UlfrTheMighty
Sergeant Knight at Arms
i know the mod smiths has alot of work and that i appriciate the most.
The Mead Hall
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Sergeant Knight at Arms
I agree! If only because I like goofing around.Sloth said:
Nyah
Sergeant at Arms
It's an entertaining show, no need to be history nazis about it.
The problem is not inaccuracy per se, it's when it's so in your face that it affects your suspension of disbelief, whether you want it or not. There's really not much conscious control over that. The more you know about a particular era, the harder it is to maintain the suspension of disbelief (which is also why the general public thinks it's important that WW2 movies and shows are accurate, but we get fantasy medieval battles).
Rule zum Rabensang
Grandmaster Knight
Wholeheartedly agree. It's the same with "historical" novels. If you somehow "know it better", than that can easily spoil the fun and immersion in cases where stories/characters/costumes appear just plain stupid and not at all "authentic" to yourself.
Has nothing to do with acting as a whatever nazi, but just with the ability of being entertained.
Has nothing to do with acting as a whatever nazi, but just with the ability of being entertained.
Dragomir
Knight
Indeed, I can't enjoy historical shows anymore
Aside from that, "Maybe if people weren't talking about it being historically accurate and all..."
I was hoping that if some Historians from History channel were on it, there would be more accuracy. And of course I'm not talking about "spent the whole life studying every tiny piece of viking clutter" levels of corectness, I'm talking about "sacrificed his 5 fecking minutes to google the sheit he needs". And what causes the superstition about vikings wearing leather all the time? Does it make them \m/ MORE METAL \m/?
Aside from that, "Maybe if people weren't talking about it being historically accurate and all..."
I was hoping that if some Historians from History channel were on it, there would be more accuracy. And of course I'm not talking about "spent the whole life studying every tiny piece of viking clutter" levels of corectness, I'm talking about "sacrificed his 5 fecking minutes to google the sheit he needs". And what causes the superstition about vikings wearing leather all the time? Does it make them \m/ MORE METAL \m/?
Éadric
Knight at Arms
It does have quite a lot of completely unnecessary historical inaccuracies – this being made by The History Channel after all. Like Hróða said, what’s most glaring is how Britain is but a legend for the Vikings. In reality there had already been plenty of trade all along the North Sea for ages; the existence of Britain would have been basic knowledge as spread by merchants and others, if not common knowledge handed down from the time that the Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed the North Sea to settle in Britain, centuries before.
When our brave Vikings do make the trip –in a longship wrought by one particulary unstable soul, single-handedly, in secret, in like a week, what the ****– they land right in front of the monastery of Lindisfarne, a centre of learning famous in its time, both in Britain and on the continent. In reality the Vikings would have planned this specific trip to Lindisfarne carefully and well in advance.
But aside from those, the story often doesn’t make sense in itself. Like when
Other than that, I do find myself reasonably entertained. I like the intro-song (an existing song by Fever Ray), the casting is well done, the cinematography is respectable and on location, and the Vikings look badass despite their weird clothes and Norman/Frankish haircuts. They’re all bastards though and all the boys on the web rooting for them as they kill monks are psychopaths.
When our brave Vikings do make the trip –in a longship wrought by one particulary unstable soul, single-handedly, in secret, in like a week, what the ****– they land right in front of the monastery of Lindisfarne, a centre of learning famous in its time, both in Britain and on the continent. In reality the Vikings would have planned this specific trip to Lindisfarne carefully and well in advance.
But aside from those, the story often doesn’t make sense in itself. Like when
the local jarl earl has the blacksmith killed for forging an anchor for our mate Ragnarr – blacksmiths don’t grow on trees, you know.
And what is up with that soothsayer in episode one? Mouth of Sauron much?
And what is up with that soothsayer in episode one? Mouth of Sauron much?
Other than that, I do find myself reasonably entertained. I like the intro-song (an existing song by Fever Ray), the casting is well done, the cinematography is respectable and on location, and the Vikings look badass despite their weird clothes and Norman/Frankish haircuts. They’re all bastards though and all the boys on the web rooting for them as they kill monks are psychopaths.
König
Sergeant Knight at Arms
So to sum it all up:
For a TV show: it's OK.
For a historically accurate show about vikings: it leaves much to be desired.
Also...
For a TV show: it's OK.
