Can You Be a "Modern Viking"?

[@eazy8579]

You can certainly try, but the police and military tend to look down on it; something about “Armed Robbery” and “Assault With A Deadly Weapon” and “Vandalism” and “Arson”.

[@breaden4381]

Isn't that just what the police and military do?

[@breezyx976]

@@breaden4381 Yeah, they hate the competition

[@b3ygghsas]

Don't forget "murder" and "rape" too

[@johndododoe1411]

@@breaden4381 Certainly the offensive part of the military. Those tend to also recognize that their enemies are doing the same, it's just a matter of winning.

[@jaroslavb.korinek7285]

Slavery, more slavery please!

[@RiaGracewood]

Can you be a Modern Viking? Yes. Will you be detained for doing so? Also yes.

[@molnet999]

yeah, somali pirates are way more like real vikings than bearded dudes from the midwest

[@einzelfeuer_2855]

@@molnet999 Bearded dudes from the midwest who have served serious prison sentences are more akin to pirates and vikings than you'd think tbh lol.

[@molnet999]

@@einzelfeuer_2855 land-locked vikings lmfao

[@Eye_Of_Odin978]

@@molnet999 Hey man, ya gotta raid what ya got. If you can't make it to the coast, make the "coast" come to YOU lmao

[@andrewprahst]

Only if you get caught

[@mlm_academyofficial2041]

If you live in Finland or Sweden you can hop on a Vikingline ship to Tallinn and come back with cheap booze and cigarettes. I mean travelling across the Baltic sea and trading with locals of a port town sounds pretty viking to me.

[@adamcappella8088]

I think that counts lol

[@comradesam02]

thats the best way to do it

[@chvjdvpa3746]

As close as it gets, right?

[@FeuerToifel]

probably as close as someone ever can get to be a modern viking

[@WanderingMiqo]

Don't forget to stop at the local church and steal from their donations bin

[@tireddanishguy]

The only viking I know is a danish man, that my mother knows here in Denmark, because he built a viking ship over years, and then he went out sailing west, and when he reached Ireland he met a woman, and he married her and came back. Edit: He might not really be a viking, since it means to raid and pillage, but he is the person that has come closest since the day of the vikings, that I know of, to being a viking.

[@ArexSant]

Yep... thats pretty viking right there.

[@MrCmon113]

Doesn't count if she comes with you voluntarily.

[@ArexSant]

@@MrCmon113 I understood it as if he came back to Denmark but left his wife there in Ireland 😂

[@R0GU351GN4L]

So what you're saying is he went on a vikingr and pillaged a heart.

[@MrCmon113]

@@ArexSant An anti-viking would sail up to your village, build a church, sneak into your house and leave a bunch of gold and young women.

[@mercaius]

Remember, kids -- a good pirate never steals!

[@Tonnex]

Even if what you say is not true, there is also some truth in it. I know about a good pirate that maybe never stole something. Weird.

[@gavindooly2375]

I know this is a quote from a stupid kid's poster to motivate honesty, but still... WTF?

[@elaqgarahulelpon1479]

It's not stealing, they gave it to me after I pulled a shank!

[@leerussell8499]

Can’t steal from the dead lol lol

[@hainleysimpson1507]

That sounds like a quote from One Piece.

[@noway5266]

Anybody can be a Viking enthusiast. An actual viking? No.

[@jinxsesame9660]

so basically a weeb but for Scandinavia instead?

[@CommissarMoody1]

@@jinxsesame9660 yep, a Veeb if you will.

[@alexxu3004]

@@CommissarMoody1 how do you differentiate that and pewdiepie fans

[@slimetank394]

@@alexxu3004 one of them is more cringy

[@alexxu3004]

@@slimetank394 idk, they both kind of cringy

[@gf-nw6no]

*Samurai in full sengoku armor picks up a double axe "Lmao look Kenji im a vikingu"

[@Neiot]

Baikingu*

[@moritamikamikara3879]

There is no V in the Japanese language.

[@goobermans356]

@@moritamikamikara3879 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓

[@Justin-pe9cl]

@@goobermans356 You mocking intelligence is very telling.

[@topkek996]

Unhonorabru dispray!

[@wavetactics13]

I appreciate the Norsemen of the Viking age, both for their interesting culture and for their history. I don't need to sugar coat their image to appreciate them either, I just accept that they did great and terrible things. And as I have gotten older, I've come to accept that description applies to humanity in general too.

[@callmekensei2799]

"Humanity the great and terrible"

[@elsullo2]

Actually, even the Mongols and the Huns brought peace and law and freedom of religion to Eastern Europe!...........................elsullo

[@TGPDrunknHick]

human history in the nutshell. for better or for worse a lot of people had and have ambition and don't let others stand in their way.

[@plantain.1739]

@@elsullo2 Law and order is when you kill enough people that it decreases the temperature of the planet while raping, pillaging, and doing a shit load of lying.

[@chengkuoklee5734]

@@elsullo2 in the grand scheme of things, no. This argument is like Hitler brought order to Europe. The cost of "law & order" was paid by innocent blood & genocide.

[@Nihil0s]

Einar Selvik of Wardruna (their music is featured on Vikings) talks about the importance of not playing pissing games over whose culture is better and that there is no sense in trying to be viking because that age is gone. It's about taking what we know of the beauty of a cultire and making something new with it as they do withcreating new music for the old poems and instruments.

[@Shifty51991]

Except even he isn't a "modern day viking".....Maybe a modern day Pagan sure....

[@gustaf3811]

@@Shifty51991 He isn't trying to be a viking, he is fascinated by old norse myths and culture which is why Wardruna came to existence.

[@barrettnichols2949]

That is well said. I personally have been a big fan of the Norse sense of aesthetic, mythology and culture for a long time, not because I believe I have personal ties to that religion, or to their values. I simply appreciate it as a whole. They were fascinating tribesmen. I ascribe no ritual significance to their runes; it was a written language influenced by Classic Latin in its time due to the Roman invaders. I'm pretty sure I'm descended from the men of the north, but I wouldn't pretend to be one

[@Halfskeggi]

He said that same speech at his performance in Belgium. Friggin spot on.

[@waefawawrgaw2835]

Vikings arent exactly beautiful culture lmao wait til you actually read real history and see what they've done to TONS of poor girls in wars and in peacetime. Notice how yt ppl also try to think highly of vikings too lmao

[@SgtCandy]

"Hey those guys who pillaged us sure had loyalty, courage, and came from somewhere north of us." Some monk at Lindisfarne, probably

[@EternalVirgin]

​@larsliamvilhelm that line is on par with "дай мне свои деньги, пожалуйста" in Russian

[@CyberVonCyberus]

IF SOMALIA CAN HAVE PIRATES THEN I TOO CAN BECOME A VIKING ! THE NAVY CAN'T CONTAIN ME !

[@sqbrazy3283]

I'm sure nobody becomes a pirate by choice espically in somalia where they can't fish like they used to.

[@koolaidjerk]

@@sqbrazy3283 Everyone has a choice.

[@planescaped]

@@koolaidjerk 1:Make more money than you'll ever make in your life in a single day by going off on an adventure 2: Farm dirt and get addicted to khat. Hmmm.... tough call.

[@JamesSmith-ny2gb]

@@koolaidjerk no, your privilege is showing. Piracy in Somalia came about when after the civil wars within the country kicked off, food was scarce and many coastal towns resorted to fishing for survival. Due to the national instability Somali waters were technically fair game for large foreign fishing vessels that took all the fish from the small level fishermen living on the coastline. And due to the war many of them would have been combatants and have easy access to guns. So they took action and got back what was taken from them while also making more money than they could ever have as a small time fisherman Funnily enough it worked, due to Somali waters being riddled with pirates large fishing vessels don’t go there anymore and piracy is on the decline in the region

[@CyberVonCyberus]

@@sqbrazy3283 true, true. Jokes aside it's an unfortunate situation they find themselves in.

