THE VIKINGS SERIES ITS CHARACTERS AND SWORDS
The creator of the series is , Michael Hirst . This series, temporarily located at the beginning of the Viking Age (9th century AD), has received advice from prestigious historians, hence rigor and authenticity are elements that contribute significantly to the success of the series.
Although the series is based on real events, the legend also has its place in its development, to the point that defining the limits between what happened and what was invented is not an easy task. The central character of the series is Ragnar Lothbrok . Vikings focuses on the figure of Ragnar Lothbrok , a Viking hero and the first to be found in historical writings. He is the leader of the events that gave rise to the growth and Scandinavian domination, at the expense of other territories. Made totally true. Instead, the fiction appears in the confrontation with Earl Haraldson . Despite the differences between experts, it seems certain that Ragnar lived between the 8th and 9th centuries AD Historical sources do not give much credibility to the fact that he was king, what was real is that he was a warrior who carried out his raids all over the world. Europe, and especially it was shown with great fierceness against the English and French in the 9th century, at the dawn of the Viking age. His involvement in the Battle of Lindisfarne , featured in the series, has too few points to make it true. On the contrary, there is unanimity that his end is defeat and subsequent capture, which he suffered fighting Aella of Northumbia . It is also true that he was thrown into a snake pit, where he died, threatening his killers with the revenge of his death for his children.
Ragnar had relationships with four women and had a dozen children. Five of them, Ubbe , Bjorn , Ivar, Sigurd and Hvitserk , followed in their father's footsteps and became fierce warriors. What is absolutely false is the prophecy that Ragnar has, which ensures the belonging to the legend, both of Ragnar himself and his children. Ragnar becomes obsessed with the prophecy, so much so that it leads him to look for a second wife, Aslaug , because of his first wife's miscarriage.
In ' Vikings ', Bjorn is born from Ragnar's relationship with Lagertha , when the story tells us that he is the son of his second wife, Aslaug . Where fiction and reality meet is that Bjorn and his brothers, commanding a powerful Viking army, launched their fierce warriors against England, obtaining a great victory, as well as taking revenge for the death of their father. This son of Ragnar, Bjorn , was Ragnar's natural heir, becoming a great warrior, very adept with weapons, who developed his great skill and ferocity in combat, never shying away from any combat. He was known as an iron arm. Having achieved all the power of his father, he founded the Munsö dynasty . His brothers did not fight against him and admitted his leadership, fact totally true.
Ivar Ragnarsson , nicknamed as Ivar the Boneless. It is not known where the nickname comes from, more perhaps it was due to some distortion. The Anglo-Saxon texts speak profusely of him and his deeds, emphasizing his extraordinary brutality, mainly with all those who were related to religion. He won a highly creditable victory at the Battle of York. The series says that he was in Russia, but no historical reference to this fact has been found.
about the character of Ubbe , since there are practically no texts that name him. If it can be said that he was one of the components, together with his brothers, of the phenomenal Viking army that devastated Europe. Died at the Battle of Cynwit . The lack of historical sources on the character opens many possibilities for the writers of the series to attribute all kinds of facts to him.
halfdan Ragnarson ( Hvitserk ). Regarding Halfdan, the researchers believe that this is the true name of another of Ragnar's sons, although he was better known as Hvitsert , which means "white shirt". This character also participated in the battle to avenge the death of his father.
The youngest of Ragnar's sons who has a leading role in the series is Sigurd , nicknamed "snake eye" because he was born with an anomaly in one of his eyes, a pattern similar to a snake. His story in the series is quite consistent with reality, and although he was not assassinated by his brother Ivar, it is true that he was king of Denmark and that he married Blaeja, daughter of the king who killed his father , Aella of Northumbia .
Viking women did not restrict their work to traditional tasks, which still persist today, of taking care of the housework and caring for children. Although it is true that there was no equitable society between men and women, they enjoyed more rights than women of their time belonging to other cultures. For example, they could marry and divorce without having to ask anyone's permission. Both men and women could have extramarital affairs if the other party did not object. In Viking society, the differences between the sexes were stronger because of the different social classes to which they belonged, than because of sex. It is a fully proven fact that Viking women were also warriors, and to corroborate this, tombs have been found in which the female warriors were buried with their weapons just like the men.
