Vikings (2013– )

Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of ... See full summary »

Creator:

Michael Hirst

Stars:

Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen

Cast

Series cast summary:
Travis Fimmel	...	Ragnar Lothbrok (9 episodes, 2013)
Katheryn Winnick	...	Lagertha (9 episodes, 2013)
Clive Standen	...	Rollo (9 episodes, 2013)
Jessalyn Gilsig	...	Siggy (9 episodes, 2013)
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Floki (9 episodes, 2013)
Gabriel Byrne	...	Earl Haraldson (9 episodes, 2013)
George Blagden	...	Athelstan (8 episodes, 2013)
Tadhg Murphy	...	Arne (8 episodes, 2013)
Diarmaid Murtagh	...	Leif (7 episodes, 2013)
Jefferson Hall	...	Torstein (7 episodes, 2013)
David Pearse	...	Svein (6 episodes, 2013)
Vladimir Kulich	...	Eric (5 episodes, 2013)
Elinor Crawley	...	Thyri (5 episodes, 2013)
Eric Higgins	...	Knut (4 episodes, 2013)
Maude Hirst	...	Helga (4 episodes, 2013)
Peter Gaynor	...	Lord Edgar (4 episodes, 2013)

Storyline

Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods, legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.

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Plot Keywords:

Viking | Sword And Shield

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Taglines:

The Storm Is Coming

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

Ireland Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Ballyhenry Studios, Ashford, Co Wicklow, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Irish Film Board, Take 5 Productions, World 2000 Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Throughout the series, people refer to Gabriel Byrne's character as "Earl (or Lord) Haraldson". The Vikings used a system of naming known as "patronymic" in which one's given name was modified by the name of one's father followed by "son" or "dottir" (and in any case, it's "Haraldsson", not "Haraldson"). These modifiers were not in anyway considered family names and people were commonly referred to by their given names regardless of their rank. Occasionally, matronymics were used, derived from the name of the mother. This custom has fallen into disuse in all the Scandinavian countries except Iceland, where the patronymic/matronymic system is still in use and the custom is to address people by what people in most other countries would consider their "first" or "Christian" names.

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Connections

Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #17.196 (2012)
Clip shown to introduce today's guest panelist Neil Oliver!

User Reviews

A Medieval "Godfather"

Maybe it isn't real 100 percent history. Some liberties were taken, but for the most part is seems to ring true.At times it almost seems like a contemporary crime drama, but the facts are there-the raids on British monastaries that did occur in the late 8th century, a fairly realistic depiction on what Norse life was probably like at this timeline, the spectacular countryside with its majestic forests and rivers, and the depictions of the Vikings themselves. Savage, eager to loot and plunder, but nevertheless bound by a sort of code of honor. Their acts are savage and the chieftan seems more like a medieval Godfather who uses his power for his own personal gain and who is not above killing somebody on the spot if he is displeased with his actions. The storyline is fairly literate and not the usual mindless adventure that too many of these movies present to us, and the characters are convincingly drawn and likely motivated. The music is good and the full size replicas of the ships are very accurate. Even the deliberate pace works to its advantage, we are never rushed and the story develops as it moves along. It is never dull and there is plenty of interest to engage the viewer. However, if you are put off by graphic violence , don't watch it. Those times were fairly brutal. Fine entertainment . Enjoy it.