[@pyrrhusofepirus8491]

Basically, according to Grimfrost, being a ‘Viking’ means being a chivalrous Knight. This is my problem with many people’s concept of ‘honour’, it’s highly influenced by Knightly chivalry that doesn’t actually reflect the honour values of Vikings. The best way I can describe ‘Viking’ honour, is basically how useful you were to the community as a whole, you could’ve been an absolute asshole but as long as you were a useful member of the community, you were an honourable person.

[@101Mant]

Historical knights were not chivalrous either. In fact they had a reputation for being violent and destructive and causing trouble when they didn't have a war to fight. It was and ideal not reality. I strongly suspect it was similar with Samurai too. The codes were attempts to reign in the worse behaviour but war is nasty and brutal and a warrior class will reflect that.

[@kingkapybara9964]

@101Mant Yes, the same case with the samurai. There are many conflicts between peasants and samurai in Japanese history

[@jameswoodard4304]

See Dr. Jackson Crawford's videos regarding the concept of Drengr (proper manliness). It seems a fairly unique and characteristic aspect of Northern Germanic conceptions of personal ethics that distinguish them from more universal concepts such as "warrior honor" which are found essentially everywhere.

[@planescaped]

Usefulness to the community was often the highest gauge of a person back in the day for a lot of cultures. So often times the "useful chads" were seen as honorable, good people, even if they were complete scumbags by modern standards.

[@sananderer]

@@101Mant "knightly chivalry" is a product of literary fiction, back in the day novels about knights saving damsels were all the rage. Don Quixote is a book written as satire of that entire genre and that was XVI or XVII century. I do think it's a continuation of the traditional heroic saga theme like in Beowulf, so the similarity in "codes of honor" is not coincidental.

[@stevenkobb156]

To paraphrase, "Most of us value honesty, except politicians...but I'm talking about people with souls." HILARIOUS 😂

[@Delgen1951]

But true!!

[@Heliorep]

I like that a couple seconds later he says “…but, I am not trying to trash anybody.”

[@stevenkobb156]

@@Heliorep yeah, 😆

[@mortache]

Not true. Politicians are just on a position to abuse their power, but the average Joe is plenty dishonest when it suits him

[@aakansh45yearsago83]

Made ur like count 420. You're welcome.

[@paulsaguto9563]

"Every group, every culture, every population is *historically* guilty of some heinous shit" Spittin' mouff-trouffs Mr. Skallagrim

[@R0GU351GN4L]

100%

[@CromCruachTheElderK]

The conclusion: Accept it, treat it responsibly, take into consideration for the future and maintain the memory. Regards, a German.

[@leeonardodienfield402]

@@CromCruachTheElderK The Austrian did nothing wrong.

[@adamhauskins6407]

At least the great ones that exist

[@scintillam_dei]

As if on equal levels. Brits made Nazis look like amateurs. Darwin wanted ALL non-Europeans "exterminated."

[@krisoliveira9756]

Since the Vikings tv show got so popular here in Brasil, there's a bunch of enthusiasts that base their whole view on norse mythology, nordic and pagan people on the show and pretend they're vikings too. Now we have this kind of meme like when you meet one of these guys and just cut their whole vibe to see them get mad with simple words such as "mate, you're not a viking, your name is Cleyton and you're a latino from Paraíba"

[@MELol-n4h]

Same with Americans. You're not a viking, your name is Ravnwood Fenris, you're from Ohio, called Cosy who's parents are called David and Hilary. 😂😂😭😭😭🤢

[@John-mf6ky]

Interesting, considering how much history Brazil has, both pre and post colonialism.

[@TheSimpleMan454]

"Unless they're politicians... but we're talking actual people here, with a soul." I spit my drink at that one. But it's only funny 'cause it's true.

[@ezrafaulk3076]

I'd include Abrahamic religions in that too (not *all* of the people in them are that way, but the ones that aren't follow a pattern of being very *loose* with their religion).

[@dusanradin5868]

Hey,he's not wrong there...but politiciians are useless,so,why feed them?

[@Justin-pe9cl]

@@ezrafaulk3076 WTF are you even talking about?

[@ezrafaulk3076]

@@Justin-pe9cl have you *studied* their history?

[@Justin-pe9cl]

@@ezrafaulk3076 Yeah I have. What’s your point?

[@junjun_8070]

Skall: That doesn't make you a samurai... that makes you a weeb Me (a weeb): You're god damn right

[@halotrixzdj]

"I am the one who is a man of culture" -Heisenberg, maybe

[@dgalloway107]

Yeah but whose bought more japanese swords, me or skallagrim? I bought 1 and i consider myself pretty fuckin weeby. I do watch and reference anime and japanese culture, and i try to practice with that sword after learning what i can from youtube, so yeah pretty damn weeby. My point being, skall probably has more Nihon blades than my 1.

[@dgalloway107]

Its a scale

[@canadafree2087]

Oh god, you are such a weeb! 😛

[@201hastings]

You have to go through a Tom Cruise training montage first

[@kingcrab7837]

No matter how many times I sing "Diggy Diggy hole" I'll never be a real dwarf

[@ryanweible9090]

i too feel that i come up short.

[@sren5896]

Greatest lament of my life.

[@pensmith]

"Man these cookies are great. I need to bring this back home." - Viking proceeds to pick up the cook and bring them to the boat.

[@nullgravity2583]

"I used to be a viking enthusiast" he says while wearing full authentic viking gear in his house

[@starcraft2own]

I'm a huge fan of norse culture, probably because i'm scandinavian. But i'm not that big of a fan of viking culture, it's only a small subsect of norse living at the end of the day and there is so much more to the norsemen than just longships. There's a lot i want to say about this topic but i feel like Skallagrim handled it amazingly well.

[@ItsDaKoolaidDude]

Not all Norse were Vikings, but almost all Vikings were Norse. Some of them happened to have come from the Northern Coastal line across Europe, iirc

[@heinzaballoo3278]

It's also been so thoroughly propagandized by nazis that it almost feels wrong to appreciate these days.

[@eyeballpapercut4400]

Probably because he's Scandinavian too

[@TheSealerthebandit]

Your channel has certainly helped me being disillusioned by the glory of knights, vikings stuffs. And there is this appreciation for modern times the more you share about your thoughts on medieval times. There is comfort knowing that in the future, most everyday person who wouldn't look too deep into it will remember history for its goodness despite the hardship and cruelty of it all. History buff or nerd? I suppose like the truth of being a viking, it really is something in the middle. Viking aesthetics are indeed, good aesthetics :)

[@arthas640]

Same here, people tend to idealize famous warrior societies like knights, vikings, and samurai, often applying morals and ideals from centuries later to ancient groups. They also tend to forget that most warriors the world around prefer easy victories (especially if they're in it for money, land, power, or glory like most people) so they'll do anything they can to stack things in their favor, whether that means an ambush, surprise attack, using superior numbers, or anything else a sensible tactician would do. I see this a ton with modern viking romanticists who idealize the vikings as these Valkyrie and shield maiden loving feminist Robin Hoods that robbed the rich churches and nobles, loved fair fights only, and only slaughtered worthy enemies and completely glaze over the massacres, raping, pillaging, senseless destruction, and slavery as Christian propaganda even though they did this to Catholics, Orthodox, and fellow pagans including other Norse.

[@stevenschnepp576]

I can recognize the reality while also enjoying the ideal. That most knights were bastards doesn't tarnish chivalry.

