Anyways, he heard there was a great land to the west, so he packed up his family and livestock and decided to sail across the sea and settle there. In the middle of the journey, they become lost so Flóki releases three ravens. One of them doesn't return, so he follows it and finds Iceland.
Just like in the show. Love the detail. Except doing this is how the real man was given the nickname Hrafna-Flóki. (Raven Flóki)
Once there, he HATES it. The winters are cold, all of his livestock dies and when they try to leave, the current pushes them back so they're forced to stay another winter. To explore the surroundings, Flóki climbs a nearby mountain (likely Nónfell) and sees a fjord packed full of ice. In his anger, he declares the name of this land Iceland and leaves, never to return.
His statue, unfortunately, has no guy-liner.
In the show, Flóki is a master ship-builder and supposedly built the first ship to navigate the open waters of the Atlantic. Vikings is correct in that these ships were invented in the late 8th century. This is the year that builders realized that a long, oaken keel would be strong enough to hold the ship together, but if they used green and unseasoned timber, it would be flexible enough to move with the water. The mast and keel were usually make of oak, which would be imported from Denmark, and the rest made of whatever wood was available in their region.
We have a couple ships from the 9th and 10th century that have been excavated. The more relevant find is the Gokstad Ship, which was the final resting place for a man and all his treasures. It was uncovered in 1880 and found to be in beautiful condition.
As you can see, the ship sat very low in the water. The deck could be removed (in case they needed to bail water out) and sometimes there would only be an inch of wood between the sailor's feet and the deep ocean. However, this design allowed the ship to ride the waves smoothly, rather than fighting against them. It allowed the ships to travel along rivers or beach closer to shore than any other ships. It was possible (and common) for the sailors to beach the vessel, pick it up and carry it to another river. Most importantly, it made the ships fast. It could sail up to 70 miles in a day, if the weather worked with them. In fact, Ragnar Lothbrok sailed from Scandinavia to Paris in a little over three weeks. That was faster than they could move their army to fight him!
And before you say, "But you said Rollo sacked Paris!" They both did. Ragnar in 845 and Rollo in 885.
The one thing that the show missed out on was the building of the ship. It wasn't done by one man, though there was likely a leader who knew what he was doing better than the other men. Shipbuilding was as much a communal effort as the raiding themselves. In fact, shipbuilding was part of the training for later fights. A crew would cut, haul and shape at least 12-13 large, oak trees (as well as any other materials they use). They would work as a team to create the ship, knowing that it had to be strong and perfect, or it would mean their lives were in danger. It was a chance to practice with their axes and a chance to work their muscles with heavy lifting and throwing. Once on the ship, they slept on furs in the middle of the cold ocean, constantly wet and spending all of their waking hours rowing.
Basically, by the time they landed in your town, they were fit and trained enough to mess your shit right up.
There is one part of the whole bonding experience that I'd like to address... and only because it's the single scene in the entire series that I can't watch. Seriously... there are a couple people coming up who are going to get straight-up Blood Eagled and I'm going to have an easier time watching that than this shit...
The booger bowl.
Goddamned Vikings washing their face in another man's spit. Ugh. I'm feeling the queasy coming up just thinking about it. But this is something else that was recorded by a historian--Ahmed Ibn Fadlan. He travelled to a few Rus Viking villages and wrote one of the most comprehensive guides to Viking culture that we have. Seriously... could have left out the loogies, though.
Ibn Fadlan was best portrayed as an Antonio Banderas who can't handle this shit
So. They've built the ship, washed up and started sailing. You'll have to forgive me for the weird transition here, but Lagertha tells a story while they're sailing and I think it's important to talk about it.
As the Vikings sail through a storm, Lagertha gathers the children around and tells them the tale of Thor and the Midgard serpent. He used a ox head as bait and fished for Jörmungandr. The serpent bit and there was a large struggle during which Thor's companion freaked out and cut the line. Whatever, go watch the scene, Kathryn Winnick tells it better.
