Top Medieval Historian Rates Viking Scenes in Movies

'Top Medieval Historian Rates Vikings in Movies'
Dr Cat Jarman, a historian and archaeologist specialising in the Viking Age, reviews scenes from famous movies set in the Viking era. Cat is also the author of River Kings and host of the Gone Medieval podcast from History Hit, which you can listen to here: play.acast.com/s/gone-medieval
First, Cat reviews Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor and the depiction of Asgard, home of the Norse gods, in the 2011 Marvel movie 'Thor'. She then takes a look at a classic Hollywood film from 1958, 'The Vikings', starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis, which recreates the death of the legendary Viking Ragnar Lothbrok.
Next up, it's 'The 13th Warrior' starring Antonio Banderas and Vladimir Kulich, which shows the interaction between the Viking and Islamic worlds, as well as featuring a Viking prayer which closely resembles the one described by the Muslim traveller Ahmad ibn Fadlan. Then she rates a brief scene from the 2009 film 'Valhalla Rising', which recreates a meeting between the Viking One-Eye and North American tribesmen.
The animated movie 'How to Train Your Dragon' is next, which leans into popular tropes about the Viking world - including horned helmets - but does hint at the important societal role played by Viking women. Finally, it's the 2022 Viking blockbuster 'The Northman' starring Alexander Skarsgård. Although the film is rated highly by Cat for its depiction of Vikings ships, she suggests that the portrayals of berserker warriors is more a 21st century Viking fantasy than reality.
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[@HistoryHit]

Hope you enjoy the reviews guys! Do you agree with Cat? Are there any portrayals of Vikings in movies we should have included? 🤔

[@jimpickens4067]

The Outlander movie, Pathfinder and 1066 all have depictions of Vikings

[@chrisa5631]

The Northman is the closest you are going to get to an authentic Viking film

[@chrisa5631]

You can never get it 100% right.

[@ChiefOfAss]

Um, The Last Kingdom maybe? WTF???

[@ChiefOfAss]

No LAST KINGDOM killed me.

[@Rabbithole8]

From the Scandinavian Archaeology site: Before the raid near the beginning of the film, we are treated to a scene in which Amleth and his brothers-in-arms dance around a bonfire in wolfskins, howling and snarling, while a shaman clad in a horned headdress and wielding a pair of staves oversees the entire ritual. The horned man appeared briefly in the film’s trailer and became a target for Viking enthusiasts pointing out that “actually, Vikings didn’t wear horned helmets”. And had the raiders actually gone into battle wearing horned helmets, their scorn would more likely have been justified. But not so fast: this particular scene appears to be a replication of the scene depicted on the so-called Torslunda plates from Öland, Sweden, dated to the Vendel Period (c. 550-750 AD). Though no such helmets have ever actually been found, these images are generally regarded as depicting a now-lost Odinic ritual. The Torslunda plates pre-date the Viking Age, but Viking Age finds of pendants closely resembling the horned man suggest that this particular cult was one that may have persisted for many centuries. This is imagined in the film as a pre-battle ritual to drive the ulfheðnar and berserkir-wolf and bear warriors, respectively, devoted to Odin-into their famous frenzied state (berserkrgangr). Research suggests that such warriors were used as “shock troops”, a vanguard thrown at the enemy and followed up by the main body of the force-and this is exactly what the film portrays. The next day, Amleth and his wolfskin-clad comrades initiate the raid, climbing the town palisade, killing the sentries, then throwing open the gates to allow the remaining raiders to come swarming in. The howling and snarling that Amleth and the ulfheðnar persist in throughout the battle are drawn from literary accounts of certain elite warriors, such as King Harald Fairhair’s (d. 932 AD) personal guard, who also, as it happens, were said to dress in the skins of wolves. This early sequence is a prime example of the lengths to which The Northman goes to incorporate archaeological, literary, and mythological research-longstanding or cutting-edge-into its depiction of the Viking world. It is also a good example of what seems to have been the film’s central philosophy: it is here to make your preconceptions of the Viking world look…well, quaint. And the result is spectacular.

[@sabbethroberts3674]

Ty so much for this information I'm absolutely obsessed with this movie and time period ❤️

[@sleep-of-ages]

They went to such incredible effort on the material culture, language, and rituals. But so why do the fights look like complete hollywood crap? There are people they could have talked to...

[@adamroodog1718]

i think the oseberg tapestry has a procession of people following a horned helmeted figure as well.

[@BoarhideGaming]

@@sleep-of-ages Also, why is everryone closed in shit-coloured rags? The norse were VAIN AS VAIN CAN GET.

[@skeletorlikespotatoes7846]

Thanks so much for this!! I've been saying this and keep getting shut down by people who think it's not true. Do you know any good books that go into this?

[@BKPrice]

"Unfortunately, no real evidence of dragons in the Viking world." I would actually call that fortunate.

[@absolutless]

Well, depends on who you're rooting for

[@munteza9262]

Im a dane... There are No dragons in the myth.... Its Hollywood again creating things .... its only makes it fake in my eyes

[@DaddyVeo1911]

Dunno, ancient man took out mammoths.

[@tell-me-a-story-]

There is no civilization that would not be improved by Toothless.

[@KatieDeGo]

​@tell-me-a-story- aww we need toothless today ❤

[@kev3d]

A lot of people miss that the 13th Warrior is a "what if" for the Epic of Beowulf, as in "What if Beowulf had been real, and the details surrounding his life and death were reinterpreted over the years to have more supernatural elements." So it is Beowulf, blended with the real account of Ahmad ibn Fadlan. Among other elements: The Viking Chieftain is named Buliwyf, an obvious analog to Beowulf "Grendel" is the barbarian Chieftain or the barbarians collectively, because they are so lethal, mysterious, seemingly inhuman and disappear without a trace. The "witch" in the Barbarian caves represents Grendel's mother. The "Dragon" is represented as the column of torches winding down the hillside at dusk. And of course in the end (spoilers, but do you really need spoilers for a 24 year old film, or a 1000 year old poem?) Buliwyf dies, as he does in the Poem. It was a troubled production and there are some loose ends in the film that don't make much sense (What happened to Queen Weilew? She's there and then she isn't) but it's a more clever film than a lot of people give it credit. And the chemistry between Antonio Banderas and Dennis Storhøi is fantastic. Fun film.

[@neanderthor66]

I forgot how they worked it in there for the novel, but the Grendel people were supposed to be a last group of neanderthal in Europe. It goes along with "The Arab's" indecision on whether his opponent was or was not a man.

[@kev3d]

@@neanderthor66 I seem to recall that as well. They kind of imply the same in the 2005 Beowulf & Grendel. The animated Beowulf, amazingly, subtly posits that Grendel's mother is an alien, and bore a son (Grendel) with King Hrothgar. And later, she bears a son with Beowulf, who grows up to be the dragon. By pure coincidence I worked on that film and while it's never explicitly stated in the movie, it was in the notes given to us from Zemeckis's people.

[@neanderthor66]

I never caught the alien part. I thought the animated one went with the "Descendant of Cain" like the traditional story.

[@kev3d]

@@neanderthor66 It wasn't very well thought out, but there are a couple of hints: Grendel's mother in her natural form which is a sort of gold reptile, and in her cave where all her accumulated treasure is kept, there are these peculiar columns which are not cave-like at all. They are supposed to be the wrecked remains of her spacecraft's interior. Interesting idea but it didn't really come together in my opinion.

[@thomashverring9484]

@@kev3d Interesting! I have to watch it again.

[@jackcassidy9963]

For the Northman They didn't just randomly kill those people on the boat, they were locals and they didn't want them to warn the village. For the ritual the man singing was meant to represent Odin, and gifting the warriors with vigor. The village wasn't unprotected at all, there were soldiers throughout the top of the wall and throughout the entire village. Lastly, they did take a boat full of slaves after their raid

[@thedudefromrobloxx]

They very well might have randomly killed the locals. Thinking they wouldn't is bringing 21st century morality and for that matter sense of mortality to a 9th century world

[@bl5365]

It is a shame, they clearly did not inform her that it is the story of the legend of Amleth (who then inspired Hamlet) as she would have been instantly much more familiar with it as a viking age historian

[@wowsers9923]

@@bl5365 shame you didn't make it to the end of this video!

