The History Channel's Vikings is Secretly The Greatest Show on Television

[The Hammer]

There is an interesting show that follows the Vikings episodes that has experts on Viking history and archaeology. One expert mentioned that the Latin word for "despicable" and "boneless" are very close, so it's possible that sometime during translations the words became interchanged. There is no other written evidence that Ivar was crippled. I believe that Michael Hirst has made the character a cripple just to be interesting.

I don't think Ivar could have led the Great Pagan Army by crawling around on the floor. It may become more and more difficult o believe once he starts the invasion. In any case, Viking children born with deformities were killed/left to die, and yes the show has Ragnar showing compassion to the child but there is very little chance in real life this would have happened. Little Ivar would have been wolf dinner.

Correct.

Ivarr accomplishments were simply not possible for a cripple. He was the cruelest and most feared Viking of all, even more so than his father and his brother Ubba ("Ubbe" in the TV series). Ivarr led the Great Heathen Army in the 860s conquering Northumberland and East Anglia, establishing the foundation of the later "Danelaw".

There is no record of Ivarr after 870, he may have died from injuries suffered in his battle against the West Saxons (led by age 19 Alfred the Great and his older brother King Athelred) in the Battle of Ashdown.

Too much history has been changed in Vikings. I just read the book Alfred the Great by the historical consultant for the series Justin Pollard, and have read several other books about that time in history. For some reason, Michael Hirst insisted in changing history.

Alfred was Athelred's youngest son, born in 849 (ten years after Ecbert's death in 839, although you see them together in the series) and NOT a bastard.

The fictional "Athelstan" was not his father. The real Athelstan was Alfred's grandson, the first king of all England. The Vikings no longer controlled The Danelaw by Athelstan's reign, largely because of the efforts of Alfred, and those of his son Edward the Elder and daughter Ęthelflęd, the Lady of the Mercians.

Athelstan was also the Saxon name Alfred gave to the Viking Guthrum when he forced the leader of the Great Heathen Army to become a Christian after the decisive Battle of Edington in 878.

[Mooshashi]

I don't mind the "telescoping" of history in this series, after all it's a TV show not a documentary. It was fun having Rollo and Ragnar living in the same time period as brothers whereas they weren't brothers and lived decades apart. Ecbert tells Ragnar that Alfred was Athelstans' son when in fact he's Ecbert and that tart's son (his son's wife!) but I don't understand Ecbert's motivation in lying. Maybe just because he knew Ragnar loved Athelstan?

I wonder how long they will keep this series alive....I guess as long as they get good viewership.

I'd love it if they continued the series through the rise of the Normans. They were seriously bad ass, invading not only England but Sicily and the Byzantine empire! They defeated the Muslims in Sicily and established an incredible Kingdom for it's time....Roger II was an enlightened a person as leader in history. He'd make a great series on its own.

[The Ox]

So does that HBB Lagatha get killed or what? I will be seriously pissed if so.. she's the only reason I watch now tbh

[The Ox]

PUSH YOURSELF because, no one else is going to do it for you.

A video posted by Katheryn Winnick (@katherynwinnick) on Jan 13, 2017 at 2:35pm PST

nomsayin?

[The Ox]

This Ivar guy is quite the tactician tbh