During its incredible six-season run, Vikings shone a whole new light on an otherwise unknown and misunderstood people. It managed to get a lot right, but by no means is it without error.
Below are 10+ mistakes in Vikings fans didn't notice. If you're a student of history or just a plain old Vikings buff like me, you're going to want to pay attention.
Vikings are often portrayed in fiction as wearing large horned helmets. The show is correct by not portraying their characters in such garb.
However, that isn't to say that Vikings never wore helmets at all. They may not have had horns, but they certainly did have helmets.
The show describes the sound of thunder as the act of Thor beating his hammer against an anvil, but this is incorrect.
In Norse mythology, the sound of thunder is actually Thor's chariot being pulled across the sky.
One of the more memorable Ragnar quotes comes in the show's third season when he says to Floki "Shut your face."
As cool a line as it might have been, there's absolutely no record of the phrase in usage before the 19th century.
Not only are there several mentions of Russia in the early seasons, but large parts of the sixth and final season take place within the future country.
However, the Tsardom of Russia didn't begin until the early 1500s.
The name "Lothbrok" is a nickname that (humorously enough) means "shaggy breeches."
In real life, Ragnar's children would have carried the surname Ragnarsson; literally "Ragnar's sons." The fact that his children carry the last name Lothbrok is factually inaccurate.
Jarls didn't have such an authoritarian rule. In fact, it was widely encouraged to disobey and to question them in real life, according to historians.
The first sign of any questionable behavior, and he'd have been ousted immediately.
We all remember the horrific punishment that Athelstan had to go through for his heretical crimes. However, at this time crucifixion would have been a very rare punishment.
It was outlawed by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century.
In the episode "Boneless" we see Rollo fighting side-by-side with his nephew, Bjorn. However, in real life at the time he was nowhere even close!
Rollo raided France in 876 AD, seizing an area known as Rouen. He then lay siege to Paris nearly a decade later.
This term wasn't found in old Norse texts until the early 12th-14th century. It became more common in the 19th century, but it was only predominantly found in Romantic Language books, not history texts.
Vikings would have called themselves Norsemen, Nords, or most probably Danes.
Following in the footsteps of shows like Game of Thrones, Vikings decided to part ways with Ragnar at the end of the 4th season.
After he's thrown into a pit of supposedly venomous snakes, he succumbs to the poison and dies.
They're all boa constrictors which, though they can be deadly, carry no venom whatsoever.
If they wanted to be accurate, they should have shown him being squeezed to death.
In fact, he wasn't even close!
According to historical records, there's ample evidence that proves Ragnar not only had nothing to do with the voyage but that it happened centuries earlier.
The battle scenes in Vikings are some of the most exciting, bloody, and brutal scenes you'll ever find on television. The tactics that they employ, however, are suspect.
Vikings were raiders, not strategists. They didn't fight in a phalanx but rather relied on their cunning and surprise.
Viking culture was arguably more advanced in terms of gender equality than some of their contemporaries in certain areas. That said, Norsewomen sharing the battlefield with Norsemen is a controversial theory.
There are historical records that support the notion but their reliability has been called into question.
There's evidence that suggests Norsemen were ahead of the curve in terms of fashion and personal hygiene. They would often dress provocatively and even color their hair.
Early Christians have even described them as being vain!
Once Torvi spots Lagertha's boats, she points at them and lowers her arm slightly.
But in the next shot, she redoes the movement, as though it never happened in the first place.
While it may be adorable, nice, and cozy, something like this actually wouldn't have existed at the time.
It would only come around 200–300 years later. But hey, it made for a nice shot, so that's something!
Alright, so there's no closet.
However, when she's in her battle, on her final skeleton she swings her sword downwards, but actually misses the skeleton completely.
Regardless of that, the skeleton still falls.
While King Ecbert and Wigstan are speaking, Ecbert's left hand is open and pointing toward Wigstan.
But at the next shot, his hands are clasped in front of his chest rather firmly, shattering the illusion.
In order to practice throwing knives (three, in particular), Ragnar is using a shield to practice his aim.
He throws the knives, but between shots, the positions of the knives change on the shield.
While Rollo and Bjorn are practicing together, Rollo slashes Bjorn across his stomach, along the left side, and then injures him further by slashing his right arm.
Painful, am I right, everyone? I wouldn't want to be Bjorn.
But when he stands up, the slash mark on his stomach is completely gone!
I wonder if Bjorn has some kind of special healing power he didn't let his family know about...
Or were you too busy loving the action, violence, and drama on the show to notice any kind of mistakes whatsoever?
Either way, let us know down below in the comments!