[@mantistoboggan6053]

@@bl5365she talks about it at the end of the video

[@Patriot4TheTree]

"The 13th Warrior" is one of the most underrated action films of all time. Truly entertaining from beginning to end.

[@fcon2123]

Let's go little brother!!!! There's more! Agreed, that movie is so underrated. That shield duel is one of my favorite scenes of all time.

[@PainInTheS]

I very much agree. Banderas has a knack for such movies....yesterday I saw 'Automata'......go watch it, also very underrated, though very interesting.

[@Patriot4TheTree]

@@PainInTheS I haven't seen that. I'll check it out.

[@S_Heavens]

Yeah, if you wipe out everything you know and go watch it

[@Acidhobbit]

I feel like the 13th warrior was inspired by the seven samurai.

[@CGhee135]

I love how she mentions Thor's Flaws. If you look at most ancient gods. They pretty much all had very human flaws built into their character. Whether it be Thor's anger issues or Zeus's inability to be faithful.

[@MerelvandenHurk]

Absolutely! I think the idea of gods being perfect and flawless is more of a Christian thing (and other Abrahamitic religions). Virtually all the pantheons I know of have gods that quarrel and make mistakes and do stupid stuff. The Norse, the Romans, the Greeks, and I'm not an expert but I believe the Hindu gods as well. It's kind of a modern thing to equate "god" to "flawless/perfect", they used to be just superhuman beings with superhuman powers who were superior to humans, but not in any way perfect. They were far closer to how humans behave, just everything in excess and with more power.

[@gustaf3811]

​@@MerelvandenHurk that is because mythologies were less about worship and idolization and more about giving ethical and reasonable advice and wisedom through story telling. You're completely right that christianity has shaped the idea of gods as perfect angel like beings.

[@viktorsilva4017]

​@@gustaf3811 not really. When you think about it, stories of jesus are all also meant to be like a guide, that whole "what would jesus do" mentality. Norse myths also have that, people took the mythology to the heart to understand what would be right or wrong, as in "what would Thor/Odin/Freyja do", if you will. Christianity didn't shape religious practices any more than any belief already practiced, just another religion that went by and took over

[@mobilusinmobili8321]

​@@gustaf3811 Not just Christanity, but Abrahamic religions in general.

[@gnomeimporta6912]

I think you don't understand that those 'flaws' to contemporary peoples' of these religions were irrelevant and not frowned upon most of the time.

[@joealvarez2074]

What I have found really funny is that The Northman was based off a Medieval Epic and so the film was paced like an epic as well. A lot of people who aren't too familiar with the epic genre find the pacing of the film to be terrible, since they're so used to a more novelistic pacing in a movie. But given what The Northman intends to accomplish, it is paced and filmed so differently than what people are used to.

[@alexanderjakubsen2198]

I've watched The Northman at least 5 times now and never had an issue with the pacing.

[@ecMonify]

i loved the pacing of the northman. i thought it was so incredibly tense all the time. like, the pressure just kept building and building throughout the entire movie. loved it! :D

[@Dravianpn02]

I don't have an issue with it's pacing but it was very small scale for what I expected. Not a bad film, but should've been bigger than it was.

[@Dravianpn02]

It's a love note to Conan the Barbarian also.

[@alexanderjakubsen2198]

@@Dravianpn02 in what ways, specifically?

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

Nice reaction! Small thing: The berserker ritual shown in The Northman is based on some Bronze dies (Torslunda plates) form the 6th to 8th century (so probably not really "viking", but a bit earlier) where one guy is indeed depicted with two spears, a sword and horns next to a wolf guy. Some interpretations say that's supposed to be Odin, some say it's meant to be a shaman, we don't really know. Northman decided to depict him as a Shaman at an ulfhednar ritual which is a valid choice, I think.

[@Dovah21]

Regarding the horned man, both possibilities are valid. Norse shamans in a ritual like this one would assume Odin's role and form in a sense, bringing his magics down to Earth through them.

[@tyv5887]

I know I was like wtf, expert in her dreams

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

​@@tyv5887To be fair, she is specialized in Viking Age and the depictions aren't viking age. She probably knows about the depictions when she sees it but didn't had it in her mind at that moment.

[@lI_Demonata_Il]

They also aren't berzerkers those are ulfhednar.

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

@@lI_Demonata_Il We don't actually know if those two concepts were different ones for everyone. Doesn't really matter.

[@ML-bw4yt]

The “horns” the old man is wearing during the ritual is taken from many pagan Anglo-Saxon and Norse figures and pressbleches, it’s actually Odins 2 ravens.

[@pheart2381]

Would he have worn a helmet like that in battle though,or something lighter and more streamlined?

[@JarlMaximus]

@@pheart2381 most scholars think that they did not fight with it and it was only used in rituals

[@NigelOdinson]

​@@pheart2381no not in battle, as far as we have found. But yes in rituals, which were heavily inclusive of magic mushrooms of different kinds this one exactly >> 🍄, called amanita muscaria, which is very different to the normal magic mushrooms taken which contained psilocybin, the psychoactive chemical in amanitas is very different and more stimulating also. However they used psilocybin mushrooms in shamanic and 'dream' state rituals which was mixed with plant like ergot and hemlock, as well as other 'toxic' plants like belladonna which were later used in absinthe and other medicines. Ergot was synthesised to create LSD in the 50s I believe... and also the amanita muscaria were used to induce the rage of the gods before war, especially by the Berserkers who have been told to have been completely entranced and unstoppable and also told to have worn bear skin into battle before everyone else as seen in the northman, unlike the rest of the force who come in armour and after the Berserkers have terrified and mauled the front line. The alcohol of this time was also said to have contained many more botanical medicines and psychoactive plants that were mentioned above, including fermented magic mushrooms. It wasn't necessarily anything like the alcohol we think of today, instead it would have been way more euphoric and drug like, probably hallucinogenic. Like the blue lily wine of the ancient Egyptians and their Yopo seeds containing DMT. Sorry started writing and couldn't stop. I love this history shit haha.

[@Mek_Alenes]

​@@pheart2381 it's not a helmet. You can't see it properly because of the lighting in that scene, but it's actually a crown or tiara with the two ravens fixed to the front. It's a purely ritualistic headpiece used to invoke Odin.

[@gustaf3811]

​@@Mek_Alenes The norse people had ritualistic horned masks and headwear since the bronze age really so yeah it's not creative freedom as the "expert" says. Also they were never called them frost giants, just Jøtuns/Jøtnar.

[@thoso1973]

A museum where I live (Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus Denmark) had an exhibit last year, called 'Rus - Vikings of the East'. An outstanding exhibit, the best I have ever seen at Moesgaard.

[@AsatruMetalhead]

which says a lot since its one of the best archeological museums around

[@Ozmogul]

One theory I've read about the concept of the "berserk warriors", is that it simply means a warrior who fights in nothing but his "serk", a sort of tunic commonly worn by men. So "bare serk" means going into battle without armor, either because you want to die in battle (preferable to dying from illness or an untreatable wound), or because you'd like to be stealthy. However, the anglo-saxon chronicles tells of us of King Harold II who in 1066 rode to north to Stamford Bridge, to defend his land from a newly arrived army of Norwegian vikings led by Harald Hardrada. Harold caught the vikings completely by surprise and they fled across a narrow bridge, where a single berserker wielding a dane axe stopped, to hold off the pursuing englishmen. He single-handedly held off the attacking army for more than an hour, slaying upwards of 40 enemies before a cunning foe slipped beneath the bridge and stabbed him from below with a spear. So perhaps there is something more to the myth of the "berserkers" than fighting in your pajamas. A final comment about the Northman - I actually don't think the warriors are supposed to portray berserkers, but rather Ulfhednar. They are mentioned in several sagas, and are supposedly warriors dedicated to Odin, who cover themselves in wolfskins when entering combat, and become "battle-mad". They seem to be highly valued as allies in battle, but shunned when battle is over, because they're not fit to live among other men.