[@ALPHARIUS8035]

Well said Sir! Thank you Skallagrim for keeping shit real!! Enthusiasm for a principle, even to the point of embodiment simply does not make one an actual representation of that principle. “ a samurai with no group and no horse is no samurai” -Yamamoto Tsunemtomo Side note= In thirty years of studying historical Japanese martial practice ive seen no codified ethics within the realms of Bushido or Budo. Each Han having its own expressions of virtue is one thing, but an over all unified codices is pure fantasy . I get the impression that most internet assembled martial philosophy is referencing the seven virtues of the Nabeshima, with regards the A-symmetric plats on Hakama being the only only mass adoption of codified principle. These are however more an homage to lineage rather than any adoption of personal ethics. Tnx. May your blade ever cut true.

[@C_F_M]

You can waddle like a duck, quack like a duck, you can even put on a whole duck costume, but unless you can fly and mate with ducks, I don't think you are one

[@ynpavo]

@@C_F_M hot take in this modern era

[@outstretchedwings]

A funny thing about Bushido: the earliest references of it date back to the nineteen-hundreds. Just in time for the first World War, what an amazing coincidence! The Samurai had a code of ethics, but they treated it like the Pirate Code in the Pirates of the Caribbean: just suggestions. There are *tons* of stories of battles in the Warring States Periods being won or lost because a battalion decided to defect to the other side. It wasn't until after the Tokugawa Shogunate put an end to the civil war that people started romanticizing that period, kind of in the same way there are still Southerners who wax poetic about the Lost Cause. There's a good reason why the Forty-Seven Ronin were worshipped the way they were, even though the truth is that in reality, their attack on that guy's house probably had more to do with peer pressure than any romantic ideas of loyalty to their late master.

[@benjaminparent4115]

Actually no, while it is true that the contemporary idea that people have of the Bushido is fairly recents, the term was coined before the 1900, it first appeared in text during the 1600. And frankly it is continuation and variation of various warrior and morale codes or even simply common customs that already existed within Japan. And with some of them even being aimed more toward any warrior than just samurai. Samurai also didn't had a code of ethics, they had multiple code of ethics throughout history with multiple of them existing during the same period. What was the "Bushido" ,what were the important value depended from the region ,or the clan or even the Family, and not all of the were about loyalty or honor. For example in a memoir from the 1600 we have that bit of text "A samurai cannot be called a samurai until he has changed his lords seven times." that's not exactly loyal.

[@scintillam_dei]

If anyone wants to see a massive weeb called the Megawrong I mean Metatron humiliated, see my video "A conquistador refutes the 'Metatron' on Samurais VS Spaniards."

[@akumabakemono1447]

@@scintillam_dei No hispanista pelotudo: jamás existió tal cosa como "españoles derrotando a samurais", deja de repetir boludeces. Y no, Metatron no es un weeb de lo japonés: es un fanático de la Europa Antigua, la Medieval y por supuesto del Antiguo Japón. Deja de decir boludeces por el amor de Dios que nos dejas mal parados a todos.

[@scintillam_dei]

@@akumabakemono1447 Mi vídeo demostrando que los españoles venciron a los samuráis sigue intacto después de tu opinión basura que es como si te hubieras tirado un pedo por el mismo nivel de falta de lógica. Huir de mis argumentos no los derrota, cobarde. :-) Actúas poderoso cuando eres un tigre de papel. Cometes la falacia de dicotomía falsa afirmando que un weeb tiene que amar solamente al Japón pero no es necesario. Uno puede ser fanático del Imperio mongol y del Imperio japonés a la vez, por ejemplo, como algunos asiáticos racistas contra los europeos. Megawrong fue destruido en mi vídeo, y tú no lo has podido salvar. Tú eres una desgracia, y perteneces en una jaula por tóxico irracional que eres.

[@akumabakemono1447]

@@scintillam_dei ¿Cuántas veces habrá que explicarles a ustedes, los hispanistas con pérdida de masa ensefálica, que los españoles no se enfrentaron a samurais sino a wakkos? "filsi dicotimia" jajaja claro que no retrasadín: vos muy bien sabes que weeb se usa para hablar de los fanboys específicos de los japos, esos que creen que no hay nada mejor que lo que viene de Japón en el tópico del que se esté hablando (historia, artes marciales, actualidad, etc). Por eso Metatron no es un weeb. Dale, segui ladrando boludín, segui repitiendo bulos hechos por un par de hispanistas que "aman" tanto lo hispánico, que tienen que inventar mentiras para "elevar" lo hispánico... mentiras innecesarias porque lo hispánico YA ESTÁ elevado, no necesita mentiras de tarados como vos.

[@Diogolindir]

You are one of the few content creators in this type of field that I still really like. Great vid

[@Skallagrim]

Thanks!

[@mateuszjokiel2813]

Yeah I'd grown disillusioned with a lot of them over the years as well. For a lot of reasons really. Not Skall, he's a genuinely positive guy whose comtent I really like.

[@PsychicAlchemy]

There's nothing stopping you from raiding in the modern day. Don't let your dreams be dreams!

[@JonBrownSherman]

Except guns. Guns can stop you.

[@adrianodealmeidamarcato815]

@@JonBrownSherman If you are KIA you go to Valhalla

[@whyjay9959]

Hey, pirates are still around. And they could use someone who knows what military ships look like.

[@planescaped]

Southeast Asia would probably be a good place to start. Lots of rural coastal settlements, few(er) guns, opportunity for plunder abounds if you enjoy coconuts.

[@danielcox7629]

We have them every summer in the USA.

[@franktower9006]

The last time I tried to rob a monastery, people did't take kindly to it. Also, it would take a flood of biblical proportions for me to travel around in a dragon ship.

[@Griff1011]

"An undercut is NOT viking." As a history nerd with nearly the exact haircut in the image shown at that point, as well as a beard, people coming up to me saying "you look so viking!" has become my bane. I generally just assume it's a compliment and move on.

[@ZagorTeNayebo]

If anything it's a hitler youth haircut(if kept shorter obviously) but who cares about actual history when tv can just do whatever

[@dasfowler]

This. I got an undercut because I have too much hair for me to keep it all long, but I get "Ragnar!" yelled at me once a week and i have to politely smile and internally cringe.

[@Marmurienna]

Undercut may not be Viking, but it is quite similar to Polish 'czupryna' or Cossac's 'osełedec'. Czupryna was Polish noble haircut in middle ages and it's style evolved quite much within time.

[@johnnymo4000]

For me even as a child and teen I had shaved sides and what I considered a long Mohawk with braids. After I got out of the military I went back to that, and just like you I face that issue on a daily basis. I've never watched any shows because I don't typically watch TV, it certainly gets annoying. I'm of Nordic/Celtic descent and it's possible some shaved their heads who knows for sure, I've just also done it because I like it. 🤷

[@Theduckwebcomics]

@@Marmurienna That's what I was going to say. 😁 Though I had zero idea of the terms. I just know the as Cossack and Polish hairstyles, probably Hungarian too.

[@ricksandstorm]

I'm Scandinavian and some of us are the "Modern Vikings". We go abroad to work at some Scandinavian company within a country that exploits the taxing laws (Online casino industry in Malta, Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Ireland etc) which essentially steals resources from the locals and usually only benefits the rich (similar to how kings could justify making taxes higher to "fight off the vikings"). We spend every weekend drinking heavily and a lot of us end up finding a partner abroad that we bring home once we get tired of the lifestyle.

[@shirohige291]

If you can't deadlift 300kg natural you are no modern viking, you would be a trader

[@ricksandstorm]

@@shirohige291 Do you even law of Jante?

[@coppertopv365]

@@shirohige291 661+LB would prevent the amount of norsemen we hear of that went Viking. 600lb lifting is beyond what most anyone can do. Once upon a time, years ago, I lifted just over 220lbs & not many normal people can do that, and I cant now.

