As many of my readers know, much to my shame, I’m a bit
of a TV watcher. Why “to my shame?” Because, like video games, television can
be an unforgivable time suck that isolates one from the world and people around
you, and yet does not allow the mind or body to rest. Of course video games can be actually ACTIVE and ENGAGING…the television just force feeds your brain
whatever the producers deem appropriate.
I realize that’s a bit harsh, and that watching some
television shows can actually stimulate conversation or become a
“group-bonding” activity…like sporting events or the Academy Awards…and that
other shows on television can be educational, inspiring, and teach us things
about life, ourselves, and others. But that’s not usually the case. Fact is,
there’s a lot of crap on TV…and watching a guy shoot arrows into bad guys while
his sister bangs the local meth head (that’s the basic plot of Arrow) isn’t
doing a lot for MY brain except providing some fun, superhero-style
entertainment.
It is what it is, folks.
Yet, intellectual snob that I am, I can usually hold
myself down to just a handful of “regular” shows (thank God we got rid of HBO!
Prior to the birth of our child we were watching pretty much everything they
were putting out)...and the occasional (terrible, terrible) Mariners game. And
(besides Arrow) I try to limit myself to shows of the “quality” variety…Downton
Abbey and Mad Men, for example, or Parks and Rec (for funny). Such “sitcom
crack” as Friends and Sex and the City have fallen by the wayside.
But now I’ve got Vikings.
Gosh, what a great show! I was up till 2am the other
night catching up on the most recent episodes…and to put that it in
perspective, my dogs get me up anywhere between 4:30 and 5:30am every morning,
rain or shine, weekends or work days (on week days I usually go back to bed
until 6ish, when I get up to ready myself for a 7am start time). Sleep is at a
premium in my home (it’s not often I get to bed before midnight most days), and
my main luxury these days is taking a two or three hour “power nap” on the
weekends when my son is having his daily siesta…assuming I don’t need to run
errands or blog or write books or something.
But for Vikings…well, it’s “axe crack” people. And I’ve
blogged before of my love of axes.
Vikings is a new show airing on the History Channel, and
is pretty much better and more interesting than any single television drama
currently airing on TV, with the exception of Mad Men. It has great acting,
great writing, and beautiful production value…and damn if it isn’t pretty damn
historically accurate (I say this as an amateur armchair historian of Norse
culture, so take that with a grain of salt). And it’s different…O so
different…from any Viking show or film I’ve ever seen. I mean, it takes pains
to really try to portray the mindset of 8th century Norse culture.
[BTW: I know the show has received some criticism for being
historically INACCURATE with regard to clothing and the Danes lack of knowledge
of “the West”…that’s not what I’m referring to. Just hang with me for a bit,
okay?]
The show depicts the life and exploits of Ragnar Lodbrok,
one of the most famous heroes of the (real life) Norse sagas, including
everything from his family life to his raiding expeditions to his political
rivalries. For myself, the series is most fascinating because of its portrayal
of the Norse personality. Often, Vikings in film are simply cardboard
berserkers or violent thugs or parodies…individuals with modern, western values
that just happen to do the barbarian thing for a job (think of the Capitol One
commercials, or the characters portrayed in the film Erik the Viking). It’s
like Scottish highlanders…the concept has been so romanticized and caricatured
over the years that it’s difficult to find a historically accurate depiction of
their brain. Vikings, I feel, does a better job of this than anything I’ve ever
seen.
Not a nice man. |
Ragnar, for example, is the hero of the show. Ragnar has
all the classic virtues of the Norse people: he is courageous, he is clever, he
is honorable, he is dutiful to his family. He is also a complete raging asshole
and murderous bastard by our present standards. Let there be no discussion
about it…the Norsemen had a real “us/them” mentality, and sailing into
someone’s country and butchering unarmed folks (not to mention raping and
pillaging) was all considered “fair play.” Ragnar is not a very nice person, at all and in his culture there really is a premium value
placed on strength…Ragnar and his crew have nothing but contempt for the
weaklings they raid, and Ragnar holds the loyalty of his men first and foremost
due to having proven himself a strong warrior. His ambition and cunning combine
to elevate him above his station of birth, but his brethren would not follow
him for these reasons alone (his ability to get them rich plunder is a definite
plus towards earning their loyalty and respect as well). At times, he exhibits
a degree of compassion and curiosity that marks him different from his
fellows…it’s obvious that he is unusual and marked for greatness…but neither
one of these traits trump his “Norse nature;” when it’s time to fight there’s
no hesitation.