[@CycoSven69]

The viking era archaeologist couldn't even tell the difference between bear and wolf skins. Obviously they were ulfhednar. Those fierce warriors were connected to werewolf lore as well. I don't understand why she didn't get it.

[@MsShawnPhx]

It would help if she watched the whole movie and not just clips, she mentioned that the prayer they are speaking was in the funeral (which they show earlier in the movie so this scene is shadowing that one). Native Americans in the New Foundland and Greenland areas are well known to wear much more than what they are wearing here. They were mostly wolf skins in the Northmen (Ulfhednar).

[@sleep-of-ages]

Yeah. She says "We don't know what they would have worn." But... maybe SHE doesn't know what they would have worn. One thing Euro-centric researchers never seem to consider is asking the people who live there now what they think their ancestors wore.

[@Kirasfox]

​@Sleep of Ages "what they think their ancestors wore" that isn't really clear cut proof/evidence but alrighty

[@PantoniStrikesBack]

I was thinking exactly the same about the funeral scene. I guess they picked up this scene instead, cause it's way more epic.

[@veronicajensen7690]

if it was the first people the Vikings meet in Greenland called the Thule people, (Vikings called them Skrælings) then we don't know what they were wearing as they don't exist anymore they were nomadic and lived on and off in Greenland but never returned after the Inuits migrated from Canada 7-800 years ago, around 250-300 years after the Vikings settled in Greenland according to Inuit folklore the Thule people were afraid of them, we don't know if they killed them or they just kept away , we do know what the Inuits was wearing @@sleep-of-ages

[@Hexiad]

*The 13th Warrior* is one of the best Viking movies ever made and is hugely underrated. It was the first Viking movie I saw that didn't depict the Norse as mindless savages.

[@kev3d]

True, but pretty gross personal hygiene habits. Which, apparently, was detailed in the real Ahmad ibn Fadlan account.

[@evanhughes7609]

Pity about the shitty armour though.

[@Kuhmuhnistische_Partei]

@@kev3d Although Ahmad Ibn Fadlan of course came from Bagdhad and wrote for the fine society there, so he had a bit of interest depicting the people he met as scary and savage people, so they would all react with a "Wooow, I can't imagine interacting with such people!"

[@Rabbithole8]

The scene in which Ahmad Ibn Fadlan states that he learned Norse by listening is absolutely absurd.

[@AmirDarkOne]

@@Rabbithole8 well i learned English by playing video games.

[@georgefreemon2935]

The ritual scene presented in the Northman is taken directly from the Torslunda plates that not only depicts a man with a horned head piece, commonly acknowledged as Odin but also a berserker shown to be wearing wolf skin, basically showing their inner animal which was typically either a wolf or bear. For a supposed expert, she doesn’t seem know much and falls back on “we don’t really know.”

[@AlesAmazigh]

A real scientist never affirms anything. Even you, with your advanced googling skills, cannot affirm with 100% certainty that what you described there is a general representation of what all vikings believed. She is using hedging because when we're dealing with scientific fields in the humanities we are very rarely certain of anything. But sure thing bud, keep on condescending on a person that spent 7 to 8 years of their life specializing in something. This puts your typing skills to use, I guess.

[@georgefreemon2935]

@@AlesAmazigh Considering plates on helmets depicting the same scene have been found all over like the on the Sutton hoo helmet, I do have a general representation 😇

[@MikeM-go7hp]

The Northman was set after the colonization of Iceland. That is a few centuries after the period of the Torslunda plates. Indeed, the viking age is over a century after the period those plates are from. The Northman is about as historically accurate as Braveheart.

[@georgefreemon2935]

@@MikeM-go7hp You know nothing of history with that last statement

[@MikeM-go7hp]

@@georgefreemon2935 So you really think that vikings raided villages in their underpants? Fortified villages at that? You really think that they let slaves compete in sports while karls and jarls watched? You really think that Icelandic thralls weighed over 80 kilos and had a build that requires 5 high-calorie meals a day and a personal trainer? You really think that the culture that gave us Hávamál is so grim, joyless and willing to murder children? Have you ever actually read Hávamál, or Egill's Saga, or something that isn't a pop culture derivative? The Old Norse were not exceptional warriors. In that regard they were no better or worse than most of the other cultures, and Jomsvikings aside they were actually worse in combat than well drilled militia (such as the ones defending the village in the movie), which is why 400 men held off thousands of vikings during the second seige of Paris. They were exceptional poets, storytellers, and seafarers. None of that was featured in this pop-culture fantasy movie for boys who think they can be vikings.

[@christinec7892]

The Marvel Thor was silly to include, in these reviews, there are plenty of Viking portrayals better to review for authenticity

[@blaineedwards8078]

The Marvel Vikings are actually more like aliens from Uranus. They live underground there. NASA has documented that there are Vikings in Uranus....

[@Tryingcounts]

Tbh I suppose a lot of youngsters/people who don't know any better have that as their main exposure to Norse...Ness.

[@cleverusername9369]

Disagree. It's valuable to learn about the mythology Vikings believed in, Marvel is just another creative depiction but does provide some background re: the Norse gods et al. It's a 30 minute long video, it would be silly NOT include an extremely popular movie franchise. It's not about authenticity, it's about having a basis of knowledge of the culture. Also how is it sillier than including How to Train Your Dragon where the vikings have Scottish and Canadian accents?

[@freakazoid4691]

Everything in Marvel’s Thor (and most Marvel to be honest) just looks so plastic.

[@christinec7892]

@@cleverusername9369 I agree How to Train your Dragon was also an awful choice. There are so many examples that would be better. As far as Norse mythology goes there are better films/tv shows to use.

[@chrisa5631]

As a norwegian, in the 13th warrior, the vikings speaks Norwegian.

[@stischer47]

He should have been speaking Icelandic...it's closer to Norse.

[@jayfishpaste4000]

And their “Greek” is Latin 😎

[@flannery29]

They're speaking both danish, swedish and norwegian. Hilsen en dansk broder. :)

[@b.benjamineriksson6030]

@@flannery29 And since we all know Rudbeckius proved in the 15th century that Swedish is the original language spoken by mankind, it is all just dialects of Swedish. ;)

[@flannery29]

@@b.benjamineriksson6030 That does sound like something a swede would say. :D

[@matthewzito6130]

27:19 - They were on a raid in this scene. The idea was to get in, take a town by surprise and get back out before anyone could organize a counterattack. They killed the two locals to prevent them from warning others of their presence in the area.

[@magniwalterbutnotwaltermag1479]

Not true though? They set up in and around the city and we see more armoured people on horseback enter, and they seemed to be the boss of the Ulfhednar/Berserkers since they complain about the people they captured. They even do the trading of slaves inside of it with them discussing where to send the slaves and which ones to brand. Seemed more like a take over to me. Likely a local Norse/Rus ruler taking over Slavic land since they speak English (also I couldn't tell if they were male or female based on voice).

[@matthewzito6130]

@@magniwalterbutnotwaltermag1479 I understand that the Berserkers were part of a larger force, but that doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't a raid. And even if they were intending to hold the town long-term, they definitely wouldn't want anyone warning the residents before their arrival. If the town had expected an attack, I think they would have put up more of a fight, instead of just posting a few sentries on the wall.

[@magniwalterbutnotwaltermag1479]

@@matthewzito6130 It wouldn't be a raid it would be a storming(or a fast siege) and it likely actually is! In the sagas at least one time there was a mention of somebody using an axe to climb up a wall during a siege, just like Amleth the Ulfhednar does in this movie. The guards also had what appeared to be scale/lamellar armour on their chests which would be expensive even if they were cheaper than chain, meaning these guys were probably decent fighters until they met the Ulfhednar. Also I never contested aa to why they killed the first two fishermen, that was just logical and I never fought that point.