[@scintillam_dei]

Vikings: epic creationists (who raped). Modern Scandies: disgraceful crypto-racist macro-evolutionists (who invite Islam to rape).

[@dingolightfoot8823]

@@shirohige291 there were skinny vikings back then...

[@baxskopog2375]

of course you can, all it takes is already being a viking in the viking age and then sail into a temporal anomaly that brings you into modern times

[@solsikkeridderuhyre5172]

You had me in the first sentence, I was almost so triggered. 😂

[@fipeke]

Interesting video and entirely agreeable. I'm a Scandinavian from a region previously occupied by both Denmark and Sweden many times back and forth, and I have a tattoo of that raven you carry on your shield that in my own interpretation represents Odin's raven Munin. The tattoo has a danish hymn in younger futhark written around it, which reads "I dreamt myself a dream last night, of silk and fair pelt". As such the tattoo is a representation of the memories I have, and because of my patriotic nature for this region, it also represents the region's history. No doubt I'm a fair bit interested in North Germanic history, but I would never like to call myself a sort of modern day viking. There's so much more to this piece of history than the vikings. (Edit: Spelling)

[@RhiannonSenpai]

So are you Swedish or Danish? Estonian? Norwegian? Finnish?

[@fipeke]

​@@RhiannonSenpai Estonia and Finland aren't Scandinavian but I'm Swedish.

[@RhiannonSenpai]

@@fipeke If you ask them I think they would call themselves "Scandinavian".

[@fipeke]

@@RhiannonSenpai There's a problem with that though. Seeing as the word "Scandinavia" originated from the word germanic word "Skaðan-awjō", a name given to the region of Scania (my home region which I mentioned in my original comment) literally means "Dangerous/Bad Islands" These islands are the ones in the Baltic Strait, Kattegatt and Skagerrak - a region surrounded by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Scandinavia is a geographical region, not an identity. Finland is however part of Fennoscandia, a region including Finland but excluding Denmark, as it refers to the Scandes mountain range going through Norway, Sweden and Finland. Estonia though is not part of any of these whatsoever. (Edit: Spelling)

[@RhiannonSenpai]

@@fipeke Maybe because Estonia is considered Northern European or at least wants to be part of that category?

[@avirti]

I think the romanticised vision of a badass warrior living by the sword or axe like the vikings, knights or samurai of old appeals to a great many of us, the desire to prove ones strength, courage and honour runs deep in a lot of people as is the desire to leave some sort of mark on history or the world, its a primal human instinct, which has lead to a lot of the heinous shit that has been committed and recorded thoughout our history. Many of us think we would have liked to have lived in the times of vikings or other warriors, while often forgetting that those times really sucked and the lives of those we admire from history were often brutal, painful and short.

[@arthas640]

Agreed. People tend to idealize famous warrior societies like knights, vikings, and samurai, often applying morals and ideals from centuries later to ancient groups. They also tend to forget that most warriors the world around prefer easy victories (especially if they're in it for money, land, power, or glory like most people) so they'll do anything they can to stack things in their favor, whether that means an ambush, surprise attack, using superior numbers, or anything else a sensible tactician would do. I see this a ton with modern viking romanticists who idealize the vikings as these Valkyrie and shield maiden loving feminist Robin Hoods that robbed the rich churches and nobles, loved fair fights only, and only slaughtered worthy enemies and completely glaze over the massacres, raping, pillaging, senseless destruction, and slavery as Christian propaganda even though they did this to Catholics, Orthodox, and fellow pagans including other Norse. Knights were similarly idealized, often people view ancient warrior knights of the early medieval and high middle ages with ideals from Chivalry orders that were from the late medieval and early modern period, which were from centuries later and had a completely different purpose.

[@mateuszjokiel2813]

And then you get severe trauma from killing a person, have your hand chopped off, nearly die of blood loss, shock and excruciating pain, get an infection and die feverish and delirious; unless you kick the bucket because you got the flu, of course. Good times, those were.

[@indrickboreale7381]

People expect to die in battle, only to lie on a battlefield with festering wounds beyond salvation

[@pepper5128]

I hate it when people say "those times really sucked." The truth is that every time sucks for somebody somewhere; bad things happened then, bad things happen now. That's not to say I'm not aware that people idealize the past. Yes, being a Knight or a Viking or whatever was probably not sunshine and rainbows, but neither is being a soldier today. War is as hellish as it's always been, if not more so with the advent of firearms and bombs, people still suffer famines and mass deaths, tragedies surround us still. I could find many examples of people who suffered tremendously both in the past and the present, just like I'm sure I could find many examples of people who've led good, long, and satisfying lives throughout history. Overemphasizing the negatives is no better than overemphasizing the positives imho.

[@ColoradoStreaming]

The funny thing is its usually young Men with something to prove. Once you get married and have a family you have a new veneration for all the farmers, fisherman and hunters who toiled and worked to make a life for their children.

[@aethelstan3279]

I think that ultimately, if you get to a point where your hobby becomes your personality it speaks to something missing from somewhere else in your life and might be a cause for some introspection and self care. Good video this.

[@functionatthejunction]

Bull-loney. Nothing wrong with defining yourself as your hobby. Thats kinda the point of having one.

[@nintilla9973]

I feel so called out

[@JohnnyYeTaecanUktena]

Something missing? like what? what if someone already has the cost of living taken care of? Should they just work more jobs so their hobby won't become their life?

[@Bentfrombeyond]

I would never claim to be a modern viking, but I love the aesthetics, the forms of language all across Europe from that time, the history for good or ill. I have German and Danish ancestry and will always love learning about both more modern history and the tribal cultures. I appreciate your honesty here :)

[@mateuszjokiel2813]

A lot of the aesthetic is a kind of modern mythology though. It's fantastic, don't get me wrong; I got a bloody tissue box and jewelry case with runes and stereotypically "Viking" symbols because the general ideas behind these native faiths really resonate with me and it's just so god damn cool. But the modern idea of "Viking aesthetic" doesn't really hold up to real history's damp, smokey interiors and sleeping next to goats as a slave to warm yourself during winter.

[@farothorma774]

As a french history nerd, i often explain the term "viking" by saying "it's like a verb", pointing out other verbs, like shopping (the "ing" ending helps french people to get it, i think). "You go shopping, trading, raiding, you go viking."

[@Pyxis10]

Does that mean the singular is vike?

[@ClemDiamond]

Not completly true. It's more close to an activity, as the sentence found in sources is "fara i viking". The word viking translates to shore/coast fighter, so the sentence meant "to go *as* viking. So in your example it would mean to go as a shopper, trader, raider... But even the fighter side of it isn't really true. Vikings used to trade quite a lot, in fact they traded more than they raided and once they occupied some places like Northern England they traded with locals. So vikings are a lot more like pirates than anything. The ing at the end of a verb is 100% an anglo-saxon thing, not at all present in old norse verbs. It is though in the ceremonial assembly of the people where they voted laws and important decisions (at least we have proof of this in Iceland), that was called the "Althing" which probably had influence in the english language : althing -> all thing, the thing that concerns us all or the thing where we decide all. Which is amusing when you know latin and that res publica (republic) has litteraly the same meaning.

[@meginna8354]

@@ClemDiamond Viking only meant raid/raider. Or the actual words Víking, Víkingr meaning raid and raider.

[@Sigurd-ue1vh]

Viking is not a verb and it has never been one in both English and any past and present Scandinavian language. In Old Norse there are two "viking" words and both are nouns. There's the grammatically masculine "víkingr" which means "a pirate" and the grammatically feminine "víking" which means "a piratical raid".

[@meginna8354]

@@Sigurd-ue1vh It does not mean voyage, it only means raiding.

