Horny Vikings: Difference between revisions
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[[File:hornyviking.gif|frame|Longship and horned helmet are not optional.]]
{{quote|''"We come from the land of the ice and snow,
''from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
''The hammer of the gods
''Will drive our ships to new lands,
''To fight the horde, singing and crying:
''Valhalla, I am coming!"''|'''[[
(For extra effect, try listening to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH06aEoL1ls this] while reading this page.)
The more "metal" cousins of the [[Pirate]], native to [[Dark Age Europe]], who spend a lot of their time cruising in their dragon-headed longships, [[Rape, Pillage and Burn|pillaging and burning]] any hapless peasant villages that happen to get in their way.
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Originally a West European stereotype of Norse people (since the few pirates and mercenaries were remembered more than the many peaceful merchants, or the majority of Norsemen who remained in Scandinavia), contemporary Scandinavians have embraced the Vikings; see [[Mexicans Love Speedy Gonzales]].
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime & Manga ==
* Jessie and James dressed up like these guys in the ''[[Pokémon:
* ''[[Vinland Saga]]'' of course, though none of the vikings wear horned helmets. The fact that no living viking has been recorded to wear one is perhaps a testament to [[Vinland Saga]]'s more realistic depiction of vikings than most other works-see Real Life below.
* ''[[wikipedia:Vicky the Viking|Vicky the Viking]]'', a 1970s German/Japanese colab about a viking boy who prefers to use brain instead of brawn to work out problems. The young viking in question is known as Wickie in Germany, Bikke in Japan, and Vicky in English-speaking countries. The ultimate origin of Vicky, however, is a Swedish children's book series called ''Vicke Viking'' from the 1960s.<ref>The TV series was very successful both in Europe and in Japan and, at least on German TV, seems to be on the re-run regularly. It was never broadcast in the US, apparently.</ref>
* ''[[One Piece]]'': [[Word of God]] states that Vikings, (the ones in ''Vicky the Viking'' in particular) were the initial inspiration. They make in-story appearances in the form of the [[Attack of the
* ''[[Honey Honey no Suteki
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* [[Marvel Comics]]' [[The Mighty Thor]] embodied many Viking cliches. Except the helmet. Thor's helmet is winged, not horned. Thor's step-brother and nemesis Loki takes this up to eleven. He has ''huge'' horns.
* [[DC Comics]] had a Norse character, the aptly-named Viking Prince. Also the Viking Commando, a Viking warrior transported through a rift in time to [[World War Two]] where he fought the Nazis.
* ''[[Asterix]] and the Normans'' has Vikings who "don't know fear"
* ''[[Mortadelo Y Filemon]]'': Parodied where it turns out that the Vikings they encounter {{spoiler|are victims of one of [[Mad Scientist|Dr. Bacterius]]'s experiments [[Gone Horribly Wrong]], and the horns are really attached to their heads.}}
* ''[[Strontium Dog]]'' has Vikings are much like this, though only one of them has horns on his helmet.
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]] Storybook 2010'' comic strip ''[[Recycled in Space|Space Vikings!]]'', the Space Vikings have horned helmets, which the Doctor notes is completely wrong.
{{quote|
'''Doctor''': Unbelievable is right, they've even got Valkyries! It's like [[Did Not Do the Research|they've done no historical research at all!]] }}
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== Film ==
* The 1958 [[Epic Movie]] ''The Vikings'' starring Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis. While there aren't too many horned helmets, every other cliche is turned [[Up to Eleven]] (including throwing axes to trim the pigtails off a young lady, the burning ship funeral, and hundreds of people shouting "Odin!" as they attack or die).
* ''[[
* ''Pathfinder'': The Vikings are portrayed as [[
* ''[[Beowulf (
* The [[Lost World]] film ''Island at the Top of the World'' features explorers finding a lost Viking city in the Arctic. Oddly enough, horned helmets is pretty much the only cliche they ''didn't'' use.
