Some Thoughts on Vikings

[emo_snal]

Comments

[sobota]

I agree with pretty much all your observations except for Ragnar, perhaps because I have a soft spot for Travis Fimmel (the actor who plays him) and I hate Johnny Depp so I don't see the connection. Depending on the season you're on, the hairstyles get better (less outré I suppose, minus one of Ragnar's sons goes all out) and they get more authentically 'Nordic' actors in, whose accents are better and stuff. Anyway, I love Vikings haha.

[emo_snal]

I'm most of the way through Season 3.

I can see how Ragnar-actor might have fans, he keeps giving piercing looks to the camera that has Billie aflutter but just, especially in the first season where he's rising to power, he never struck me as really having the presence to go with his rise to power. ::shrug::

[bleodswean]

*nods sagely* The Seer is my pet peeve and I just grimace every single time. But it does....get worse. It's a fun show insomuch as VIKINGS but whenever it really takes a leap all of us just turn to one another simultaneously and say "HISTORY, it's the HISTORY CHANNEL". And then pour another horn of mead...or whatever. I will say Floki is my beloved.

[emo_snal]

Is it by the history channel???

But yeah that seer. Ugh.

[found_world]

Have you read Njal's Saga? Given your interest in vikings, I thought you might be interested in it, but I'm not sure. Icelandic saga.

[emo_snal]

I've always been very interested in the sagas but haven't found a good translation of any (not that I've googled specificlly lately, it's been on my to do list though it really has!).. is there a good translation of this available?

[found_world]

I've only read Njal's Saga, and I can't tell if it was a good translation or not. I think it was a "Penguin Classic" edition and probably something an older sibling had to read in college and then years later I read the same book since it came into my possession. I guess all I can say is that I liked reading it.

Checking quickly, I see there are various places you can get some versions online. Don't know how they compare with what I read.

http://sagadb.org/brennu-njals_saga.en

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17919

[emo_snal]

I'll probably be looking for physical books on amazon ... nothing ships to Australia but I have books shipped to my parents house in the States and then either pick them up when I go there or have them bring them when they come. I find sitting in the arm chair reading a book so much more satisfying than staring at the computer screen (:

[ryl]

Yes, yes, so much yes. The Seer also gets on my nerves. Was he a burn victim or something? Where does he get his powers? What is his purpose in the village?

I can deal with the goofy hair and the tattoos because I can accept that as visual shorthand for "badass". Although after watching Athelstan try to maintain his monk cut in the first season before giving up on it makes me wonder why they'd put up with cutting their heads up so much with those primitive razors.

Have you gotten to the fourth season yet? You haven't seen bad hair until you meet Harald Finehair's brother Stupid-Do. It is truly a painful thing to look upon.

Seconding the Njal's Saga rec above. The best part is Hallgerd's third wedding.

[emo_snal]

Yeah that seer... ugh. I mean he's literally the exact same guy from 300 I think, lack of eyes, black around the lips. They're like ehhh let's not bother thinking up costuming and character design for this one, look what I found in the prop closet!

I have to admit what annoys me the most probably is Bjorne's stupid little tiny puff of a man-pony-tail IT'S SO STUPID! ...I can't claim it's as inauthentic as the shaving because it would actually be more period possible but god is it stupid.

I'm most of the way through season three now I think? I forget if we got to the season finale yet. They're beseiging Paris still.

As I said above, is there a good translation of Njal's Saga? Despite my interest I haven't actually read any of the sagas but rustling up some translations has really been on my to-do list.

[ryl]

The Penguin version translated by Magnus Magnusson is really good. Not the most recent Penguin ed., the one from the 1980s.

I will say this for Bjorn: they did a really good job casting that role. He looks more and more like Ragnar as he gets older.

BTW, how do you pronounce "Loðstjärt"? I'm going to start calling Samantha that because she's very proud of her fur pants.

[emo_snal]

"Lothstjhieart" if that makes any sense? The whole stjä assembly becomes a kind of "shjea" and I think you barely hit the t. (:

[lab_jazz]

I haven't been watching the Vikings...but that's one hell of a beautiful cat...

[emo_snal]

Thanks! He's the best! :-3