For a historically accurate show about vikings: it leaves much to be desired.
Also...
As for the part about the blacksmith, I presume it was to show something to the effect of "how paranoid and/or demented the jarl earl is".
Or he was just a really really bad blacksmith.
Or he was just a really really bad blacksmith.
Pretty much, yeah.
I think the jarl is a very weak character. His actions don't make any sense, other than to set him up as the antagonist. Realistically, he has no personal interest in doing the stuff he does. A blacksmith was a valuable specialist, not someone you kill on a whim. You can't rule over the kind of community depicted in the series by sheer terror, especially if you go all Darth Vader on your own men - if you tried, you'd find yourself on the wrong end of a sword in no time. His only role in the story is to make us like Ragnarr, which is pretty hard for a modern audience (psychopaths aside).
Noticed how Ragnarr pretty much stepped aside during the pillaging of Lindisfarne? He's a badass viking, not a murderous viking! And he's also shown interest and respect for Christianity, in stark contrast with his men. No doubt he and Æþelstan will bond together over a willingness to understand each other's culture and beliefs, and the audience will have someone to look up to. Even if that means making other main characters a joke.
Noticed how Ragnarr pretty much stepped aside during the pillaging of Lindisfarne? He's a badass viking, not a murderous viking! And he's also shown interest and respect for Christianity, in stark contrast with his men. No doubt he and Æþelstan will bond together over a willingness to understand each other's culture and beliefs, and the audience will have someone to look up to. Even if that means making other main characters a joke.
Éadríc said:
Now, I haven't seen the series and I don't know how things are depicted there, but I can say with confidence that the Norse raiders of Britain and Ireland did not plunder monasteries and churches for the "fun" of killing monks and priests. They couldn't care less about them - all they wanted was to relieve them of their plentiful silver; and in some cases kidnap important persons for ransom. Occasionally they enslaved them and brought them back to their homelands or indeed the northern isles, or they found someone locally who would pay to free enslaved monks. If they ever did kill the monks it would have been because they refused to give up their worldly silver.
Hmm.. Now I have to watch this, though it didn't impress me much the first half hour...
EDIT: Uff.. Having watched the first episode, I must say it was appalling to see all the mistakes. The earl (meh?) acts like a late medieval feudal king, not like a chieftain of eight century Norway (and to add to it, the crowd acts like the all too well known happy mob of medieval Europe). Then we have the poor farmer, Ragnarr Loðbrók (-.-), having a boat built by some mentally ill guy (played by Stellan Skarsgård's son). Then they kind of confused the term starboard i.e. the right side of the ship (where the steering oar was) having put the steering oar on the left side... And last but not least, Ragnarr tells his son about how the executed man has to "atone for his sins". And what are those silly headbands they're all wearing?...Oh yes, and let's go to the east - to "Russia" in the eight century!
Now, the second episode wasn't better... And I see what you mean about the psychopaths, Éadríc; let's go look for the missing monks, never mind the silver, we just want to kill these "odd" men - meh.
Yes, I see what you mean. Ragnarr with the hipster hair and his metal friends.Dragomir said:
HUtH
Sergeant Knight at Arms
I watched first episode and I don't know if I'll watch another one... It's totally without "Viking" atmosphere and that "something" which is instead is not very interesting for me... Scenography, fights, casting and acting - OK, even costume design and makeup are good if you forget that it's series about Vikings. But the story, characters' introductions are plain, and that wouldn't be wrong, but they are also depicted in the way that I'm getting bored not interested.
However the biggest really bad thing is the low scale... There is a great meeting, but it's in some small village, all people look like some early bronze-age barbarians... so it is some small island or something? So why some text stated it is "Scandinavia"... Even if that "village" is just a model/allegory, it feels really poor.
I'm dissapointed It looks like creators wanted to make something quasi-historical a bit fantasy thing like 300, Spartacus or even Rome, but it's just dull for me...
However the biggest really bad thing is the low scale... There is a great meeting, but it's in some small village, all people look like some early bronze-age barbarians... so it is some small island or something? So why some text stated it is "Scandinavia"... Even if that "village" is just a model/allegory, it feels really poor.
I'm dissapointed
It looks like creators wanted to make something quasi-historical a bit fantasy thing like 300, Spartacus or even Rome, but it's just dull for me...