[@FromAgonyToLight]

It’s official, Skall’s channel is a philosophical one!

[@notsobadbones]

Always has been

[@marocat4749]

He was even having political rants before, well online, politics, why he wants toavoid them really. But philosophical too certainly, and beardcare. yyou seen his othr channel about ramblings, thats nothing but that, mostly.

[@clucknbell4613]

Filosofem I'd say

[@nathandc]

In the immortal words of Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins... "Please do not attempt to cloud the issue with facts!" :-) Yet another great video!!

[@hideus_ex9222]

- "I just think that might make you a bit of an edgelord". *Varg Vikernes has entered the chat*

[@mediacenter3592]

It was nice to hear this take on things. I have met far too many folks who idolize the viking lifestyle. They look at it through rose coloured glasses and romanticize it as you describe. It's honestly a bit cringey watching people try and frame their life through a lens of "we need to return to our past"... what they mean is they want to live in a fantasy of romanticized history and pretend they're the actors they watch on drama's from the History channel. Honestly, the amount of times I've been told, "you need to reject the modern world and embrace the way of the old tribes" by goofs trying to pretend they're a "modern day warrior fighting for and reliving the past" is worrying at best. No, you don't want to live in the past. You have taken for granted all the positives of our modern society and only think that cause you like dressing up and pretending you're a viking. I get the need for escapism, it has been a common behaviour throughout history to avoid the harshness of life, but some of this role play goes a tad too far in my opinion. Sometimes you have to grow up and accept the world for what it really is, not pretend it's something it cannot be and never was.

[@isayahsnow2767]

Just take those people and throw them into the wild without modern medicine and amenities where they're tasked to farm, hunt, build their own shelters, etc and see if they really want to return to the past. They'll realize really fast that most people just worked daily to even see the next day and didn't have the time to romanticize themselves lol.

[@schlepedits7486]

@@isayahsnow2767 I actually desire such a lifestyle. The ultra convince and ease of modern life leads to depression in modern man since all our work is now arbitrary.

[@isayahsnow2767]

@Schlep Edits Yeah? So why are you online right now? Don't desire, just make it happen.

[@schlepedits7486]

@@isayahsnow2767 I'm working on it. It takes years of preparation and practice to flourish in true wilderness.

[@AnotherDuck]

@@isayahsnow2767 Actually, people back in the old days did have a surprising amount of free time. Enough to enjoy stories about heroes and adventures. But it wasn't exactly glamourous, and people don't tend to romanticise their own lifestyle. Romanticising is what you do with things you know enough to wish for, but not enough to know why that's probably a bad idea.

[@glishev]

Can you be a Norse Neo-Pagan? Yes. Can you be a good Old Norse historical renactor? Yes. Can you be a pirate on the sea? Not so easy but there still are sea-pirates even today and maybe, only maybe (and I'm definitely not recommending this career choice) one could try to join them. All of this will still not make any modern person a Viking.

[@INSANESUICIDE]

What if a nordic person of pagan faith travels to ''Kievan Rus'' to fight the ''Mongols'' as a mercenary for glory and money?

[@glishev]

@@INSANESUICIDE That would be honourable albeit dangerous. Still, there are people of many faiths and none joining brave Ukrainians in their fight for freedom right now.

[@INSANESUICIDE]

@@glishev I think you misunderstood my point, I am aware there are people from all faiths and creeds there, when I was there in 2018 we had Russian Orthodox and Chechnyan muslims, American Evangelicals and a Norwegian Pagan. My point was if you check off this list, doesn't that count as viking behaviour?

[@ColoradoStreaming]

@@INSANESUICIDE You can always volunteer to fight in Ukraine.

[@INSANESUICIDE]

@@ColoradoStreaming You are over half a decade late with that comment, already been there and done that, I am now a family man, otherwise I would have gone back when the conflict reignited.

[@Neiot]

Heeyy. Thanks for the insightful rant, I liked listening to ya. As much as I genuinely like the Vikings show, I do gotta remind myself that it's fantastical in more ways than one. It's got great characters played by even greater actors, so I admire it for its talent and dedication. I am, however, guilty of believing one way or another that some of the tools, clothing, armor, and all that fluff used in the show were historically accurate, but I'm willing to scrutinize it, too. I know (now) it's not historically accurate. A lot of the Vikings show's aesthetic draws to the the Rule of Cool, I think. Apart from the Vikings show, I like Viking aesthetic, but I also like a lot of the kind of rustic aesthetic of cultures with similar technology. The "Haida" tribe of the Pacific Northwest is a good example. Native American and Viking culture have quite a lot in common in terms of art and music, in my opinion.

[@itsapittie]

When people see me in a kilt, they often ask if I'm Scottish. I usually say, "I'm Scottish by heritage." I also carry Norse genes (graciously distributed among the ladies of northern Scotland, no doubt) and I commemorate aspects of that culture as well. I don't think anyone alive today can really claim to be a Viking and it's probably most accurate to say we commemorate and celebrate the nobler aspects of that heritage. That said, I'm not going to stop wearing Viking-themed silver beads in my beard. 😝

[@harrydupuis3102]

Me and my wife did some DNA tests. As it turns out she MAY have blood ties to ancient vikings. Ironically, I have heritage linking me to ancient Scots responsible for driving the Vikings OUT of Scotland. 🤷‍♂️

[@gaarik]

As both a polytheist working with Northern European deities and a geek/weeb/etc.: This is why I'm glad I didn't come to heathenry through wanting to be a Viking. I think I would have been incredibly disappointed when I finally realized what was going on. Of course, my edgelord phase was completely consumed in NERO and Vampire/Werewolf/Mage LARP, and that comes with its own barrel of worms. In any case, it's a video worth sharing. Thanks for making it!

[@AR15andGOD]

No evidence of your gods though, whereas I have plenty of evidence for mine, including the universe itself which is not past eternal which means no paganism. Isaiah 53, read it sometime

[@gaarik]

@@AR15andGOD Pfft, I can do that, too. You say I have no evidence for my Gods without knowing me, my evidence, or my experiences. Hávamál 26-27, read it sometime.

[@Supermanrs]

​@@gaarikas a fellow pagan that follow both the Norse and Celtic traditions. I to am glad that I didn't get into the Norse tradition to be a viking. I also find it absolutely funny when Christians want to play stupid games and say that we have no evidence of your gods. They act as if they all have Jesus phone number or something like that. Anyway from one pagan to another blessed be and stay safe.

[@ColoradoStreaming]

@@Supermanrs "There is no evidence of your gods but we blindly follow a book saying God sent one guy down to Earth to save humanity and everyone who didnt get a chance to listen to him is going to hell. Also all your pagan celebrations are our holidays now..." -Christians

[@Supermanrs]

@ColoradoStreaming Right, I mean there's plenty of books and writings that talk about the old ways. Not to mention that paganism was the dominant spiritual practice for thousands of years. Before the Abrahamic religions were introduced. I am not saying that everyone has to be a pagan. But for me personally, paganism has always been a better fit than the Abrahamic religions.

[@ElvenFruitcake]

I love being told a modern Viking doesn't exist while watching a modern man wearing Viking armour, it seems so perfect somehow x

[@conradmcdaniel8407]

Proving his own point

[@Chraan]

Yeah, people just are whatever they dress up as. I know for a fact that Tifa from some game is a real person and exists multiple times because I definitely saw her, her and her at the Gamescom.

[@lustrazor44]

Scandinavian armor

[@athenassigil5820]

And with the name of Skallagrim! Its like being lectured to by your goth dad not to wear eye liner! Lol!

