginning of March. Since it' on the History Channel, I'm guessing most of it is based on fact and some of the characters are based on people who did exist. However, since the real Vikings didn't have a written language, most of it is based on what other people wrote about them, mostly the people they were raided by. I did recognize two of the actors, Jessalyn Gilsig used to be on "Boston Public", and Donal Logue, who used to be on some MTV commercials back in the day, and is currently starring on the new season of "Copper" right now.

 

Besides the history aspect, it's pretty interesting that some of the women are as hardcore as the men. They even participate on the raids and the invasions that Ragnar leads. I hope the poster of this topic got the "hero" thing about Ragnar from another website. It's pretty clear this guy was NO HERO.  Him and his people mostly got by by stealing, raiding, and killing other people. That monk that he captured and brought back with him is pretty much their slave. The nicest thing they did for him so far was asking him if wanted to participate in a threesome, which he refused. Still, I'm interested to see where the story goes, and rather Ragnar and his people eventually become more civilized.

[Stormbringer]

It premiered here in NatGeo yesterday.

I liked it!. It looks interesting, though I have doubts about the historic accuracy. Leaving that aside, it looks like a good series based on the first episode. Lets see how it goes.

 

Ragnar Lothbrock is more of a legendary figure than a historic one. It's not certain whether he truly existed or not.

[Cult Icon]

^^

 

Are you interesting in Viking society and history, SB?  A bit OT (hope that Yvette doesn't mind but I carry the same recommendation to her and everybody else here), but there seems to be a niche interest around this topic.  There's a comic book story called 'The Plague Widow'  that I read in 2011.  It was a drama based on Viking culture.  It was haunting and thoughtful enough for me to remember it well after I read it.  Being somebody who is not familiar with them, the comic story ended up opening up a new, albeit dramatized world to me.  I can't find CBRs for it but otherwise I would have shared it on this thread.  

 

 

http://postimg.org/gallery/clmv2bbw/1db2889c/

 

 

The Volga River, circa A.D. 1020. An isolated Viking settlement falls prey to a violent contagion just as the brutal Northern winter starts to set in. Faced with an impossible choice, the village council votes to expel the sick and seal the gates in hope of preserving their way of life. But as the walls close and the temperature plummets, it becomes clear the real threat lies within.

Gunborg, the Viking equivalent of a local mafia boss, begins a campaign of intimidation and brutality. Boris, the foreigner with wild theories on communicable diseases, resists him at every turn. Caught in the middle is the newly widowed Hilde, once wealthy, now destitute and unprotected.

During the long and deadly winter, the residents of the Volga settlement suffer through starvation, ships of half-dead invaders, subzero temperatures, feral animals, mob violence, targeted assassinations, as well as the ever-present threat of death by this unseen disease.

The Plague Widow is pure survival horror told through the lens of a single mother whose only goal is to see her eight-year-old daughter survive through to spring.

 

 

 

http://www.comicvine.com/northlanders-the-plague-widow-1-vol-4/4000-239764/

 

http://www.amazon.com/Northlanders-Vol-The-Plague-Widow/dp/140122850X

[Stormbringer]

^ Yes, I am interested in that. Though here there's even less information from direct sources (only runes, archaeology), and history gets mixed up with legends. Which is of course fertile ground for fictional stories like these ones.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! 

[Cult Icon]

Are most Viking stories about how barbaric and brutal their lives are?  What's special and worthwhile about them in your view?

[Stormbringer]

Hoping not to get this too OT

 

There's a lot more about the Norse people than just their raids and "barbarism". They had an interesting culture that goes much further than their attacks on central and western Europe (and incursions on eastern Europe too). Also those raids had reasons, they were not just a consequence of "barbarism"; I think that is simplifying too much this matter. So I find interesting reading about it. And their influence on the development of european history (and for extension, the western world) is huge too.

[Cult Icon]

I'm aware that the great lever of social change was violent conflict and resettlement until the Cold War.  But I had put the Vikings next to the Mongols, Nazis, and communists rather than the Ming Dynasty, Roman Empire, or British Empire.  I'd put Napoleon's France somewhere in the middle.

 

The stereotype, often perpetuated by mass entertainment, is that the Vikings were just violent warriors, religious fanatics, and explorers that did not accomplish all that much in the arts, technological development, social/political development, economic growth, or improving the stock of knowledge outside of their travels.   This TV show may be a reflection of this.

 

What did they contribute?

[tiika]

I like it... yes, it's somehow violent, and barbaric... but I love the development of some of the characters, like Athelstan and Lagertha <3! Here the Teaser of the second season:

 

[Shepherd]

Season 1 cast promos

 

[Shepherd]

Season 2 cast promos

 

[tiika]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNhbJZeYob0

[frenchkiki]

Thank you for stating this Pretty. It's really a great show and I am daring to say this out load "IT IS BETTER THEN GAME OF THRONES"!!

[tiika]