#Vikings

No!  Not that kind of Viking!

 

This kind of Viking! 

If you're not watching Vikings after the Bible on the History Channel, do yourself a favor and catch up on the episodes!  http://www.history.com/shows/vikings  The show is very interesting and being the history geek I am, I can't wait for it to air each week.  I love the relationship between the "main" Viking, Ragnar, and his wife, Lagertha.  Ragnar is like the Christopher Columbus of the Viking world.  He's convinced there are lands to the West they can raid rather than the usual lands to the East they raid each summer.  I also like that the Vikings are being portrayed in a different light -- as humans, as husbands and wives, as parents.  The series is doing a good job of humanizing Vikings rather than villanizing them.  Don't get me wrong.  The show is pretty violent and graphic but Ragnar is a kinder, gentler Viking than we are used to seeing. 

The HISTORY® original series Vikings transports us to the brutal and mysterious world of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel), a Viking warrior and farmer who yearns to explore—and raid—the distant shores across the ocean. His ambition puts him at odds with local chieftain Earl Haraldson (Gabriel Byrne), who insists on sending his raiders to the impoverished east rather than the uncharted west. When Ragnar teams up with his boat builder friend Floki (Gustaf Skarsgard) to craft a new generation of intrepid ships capable of conquering the rough northern seas, the stage is set for conflict. But for all its warfare and bloodshed,

 

Vikings is also a story of family and brotherhood, capturing the love and affection between Ragnar and his wife, Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick), a respected warrior in her own right. It is the tale of Ragnar’s brother Rollo (Clive Standen), a fierce fighter who simmers with jealously; of Earl Haraldson’s wife Siggy (Jessalyn Gilsig), a dutiful beauty who may be less than loyal; and of the monk Athelstan (George Blagden), whose Christian morals clash with the Vikings’ pagan society. As ambition and innovation rattle a civilization, these characters will be put to the test—and their way of life will never be the same again.