Greetings from sunny Guernsey!
I have seen many people recommending to you the US TV series The Vikings. Please don’t get too excited. The authenticity is dreadful, both the costumes and their portrayal of Norse / Saxon society. It should be dubbed as pure fantasy.
As a Northumbrian in exile this upsets me terribly. Some holes in the series so far:
-They make out the Norse didn’t know where England was; that the land to the east was empty.
-The local Jarl carries out public executions on his freemen / drengr, which just didn’t happen in Norse society at the time (banishment / outlaw being the highest punishment at the time).
-One fellow wears some sort of leather pirate-style justaucorps great coat, another wears armour made from bits of bike chain. The main character seems to be wearing a Karate Gi and princess hair band.
And quite frankly the story isn’t particularly that intriguing. Just a friendly warning, but by all means watch it if you fancy a giggle and some mindless action akin to Conan.
It seems that Hollywood still has a lot to answer for… at least there hasn’t been a horned helmet just yet…
Nick