It is well established that one of the ways that Christianity was able to convert Pagans and bring them into the Christian fold was to incorporate important Pagan practices into Christian rituals. As a result, many of the holidays that exist in the Christian calendar have clear Pagan roots both in terms of the date…
Poor Sigurd gets treated poorly in the History Channel’s Vikings series. The least memorable of Ragnar’s many sons, he is killed off pretty early in the storyline of Ragnar’s sons. Ivar throws a knife at him, which hits him in the chest and kills him. This is a plot point to exacerbate the conflict between…
Did the Vikings celebrate Halloween? The Norse warriors (and their children) certainly did not go trick or treating on the 31st of October, but this was still an important day in the Norse calendar. The end of October marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, which means long, dark days,…
We are very excited about the release of the new The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series. The first episode dropped on Amazon Prime on September 1 (2022). It is set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings in the Second Age described in…
Valkyrie has quickly emerged as one of the most popular characters in the Marvel universe with her feisty attitude and cool fighting style. Yet another character based on Norse mythology, how does Valkyrie measure up against the Valkyries that inspired her? Who is Valkyrie in the Marvel Universe? In the Marvel universe, Valkyrie is not…
The idea of Mimir catches the imagination as he is described as the disembodied head of an extremely intelligent being. He exists in a place at the base of the world where the wise, including Odin himself, travel to consult him and gain his wisdom. It is little surprise that Mimir has become a pop-culture…
When God of War moved from its Greek mythology timeline to Norse mythology, they took their Greek protagonist Kratos and placed him in the Norse world. Some fans might be wondering how historically accurate this move is. Sadly, I have to tell you that this is complete fiction and that the game makers have taken…
Vikings fans are rejoicing that the latest version of the video game Assassins Creed is set in a world of Viking warriors and Norse mythology. In the game, you play the hero Eivor, which can be male or female depending on your preference. At some point during the game, you can devour a mushroom that…
I have heard quite a few people suggest that the image of Santa Claus, an important character in the Christain Christmas festival, is based on Odin, the All-Father and principal Viking god. They make a good point. If you look at traditions surrounding Santa Claus, especially before Coca-Cola reimagined him for their brand in the…
In season three of the History Channel’s series Vikings, we are introduced to a character called Harbard. A man with some kind of mysticism about him, he turns up in Kattegat and causes quite a lot of trouble before he disappears again.As most of the characters in Vikings are based on historic individuals or figures…