* Parodied in the ''History of the World, Part I'' segment "Viking Funeral," where the Vikings took off their helmets, revealing that the helmets weren't horned, the Vikings were. Everything up to the punchline was a clip from ''The Vikings'' mentioned above.
* ''[[Outlander (
* ''[[The
** Only the author's notes to ''the book'' describe specifically Neanderthals. The films' antagonists look like plain savages.
* ''[[How to Train Your Dragon]]'' has an entire village of Vikings fighting dragons instead of pillaging, while the main character [[Exactly What It Says
** Also, all the adult Vikings speak with a [[British Accents|Scottish accent]], while all children speak with an [[American Accents|American one]]. This is done intentionally, though.
== Literature ==
* ''[[
* The Ironborn of ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' are a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] to the Vikings. Natives of a small group of islands with poor soil and rich mineral deposits, the Ironborn choose to reave and pillage rather than make their own wealth (indeed, to pay for something with money as opposed to to taking it by force is viewed as extremely dishonorable). To drive the point home, they live in the Northwest, somewhat roughly analogous to the real life location of Scandinavia, their homeland is cold (though not icy)and they have named like [[My Nayme Is|Gelmar, Ragnor, and Agarr]]. They're also the most war-like people in the setting and have arguably the most physically powerful warrior among their ranks and worship a God who's basically Odin + C'thulhu + Poseidon and their idea of an afterlife is basically Underwater Valhalla.
** The Wildlings are the 'non-seaborn, settled Norse' version to an extent. With names like Tormund (who is sometimes called the King of a meadhall), Torreg, and so on. With a love for axes and living in the snow.
** The Northmen are a proud warrior race of snow-dwelling, wolf-revering, honour loving sort of proto-Norman or settled Danish version of this in some respects. Their ancestors could be roughly considered to be the Saxon invaders who drove out/marginalized the original Celtic occupants of Westeroes who are known as the Children of the Forest. However, their religion is Celtic and they're thematically closer to medieval Northern England than Danish or Norman. (Though there are indeed Danish influences in the fomer, from an historical standpoint)
* As are Tamora Pierce's Scanrans.
* The Fjordlanders in ''[[Discworld]]''.
* In Christopher Stasheff's ''[[Warlock of Gramaraye|Warlock]]'' series, the [[Lost Colony]] of Gramarye eventually gets some neighbors in the form of "beastmen"
* In Bernard Cornwell's ''Saxon Stories'' series they are almost always referred to as 'Danes' or 'Northmen'. Only when they actually start raiding coastal villages are they ever referred to as 'Vikings'. Horned helmets are absent, but they still possess beast-headed longboats.
** The naming is accurate; "viking" was a specific term referring to Northmen who went out pillaging.
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* The Skaldi of Kushiel's Legacy have definite Viking elements. Their longboats are mentioned but never seen.
* Harry Harrison's ''[[The Technicolor Time Machine]]'' is about a movie studio's attempt to use a time machine to make a viking picture with real vikings.
* [[
** ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[The Saga of the Jomsvikings
** "[[The Tale of Styrbjorn
* ''Dragonships'': [[Margaret Weis]] and Tracy Hickman's novel series takes place in a fantasy world, the protagonist is from a [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] of Vikings.
* ''Dreamscape: The Wanderer'' mentions the Langsyne; a race whose names and battle tactics are very similar to those of Vikings. No horned helmets though.
* The short story ''The Haldenmor Fugue'' from the ''[[Doctor Who]] Storybook 2010''.
* [[Covers Always Lie|Covers]] for [[H. Beam Piper]]'s ''Space Viking'' tend to portray the high-technology Space Vikings wearing horned helmets ... including one clever variant in which [https://www.blackgate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Space-Viking-H-Beam-Piper.jpg the "horns" are actually communications antennae], and many viewers might never think of them as horns at all.
== Live-Action TV ==
* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[Doctor Who/Recap/S2
* A ''[[Concentration]]'' tribute to Scandinavia involved wearing horned helmets. Bob Clayton's helmet was the most historically accurate in the group.
* ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'': The "Spam" sketch, set in a humdrum 1970's British cafe features an inexplicable group of Vikings, complete with shaggy coats, horn-ed helments and blonde braids. Who have an equally unexplainable fondness for a certain canned meat product.
{{quote|
** Similar Vikings would appear in random cutaway moments to say an unnecessary word or two.
* Eric Northman from ''[[True Blood]]'' isn't named like that for nothing, as we learn in a flashback {{spoiler|where the mighty warrior lies dying from his battle wounds and discusses the joys of Valhalla with his two loyal companions. Until Godric shows up, that is...}}. But then again it should be obvious: dude is tall, well-built, blue-eyed and blonde. And speaks Swedish with his minions. And is a 1000 years old. Not to mention, he is played by Alexander Skarsgård, son of the famous Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård. It's in the blood
* This joke from ''[[Black Adder]] Goes Forth'': "A war hasn't been fought this badly since Olaf the Hairy, high chief of all the Vikings, accidentally ordered 80,000 battle helmets with the horns on the inside."▼
Being tall, blue-eyed, and blonde later allows Eric to pass for a Nazi. Being able to glamour people helps too.
▲* This joke from ''[[
* ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' had Vikings show up a few times.
** In the Rudolf Nureyev episode, Miss Piggy and Link Hogthrob dress as Vikings and sing a love duet from an opera by [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]] (that is, it's announced as being from [[Giuseppe Verdi|Giuseppe]] [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s ''[[The Barber of Seville|The Barber of]] Die Fledermaus'', but actually it's from [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s ''[[Don Giovanni]]'').
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== Music ==
* The Vikings also have their own theme song: "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin.
** That song is used in Joel Veitch's "[https://web.archive.org/web/20090422225854/http://www.vikingkittens.com/ Viking Kittens]".
** [[Mitch Benn]] borrowed the tune for "IKEA".
{{quote|
We're conquering the world with our self-assembly flatpack furniture }}
* Pretty much every song ever written by [[Manowar]].
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== Standup Comedy ==
* [[George Carlin]] stated [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|they were real bad news]].
{{quote|
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* The HERO Games catalog of alternate universes known as ''Champions in 3D'' included a brief description of Mad Viking World, where horned helmets, heavy drinking and incredible overenthusiasm were the order of the day, even when crossing the street.
* The ''[[GURPS]]'' supplement ''GURPS Alternate Earths 2'' included the alternate world of Midgard, where Vikings captured Greek Fire from the Byzantines and came to dominate the European world and a good part of America by the 15th century. No horned helmets here, but plenty of the other classic activities, especially fighting and raiding. (A joke in that world asks "How do you tell a Viking raider from a merchant? If you're armed, he's a merchant.")
* The Space Wolves in ''[[Warhammer
** According to [[Word of God]], they were originally intended to be an amalgamation of ''all'' the berserk warrior types, Celts and Germans as well as the Vikings. Nobody notices, given the fact that they live on an ice world, are amazing sailors, and all have names like Ulrik, Bjorn and Ragnar...
* The warriors of Chaos in ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' often come from Viking-like cultures living in the northlands along the border of Chaos Wastes. Basically demon Vikings in scary plate armour wearing capes of human skin.
** The Norse, which are basically the [[Warhammer Fantasy]] Battles [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]] for the Vikings. Raids by Norscan longships are a constant problem for the Empire and Bretonnia - though its worth pointing out that the Chaos-worshiping marauders are culturally diverse, and also include Mongol-like horsemen too. The Empire uses Norsemen as mercenaries, but Bretonnians invariably execute every Norseman when caught.
** The [[Our Dwarves Are All the Same|dwarfs]] have a strong Scandinavian influence in their artwork, and feature both the stereotypical horned or winged helmets of the Vikings, as well as the more realistic "spectacle" helmet.
*** The background also mentions the Norse Dwarfs of Kraka Drak, who are a combination of the two. No Chaos involved, though.