[@Nnemicvids]

That’s bullshit

[@EstbXCIII]

Being a massive fan of Viking culture a story that I find incredibly interesting is a tale of the Vikings landing on a land that we now know to be North America. The Saga goes that around 1,000 years or so ago, centuries before Columbus, they ended up making contact with these strange people who they called "Skræling" or "Skraling" which meant "strange people who scream". Initially contact was peaceful and they traded with each other UNTIL the Vikings traded with them fermented dairy (possibly cheese, yogurt etc.) but the Natives likely not used to this diet and being lactose intolerant became sick and assumed they had intentionally been poisoned. This led to a battle where Vikings were outnumbered and forced to flee. Another account told from the Native perspective of a tribe in the NY area told of these strange people who came on large boats. They were described as large people with "The skin of stone" (pale) with long beards and having magical clothing that made their arrows bounce of them (likely chain male). What I find the most fascinating is wondering what would have been going through the Native Americans mind. I mean just imagine that you and your people living your whole lives never once seeing other human beings that looked different from you. Everyone in your tribe and even far away tribes all having tan skin with black hair and brown eyes.. and then one day these strange humans show up with hair the color of 🌽 or the color of leafs in the fall🍁. With eyes the color of the clear sky or the color of grass. It would be like making contact with people.of another world. 🌎 As a Christian I pray that a perk of earning my way into heaven comes with a time travel ability 🙏😅🔥

[@ericthompson3982]

Watching The 13th Warrior, I asked my buddy where Bolvi got German plate mail. His response was "off of a German."

[@MerelvandenHurk]

Perfect response XD

[@2bingtim]

Someone just picked what they thought was cool from a props store, disregarding historical accuracy. But then it is a fantasy film.

[@cleverusername9369]

2:15 I always appreciated that Marvel got Odin's 8 legged horse Sleipnir right. You only see him and his many legs very briefly, but that kind of attention to detail is pretty impressive. Also you gotta love when Odin growls at Loki, Sir Anthony Hopkins improvised that and Tom Hiddleston's shocked reaction was genuine.

[@upcycle.outdoorsman9629]

Truly an isolated case of accuracy with respect to the mythology. Marvel studio's treatment of the subject material is not even at the level of a good fan fiction.

[@mbryson2899]

​@@upcycle.outdoorsman9629 Are you so sure? The "source material" to which you refer was written by whom?

[@upcycle.outdoorsman9629]

@@mbryson2899 The Poetic Edda in the Codex Regius. 13th century collection of minstrel poems which is about as good as can be found as a primary source for Norse mythology. Marvel studios made up their own 'comic book' lore, so it is accurate to that.

[@mbryson2899]

@@upcycle.outdoorsman9629 Exactly my point. Poems written hundreds of years after the fact is hardly a reliable source. Imagine how a selection of current U.S. films would be interpreted in 300 years; would they reflect our current culture and beliefs?

[@upcycle.outdoorsman9629]

@@mbryson2899 I bet you loved the Amazon treatment of Tolkien lore.

[@BoscoForge]

I like that she not just pointed out the negative parts of these movies, but also the things they did well.

[@arthurjimenez9010]

I most deferred with the Historian on The Northman, many Scandinavian Historian and Viking Period Time Historian have said this is as accurate as possible but with little touches of fantasy, but those people live in a world of Witchcraft and Spirituality to a point you see things things that aren't there, hear and feel. And on the Brutality of the movie, they are really brutal on the matter that those people live not only on trade of goods, Pillaging, Raiding and Enslaving villagers, war prisoners, Kill those who are not worth for slave or profitable(Sick, Old, Hurt, kids and babies). And they kill the two Rus Fishermen because they could go to the settlement and warning them of they arrival, they laugh as it was the mentality of the time, for them it was fun to do it.

[@RevAnakin]

Yeah, literally insane she isn't drooling over Northman. I watched it 4k on a 75" screen and you can literally see the HAND WOVEN and sewn tunics. The brooches and helms are all based off of historical finds. They even show multiple different style viking swords found all over Europe. The Berserker part was literally the only thing "fantasy" because it is something we know the least about. Regardless, this movie is the single best portrayal of vikings in history thus far.

[@user-ji2hn5pe3n]

Thank you very much! Very interesting context presented in a very relaxed and charming way! Would love to see more of this series. Best regards from Germany.

[@smithryansmith]

Se seemed to have some personal bias against the Northman, saying stuff like "They wouldn't be killing as they'd be taking slaves" As you literally see them killing the warriors and taking the women and children as slaves on the screen while she is speaking.

[@abelchavez2463]

Idk what personal bias has to do with anything, but it's a short scene she saw with most ppl just running.

[@MichaelAMangone]

They should have showed her the scene where they were all vomiting from the drugs/alcohol they used to prepare for battle.

[@Sopel429]

If I remember correctly they burned the children alive. Pretty evil If you ask me.

[@oceanberserker]

​@@MichaelAMangoneI've said it before, I'll say it again, berserkers. didn't. Use. Alcohol/Drugs. BEFORE! EVERY!!! BATTLE!!!!!!!

[@scythianking7315]

You mean the White Liberal Female academic seems to have a bias against her own history/culture. Absolutely SHOCKING I tell you 🤣

[@ianwilson4841]

The 13th Warrior was based on the Poem of Beowulf. The bear wearing protagonists were called the Wendol. (Grendle) They also hunt and kill the Wendols mother. In the end scene theyre attacked by the fire worm ( the d4agon) and once the fire worm is defeated Beaowulf dies.

[@jawo8754]

It was a joke with the Author Michael Crichton (yes same guy who wrote Jurassic Park) and a friend on whether they could make Beowulf interesting.

[@nightshade7240]

The danger of horns on helmets is that they would negate the purpose of a helmet. Most helmets, especially in the Viking period had curved surfaces to deflect blows and disperse lethal traumatic force to the brain. Horns concentrate the force of a blow and would actually stop a weapon from deflecting, meaning all the force would be directed into the skull.

[@kavimontanaro7976]

Perhaps someone has pointed this out already: in the film The Thirteenth Warrior, they do portray the funeral scene you mention, early in the film, which contains that prayer. It's a very dramatic introduction to their religion for the narrator, and the audience can easily recall the words to the prayer as they are recited before the battle shown here. I quite like the film, and would thoroughly enjoy an in-depth review of its historical accuracy, if you aren't busy!

[@mysticonthehill]

The film makes that scene much more comfortable than the mass rape and murder of a slave into a voluntary act.

[@ladyethyme]

That was a prayer, as I understand, from slave girls after being gang raped. -the welsh Viking ref

[@agptyutuuturty]

3:23 Isn't it great how he is able to look at the color and denounce that it does not correspond to the one it is supposed to have but he is not talking about the character played by Idris Elba.

[@maemckin]

Indeed. Thanks for pointing it out.

[@ghouldr1964]

The Northman is the most historically accurate viking movie ever created (so far). The Director has been very careful to get as much historically accurate things into the movie as possible. I mean, much of the stuff that is happening in the movie can only be found in old texts and poems from that time period, which makes it extra tricky to practice it in a film. Also the Ritual with the Ulfhednar is pretty darn accurate.

[@killgoretrout9000]

I would describe The Northman much like The Witch as period accurate not historically accurate. I view The Northman as tacking place in the mind of a 10th century Scandinavian hearing the Saga of Amleth.

[@ghouldr1964]

@@killgoretrout9000 Amleth is not a very accurate name for a 10th centry Scandinavian either. I am saying though that it is one of the films that are most accurate, history based. I mean, the Vikings series screwed up big time. Is the Vikings Series or the Northman most hisorically accurate for example. I would say the Northman is most accurate both for the history and the time period than Vikings was

[@killgoretrout9000]

@@ghouldr1964 Amleth is a play off of Hamlet which is essentially what this story is. It's not a history because it's something more like the saga of Beowulf rather than the telling of an actual historical event, the story does contain a magic sword and shows a very thin and easily crossed line between the natural and supernatural. That's why I describe it as accurate for the time period but not a history.

[@ghouldr1964]

@@killgoretrout9000 Whith "historically accurate" I mean how the world is built up for that time period in history, nothing to do with the story. I'm talking about the rituals, the clothes, the buildings etc

[@killgoretrout9000]

@@ghouldr1964 Hence why I said period accurate. Like I said I view the story as taking place in the mind of a 10th century Scandinavian hearing the Saga of Amleth.

