Here you go to anyone who needs to catch up on Vikings: http://www.couchtuner.la/watch-vikings-online/
One thing that irritated me was the fact they used 'Earl Haraldson' and 'Jarl Borg' as character names. For one, Haraldson is neither a first name nor a surname, it's a patronymic and Norsemen never referred to each other by their patronymics alone; they called them by their first name (e.g. Halfdan) or their first name plus the patronymic (e.g. Halfdan Ragnarsson). Secondly, the title jarl was the Old Norse word for a Scandinavian nobleman and is the counterpart to the Anglo-Saxon eorl. It might be confusing to some fans who think Jarl Borg's first name is 'Jarl', rather than it being his title.
All that's true. I like the fact that it's close enough for people to get an idea about the history. It's frustrating that the history channel doesn't have a bunch of these types of shows lined up and we have to wait a year or two for their Templar show when we could have a bunch of these types of shows in the works.
I thoroughly enjoy history (fact and fiction) from ancient times, through the dark and middle ages and up to recent times. On the theme of Vikings, Bernard Cornwell has written a series of entertaining stories about the conflict between the Saxons and Danes featuring a war lord called Uhtred. Cornwell also created Sharpe and I have enjoyed the books and movies. He has other books about King Arthur and Englands battles in France - all worth a read.
I was watching that Alaska Off-Road-Truckers the other day, it's one of those shows that's so bad that it's actually good
Have you seen Alaskan Bush People I think it's called? Worst show ever made or that will ever be made, I watched the whole first season and most of the second just couldn't stop.
I've always wanted to see a historical TV drama about the life of Muhammad and his military conquests, perhaps following with a sequel about the Rashidun. Obviously, it will never happen because it's too controversial but I did enjoy the miniseries 'The Bible' which was aired on the History channel and Channel 5.
There's something addictive about some shows that hooks you in, I might check that one out too. The one I'm watching they have to race right through Alaska in off-road vehicles and all that seems to happen is that they get stuck in mud and get winched out, they might aswel have just filmed one sequence of getting stuck in mud and replayed it over and over but for some reason I keep watching...
I liked the series (how many have been on Sky UK now, is it two?) and the history has always interested me, although I do like the dramatic element when I watch the box, so deep detail is easily lost in a brandy coffee! good conversation, though.
Weird refernce to the 'kingdom of Kattegat'. Throughout all three seasons, they've never made reference to the lands of Denmark, Sweden or Norway, and because of the mountains, I've come to the conclusion Ragnar and his family are not from Denmark. It just refers to 'Scandinavia' in the show. It has to be Sweden or Norway because they travel to Uppsala on foot in one episode. Historically, Ragnar is a Swede, his sons invade and conquer Denmark (Zealand and Jutland) and then his sons and their descendants conquer England (Danelaw).
