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  • History channel THE VIKINGS

    Has anybody seen the first two episodes of The Vikings on the History channel? When I saw the trailers a month or so ago I thought it would be pretty accurate as the shields, armor and weapons were excellent reproductions of 9th or 10th century Norsemen.

    The first episode raised my eyebrows. The heroic farmer (who has a Dragon Ship built for him to sail West) is called Ragnar. RAGNAR? That was the name Ernest Borginine used in Kirk Douglas' movie "The Vikings". Then the boat builder is named Floki? There was a real Viking named Floki of the Ravens who discovered Iceland by releasing Ravens once a day to see if they would head for land or come back to the ship.

    Also the episode skipped through the building of the ship so fast it gave you the impression Floki built it all by himself.

    Then when they launched the ship, they "lowered the sail" from the yard arm. It was NOT done that way. To maintain a low center of gravity the yardarm WITH its sail was stowed just off centerline of the ship between the rums. For you non-Norsemen, a rum is an oarsman's seat.

    In the second episode I went absolutely ballistic. They are heading west to "Unknown and mythical lands" according to the dialogue. Yet Ragnar says they are going to find England.

    England has been known to exist by the Scandinavians for hundreds of years. Maybe a thousand or so.

    But what got me to screaming was the camera shot pointing aft to the stiiern -- er --- stern of the ship with the helmsmen holding the handle of the stjiernbjordi. IT WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE SHIP.

    Stjiernbjiordi translates into Steering Board. Norse Cargo ships (Knorrs) and warships (Dragon ships) did not use a centerline rudder. They used a Steering Board mounted on the Steering Board side of the ship -- or if you prefer the corrupted interpretation -- the STARBOARD side of the ship. The other side was the PORT side because when they would come into a port and up to a pier or dock, they brought the left (or port) side up to the dock in case any undercurrent would swing the Stjiern (Steering end) around and damage the Steering Board.

    It's a good action show but they really have screwed up some very important details.

    All the continuity director had to do was find an old Aurora model of a Viking ship and it explains the whole thing to him. I used to have one where I hand painted every shield. Then somebody dropped a book on it. May the evil god of Loki (Pagan equivilant of Satan) deliver his wrath on the producers and have Valkaries (Pagan equivilant of Angels) do lap or pole dancing in front of them but not allowed to touch because if the do Thor (the god of thunder) would smash their genitalia with his hammer.
    Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

  • #2
    Starboard, one of those derivations I alway meant to look up but never did. Thank you Rusty
    In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

    Leibniz

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    • #3
      I am half White Russian, so I've looked into that genealogy. As I understand it, Vikings from Sweden (Rus) merged with the Slavic people of what is now Belarus and northern Ukraine. This polity was centered in Kyiv and was known as the Kievan Rus. It was quite powerful in medieval times and its warriors (known to history as Varangians) often served as mercenaries to the Byzantine empire.

      As far as the History Channel, it is more entertainment oriented now than bona-fide historicity.
      sigpic

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      • #4
        Yup , god forbid authenticity and truth get in the way of entertainment . :slap:;)

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        • #5
          I have to note that I was already to sit down and watch a historical show on the History Channel (The Vikings) so I gathered my Coke, Popcorn, and my peanut butter M&M's and sat down...only to find it was a six part fictional series with Hollywood actors. The Xbox game Skyrim is more historically relavant than this show. Outside of The Bible the History Channel has gone the way of MTV. I'm just waiting on the beer chugging game shows.




          Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
          Has anybody seen the first two episodes of The Vikings on the History channel? When I saw the trailers a month or so ago I thought it would be pretty accurate as the shields, armor and weapons were excellent reproductions of 9th or 10th century Norsemen.

          The first episode raised my eyebrows. The heroic farmer (who has a Dragon Ship built for him to sail West) is called Ragnar. RAGNAR? That was the name Ernest Borginine used in Kirk Douglas' movie "The Vikings". Then the boat builder is named Floki? There was a real Viking named Floki of the Ravens who discovered Iceland by releasing Ravens once a day to see if they would head for land or come back to the ship.

          Also the episode skipped through the building of the ship so fast it gave you the impression Floki built it all by himself.