[@MST3Killa]

Guess I find it a bit annoying when the commentary is about something that was actually depicted in the film, but clearly the person was not shown clips of it. The prayer from 13th Warrior WAS depicted at the beginning of the film and observed by Fadlan at a funeral where a girl (whether slave or one otherwise close to the deceased leader, such as a concubine) recited it before death. I will also say... Marvel Comics (Contemporary Fantasy) and Michael Crichton (Historical Fiction) used mythology extremely loosely and I really wouldn't put much stock behind their interpretations as examples of viking depictions in hollywood or what have you. They were merely the basis for fictional tales.

[@ethanpeeler3147]

The horns the shaman wears in the Northman are based off a vender period helmet portraying a berserker next to a shaman with that head piece. Actually one of the few times horns are actually depicted properly in the Norse culture. It could also be a call back to the Nordic Bronze Age when the Nordic people did indeed have horned helmets though they were very different looking than modern fantasy likes to portray them.

[@ethanpeeler3147]

@@Montaguish I’m referring to the Torslunda plates found in Sweden from the vendel period.

[@ethanpeeler3147]

@@Montaguish yes you are correct. Neat to see how the continental germanic culture spread across much of Europe and how depictions and cultures from earlier periods carried on. If you look up the Gutenstein sword you’ll find a Alemanni sword sheath depicting a warrior dressed in a wolf skin similar to the berserker on some of these other plates found further north.

[@ethanpeeler3147]

@@Montaguish bet that looks badass. I was actually thinking of doing the same thing. And lol I thought so as well, seems the norm unfortunately.

[@TheXerab]

Love how the scenes with Tønsberg around 1000 AD was so mountainous considering the area is pretty flat in real life.

[@henrymach]

What? You left out 'Erik The Viking'? This is unforgivable

[@ryanridpath2158]

Doktor Cat! Great seeing you out there as always.

[@OhioCruffler]

Thanks for the video. I loved seeing the excitement nd animation that comes over you when you are describing the history. It's clear that you are passionate about your specialty.

[@mountbuckekreative4044]

One of the main problems of using a rolling battering ram, would probably having a fitting road. Most castles i know, do not have a straight lined road, build well enough to support such a thing...and they tend to be on some higher ground too.

[@MerelvandenHurk]

That is a very good point. And I don't think they had independently moving chassis back then (Idk what it's called) to help them around corners either. I think that thing would pretty much only be going straight unless you have a really long, subtle corner.

[@seedo201]

The historian has very nice insights and not so critical because she knows its a movie. 13th warrior is on of the best movies that represents vikings without romanticism but still doesn't show then as savages which is always one way or another in any other show

[@MerelvandenHurk]

You're right, it's so hard to find any depiction that isn't either completely romanticizing them or playing off of the savage trope. I guess that's our flaw here in the west, or perhaps of any civilization, to be unable to see other civilizations as civilizations in their own right and needing to make them "different" not just in the way they look but in the way they function. Like, they can't just function like any other society, they need to be either far superior or far inferior and that's just a shame. So much can be learned when we just see them as people instead of romanticized figures or savages.

[@damienzht]

Learned very much, thanks!

[@operationgoldfish8331]

It's a pity that the presenter obviously didn't watch all the way through these films and just commented on fragmented scenes. This is most telling when she comments on the Valhalla prayer in the Thirteenth Warrior, as just before the choosing scene they portray the very funeral that she refers to. She also doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference between a bear and a wolf, which doesn't inspire confidence.

[@luckystriker7489]

The interesting thing about academics like Dr Cat Jarman and intelligent people in general is that they say: "I'm not sure" and "I don't know", a lot. As opposed to idiots who say: "I know for sure" and "obviously", a lot.

[@joelkurowski7129]

It's really clear they didn't let the expert watch any of these movies in whole. At least with the 13th Warrior and The Northman, this is very important as a lot of context is lost here.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

I've always loved the whole "Frost Giant's versus the Aesir" thing. Given that Valhol was a place of constant feasting and fighting and very noisy goings on, I think the Frost Giants just got totally fed up with the noise; "COULD YOU PLEASE KEEP THE BLOODY REVELLING DOWN!!"

[@MaMastoast]

Calling them frost giants is a marvel thing. It is true that jötunn is often translated into giants jn english but it isn't super accurate as many of the were regular human sizes.. some very beautiful others monsterous. The closest we get to actual frøet gjants would probably be the residents of Niflheim but don't think I've heard any stories involving them

[@gustaf3811]

​@@MaMastoast No they were all larger than humans but not by much. Also the norse had ritualistic horned masks and headwear since the bronze age really so yeah it's not creative freedom as the "expert" says. Also they were never called them frost giants, just Jøtuns/Jøtnar.

[@bluester7177]

@@gustaf3811 Bronze age norse people are not the same as vikings, there are 2000 years in between, there are no archaeological evidence that viking people used horned masks or helmets in the viking age , the association was made in the 1800s by germans.

[@lynnmanning2795]

. I am excited for your insight. My genealogy is Viking Icelantic. So seing your peice on the tv Viking story is my second time to view with a new eye. Thank you very much!

[@josephherrera6656]

Maybe its just me, but I didn't find her to be very knowledgeable at all, especially for someone who specializes in Vikings. When she says we don't know what they wore into battle when in fact many other historians, including the Ditch guy, seem to know quite well. We don't know what their exact battle formations were, expect their shield wall, but we do seem to know they wore chainmail armor and had axes, swords, and spears. We also know they normally didn't attack walled towns because it was often too difficult for them to overcome. And I have no idea why they would have her review movies like Thor and HTTYD, instead of the Viking shows on the History channel and Netflix.

[@kitchensinkmuses4947]

I think it might be just you. She is a world renowned expert in Viking archaeology. She, just like all academics I've ever had the pleasure to meet, rarely express surity unless they are abolsutely sure

[@Eganja.]

@@kitchensinkmuses4947except for the part which depicts the ulfhednar ritual, she repeatedly calls them berserkers, and claims that horned helmets were never used, when there is literally a depiction on the Torslunda Plates of 2 figures, one wearing the wolf skin and the other in a horned helmet wielding 2 spears and a sword, during these rituals it has been documented that the Vikings used psychedelic mushrooms to prepare them for battle in these rituals and the historian blatantly glosses over them, she also says that the killing of the townspeople in the boat is unnecessary, when it has the clear tactical advantage of eliminating a potential source of the warriors presence being alerted to the rest of the town

[@kupoflupo3346]

In the 13th Warrior they actually included the funeral scene and prayer she mentions

[@BozPictures]

Indeed!

[@uncleshagnasty]

Michael Crichton based it on Islamic travellers' observations and Beuwulf. The prayer is actually accurate, so I'm told.

[@DidMyGrandfatherMakeThis]

Also in the book, he can speak Greek, which one of the Vikings can and that's how they learn the language

[@uncleshagnasty]

@Robin Green If they were Varangian, they would have a working knowledge of Greek.

[@DidMyGrandfatherMakeThis]

@@uncleshagnasty I don't think it's specifically mentioned in the book where they are supposed to be from, it's a long time ago I read it. I believe they are mentioned as Rus, but other than that. My memory fades with my old age.

[@yago8672]

Love this kind of content!

[@alexanderjakubsen2198]

Great video but I really wish you had done more scenes from The Northman. Particularly the Thorir funeral scene. Also the volcano fight scene because HEL YEAH!

[@Archer89201]

Wearing bearskin in combat is possible because my tribesmen lacked sufficient metal works so it was reserved for weapons like spear, arrow heads and swords, bear pelt was worn on the back, neck and wrists because it was good protection against slicing attacks, if bearskin was not available there was wild bison and a particular type of grass used . Also a war dance with ritualistic chanting to invoke the spirits for strength before raida around the fire.

[@vanefreja86]

I like the fact that the 13th warrior had them speaking the three Scandinavian languages, instead of just English right off the bat.

[@zachbrantley3114]

I just came here to say…The 13th Warrior is one of my (personal) top ten movies all time. Can’t even say why, but I love it. Also watched The Northman recently and as crazy as it was, I really very much enjoyed it.

[@hugovonpayns9291]

Me too. The 13th warrior is under my top ten, maybe even top 5. What are the other movies?