* In ''[[Pathfinder]]'', the Lands of the Linnorm Kings are home to warriors who are actually called "vikings" in-universe. Horned helmets are a [[Defied Trope]],
* The Northern Reaches in ''[[Mystara]]'' are [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|very obviously based on]] medieval Scandinavia.
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* ''Mace: The Dark Age'': The Viking character from the old N64 game fitted this trope to a T. His name was [[Luke Nounverber|Ragnar Bloodaxe]].
* The Vykrul in ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' are nine foot tall vikings who have allied themselves with the Lich King.
* ''[[
** The Vikings in ''[[
** In ''[[
* ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series
** "Viking" was an early job class in ''[[
** The Viking became a Job Class in ''[[Final Fantasy Tactics
* Although there aren't actual Vikings, you can stick a Viking helmet on some of the characters in ''[[The Sims]] 2''.
* One of the [[Boisterous Bruiser|S]][[Drill Sergeant Nasty|o]][[Cloudcuckoolander|l]][[Colonel Kilgore|d]][[Dumb Muscle|i]][[Sociopathic Soldier|e]][[Blood Knight|r]][[Psycho for Hire|']][[Large Ham|s]] unlockable hats in ''[[
* The Nords, as you could guess from the name, were the Viking [[Expy
** ''[[The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
* ''[[Mount
* ''Cultures'': This strategy game and its sequel are about (mostly peaceful) vikings. And they wear horny helmets.
* The Fremennik people of ''[[
* Standish from ''[[Dubloon]]''. He even has a [[Musical Assassin|guitar]] to boot.
* In ''[[Para World]]'', the Norsemen tribe (if the name wasn't a giveaway) are, basically, Vikings with dinosaurs, sabretooths, mammoths, and ''tanks''.
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== Web Comics ==
* Subverted by [[
* Featured in [https://web.archive.org/web/20100113103957/http://www.macguff.fr/goomi/unspeakable/vault271.html this strip].
== Web Games ==
* ''[[
== Western Animation ==
* ''[[
* And ''[[The Backyardigans]]'', "Viking Voyage", easily matches them. With a mermaid added in to boot!
* In the ''[[Earthworm Jim (
** Viking Santa isn't too far off the mark, actually. In Norse mythology, Odin traditionally went out hunting every Yule, and rewarded children who left out a bootful of sugar with toys and games. Hence, the modern traditions of the stocking and plate of cookies.
* ''[[The Lord of the Rings (
* ''[[
* ''[[The Life and Times of Juniper Lee]]'': Juniper has been possessed, along with all her friends and acquaintances, by a horde of dead Vikings.
* ''[[The Secret of Kells]]'' features absolutely terrifying vikings, portrayed as huge hulking horned blocks with deep guttural voices, growling out their desire for gold and wealth.
* ''[[Fanboy and Chum Chum]]'': Fanboy and Chum Chum's friend Thorbold the Red, brother of Olaf, conquerer of Sweden and fifth-highest score on Whack-A-Dragon.
* An episode of ''[[
* In ''[[Kick Buttowski]]'' Kick's right hand man Gunther apparently hails from Nordic descent. In one episode Gunther's parents even open a viking themed restaurant, Battle Snax.
* ''[[Gargoyles]]'' seems to avert this trope for the most part, the Vikings depicted in the cartoon being bereft of the stereotypical horned helms, axes and berzerker attitude, though they are still all about the pillaging.
* The second ''[[Robbie the Reindeer]]'' special featured a lost tribe of pint-sized Vikings, [[Planet of Steves|all of them named Magnus]].
* ''[[Homestar Runner]]'': Homestar wore a Viking helmet in at least two animations.
* ''[[Atlantis:
* Modern day Vikings appear in the 1987 ''[[
* ''[[
* One episode of ''[[Total Drama Island
* Some [[Transformers]] have horns on their helmets in robot mode, therefore giving them a Viking-like appearance.