Why is this important? Well, besides a cool insight to Viking religion and lore, this scene is one of the four images historically thought to be on Ragnar's shield. The first poet (or skald) to become famous in his craft was Bragi Boddason in the 9th century. He wrote a poem called the Ragnarsdrápa, which describes the shield.
Just another sweet detail that the History Channel didn't have to throw in, but did anyways because they rock. I like to think of it as an apology for 'Ancient Aliens'.
And then we get to the fun part of the episode. The sack of Lindisfarne.
Well... fun if you're not a monk in 793.
We know quite a bit about the sack because of how outraged literate people were about it. Letters were written back and forth, histories all over mention it and it was the scope of the fear that it instilled that makes this sack the true start of the Viking Age. Again, there was an attack at Portland Bay years before, but I'll talk about that next episode when they make references to it.
The monks in the show see signs in the storm, which is partly true. The English scholar Alcuin mentions a clear sky raining blood. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says that monks saw dragons flying in the sky. It says:
In this year fierce, foreboding omens came over the land of the Northumbrians, and the wretched people shook; there were excessive whirlwinds, lightning, and fiery dragons were seen flying in the sky. These signs were followed by great famine, and a little after those, that same year on 6th ides of January, the ravaging of wretched heathen people destroyed God's church at Lindisfarne
Sound familiar?
The attack was horrible. It was a complete slaughter. Monks were thrown into the sea-dead or alive or just killed where they stood. A few sources I've found say the younger monks were raped and sold into slavery, but I'm holding off on confirming that because it's not mentioned in contemporary sources I've found. There are records of monks of noble birth being kidnapped for ransom, though whether ransom was collected or the boys were killed, I can't find. The real raid at Lindisfarne was, surprisingly, worse than what we see in the show. Ragnar (or whoever was really in charge of the attack) wasn't a good guy. Alcuin, that scholar I mentioned earlier, describes the attack thus:
Lo, it is nearly 350 years that we and our fathers have inhabited this most lovely land, and never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race, nor was it thought that such an inroad from the sea could be made. Behold, the church of St. Cuthbert spattered with the blood of the priests of God, despoiled of all it's ornaments; a place more venerable than all in Britain is given as a prey to pagan peoples/ And where first, after the departure of St. Paulinus from York, the Christian religion in our race took its rise, there misery and calamity have begun. Who does not fear this? Who does not lament this as if his country were captured? Foxes pillage the chosen vine, the heritage of the Lord has been given to a people not his own; and where there was the praise of God, are now the games of the Gentiles; the holy festivity has been turned to mourning.He then goes on to say that it's completely the fault of the Brits for being sinful and they should stop drinking or it'll happen again. So good job there with that whole victim-blaming bag.
Aethelstan (possibly named after Kind Aethelstan, but I'll talk more about him if it becomes relevant) is frightened and tries to convince Cuthbert (who died 106 years before the sack, but whatever) that end times are coming. He hides in the chapel during the raid and tries to save a book. This may be a nod to the Lindisfarne Gospels--a GORGEOUS illuminated manuscript that was spared during the sack. Well.. mostly spared. The Vikings did rip off the jewelled cover and a few pages may have been lost in the process. Still, what we have now (and what is in the British Museum) is absolutely lovely. Medieval art was the shit, yo.
Pictured: The shit.
Unlike the show, the book stayed with the monks who survived the raid and brought to a safer location, along with the relics of St. Cuthbert. The cover was replaced in the 19th century. If you are interested in that sort of thing, I highly recommend watching The Book of Kells. It's not about the Lindisfarne Gospels, but a book that went through a very similar journey during the viking raids on Iona. It's animated, it's lovely and there's Irish accents all around. Also, I think it's on Netflix.
That's all I've got for today! Episode 3 ought to be coming soon, mostly because I'm having so much fun with this. Please comment, question, contradict or add whatever discussions you like!
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