[@zachbrantley3114]

@@hugovonpayns9291 id agree with the top 5 statement. Let’s see, some of my others…The Patriot, Dances with Wolves, LotR: Return of the King, and Gladiator round out my top 5. Django Unchained, American Sniper, Saving Private Ryan, A Knights Tale and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (cause I’m a prequels baby) round out my top ten!

[@hugovonpayns9291]

@@zachbrantley3114 Sounds like a great list mate. For me its surprisingly similar. Gladiator, a knights tale, Postman, Omoide no Mānī, Stardust, LotR the fellowship, Mr Nobody (my alltime #1), The 13th warrior as well as Dawn of the dead and Highlander

[@zachbrantley3114]

@@hugovonpayns9291 I love it, that’s great taste!

[@hugovonpayns9291]

@@zachbrantley3114 can I ask you where you from and how old you are? I

[@vivalibertasergovivitelibe4111]

The choice of scene for the Northman was a little unfortunate. Later in the movie aspects of viking society like culture, religuon and especially clothing are very weel represented as well as the sets themselves. It even shows how slavery was a huge aspect of (viking) culture back then where you see a farm with free people sort of standing guard and givinh orders while slaves do the manual labour. Very little media actually captures the aspect of slavery well, if at all and sort of romanticise the era

[@thoso1973]

You are right that Vikings never wore helmets with horns, as far as we know. The exception though could be for ritualistic use. The TV show Vikings also have a female shaman wearing a helmet with horns in a couple of scenes. We have no decisive finds that prove the berserkers were real, but we do have artwork as well as foreign written sources that depicts or speak of them. So, we believe they existed, but the modern depiction of them is based on very limited source material.

[@MerelvandenHurk]

Yeah it's like they saw those few depictions of helmets with horns and were so desperate to make Vikings look "other" (or just too excited) that they either assumed or consciously chose to believe that all helmets had horns, instead of actually looking at the context and actual prevalence.

[@stuartspencer2161]

There is also a belief that the horns were added by European historians of the time, to signify them as pagans, and thus of the devil. Simply early medieval propaganda.

[@ImotekhtheStormlord-tx2it]

well it is proven that horns were used in rituals... she was just trying to be smarter than she is. but it happens when youre from a country that wiped CELTS and any mentions of vikings in enland when denmark conquered entire england

[@dapetergshow]

She is clearly so intimately connected to this world; it was such a pleasure to watch this . Keep up the good work dear ones !

[@SuperVistaprint]

She ain’t…her expertise lies in the centuries after this

[@ImotekhtheStormlord-tx2it]

she literally knows nothing about viking times. she didnt even know that horn helmet is a ceremonial REAL thing. she also thinks howling after being high in ritual is a "Fantasy". when its mentioned in edda. ofc she is taken seriously bcuz christians wiped almost every existing pagan chronics and evidences. only few villages remained in scandinavia, poland and far in iceland

[@adrianaslund8605]

Byzantine observers noted that the Varangians(Vikings that went east) Had a custom that the observers called a "Varangian war dance". Which would be a ritualized way to work up a frenzy during which they could exert themselves intensely for a time afterwards. With the drawback being that they would also have to rest for a while afterwards. It's pretty good evidence that Vikings did have ritualistic and cultural means to bring about a berserk state as a tool in their arsenal. Dancing around with a bearskin(literally means bear-coat) and chanting seems pretty consistent with that. The way berserk works is that it removes the brakes on your muscles. Activating more muscle groups. In turn heightening the risk of straining your muscles, loss of precision and damage to oneself.

[@1GonzalezAR1]

Love this one!

[@donaldwheatoniii1809]

Did my master's dissertation comparing Pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon warrior graves with "Viking Age" warrior graves in Britain. Loved the clip, but I really wish she had more time in this format to talk about "The Northman" or had included "Pathfinder." "The Northman" is without question the best depiction of the "Vikings" I have ever seen. It's pagan as hell, grey in its morality, includes Ulfhedhnar, and the ritual scene is even based on plaques from the Sutton Hoo and Vendel graves. Seriously, while it has its flaws, it is the most thoroughly researched and well-designed "Viking" film ever made.

[@civilengineer3349]

I LOVE Northman, but I did not like the "Berserk raid" scene. Though great film, the scene gives the wrong look of what Norman pirates (Vikings) were. They didn't just run into walls in broad daylight and scale them with picks. Note that moats or ditches were dug at the foot of a wall, making it much too hard to scale. "Berserkers" were champions, the exception, not the norm of the Norse warrior. If one wants to think of what a Norse taking of either a town (berg, burg, borough, burh, ville, village) was like; they best look at the Bayeaux Tapestry. You will see ladders to scale walls and torches to set alight the palisade.

[@kev3d]

"grey in its morality" I'm glad you said that. I hate applying too much "presentism" into judging movies that depict a culture pretty far removed from us today. That said, the "goodguy" in the movie kills his mother (who was no peach) his half brother (who was more or less innocent), and while he didn't directly burn children alive, he was part of the raiding party that did. I enjoyed the film quite a lot, but they ain't heroes. Though it was pretty satisfying when Amleth kills that guy without a nose who had tried to kill him as a child.

[@Gabriel-wn6oc]

I actually believe The Northman is far more historically accurate than given credit for.

[@vattghern257]

I think that too. in 29:39 You can see the cavalry man who holds the spear with dragon head on it. I remember that after the show I checked it and it was real, at that time cavalry would use this symbol. This is the most accurate Viking film I've ever seen. Film is very raw, story is simple, no goods fighting.

[@killgoretrout9000]

yes and no. I think it's better described as period accurate the movie does have a magic sword and a generally thin separation between the natural and supernatural worlds. I view the film as taking place inside the mind of a 10th century Scandinavian hearing the Saga of Amleth. So much like Eggers' first film "The Witch" period accurate but not telling an historically true story.

[@masterofallgoons]

@@killgoretrout9000 - That's fair, but I also think kind of the whole idea. It's not meant to be reality, obviously, because it depicts things that are obviously supernatural fantasy (like the latter parts of The Witch) but as far as I know it pretty accurately depicts beliefs of the time. A modern audience knows that an undead swordsman is not a real thing, but I think this character in this time period would believe that he might actually have to fight a zombie soldier to get a magic sword... Maybe we are just saying the same thing, but what I mean is I don't think that precludes it from being 'accurate.'

[@killgoretrout9000]

@@masterofallgoons I'm playing a bit of a semantics' game using the term period accurate rather than historically accurate, since I read a lot of history and historical biographies I tend to be kind of fussy when it comes the terms history and historical.

[@Spacehog1981]

Njal's Saga is an early Icelandic Saga which would be roughly analogous to the time of The North man. It is so similar, that I feel like the makers must hVe read it. The mix of trippy dream sequences,agic weapons, etc. Extremely similar. Northman was well done.

[@armchairarchaeologist]

I love How to Train Your Dragon so much; the story behind it is so cute: the author of the books used to holiday on an uninhabited island in the Hebrides with her family as a child; and grew up hearing stories about Vikings and dragons, and turned it into this wonderful fantasy series that I love so much. It has little sprinklings acknowledging history, but doesn't try to be authentic, it's not claiming to be accurate, and I really appreciate that. Heck, the original books feature encounters with Romans

[@shago6684]

im sure shes very excited for the live action how to train your dragon....

[@SeppukuDoll]

1. They are not randomly killing locals. That tiny boat would have made its way much faster to the village to warn it of the invasion. 2. They are not killing everyone, in fact the very next scene they're talking about who to take as slaves.

[@ketlingpl]

I love Gone Medieval podcast, however I have to say "fantasy" is the last word that comes to mind when trying to describe The Northman. You can see the berserkers are raising their shields trying to protect their heads while approaching the pallisade. The only way this movie could get more authentic is that the actors would actually speak the old norse (which was in fact planned, the producers vetoed it). There's plenty of viking age easter eggs (funeral scene taken almost straight from Ibn Fadlan's account), costumes are perfect.

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

Given Robert Eggers sensibilities I have to agree. Looking at the actual fantastical and mythical aspects of his film they feel incredibly grounded. The Valkyrie is depicted in exactly the way I think the Vikings would have believed them to be. Meanwhile the historical accuracy of the sets and costumes is touted, and backed up by experts, as the best of any Viking media ever filmed. Her notes about the fact berserkers are depicted in the popular but not directly substantiated aesthetic is fair. It is somewhat of a modern fantasy, but more on just an interpretation and speculation, fantasy is still the wrong word.