* An episode of ''[[The Care Bears]]'' had them dressed like this, trying to help empower a neurotic sea-serpent named [[Meaningful Name|Shaky]], as well as fight the bad guys.
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== Real Life ==
* The Norse people enjoyed the peak of their power between the 8th and 11th centuries, in what is called the Viking Age. Real Vikings did not wear horned helmets into battle. In fact, only a single horned helmet has ever been excavated, dating several hundred years ''before'' the Viking Age, did not have cow-shaped horns, and was clearly ceremonial. At most, Viking helms often featured the distinctive "spectacle-guard" around the eyes and nose, a style common amongst the peoples in the region.
It would have been hard for genuine Vikings to wear horned helmets in battle—Viking warfare was based on the shield wall and other close-quarters styles of fighting (including naval combat which involved a lot of boarding actions), and horns would have put allies at risk of impaling an arm or hand on the protrusions. Or more likely, as any helmet is designed to deflect blows, putting horns and other ornamentation on a helmet would give a weapon something to snag and direct the force of the blow to the wearer's head, defeating the purpose of helmets.
The ancient Norse were also surprisingly civilized, although remembered mostly for their [[Never Live It Down|offenses towards women and monks]] in battle. When not raiding or pillaging, their interests immediately turned to trade and colonization. Areas under the Danelaw quickly became centers of industry and cultural exchange, thanks to wide-ranging Viking vessels.
And, of course, the direct ancestors of the Normans once the people further up the Seine realised it was easier to buy off these Danish hooligans with land at the mouth of the river, rather than have them raid what would later become Paris every once in a while. Viking lords really ''did'' have [[Awesome McCoolname|awesome names]] like Sveyn Forkbeard, Ivar The Boneless,<ref>it is possible that the intended meaning was ''leg''less (Old Norse had the same word for bone and leg, as do the modern languages which evolved from it)</ref> and Erik Bloodaxe.
It should also be noted that "viking" was a job description, more or less, rather than an ethnicity. It was a word for their method of raiding. (These warriors could be hired for a right price - just ask the [[Eastern Roman Empire|Roman emperors]] in [[Istanbul (Not Constantinople)|Miklagarðr]]). The vast majority of the people were farmers, craftsmen and traders. Population boom + limited farm land = lots of men with energy to burn. The solution? Have them amass wealth and status some other way. Also, far from being filthy and unbathed, their personal hygiene bordered on OCD (well, for the time, anyway). This makes sense as, when it's too cold to sweat ''ever'', you definitely don't want any dirt or grime sticking to you for long periods of time.
* Horned Helmets are surprisingly rare in [[Real Life]], but it turns out that one of the few tribes that ''did'' have them was a biblical tribe that used cow horns, pointing downwards. [[Take Our Word for It|They looked ridiculous]].
* Samurai did have the famed Horned Helmets. Likewise, [[The Teutonic Knights]] of Northern Europe (founded a century or so after the Vikings' raids ended, for the most part) frequently stuck horns on their [[Cool Helmet|elaborate helmets]], along with wings, crests, spikes and lord knows what else. The best part? They knew full well that adding bells and whistles to their helmets was at best a hindrance in battle and sometimes even a liability. But it made them look badass, so what the hell. [[Rule of Cool]], brüder.
* The blind singer/composer known as "Moondog" used to walk the streets of New York City in Viking garb. I saw him once before I knew who he was. Amazing. You can look him up on his Wikipedia page.
* Viking men did carry their weapons in normal life, even when doing the most routine everyday activities.
*It is to be noted that there was no clear line between "viking" and "farmers, craftsmen, and traders" other then that the first were more specialized. At sea, and to a large degree on land too, there was no law and robbery was a decent way of getting an extra bit as long as you did it far enough away not to get in trouble with your nearest neighbors. For many whether or not they were robbers or traders depended simply on local factors(if the local jarl was strong enough to give you a pasting you traded, if not you robbed).
{{reflist}}
[[Category:National Stereotyping Tropes]]
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