[@SwedishEmpire1700]

Same with men dressing up as women thinking they are women LOL

[@alexmetea3586]

This was among your best videos, and I haven’t seen one I haven’t liked. For many reasons we are fascinated by warrior cultures of the past. Sometimes we gloss over the awful things that such people did, or the nuances to their lives. Really you’ve already said it all better than I can in a comment, so I’ll stop now. Well done!

[@Tadicuslegion78]

Me: We're going Viking! Them: To do what? Me: Viking! We're going to raid the Student Loan Companies and erase everyone's debts! *blows horn and starts rowing ship down the street*

[@giantdad1661]

Lmaooo let's do it

[@balsamon69]

Yes please i'm down Hold on, i just gotta wait for my mum to reply, i asked if she will let me use my viking period accurate katana

[@aragorn1780]

I would gladly go to Valhalla for this! 😆

[@danielcox7629]

Yes, down with the federal reserve!

[@babyramses5066]

That's a raid I can get behind lol

[@alexeyeliseev6322]

Thank you for covering yet another interesting topic, Scal

[@parttimesaint3165]

I live in Scandinavia and I consider myself to have Viking blood... which I simply boil down to an extra tolerance to the cold weathers. That's it.

[@TheBaconWizard]

What makes you think you have Viking blood rather than Norse or Scandinavian blood?

[@ImperatorNocturne]

nah, that´s just your high blood pressure.

[@parttimesaint3165]

@@TheBaconWizard It's just a light-hearted joke. Nothing to take seriously.

[@elsullo2]

Don't forget the Aquavit or the Vodka in your blood for cold weather!.......................elsullo

[@NMahon]

A viking who stayed at home is no viking at all 😉

[@anonymousthesneaky220]

For a response to a romanticized paragraph from a Webshop, this was very profound. I definitely agree that, while each individual and each culture is extremely variable, we are all just people worrying ti achieve our own hopes and dreams. There are plenty of aweful occurrences, but also plenty of beautiful and great things in the world as well. It was very relaxed and discussion based, and I really enjoyed this as an analytical view in the world.

[@jmack5363]

The 7 core army values. Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage

[@Frostgnaw]

Olaf from League of Legends is what got me into loving vikings. I know the whole aesthetic is false and whatnot, but I loved the whole "berserker who refuses to die" thing. The axes are also one of my favorite parts of his entire character. The Might of Lokfar approaches.

[@neilerator]

This disillusionment is very interesting in and of itself. I am now studying history (and English) for three and a half years and have learned a lot that diminshes that romantic view you have especially of knights and so on. At the same time, I can't help but like these romantic views as well. In Germany, where I live, we have a lot of "Mittelaltermärkte" (I believe the closest approximation is the Renaissance faire) and a lot of tourism around casltes and old towns still playing with this romantic lens. And quite frankly, I'm a sucker for the aesthetic, same goes for the viking age. My statement would be: there is certainly no harmful intention to this article from Grimfrost, quite to the contrary. If it helps some guy or girl to be more confident and a better part of society through this "advice", then so be it and good for him/her. But I can see where this may be dangerous in the sense of distorting what can be historically verified. Because of that, thanks for taking the time to make this video and clearing up some things for people, who don't necessarily study history!

[@aragorn1780]

This is something I genuinely reflected on, what I found is that "viking" is turning into a modern subculture, sure the term historically refers to a specific subset of Norsemen that doesn't apply to anybody who may identify by the term today, but the term seems to be slowly reappropriated to refer to a subcultural umbrella to include enthusiasts, reenactors, neopagans/asatru, and fans of neo-Viking/viking metal music; and again even though any historian may cringe at the colloquial use of the word viking, it's an easy term that ppl will automatically know as opposed to a more accurate "living by romantised ideals of migration era Norsemen" lol

[@danielcox7629]

Faux-viking

[@planescaped]

The rose-tinted, Viking-inspired modern subculture really does need its own name to differentiate it from the historical raider societies they're cosplaying as. A viking equivalent of weeaboo. Someone who speaks norwegeian should get on making a catchy portmanteau.

[@RaizanMedia]

Which is honestly pretty sad because it's a massive disrespect to a culture/ethnicity yet people really don't push bacl against it often.

[@leetri]

@@planescaped Vikaboo/Vikiboo

[@aragorn1780]

@@planescaped as a Swedish speaking one myself... I prefer the term "Sweaboo" thank you very much/tack så mycket! 😆

[@vaisravana2092]

SO glad you address the lack of primary source material on religion. I mean not just religion, a LOT of the culture really. People so often talk and act as if they know precisely how stuff worked, when we REALLY don't know much at all and even some of the older sources often are of poetic nature and even then often written centuries AFTER the time.

[@MrTortoise44]

Wishing you well dude. Thanks for your time as well. Have a good one!

[@bretthines1020]

Grimfrost is a neat organization with good visual production and products but it’s a Romantic one. Vikings in the Modern Age are called “Gangsters”.

[@Gr3nadgr3gory]

No, gangsters have no honor in the modern world. The mafias used to but Gangs are no better than roving bands of barbarians without ANY moral code whatsoever. Attila the hun was more honorable than any of these modern fucks.

[@Xirque666]

Grimfrost is also iwned by "Amon Amarth" 😊

[@jameswoodard4304]

Or Somali Pirates.

[@idonthaveskill5054]

I simply wish to be able to like a certain art style/aesthetic and not get called weird or whatever. Many cultures have some really cool things

[@jameswoodard4304]

No one here's calling you weird for liking viking stuff. We assume you know the difference between that and *being* a viking. Same with samurai/shinobi, Roman, and every other culture.

[@idonthaveskill5054]

@@jameswoodard4304 I just meant in general, but yea

[@August_Mannaz]

I feel the same way about history in genral, I find it better to embody the ideals of history, that's why fantasy kinda hits different

[@scrollkeeper5272]

I am always happy to learn more history from Skallagrim. These vids feel genuine and trustworthy.

[@leeisaac5716]

I see by the comments folks get it, as far as what going on viking really is; there will be consequences. I really like your take on it Skall, not that I'm an expert, often see opinions that it only applies to raiding, which I've leaned to also; but like you say, there are really not first hand records. People were slightly different back then all over the world as far as the 'right of might' goes. Awesome vid Skall, Cheers!

[@justinweatherford8129]

We do have a modern version of explorers. They would involve exploring the deep ocean or outer space.

[@edgarburlyman738]

Hey fun fact, this day in history some Norwegian in a besieged castle sniped the Swedish king Carolus Rex, right through the temple too.

[@cadethumann8605]

BTW, do you think you could discuss about women in feudal times like their roles, activities, struggles, and other things? For example, what they did during seiges on their settlements.

[@farothorma774]

As a french history nerd, i often explain the term "viking" by saying "it's like a verb", pointing out other verbs, like shopping (the "ing" ending helps french people to get it, i think. "You go shopping, trading, raiding, you go viking."

[@Pablo668]

Yeah I'm with you on this. It's good to have an interest in what people of the past did with their time, and to identify with them to an extent is only natural, but it's best to have an accurate picture on who they were. Be it a Samurai, Viking, Knight or whatever, there were people who tried to live up to the ideal of the time, and there were plenty who could be a part of any of those groups who didnt, or were in fact the complete opposite.

[@corytucker6668]

Im descended from norse vikings from the Orkney Islands from my paternal grandfathers. Our Ydna matches mostly with Eastern norway, orkney, outer hebrides, and isle of man. I consider myself being norse descent, and I celebrate our traditions but I dont consider myself a vikingr. The closest I get to raiding is raiding my family's fridges for beer 🍺

[@harrydupuis3102]

That ALMOST counts. If it's your neighbor's fridge you fit the bill

[@johnnymo4000]

At least you are raiding for the finest goods.