[@williamallen7984]

I love the 13th Warrior, and I always thought it was just a fantasy story. It’s cool to find out that there is a lot more “fact,” to it than I thought… Also, man did I love the Northman…disappointing that they only discussed one scene that was roughly 2 minutes of the movie.

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

The Northman is a great film. My father was friends with the writer sjon.

[@jefcastaneda1454]

In “The Northman” Amleth is doing a ritual before they raid a village. That group he’s in is a sub group of berserkers called Ulfheðnar. Regular berserkers wear bear skin and are usually very big like the mountain from game of thrones. They would do rituals and mushrooms or “magic” to help them get into a trance like state of fury. Ulfheðnar wear would skin and are more lean and faster. Apparently they’re more deadlier than the regular berserkers. That’s why you see all of them in wolf skin and they’re howling.

[@supermanlypunch]

I'm really glad that Ibn Fadlan seems to be getting more of a look-in in these sorts, cause I truly love some of his accounts. It's almost comical how he switches between describing the sheer beauty and awe Rus inspire in him, and than going on to call them the literally filthiest heathens ever to walk the earth.

[@adamstephenson7518]

Those old movies with Douglas weren't accurate but they were cool for there time. I remember watching them and WW2 movies as a kid and that's how I got into history. Loved this video 🤙

[@ermining1]

Viking was filled near my home town, fort lalatte in Brittany

[@wtls000]

I feel like it's pointless for her to analyse the Northman without more context than those scenes. I've read articles saying many historians think that movie may be the most realistic interpretation of Viking life in film so far. I'd love to see her analyse the whole movie!

[@la8pv737]

I wonder where she stands politically. Im sorry, but i tend to be sceptical towards these so called intellectuals, and their agendas.

[@jonnil1997]

@@la8pv737 what is the political agendas thats simply pointing out that Berserkers arent very based in reality lol

[@jonnil1997]

@@la8pv737 please explain ur point friend, I dont know what you are arguing about. Im not a historian, the idea of a berserker didnt come from nothing, its obviously based on something, so yes a little then.

[@littlemouse7066]

the ship with the movable mast for navigation on rivers (because there were bridges on rivers) is present in the game Assassin Creed Valhalla that does a lot of things about "vikings" right. by the way no horned helmets in the game and it's obvious they would never use something like that in battle for obvious reasons. headgears with horns (generally deer horns) were used by shamans and seers (often female) to represent their link with nature. we have an archeological find in Sweden in the tomb of a woman of an headgear with deer horns and it's quite probable she was a seer.

[@RizztrainingOrder]

“No evidence therefore didnt exist” bless your heart my sweet summer child.

[@heathenpolska]

My friend was an extra in The Northman.

[@natmanprime4295]

I notice how she struggles to admit that vikings had no "warrior women"...

[@nm7358]

Vikings had the shield-maidens, and it's an animation with friggin' dragons flying in it so why not represent that viking freewomen had rights over their own lives that most girls in other societies hadn't. If she wants to be a shield-maiden in a fiction that has flying dragons, why not? And there are some historical accounts of viking female warriors actually fighting and dying through attacks, for example in byzantine sources like John Skylitzes.

[@Tommy-5684]

thats still up for debate so you know

[@ianaustin5012]

As a historian I hoped she wouldn’t of used the term Vikings. Vikings weren’t a people or a culture, it’s a verb meaning to go raid/raiding which what Anglo-Saxons heard them chanting when coming ashore. They were farmers, traders, fisherman, explorers before “Viking”. They were Norse, Swedes, and Danes. Calling them Vikings cause of something they shouted would be like calling First Nation people by using a war cry.

[@justinklink1588]

13th Warrior is such a guilty pleasure movie for me. I quote it often with my one buddy.

[@orchard1990]

I know this is Vikings in movies but I'd have definitely including Ragnars death from the TV show Vikings and looked at Thors representation in the God of War Ragnarok game. Both are excellent

[@Madmax45247]

Despite some glaring issues The Northman is by far the most historically accurate "Viking" film ever made. Only other thing that comes to mind which is also very historically accurate is Vinland Saga. Even the Japanese are better at depicting medieval Europe than modern Hollywood.

[@VFella]

6:03, this "castle" looks like a XVIII - XIX century fort, there is one of these sentry boxes with round concrete (or stone) tops.

[@ThisTrainIsLost]

One film you've overlooked is "Outlander," and I think I know why. It would be classified by most as sci-fi but it has an off worlder landing in Norse lands in the 8th or ninth century (I forget which). While it has fantastic elements, its depiction of Norse society is very detailed both physically and sociologically. Most recommended.

[@StuSaville]

Regarding the legend of the King of Northumbria executing Ragnar Lodbrok by casting him into a pit of snakes. Does Britain have snakes that are venomous enough to kill a man or did they have to go to the great bother of importing them? The whole affair seems rather over-elaborate and Bond villainesque if you ask me...

[@vojtechhoracek7704]

Britain (but not Ireland) has only one venomous species of snake, the common European viper. A single bite would be very unlikely to kill a healthy adult person. Multiple bites from multiple snakes could cause death after perhaps 24-48 hours though.

[@StuSaville]

@@vojtechhoracek7704 Yikes 24-48 hours sounds like an excruciatingly boring way to go but then Britain isn't exactly blessed with an abundance of dangerous wildlife so I guess they didn't have much alternative. Perhaps a pit of angry badgers?

[@vojtechhoracek7704]

@@StuSaville For the historical period, Eurasian (grey) wolves would've been a reasonably plausible option, they were quite abundant in the British Isles and were often trapped rather than hunted. Then again, I've a feeling that throwing the guy in a pit full of hungry pigs would've been just as gruesome and probably easier to arrange.

[@reverie6034]

Best comment thread on the video 🫡

[@waynemcauliffe2362]

Thanks for that mate

[@KellyAnn1997]

13th Warrior was a brilliant take on Beowulf. Loved it!

[@aroncarlberger5881]

27:27 cmon top medieval historian has no idea about for an example the Torslunda plates and the sutton hoo helmet all relate to the odinic ritual of the berserkers. The horned helmet is also seen on odin pendants that further confirms the ritualistic horned helmet was a thing.

[@loosecannon6142]

Was thinking the same. Cringe.

[@chindimusicchannel]

To be fair she's an expert on the Viking age and both of those are outside of that specific purview. I agree with you that they're relevant information, but I don't think it's a huge knock against her necessarily.

[@cadeezell]

That 1950's Vinking movie did an amazing job filming a siege. Better than most production companies today

[@will-i-am-not]

Yes it was brilliant, they used a castle on the north west coast of France. Came across it by chance, photos inside of the filming etc

[@roberttauzer7042]

I watched just northman part but "bearskins" - curiously those were bear AND wolfskins. In their chant, supposedly historic, they call out to fenris and bear-wolf brothers. "idk about horns" it was recreated from a ceremonial Sutton hoo helmet, ritual was depicted there, ofc, nobody knows how exactly it went.

[@robinusher5707]

Siege scene in The Vikings, 1958, was filmed at Fort LaLatte, Brittany

[@powerfrenzy]

I love these review videos. Dr Cat didnt really give any ratings for this one though, did she?

[@SuperVistaprint]

To rate them…she would have had to see them in full. The clips alone don’t lend themselves to any rating, as some of her mentioned are either explained or even fully shown in those movies

[@powerfrenzy]

@@SuperVistaprint she is rating scenes, as stated in the title of the video though. Scenes can certainly be compartmentalized into clips. And anyways, this format didn't prevent them from giving ratings in any of the other "Historian rates movie scenes" videos the channel has put out.