At the same time, the Norse are more than just
axe-wielding maniacs. They have a great sense of humor, a great sense of pride,
that practicality and peculiar melancholy that marks Scandinavians even today…and
an intense reverence for their own gods and religion. Man, it is so refreshing
to see, when so much of today’s “historical fiction” films and shows tend to gloss over
or ignore religion. For most of
our history, humans have lived in worshipful fear and awe of our God or
gods…something conveniently forgotten in our production of otherwise high
quality, historical films.
[as an aside, this is why I find the recent Clash of the
Titans remake so incredibly stupid. The idea some Greek, even a hero like
Perseus, would dare stand in defiance of the gods? Utterly asinine in a film
full of asinine bullshit]
Vikings (the show) doesn’t ignore the fact that humans
have ambition, nor that they are as prone to foibles and frailty as we ever
have been, but the underpinning of the earth and reality is the divine, and
it’s something that needs to be respected at all costs. Prayer…whether to Odin
or to Christ (Christians are well represented on the other side)…is often-used,
both in supplication and thanksgiving, and while the heathens may question the
validity of the Christian God as much as the Christians condemn Odin, neither
side dares profane their OWN religion.
There’s a great bit in the most recent episode wherein
one of Ragnar’s men agrees to be baptized so that the English feel more
comfortable bargaining with the heathens (the English are trying to pay off the
Norsemen to leave them alone). Rollo, Ragnar’s brother agrees to do so, mostly
for expedience…he doesn’t actually believe in the Christian God and considers
the whole thing a joke. However, when it’s pointed out that his “joke” is
probably an affront to Odin (if not outright blasphemy), he quakes in
mortal terror…and Rollo is a big guy and pretty bright and ambitious besides. Here's the thing: for a culture that believed in heaven as
“Valhalla,” snubbing Odin is a good way to get yourself left behind…plus, the
concepts of “divine blessing” in the old Norse culture really boiled down to
“being lucky” and he might have felt he’d just signed up for a big heaping
helping of bad luck.
To make up for it, Rollo goes apeshit the next time he
has a chance to kill some Christians.
Much of the action of Vikings takes place in the old
English kingdom of Northumbria, where they happily pillage and raid, and unlike
other Viking-centric shows, the people of England are given plenty of time in
the program as well…these aren’t faceless victims, cardboard extras existing only to be axe-fodder for the program's protagonists. Neither are they set-up as simple “antagonists” to “heroic
Ragnar” nor “poor me Christians” falling to the Viking swords. Again, the series
attempts to treat them in the same neutral light…they have their Christian
humility and piety, but they also have their selfishness and arrogance. The
king of Northumbria offs a guard captain that failed him (in Darth Vader-like
style), but tries to rescue his brother from the clutches of the Vikings, and he exhibits his own cunning and ruthlessness (only fitting, since the sagas say he's the one that eventually kills Ragnar).
Religion again comes to the forefront: King Aelle is not Henry the VIII to throw
off the dominion of Rome and start up the Anglican Church…back in the 8th
century there was only ONE “holy, Catholic, and apostolic church” and you were
going to HELL if you didn’t do your time on Sunday (a fact rudely exploited by
Ragnar in one of his early raids).
There’s another good bit where the English lords are
debating whether or not the Vikings have been sent by God as punishment, or by
the devil as a trial, or are simply barbarous men, and the ANSWER to that
question is IMPORTANT to how they deal with and respond to the threat (this is
part of the reason for the baptism deal). When they invite the Norsemen to dine, they are affronted
that the Vikings dig-in to the victuals without waiting for grace to be said,
and the contrast is stark between the two cultures. And yet the English king praying at
his chapel for strength and guidance is no different from the Vikings' earl
praying at a shrine to his gods in an earlier episode. These are not just
religious “touches” like the scant attention paid to the gods in Ridley Scott’s
film Gladiator…this is a statement of the way these people were: devout,
reverent, concerned with the fates God (or the gods) had set in store for them,
doing what they could (through their bishops or shamans) to determine what
their deities’ Divine Will was.