          Then when they launched the ship, they "lowered the sail" from the yard arm. It was NOT done that way. To maintain a low center of gravity the yardarm WITH its sail was stowed just off centerline of the ship between the rums. For you non-Norsemen, a rum is an oarsman's seat.

          In the second episode I went absolutely ballistic. They are heading west to "Unknown and mythical lands" according to the dialogue. Yet Ragnar says they are going to find England.

          England has been known to exist by the Scandinavians for hundreds of years. Maybe a thousand or so.

          But what got me to screaming was the camera shot pointing aft to the stiiern -- er --- stern of the ship with the helmsmen holding the handle of the stjiernbjordi. IT WAS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE SHIP.

          Stjiernbjiordi translates into Steering Board. Norse Cargo ships (Knorrs) and warships (Dragon ships) did not use a centerline rudder. They used a Steering Board mounted on the Steering Board side of the ship -- or if you prefer the corrupted interpretation -- the STARBOARD side of the ship. The other side was the PORT side because when they would come into a port and up to a pier or dock, they brought the left (or port) side up to the dock in case any undercurrent would swing the Stjiern (Steering end) around and damage the Steering Board.

          It's a good action show but they really have screwed up some very important details.

          All the continuity director had to do was find an old Aurora model of a Viking ship and it explains the whole thing to him. I used to have one where I hand painted every shield. Then somebody dropped a book on it. May the evil god of Loki (Pagan equivilant of Satan) deliver his wrath on the producers and have Valkaries (Pagan equivilant of Angels) do lap or pole dancing in front of them but not allowed to touch because if the do Thor (the god of thunder) would smash their genitalia with his hammer.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Minskaya View Post
            I am half White Russian, so I've looked into that genealogy. As I understand it, Vikings from Sweden (Rus) merged with the Slavic people of what is now Belarus and northern Ukraine. This polity was centered in Kyiv and was known as the Kievan Rus. It was quite powerful in medieval times and its warriors (known to history as Varangians) often served as mercenaries to the Byzantine empire.

            As far as the History Channel, it is more entertainment oriented now than bona-fide historicity.
            Ah, White Russian. Originally the Swiss taking over the land on "their" side of the Volga River first used the word "Rus" supposedly referring to the fact they were Northmen from the west.

            Supposedly I have a tad bit of Russian in me through my paternal grandmother Anna Nurenburg who was living in Rusisiskia (sp?) at the time my mercenary grandfather (Ferdinand Landgraff -- or Landgrof -- or Landgrad) in the Don Cossacks "kidnapped" her.

            Actually it was an elopement but her parents claimed it was a kidnapping. But he couldn't get caught because they didn't stop until they got to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

            For the fun of it, notice the different spellings of my name above. Then rent the movie "Jet Pilot" starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh. Janet played a "defecting" Russian pilot and was reportable to a higher officer by the name of "Landgraff". But later in the movie when Hans Conreid took over the role of Janet's superior, he decided Landgraff was too German sounding so he changed it to "Landgrad".

            PS: Please forgive the spelling of the original name of Russia. Even the ding-a-ling at Ellis Island couldn't spell it right. Yes, I do have the ship's Manifest on my wall dated 20 June 1906.
            Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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            • #7
              I learn something new every day. Though my paternal grandparents are listed on the Ellis Island records as German and they came from Russia, browsing Ancestry.com notes that my grandfather was actually born in Ukraine (the birth place of the Cossacks).

              Hmmm. Maybe that's why i took so natural to riding horses. Or was it watching all those Saturday Matinee's at the Allis Theater in West Allis, Wisconsin?
              Able to leap tall tales in a single groan.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by RustyBattleship View Post
                I learn something new every day. Though my paternal grandparents are listed on the Ellis Island records as German and they came from Russia, browsing Ancestry.com notes that my grandfather was actually born in Ukraine (the birth place of the Cossacks).

                Hmmm. Maybe that's why i took so natural to riding horses. Or was it watching all those Saturday Matinee's at the Allis Theater in West Allis, Wisconsin?
                There's a reason it's called "St. Petersburg." ;)

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                • #9
                  Well, we know where to find real Vikings even today; at the Green Midget Cafe in Bromley, Greater London, UK.

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