Continuing with the section on women, we are going to dedicate a few lines to the two women who left their mark the most on Ragnar Lothbrok , Lagertha and Aslaug .
lagertha . As with Ragnar, the line that divides fiction from reality is very thin. It seems that she is mentioned in some historical documents, but a thick fog covers her life. However, it seems certain that she fought alongside Ragnar and that she was a great warrior. Everything else that we are going to relate is the result of the inventiveness of the writer of the series. According to this, Lagertha is of Danish origin and joins Ragnar to fight against Frodo. In battle the woman showed great courage and extraordinary strength, to the point that Ragnar fell in love with her. He took her as his wife and three children were born from the marriage. Later she separated from him. She married again, but her husband mistreated her, which led Lagherta to make a drastic decision. She murdered her husband and began to become powerful. In the series, another relationship with Rollo -Ragnar's brother in the series- is attributed to her, and she is pointed out as the assassin of Aslaug . Both statements are not true.
Aslaug . She was a Viking queen of Scandinavia and Ragnar falls in love with her when a party of his warriors discover her. This queen lost her parents very early, so her grandfather took care of her. Her grandfather always treated her like a peasant and did not tell anyone of his granddaughter's noble origin. When Ragnar falls in love with her, he sends his men to bring her to his presence, and before everyone and everyone he poses a kind of riddle to Aslaug that the girl solves satisfactorily. The intelligence of the lady and her beauty were highly appreciated by Ragnar, to the point of abandoning Lagertha to marry Aslaug . From this union several children were born. One of them Bjorn , falsely attributed to Lagertha . Auslug was said to have magical qualities, such as telling the future. Some of these predictions would serve to reveal to Ragnar the noble birth of Auslug .
SWORDS OF THE VIKINGS SERIES
Both in daily life and in combat, the sword for the Vikings was a fundamental element and their main weapon, second only to the Viking axe. In the series there are many models of swords, from the deadliest used in the innumerable wars in which they participated, to the decorative ones that could be seen in the homes of the rich, and that represented belonging to high society.
As one might assume, the sword of one of the most important characters in the series, has to carry a sword according to the individual's personality, reflecting his pre-eminent status and his prowess with weapons. We refer to the sword of Ragnar Lothbrok . It is a sword of remarkable length, the blade of which is a long sword with a straight and narrow blade, and a pommel adorned with the head of a dragon.
Bjorn Ironside 's sword , which differs from Ragnar's sword in the width of its blade and having a normal hilt.
In addition, we can see in the series, in the biggest fights, very long swords that were used with two hands.
As a summary we can say that the swords that can be seen in the Vikings series differ very little from those used by these warriors in the Viking age. In this chapter the production of the series has not limited resources to make fairly exact replicas of the swords that the Vikings actually used.
By dint of being repetitive, below , we list the main swords that appear in the series, as well as their characteristics:
1. Ragnar Lothbrok Sword : As we said, it is a long weapon and its blade, made of steel and sharp, is straight and narrow. The handle is made of wood, highlighting in it, as a decorative element, the head of a dragon. The shape of the guard reminds us of a U and is decorated.
2. Bjorn Ironside Sword : Bjorn 's sword is a sword very similar to Ragnar's. It differs from this in that Bjorn 's sword has a broader blade, that the hilt is unadorned, and that the guard is flatter.
3. Lagertha 's Sword : Lagertha 's sword is a short sword, also known as a " seax ", the deadly Viking knife. The blade is straight and wide. The wooden grip is decorated and the guard is U-shaped.
4. Sword of Ivar the Boneless: Double-edged sword with a straight, sharp blade. The wooden grip is covered in leather. The guard is "U" shaped with complicated graphics. The peculiarity of this sword lies in its blade, since the material with which it is made is not known for sure, although many researchers are inclined to point out the bone as the element that makes it up.
The swords in the Vikings series closely resemble those used by the Vikings in the 400 years when these formidable warriors developed their might. And it is noteworthy that each sword in the series is unique, and its design aims to highlight the singular elements of its bearer, as well as its social position.
HOW ARE THE VIKING, BARBARIAN AND NORDIC SWORDS
For the Vikings, swords were essential, they were inherited in families and they were taken as trophies in wars. A single blow was enough for these swords to kill enemies, they were much heavier and larger than those used up to that time in southern Europe. The point was not sharp at all, so the swords were designed to cut rather than pierce through the enemy. They were handled with one hand and were very offensive in nature
Despite the fact that the Viking ax was the most used weapon, the Vikings also liked to have a good sword, in fact, they believed that only warriors who died with the sword in hand entered Valhalla.
The Viking sword was different from that of the peoples of southern Europe. In the south, short swords continued to be used, in the style of the Roman Glaudius , while the Vikings forged larger and heavier swords. Its main features are:
• A thick blade that tapered towards the tip
• About 90 cm long
• Double-edged straight blade
• Short handle
• Blunt tip
• Very heavy
As for the decoration, runes and symbols were found on the swords of the nobles, especially near the hilt, as a symbol of wealth and prestige.
