Texan Reacts to Sabaton History-Swedish Pagans

The history behind the northern vikings and their movement into modern day eastern Europe, creating a new layout of outposts for raids and expeditions further south.
Like, Comment, Subscribe, and comment below any suggestions for future videos.
As always, go support Sabaton for the awesome content.

[@Calumetto]

I'm an old Swedish-American. Here's a Viking joke: Vikings are skirting a cliff on the way to a battle. The edge gives way under Bjorn's feet. The man is holding onto a twig 200 meters over a bed of jagged rocks. His brothers gather at the edge, unable to reach him. It's certain death. Bjorn thinks to himself that he has one chance to yell something that will be recounted around fires for a hundred years. Should it be patriotic? A call to the gods? The twig snaps and as he falls, he yells up "I bedded your wife!" Later that night, around the fire, his brothers looked at each other and said "did he mean your wife, or my wife?" The leader said "or all our wives?" They all laughed and raised horns in the name of Bjorn, who had uttered without doubt the most "Viking" thing for a man to yell when plunging to his death. Surely laughter was heard in Asgard as well and Valhalla's doors were thrown open to him. (-:

[@Headbreak1]

Apparently the Swedish Pagans joke comes from a show (which one has been lost to time and there seems to be no video from it, but definitely one from 2012) where the crowd wanted it and Thobbe Englund (who was one of the gitarrists from 2012 to 2016) joined them playing the notes despite it not being on the setlist. In the end they had to play the song and the joke was born.

[@miiah7475]

Joakim has said that he is genuinely tired of doing it all the time. It's funny because "Swedish Pagans" is all him, both music and lyrics. And I think he's said that, originally HE was the one who liked it in the band, while others were a bit unimpressed. These days it's turned around a bit, because he still wishes they would not have to do it all the time, but at the same time he's proud people love his song. And it IS a funny joking bit in a show and HE KNOWS it's going to happen, so he (and the rest of the band) make a show of his protests for the crowd.

[@rosswhite5975]

Yeah I think it's just like a running joke now that the crowd and the rest of the band want Swedish Pagans but Joachim pretends he doesn't like it. Recently at a live show they actually switched places so Tommy sung it and Joachim played guitar, which is quite fun. Classic catchy song overall.

[@rayceofhistory]

It is a catchy song. Fun and easy for the crowd to get into, especially with the beginning.

[@Sissivanska]

You're way underrated, brother. You should have hundreds of thousands of subscriptions. This is from a Finnish Defense Force Sissi-officer and Fenno-Swede by lineage. You get it. So many people don't -- even in Nordic Countries, but the reasons why is a different topic all together. Thank you for your content.

[@rayceofhistory]

I appreciate it!

[@petrisyrja-kokkila7103]

Oddly enough, Finland was not conquered by the wikings. Poor country with few citizens who mostly lived inland. To Wikings Finland was basicly just a trading place not worthy of blundering. There were couple battles though but yet again the terrain worked in our favor. Lighty armored men with bows attacted from the woods with hit and run tactics and narrow inland rivers were like the roads in winter war, trees cut in front of the boats making them stop, and again the bowmen were hiding in the riverbanks. But the wiking era itself and what they could achieve is truly impressive. I believe that nowadays it is a proven fact that wikings were in America before Columbus?

[@rayceofhistory]

Centuries before Columbus I think.

[@petrisyrja-kokkila7103]

@@rayceofhistory Yes. I was just wondering if it is a regular school history thing already?

[@rayceofhistory]

@@petrisyrja-kokkila7103 sort of. We’re taught, or at least I was, that Leif Erikson was the first European to set foot in North America. Not in depth, it’s just sort of a “hey just so everybody knows Columbus wasn’t actually the first European to discover North America”

[@petrisyrja-kokkila7103]

@@rayceofhistory Thanks. Giving the magnitude of Columbus over there, this is kind of how I expected to be.

[@TheSlyngel]

At 11:01 Do you think people would be less inclined to break promises if you had to declare your contracts and obligations in public and people would shame you and your family if you missbehaved? Such custums are probably quite efficent in keeping people honest and in line, the social pressure must have been huge. Something that is lost in our individualised atomised modern world.

[@rayceofhistory]

I absolutely think that would help. Most people hate public shame.

[@KimFareseed]

The chanting does a good job of getting the crowd to sing along.

[@rayceofhistory]

Yes it does, it seems to get them into it very quickly. Going to one of these concerts would be so awesome.

[@ryannelson3220]

It is a very fun song, much like Winged Hassars

[@DanIel-fl1vc]

The horns Vikings often are depicted wearing is Christian propaganda. Therefore I think it's safe to assume that there's some exaggerations about how savage the Vikings were. Even Scandinavian mythology has been demonized by Christians, the gnomes for example were by Christians considered evil devils in the time when they were set on converting Scandinavia to Christendom. I'm Swedish not that it makes my opinion more valid but Hollywood's portrayal of the Vikings including the Assassin's Creed game clearly is based on Christians account of the Vikings. I suspect if they were to describe themselves they would say they were peaceful hard working farmers. Intelligent too, since they invented ship technology that allowed them to cross the Atlantic into America. But their mythology and beliefs no doubt strengthen the Vikings who were warriors, much in the same way the samurais became great warriors because of their warrior code. It's hard to believe that the Vikings didn't have something similar which hasn't survived the test of time.

[@ljusfen]

KZbin channel Norse Magic and Beliefs. There is a very knowledgeable Norwegian guy who tells everything about Vikings, their customs, traditions, their Asa gods, asatro, runes, seids, jewelry and what they mean, etc. He is an encyclopedia when it comes to Scandinavian Vikings. definitely worth a look if you are interested and it's good facts

[@MrStekis]

swedish vikings built moscow and kiev

[@TheJonasbz]

Its clear you know nothing about vikings

[@rayceofhistory]

What exactly are you referencing? Yeah I’m dumb, I say that all the time. But the purpose of the channel is to cover and learn about more history and cultures. And since large swaths of viking history is still shrouded in historical myths it’s hard to really have a grasp on even if you know a ton. Historians debate lots of viking history continuously, and I assume they’re more educated on the subject than almost anybody else.