Aren't these the same guys that raid, pillage, murder, rape, burn, behead, loot, slaughter and have absolutely zero morals?
Oh, wait, I guess these are the three nice ones who just got lost and are only trying to get back home so they won't miss their clans next trip to raid, pillage, murder, rape, burn, behead, loot and slaughter.
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I'll always be going to see the varmint, Eve.
As opposed to the Christians that raid, pillage, murder, rape, burn, behead, loot, slaughter and have absolutely zero morals?
shareStrawman much?
Christians did not do that as Christians any more than atheists did, or polytheists or Muslims have.
Viking culture was one specifically of going out every year to raid, steal, and murder.
Christians did not do that as Christians any more than atheists did, or polytheists or Muslims have. Viking culture was one specifically of going out every year to raid, steal, and murder.
Vikings weren't worse than anyone else living in the world around the time. Get educated son.
shareYou are supposed to root for the Christians, the vikings instantly gets a bad reputation of the information you get in the movie and the Christian monks all of a sudden has become buddhistic fighting monks.
This is one of the later movies/series that perpetuate that Vikings went to England and it's neighbours and only mercilessely killed the monks and pillaged monesteries, and even if most of that is true in a way (Vikings often took what they needed along the routes they traveled and forced the English kings to pay a tax to not get looted, vikings "laid claim" to most of England), they came to settle land and trade mainly, aggresively taking over and burning down trading outposts was as I think none denies an option that they took at times.
-English nobility didn't lay down arms and took in Vikings in the bloodlines for the fun of it.
*Speculative; For me it's quite clear that the age of modern knights took its start out of these times, if you look at the coat of arms of the English nobility and the Scandinavian (Danish, Norse and Swedish) you will find ALOT of similarities, from the exact representation of 3 lions (blue versus red background) to the 3 crowns.
Norsemen (norweigan vikings) even had a tradingoutpost where Romans later took over which later became London (Vikings has long been a part of the history of its neighbours both for good and bad). I won't go so far as to say that the Islands originally got settled by the Norsemen, because it was more than likely ahead of the proper viking age, but where do you think the people originated from before the Romans took over?
[Edit] And as someone yet has to point out - there was once land to the continent from the Ice Age pulling back. This is most likely where people originally came to the islands, what I'm talking about is later influences in power and what became societies.
The biggest role Vikings played was to establish traderoutes across the world (from China in the east, by proxy, to America in the west - proper viking settlements have been found in north america), by these routes they also put down the foundation to Russia and northern Europe.
When it comes to terrible behaviour they were not alone about that.
Witchhunts and the "purge" of Europe was a simple way to eradicate the last remains of self reliance in knowledge of medicine and other areas, christians simply slayed the ones (or got them slayed) they saw as competition for physical and symbolic (religious etc) power.
Then again Romans/Jews slayed Christians in heaps in horrifying ways before that, most religions (early cultural expressions) are crude and ineffective for human and societal development (as in killing those who do not agree), the secularised movements that aim to take religion into the humans soul and interpret it within the constraints of science (or close thereby) has atleast slightly progressed.
Ignorance is only a bliss if you haven't reached awareness.
My imdb posts are getting altered.
Also read up on the history of the Isle of Man. The viking invaders, after failing to take the island, instead chose to stay on the island and interbreed with the celtic residents. Hence the Manx language, which is a mix of Gaelic and Atlantic-Slavic languages.
shareUmmmm....
‘ Norsemen (norweigan vikings) even had a tradingoutpost where Romans later took over which later became London...’
The Roman Empire was very much BEFORE the Viking raiders settled in what is now the U.K.
They continued to build on many of the places the Romans had built up themselves, or claimed from the locals.
What do you think the christians were doing to each other dude? Seriously...
shareWe pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
Maraud and embezzle, and even high-jack
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We kindle and char, inflame and ignite
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
We burn up the city, we're really a fright
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
We're beggars and blighters, never-do-well cads
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads
Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
After rooting for Pirates in Pirates of the Caribbean, why would it be so difficult to root for Vikings?
I am late to the party but I am sure leaking, if American celebrates independence day forgetting the atrocities of his government.
shareAtrocities have been committed by every existing government. Get over yourself.
shareIn fairness, I responded in haste. But still, most governments have contributed to some sort of injustice depending on the point of view...but as far as western governments go, the USA is the largest, and therefore the mistakes outsize those of others that can sit back and claim innocence.
shareYep,they were. The Sons of Anarchy of their time.
shareIf you watch the movie you will see that the Scots are not exactly nice people. Especially the mercenaries hired by the King to do evil to his daughter Princess Inghean ( do not forget when they cutoff the head of One of the Vikings and carried it with them, or when they threw a Scot into the fire face first). Spoilers The plan was to have her killed so that the King's enemies do not see him as weak, which he was worried about after a few Vikings killed about 40 of his men. The fact that Princess Inghean would rather take a chance and jump off a cliff into the Sea and follow the Viking leader Asbjorn, then trust her father, is a lesson that all of the soldiers around The King will not forget, and the look on his face showed he knew sooner or later he is losing its Kingdom. As for the Vikings, Asbjorn certainly does not approve of all of the Viking tactics towards others and cares about his men, as well as Inghean whom he refuses to abandon to the mercenaries. The truth is both Inghean and Asbjorn are not exactly welcome in their homeland ( despite not deserving such treatment) a point they talk about, and because they trust in each other, and contribute to each other's survival will ( along with the monk and two other Vikings) pull through.p
shareIf you had listened to the dialogue, you would know that these were the remnants of one body of Vikings who had rebelled when someone named "King Hal" had tried to take over. Once the leader's father was dead, there was nothing left to do but look elsewhere for a place to live. They came ashore in Scotland after their ship broke apart in a storm. They were probably heading for the Viking settlement of Dublin.
The Vikings were no worse than any other marauder, except they preyed upon the countries with monasteries, where the the monks wrote most of the accounts from which early historians got their views, and passed these down to the general population.
It has only been within the previous century that Vikings have begun to be recognized for their advancements in navigation and voyages of discovery.
Also, remember what was required to maintain any degree of peace amongst warriors in the so-called Christian countries. Pope Urban II had to come up with the concept of relief of penance through penitential warfare and remissions of sins. Thus bribed, these "Christian" warriors were motivated to stop plundering their neighbours, to stop their Christian against Christian battles, and to go on Crusade to the Holy Land to take back Jerusalem and Constantinople from the Turks.