[@NUCLEARxREDACTED]

You make a great point about how what people think of a samurai ethics are also Viking ethics which are knight ethics. What people admire is warriors. One could say that's the idealized version of modern day war veterans, brave and courageous, fighting for the good of all back at home. What people really admire about Vikings, is their warrior culture. The same reason people love and respect the Spartans. People just like warriors, and for good reason. They have been the people throughout history that facilitate peoples being able to live the lifestyles they lived.

[@piotrwegrzyniak5798]

The problem with war veterans are one: they're not exotic enough; two: if Vikings pillage a village they are cool warriors and on top of that they show those pity Christians their place. Meanwhile, when modern soldiers pillage a village they are war criminals

[@samamies88]

In my social bubbles other viking related things are shared as well. Like womens role in viking society (which am not sure how coherent it was.. there were some female leaders but do we know how liked or popular they were? and even if females got some power and intependence in few towns does it mean whole nordic viking area had same rights?). Thats one of the many non-warrior related ideologies shared in viking context in some groups in finland. I still think that you are mostly right - most viking enthusiacs admire the warrior parts. But no, not everyone.

[@jnzupka]

Technically yes, Since the word just means someone who goes on a voyage

[@acemarvel1564]

True

[@unshackledjester]

Go on a voyage, end on a pillage. You're not really a viking unless you sack a village.

[@Spider-Man2094]

Viking comes from the Anglo Saxon word Vikingr which means pirate. So unless you plan on a life of piracy sit your trailer pagan ass down.

[@CodyHomes]

Well, In U.S. country, I can be a Privateer, Bounty Hunter, Mercenary, and explorer. Thus living and working a couple of Viking ideals. But does that make me a modern Vinland Viking?

[@stevenwarnock2334]

You've pretty much spoken my mind, young man. I'll often find myself telling people "Viking" is a job description, not a nationality.

[@brianedwards7142]

We have large corvids called magpies in Australia (but they aren't related to European Magpies except they are both in corvidae but I digress) and when they are nesting they can and do attack passersby in the suburbs and have done serious scalp damage to kids etc. Anyway, people were attaching cable ties to their bike helmets with the tails poking straight up. I made "seagull's wings" from white packing straps and attached them to my helmet referring to myself as a "Biking". 🤣

[@LC-th3mi]

The closest I've come to going viking is when I messaged my friends suggesting going hiking but made a typo.

[@ignatiusartistry]

I can definitely relate to the removal of rose tinted glasses when it comes to how the society of Vikings actually was, and also the learning of what was false about modern media representations and what has been misinterpreted. In my Fiction Writing class, we had to write a story about anything we wanted. I originally wanted to do a time travel thing from future to the Viking age but I decided to simplify it and just create a story in the Viking age; the end to be exact. In efforts to 'educate' my classmates, without being rude or coming off as arrogant, I made sure to never refer to the Norse characters as Vikings but rather as Norsemen, Clan members, brothers, etc. and refer to their activity as a 'viking'. Once you do know how they actually were, it's hard to make them seem sympathetic (or at least not hated) during a raid, so I decided to make the raid one of desperation and ultimately, one where no common citizens were hurt. The time period was when the battle of Stamford happened and I twisted it so that this particular band hit a town while the battle was happening so that they could restock for their homeland. The town ended up being deserted when they got there and was actually a trap that had troops from Godwinson's army. I never put in the story how the army knew of the raid to this particular town though, lol. I specifically put the setting as when many historians agree was 'the end of the viking age', when Hardrada was defeated, so that it added more to the desperate feeling. Could be wrong about the historical information in this comment. Used to be huge into ancient history years ago but I have forgotten a lot and did minimal research when writing the story. Not entirely sure why I made this comment other than to just introduce ways I used to correct misconceptions by not using them and using the real history, at least what we know. Many of my classmates said they learned something and/or appreciated the use of actual history and correct use of terms. Again, minimal research on my part and reliance on years old info in my head, so grains of salt probably needed.

[@thecrookedskull]

Very well put, exactly how I feel about vikings, samurai, etc., pretty much all these "heroic" peoples throughout history. The way people glorify, or so I would say "hipsterize" these cultures nowadays is super cringe, all the more that all their knowledge is based on tv shows and ubisoft games.

[@jakemcnamee9417]

I would say be both Scandinavian and a pirate. They don't seem to be doing any piracy anymore but if a bunch of Norwegians were going to go out raiding from boats then they'd be Vikings.

[@andrewprahst]

I agree. I think even a non-Scandinavian. could be one if their raiding style was like a viking

[@Mara999]

I've had a lot of fun imagining the troubles of hypothetical modern-day vikings, living in modern-day Scandinavia, having to sign lots of complex forms for tax returns and permits and such. :P

[@functionatthejunction]

"Rothgar, can we deduct the repairs to long ship from our yearly pillage-earnings?" "I dont know Snorri, I'm still trying to figure out this chart for tributes to the local Jarl's retirement fund."

[@Mara999]

@@functionatthejunctionYeah, imagine how tough it would be to do all the paper-work necessary for a private enterprise like this. The government would be breathing down their necks constantly. Have you filled the correct form for pillaging a monastery, including an estimate of silverware, in grams (g)? You didn't forget to apply for the permits needed to sell slaves, did you?

[@functionatthejunction]

@@Mara999 Monty Python presents "Aulric the Auditor"

[@jethrobradley7850]

Sometimes when I go to IKEA I ignore the signs and I strike out across the store on my own. Often without a modern compass

[@AnotherDuck]

Do you at least bring a backpack with two to three days worth of food?

[@jethrobradley7850]

@@AnotherDuck Of course. Herring mainly. Salted and pickled. In fact It was my supply of herring which enabled the police rescue dogs to locate me when I got lost in the home lighting section.

[@jetshadowcrow]

Thank you for yet another great video. There are so many things to say on the " Samurai code", which is actually the Bushido Code. Metatron might have a longer way to explain it. In any case, I am in the same mind set as you. Keep up the ranting.

[@PaleoAnalysis]

I know someone who needs to see this.

[@riverraven7359]

Speaking as someone who has A) sailed overseas for adventure B) thrown an axe C) used a sword in real threat situations D) wandered around in chainmail to avoid being asked for ID I SAY YOU CAN

[@namethan9742]

You NEED to elaborate on C and D lmao

[@jaraskur]

@@namethan9742 Absolutely, you can‘t just say that and leave us hanging

[@riverraven7359]

@@namethan9742 living in a shitty area I had four home invasions in four years. Shot a crossbow at the first, theatrically sharpened a hatchet as the second climbed through my kitchen window, third and forth barged in as I was polishing and sharpening a very real sword and got charged. No injuries or fatalities as the burglars shit themselves and ran. Returning from jorvik Viking festival wearing chainmail, a vendel helmet , 30 inch shield, seax and throwing axe. Took the train after being in several pubs. Mysteriously never got asked to show ID or train tickets.

[@jaraskur]

@@riverraven7359 That is quite badass indeed. Just have to imagine breaking into someones home, just to see them sharpening their axe smirking at you, just waiting 😂😂 (Edit: Spelling)

[@Poeneutral]

If everything on Earth has already been explored... Then I guess it's time to go Viking to space.

[@firestorm165]

Or the sea floor

[@cadethumann8605]

Hey, Skall. Do you think you could talk about the human/moral characteristics of other warriors like knights and samurai? You know, like their characteristics strengths, flaws, etc.? One thing I am most curious about is whether there are known individuals who can be considered morally upstanding (being altruistic in helping others, being against unnecessary violence, fighting only in self-defense, etc.).