Because that was important. If you come from a culture
that believes God is All-Powerful, than you better try to figure out what He
wants for you…otherwise, you’re likely to misstep and get yourself and/or your
family/tribe all bloodied and butchered. It was yet another hurdle in a life
already fraught with uncertainty and danger…a hard life of war and suffering
and starvation. A shared spirituality was part of the foundation of a
community (in addition to language and cuisine).
I’ve been reading up on Joan of Arc (again) with an eye towards
continuing my series on subclasses and filters (I think ol’ Saint Joan makes a
good model for the paladin class…along with Roland and Galahad). The fact that
she was entrusted with leading the French army in battle as a PEASANT GIRL is
amazing, no matter how eloquent or charismatic a speaker she might have been.
Even winning a few battles, or being brave enough to lead the charge from the
forefront, isn’t incentive enough (IMO) to say, 'okay, the Maid of Orleans can be
our general.' It speaks volumes to A) the inherent spirituality and faith of the
culture coupled with B) Joan's ability to convince that culture (including the
worldly king, lords, and fighting men) that she was an actual instrument of that God
and faith. And that was the 15th century…several centuries removed
from the ("less sophisticated") time period of Ragnar and Co.
Do folks see where I’m going with this? This is, of
course, a gaming blog…not a religious blog, nor a television blog, nor a Viking
blog (though people might be forgiven for mistaking it for the latter). And in
fantasy role-playing games, especially D&D, there is a tendency to
secularize even our pseudo-medieval fantasy worlds. “Oh, yeah, there are
gods…that’s where the cleric gets his powers. But I don’t have to worry about
that aspect of the game world.” You don’t? Why not? What “divine right” gives
your fantasy world ruler the authority to be king? You better find out if you
want your character to be king someday, otherwise you’ll never be more than a
pretender. What power do you think it is chooses whether or not your adventure
ends in success or terrible, terrible death?
Even if you, personally, don’t believe in creationism,
what better setting for a radical, supernatural means of world creation than
the setting of a fantasy RPG? Even if you, yourself, don’t believe in the power
of God and fate, why wouldn’t your character? Part of role-playing is playing a
role, right? If Ragnar the axe murderer can say the occasional prayer or make
appropriate sacrifice or find reverence for the rituals of his culture, why
can’t Bork the Barbarian or Roderick the Fighter or Zimsum the Magic-User?
There are, of course, other things to be taken from the Vikings television show for use in a role-playing game: examples of adventuring, of how people with high moral character/integrity can still be villainous rogues in action, examples of "what we're doing this all for anyway" (family, personal ambition, romance, etc.), as well as how to handle political intrigue and inter-party conflict...interestingly, the latter are both handled the same.
With an axe.
: )
I guess I get to wait for DVD. :) Thanks for the review. I was curious.
ReplyDeleteBy Crom!
ReplyDeleteI am very fond of this show. I am especially happy, as you are, with the way that it portrays the religious life of the characters.
ReplyDeleteI missed Sunday's episode, and have been forgetting to watch it on my cable company's video-on-demand service, so thanks for reminding me!
@ Faol: I never have a chance to watch TV during "regularly scheduled times" (except for sporting events), and I'm often catching up one-two weeks at a time. However, the most recent episode was pretty good...I really like contrast between the English and Norse. And personally, I don't think the arms and armament are too "off" from historic accuracy...for my "D&D mind" there's a lot of good eye candy!
ReplyDelete: )
On that note, allow me to add that Ragnar's hair is actually accurate (as far as we know). there is a carved depiction of Ragnarr dating from around the time of his death that shows him with a neatly trimmed beard and teh sides of his head bare.
ReplyDeleteRelated to this...have a look at the Vikings book for Mongoose RuneQuest II. Absolutely brilliant piece of work, well researched, makes you want to play RQII even if you don't like the system.
ReplyDelete