[@SuperVistaprint]

@@powerfrenzy maybe they learned from the critic they have gotten over their non standardized rating. What would it help anyone is she gave it a 7/10 or a 2/10? When 1. it’s not her field of expertise 2. she is not familiar with the source material 3. there is no standard

[@powerfrenzy]

@@SuperVistaprint Well, chiefly, these videos are all in fun. Previous videos have given very high ratings just based on how entertaining a scene is (A Knights Tale, Monty Python/ etc.) The ratings are not scientific, nor are they meant to help anyone decide or study anything. Secondly, Vikings ARE her area of expertise, apparently... that's why she was invited to participate. So from that she'll have a better-than-most foundation for assessing how likely/accurate a movie scene is or is not. She does not need to know a whole movie by heart to critique a scene based on her historical expertise.

[@SuperVistaprint]

@@powerfrenzy she is a medieval expert, a top medieval expert at that…they didn’t say she was a dark age, migration age or simpler viking age expert, because she is not. Her expertise lies in the time after the Vikings. If the ratings serve no purpose, why include a rating? Just in your own words you basically named them pointless. And I just took 5 minutes times go roughly skim the comments and another 15 to look up some of those, very shallow. The comments explained the scenes better and some even with sources, what was depicted and why. And when you say „she doesn’t need to know the entire movie“ again….In the 13th clip she explains the poem where it comes from, the incident that was observed and how that is what they referenced in the movie….BUT THAT burial is IN the movie….just 60 minutes earlier…

[@redwolf7929]

Wasn't giants a mistake interpretation of Jotun.Which means " devourer"

[@Sebuin]

From my understanding Crichton wrote "Eaters of the Dead" as a challenge when a compatriot said he was teaching the great bores and one was Beowulf, Crichton took umbrage saying Beowulf isn't boring and made this. I love the Ibn Fadlan part but then again my understanding is "the Wends" were supposed to be a what if small pockets of neanderthal's still existed, thus why they are so much more primitive and seem to be more physical. Of course a mounted neanderthal, they should have left out the horse. They could have had him with a huge standard and surrounded by fierce champions to draw attention. Oh well it's what we got and I'll take it. It got the ball rolling on so many good and movies of that period.

[@genosse2712]

i would really like to know her take on the depiction of the norse gods in god of war ragnarok.. maybe you can do a video game one one day

[@boohankins2993]

I wish you would have covered History Channel's Vikings

[@Jorge_Ambruster]

I mean, starting with Thor which isn't attempting to be mythology but superhero content... It's obviously going to do what it wants

[@paulbismuth10]

In The Vikings, the castle is Fort La Latte in Brittany France built on a cliff around 1340. If someone care, just a fun fact😅.

[@michaeldobson107]

The 13th Warrior was a hugely underratted movie.

[@no-oneinparticular7264]

In the last film, weren't they wearing wolf skins just before they attacked. The man howled like a wolf twice, which made me wonder about the smallish size and colour of the skins

[@NefariousKoel]

Yes, wolf skins. I was waiting for her to catch the mistake, but it didn't happen.

[@Eganja.]

Yes the were the ulfhednar, a group of vikings similar to berserkers, but they embodied the wolf instead of the bear, the woman in this video either isn’t educated properly on these rituals or didn’t pay enough attention to the clips

[@dimman77]

​@@Eganja. Yeah, the wolves were also a part of Odin's entourage, he had two Wolves as well as the two Ravens. They say the Wolves' names translate to approximately Ravenous and Gluttony and I'm curious at the symbolism there. Maybe something about two outwardly similar seeming actions that have inherently very different origins and the context allows you to properly judge the actions?

[@jimpickens4067]

How did you not recognise the horned helmet worn by a man carrying two spears in the Northman movie, it was clearly based on plesbech imagery from Vendel period helmets

[@OrigMaelstrom]

Thank you...for a "historian and archaeologist specialising in the Viking Age" her views are very, erm, let's say focused on what she's personally seen

[@magonus195]

No recognition of nude berserkers, either

[@sankharaYT]

Awesome to find this here. I just read her book River Kings. She's just as cool as her book! :)

[@aidanfarnan4683]

"I quite like that bucket!" 10/10 content.

[@sercastamere9853]

I can't help but notice they glossed over the fact that Heimdall, a Scandinavian god, was portrayed as black in the Marvel movies. Idris Elba is a fantastic actor, and skin colour doesn't change anything about a person... however if you're going to pick on Thor for having blonde hair instead of red hair, this is a pretty blatant error.

[@muhammadeisa1459]

I'm fairly certain that she's being shown clips of these movies, not entire movies themselves, and Heimdall does not appear in any of those clips she's been shown.

[@stuartspencer2161]

There is a lot wrong in Marvel's Thor, both comics and the films. Another noticeable standout is that Lady Sif is brunette, and a member of Thor's entourage, unlike in legend where she is Thor's wife, and her hair is made of strands of gold. Unfortunately, there are probably a lot of people out there who don't realise it is a very loose interpretation of the mythology.

[@haeleth7218]

The death of Ragnar Loðbrok by the snake pit in England has many problems with me. Number one there are hardly any snakes in England, number two I think there is only one poisonous species, number three that one poisonous species is hardly likely to kill you (just make you feel bad for a few hours if bitten). Where did the Northumbrians get the highly dangerous snakes from and how did the snakes survive in cold Northumbria?

[@MerelvandenHurk]

That's a good point, but if I remember correctly there was quite some international commerce so they might've been imported. And since snakes are coldblooded, they're very easy to transport (provided you stay away from their teeth ofc) because they don't need to eat often, don't need a large enclosure, and don't need to be kept warm like a mammal would. And a single clutch can contain many eggs, if you handrear those (since in the wild animals usually have multiple young because most of them don't survive) you've got a lot more snakes. Most snakes are sexually mature after 2-3 years, but many snakes appear to be capable of parthenogenesis (which is asexual reproduction, so the female just uses her own genome for the eggs instead of needing to mate with a male). As for the cold, if the snakes are inside the building, even though it can get pretty cold there, there's a chance they'll survive. Since they're coldblooded, their body temperature just moves along with the environment, and they can tolerate temperatures down to below freezing. But if it's really cold, that also means that they're barely moving (and the barely need to eat). So if Ragnar was thrown in there in winter, the snakes probably wouldn't have bothered him unless he hurt any of them and they bit him in response. And even then, venomous (not poisonous, btw) snakes prefer to "dry bite", meaning they don't inject venom when just biting to defend themselves. Venom is an incredibly costly resource for them that takes some time and energy to make, so you don't want to waste it on animals that aren't your prey. However, that is no guarantee that they'll always dry bite, otherwise there wouldn't be a need for antivenom centers across the country ;) So... it's... feasible, I guess? It's at least not impossible, but one has to wonder why they'd go through all that trouble. Maybe precisely because snakes are very low-maintenance, while most other animals you could put into a pit to kill prisoners in would require more space, more feeding, more heat etc. I have a corn snake myself, and I got him precisely because I was looking for a low-maintenance pet because I was still a student and didn't feel comfortable asking my neighbors to take care of my pets while I was on vacation and trusting them with my key. He currently eats once every 2-3 weeks, but they can survive for months without food if need be. Waiting that long obviously won't be healthy, but you can easily go on vacation for 2-4 weeks without problems. When I just got him he was so stressed from the move that he refused to eat for almost half a year. He didn't move much during that time - contrary to warmblooded animals, since they don't need to keep their temperature up all day they have the ability to just slow everything down and adapt their energy expenditure to the availability of food - and he got a little underweight but otherwise he was fine. I kept offering him new food every 1-2 weeks or so but he just kept refusing, but thankfully after a while he finally ate. And he's been fine ever since. :)

[@ragtimeraver]

I imagine adder venom was probably more lethal when they didn't have easy access to antivenom or modern medicine to treat its symptoms.

[@SemperPearce]

I feel like the folks who set this up need to give the historians more context regarding the scenes they're given. I appreciate them forming their own impressions based on what they see, but they shouldn't need to guess about bits that don't have much to do with the topic that they're being brought in for. Dr Jarman having to guess about the warrior wearing the bear fur for example in The Thirteenth Warrior. This is something that could have been explained as not having been intended to have been any depiction of Vikings by the author or filmmaker.

[@caterpie911]

A historian that cannot differentiate bearskins from wolves and thinks it is unrealistic for Viking raiders to shoot fishermen so as to keep them from sounding an alarm, yeah....