First of all it's shot in such an epic cinematic way and directed by the same man (Michael Hirst) who directed The Tudors! The soundtrack is by none other than Hollywood's best, Hans Zimmer (composer for Inception, Interstellar, Pirates of the Caribbean & more). They also use a band from Norway called Warduna who's music is based on Nordic Spiritulism, there's a lot of chant like singing and repetitive drums in their music which brings a tribal element to the scenes. So the budget must have been pretty big and it shows.
The show is supposed to be set in Norway but is actually filmed in Ireland. Thanks to the way the colours are edited, the setting is believable. It has a cold and eerie feel, just as you would expect rural Scandanavia to look.
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| Ragnar Lothbrook and Lagertha |
Let's talk costumes! What comes to mind when you think of the vikings? Funny metal hats and big fur capes? (probably not the correct term). Well this show has vamped up the interpretation of a Viking. Although the shows costumes are 'historically incorrect', they look so much cooler! The Vikings are portrayed as savages, a little rough and caveman like next to the sophisticated (but weak) French and English people. They wear leather armour rather than chain mail and although they wear those fur capes, you can see they are wolf skin pelts sewn together which is sightly horrific but authentic. The styling is amazing. I just find the whole re-invention of the viking's portrayal fascinating! Both men and women wear their hair plaited in different forms. The men often shave the sides of their heads leaving only the top part of their hair long and in a plait (a bit like a horse's tail). They're big on tattoos too, they look tribal and dirty which makes them appear scary, and scary is what they were! They did invade the UK, killing thousands of innocent people after all.
The story line focuses on a real viking legend - Ragnar Lothbrook. The story of Ragnar was told by old norse poets so the story line isn't a modern creation. The old tale of Ragnar and his sons is brought to life in a sympathetic and personal way. Ragnar wants nothing more than to broaden his horizons. He wants to find more land, raid more countries and venture in to the unknown. The Vikings are pagan and their lives are dictated by their Gods. They rely on signs in the form of dreams and visions, they even have a strange oracle who relays messages to them directly from the Gods.
If they feel the Gods are on their side, they take chances without hesitation. They live their lives to please their Gods, so when they die, they enter their heaven (Valhalla) without fear. Religion plays a big role in the show, especially when they encounter the English who are devoutly Christian.
All in all the show is epic, original and educational. It really opens your mind up to exploring history. It's an underrated show which should be on par with Game of Thrones, so my advice to you is to check it out! You do have to get through a few episodes to get a feel for the show, but once you get past that initial barrier, you will become as obsessed as I am!
Find seasons 1-4 on Amazon TV!
- Robyn x
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