[@masonclark9110]

Especially samurai I’ve studied so many years on samurai never ever knew how inaccurate Hollywood and games are honour? In there own ways I suppose but at the same time if they felt like it they could go to a Criminal and kill him to see how sharp his sword is 🤣🤣

[@cadethumann8605]

@@masonclark9110 Well, I don't mind the whole executing criminal part to test sharpness as the notorious man was set for capital punishment anyway (and from what I gather, they are beheaded first and then chopped to pieces). HOWEVER, I am disturbed if the idea of cutting down a defenseless peasant over a petty perception of an insult. If I was a privileged warrior, I'd just shrug and walk away. Still, it makes wonder if there were individuals like samurai jack in terms of altruism and empathy.

[@kingkapybara9964]

@cadethumann8605 People are a mixed bag. There were good people who picked the sword and bad people who picked the sword. You shouldn't expect a warrior to be as morally upholding as a monk though.

[@cadethumann8605]

@@kingkapybara9964 I guessed that. I always doubted that every single warrior was a heartless, bloodthirsty POS. The thing is, I wish to find a real story of human decency by those who wielded great power with great responsibility. I like to look back and be inspired as a person. So far, the closest I get to a noble knight is Balian of Ibelin, who stayed in Jerusalem to protect the people despite having a deal with the Saladin to leave. With samurai, my best is a vague description that Seven Samurai was based off of ronin defending villages in exchange for lodging.

[@masonclark9110]

@@cadethumann8605 yeah I do agree but I’m not sure they where always beheaded and yeah stuff like killing a peasant for which probably was barely a insult

[@skaryzgik]

"I still don't know what the hell I am, and I don't care" is such a mood.

[@blaircolquhoun7780]

I read Hakon of Rogen's Saga when I was a kid. I'd heard about it on a PBS show about books called at the time Ready to Read. Then I bought it.

[@Tom-mk7nd]

My view on this is that so many people these days cling to constructed identities build from glorified archetypes of our past like you described (knights, samurai, vikings...) because they feel so lost about their modern identity. It's up to debate if this has to do with a decline in religious beliefs or simply the results of modern societies but I think it actually highlights very well the crisis in identity and the gap that was left after deconstructing previous ones. I feel like the lack of aspirations and hope in the modern western world is fuelling this phenomenon. Anyway, my take on it.

[@JamesRDavenport]

Thing is, we humans have always done this. You had Romans in the late Empire trying to remember their glorious past. Even in the late Republic they turned Sparta into what modern Virginia did with Colonial Williamsburg so they could revel in Greek living history. Heck, what we know as Bushido was just late technically "Samurai" guys trying to remember the glory days of their long dead ancestors because they couldn't win battle glories of their own. The cycle keeps repeating and probably always will.

[@bloodleader5]

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times. (We are here.)

[@johnjordan211]

@@bloodleader5 made shit up.

[@bloodleader5]

@@johnjordan211 I can smell the soy on you.

[@bretthines1020]

You’ve now indirectly convinced me to buy a Norman Spangelhelm. Love your Late Norse Helm

[@bretthines1020]

I reached a point in the series “Vikings” where the behavior of the characters was so reprehensible I stopped caring what happened to them. While the brutality was realistic for the era, I didn’t care to watch it happen. Treacherous pirates always get a civilization’s best headlines.

[@JP-mz8xd]

I completely agree! I think the idea of a person wanting to embody the warrior ideal makes more sense as the traits listed apply to most warrior cultures (as you mentioned).

[@SaganTheKhajiit]

That's why my way to put it in words is exactly as you said: the warrior ideal. I'm not trying to be a modern viking/samurai/knight/what have you. I just think that the ideals from those cultures are something to live by, but not the cultures themselves. It's true that everybody with a soul value those traits naturally, between valuing them and actively trying to live by them there's a whole other step. But, as Skallagrim also mentioned: this doesn't make me special in any way. It's just one form to explain my lifestyle without getting too much into it, and a part of this lifestyle involves respecting everybody else's lifestyle. Also I'm absolutely not gonna walk around with a sword or do anything that has no need in the modern times, specially if it can get me arrested.

[@cousinjohnny6584]

I would say it's more about the aesthetics, because following values that make you a good person is universal

[@kevlarburrito6693]

In a society where everyone thinks everything they do is "a war" and they are "warriors" (as a veteran, no, none of you are), I agree with you You can live by standards, that doesn't make you something. A cancer patient is not a warrior, or a knight, or a viking, or whatever, they're just a cancer patient. They can still display courage, and bravery, but having cancer does not suddenly qualify you as a Dark Age explorer and raider...

[@stevenschnepp576]

Hey, buddy, some of us fought in the ninth crusade.

[@nitrocharge2404]

Being Norwegian is enough for me, don't need to be a viking

[@ElShogoso]

I'm usually fine with the idea of using words like "viking" as a nickname of sorts, or as sort of an aesthetic. Not my case (and I actually could have viking ancestors to some distant degree, I don't trust my family tree 100% tho), but I understand that. For example, like some metal bands do. That goes a LONG way from actually unironically believing you are a modern day viking. That idea is pretty cringe to me. The samurai example is funny too, because I have met someone who Studied the Blade (trademark), as in, actually took kenjutsu lessons and the other stuff they teach along with it (like flower arrangements and shit), and he cringes hard at the idea of calling himself a samurai. He serves no shogun after all, he doesn't come from a samurai family, he just likes the culture.

[@ArchDudeify]

Perfect sponsor & read As usual, nice breakdown of ideas

[@boejiden1415]

You can sure as hell be a Somali pirate tho argh 🏴‍☠️

[@J-IFWBR]

Step1: go to somalia to join pirates... Step2: those pirates you tried to join, take you hostage immediately. Step3: The government of your homecountry pays 1 milllion to ransom you out. Step4: You get flown back home. Step5: repeat: Step204: Realize your plan is flawed.

[@boejiden1415]

@@J-IFWBR oh no you got me all wrong I’m not joining im going to start my own pirate crew wanna be my cabin boy? 😉

[@oz_jones]

@@boejiden1415 look at me, im the captain now

[@boejiden1415]

@@oz_jones argh there be a mutiny aboard my fine ship

[@robertharris6092]

@@J-IFWBR you gotta get a machinegun and raid the pirates and local towns.

[@Mad-Cat_Dan]

For those who think the Samurai were always honourable and heroic I recommend looking up "Tsujigiri".

[@aragorn1780]

also the war crimes committed during the Imjin War in Korea ;)

[@darkdwarf007]

I mean, any sane human understands that all those codes of honor were never followed by the letter, with varying degree

[@CromCruachTheElderK]

Apart from that I think nobody believes such a diverse group of people as an entire warrior class consisted of 100% good folk, Tsujigiri was never really condoned, probably rare and mostly only appeared within a 140 year period.

[@bretthines1020]

My Family is Hiberno-Norse so I went through my Viking Period before going through my Irish Republican Army Period - lol. Killers are glorified in our civilization but Good People grow out of it. I wholeheartedly agree with and support your opinion. Love the channel! I bought a Windlass Classic Medieval Sword based on your videos. Also, I grew up with a tough kid named “Tor Swanson” such it was trash can lids and wooden survey stake swords for me.

[@CommissarMoody1]

You need to go thru your Galloglass, and Kern period next. 😁

[@Shadowy-Gnome]

You cant tell me what to do! I am gonna go on Valheimn eight now and be a modern viking! I cannot be stopped!🧙‍♂

[@קעז-מענטש]

I love raiding small Caribbean nations in cool wooden boats, I am literally a modern Viking.

[@sgorgardr227]

I had the same thing growing up. I call it viking-weaboo. This is very right topic you're bringing. Only that we should not just judge people at that times like that, although those monks seem to had same standarts and taught exactly that.

[@randomprimarissalamander8735]

I guess the closest you can be is more modern norse and appreciate the Culture of it all which is what I'm trying to do