Vikings on Netflix

[tides2dust]

Hi guys! What about series reviews? I have been enjoying a series on Netflix called Vikings. What has made it really entertaining for me is that I had been reading some of the Urantia Book during the same time. It has been fun reading "After Pentecost" while watching the Vikings series, which kind of sets things up as "old gods" vs. "new god." I saw where it is said in the Urantia book, "Christianity exhibits a history of having originated out of the unintended transformation of the religion of Jesus into a religion about Jesus" brought to life in the series.

And after watching 6 seasons it was easy to see how I might have worshipped the All-Father and partake in pagan rituals where sacrifice was considered sacred. The series does a fantastic job at illustrating the beauty in Human expression. The good, the bad, the beautiful- the ugly... And the proclivity for God, in all his forms and in all(our progressive) understanding.

I tend to agree with the character Ubbe, a son of Ragnar Lothbrok, who tells a Christian man- "I believe in the All Father, and I believe your Christ prayed to the All Father in the Heavens." I remembered the Urantia book explaining how God is called by many names through out the cosmos... Source, Father and yes even All-Father is most appropriate.

Or with the monk Athelstan, who saw God alive in Odin and Christ- this was absurd to many at the time, they saw their Gods as separate and were deeply offended if either side worshipped one over the other.

There's so much more to elaborate on from this, but instead I will just share some pretty inspiring clips that I stumbled across just yesterday... Viewer discretion is advised- these scenes contain violence.

These clips are near the end of the series yet the entire series is filled with fantastic scenes...

Last night, as I watched Bjorn Ironside die I was reminded of something Jesus said... That others would go on and do greater things than He. And I was reminded of our incredible Human potential, and the invisible but lofty progression of a Soul. What might that look like, when the ideals we believe in and strive towards are encapsulated within the human form!

The death of King Olaf.
The scene is cut a little short, so it's important to know that the scene ends with the Rus and Prince Oleg in complete shock that Olaf embraced his death, spoke Christian words and did not die in agony but with hands brought together in prayer.

Prince Oleg, with the help of Ivar the Boneless had just won a battle, capturing the King of Norway and King Olaf. Prince Oleg decides that Olaf should die- Olaf is a bit of a philosophizer and visionary. It was Olaf who thought his people should come together and declare a King of Norway in order to face the existential threat. Olaf, a Viking, enlightened by the way of the Buddha- believing death a reward and entry to Valhalla scares the Rus soldiers by showing them the power of Faith and Belief in resurrection/Life after Life. This scene reminds me of the self immolating monks(did you know there was more than one such act?) Imagine the shock, when most people who die in such a brutal way are expected to scream in agony. This angered Oleg and scared his fellow commanders, they were not used to the Viking spirit having long abandoned their pagan ancestry.

https://youtu.be/zsI0Gujg2-Y?si=x3JLj0hBYytba76L

It wasn't long after that Ivar and Oleg would advance on the town of Kattegat where Bjorn Ironside presides. In that previous battle, Ivar had mortally wounded King Bjorn, his brother. Bjorn and his remaining forces retreated to Kattegat. Before the initial battle Bjorn had dispatched scouts to seek aid for what was to come. While Prince Oleg and Ivar made way to Kattegat, word was sent to their camp that King Bjorn had died. They did not know aid had come. It was Bjorn who was meant to be King of Norway, but it was stolen from him by a conniving man. And when the conniving man(King Harold) was denied aid, it was the son of Ragnar Lothbrok- Bjorn Ironside who would ultimately rally forces together. Bjorn was seen as a legend among men, word of his death brought Oleg and his commanders great satisfaction. But they didn't know that Bjorn had not yet died. Instead... Bjorn put on his armor one last time, and rode out to meet the enemy.

https://youtu.be/FXLi_eZiWrM?si=E3bVmtmoT5_VyVLH

They ran away because they were already disturbed by Olafs death, and they thought the rumor of Bjorn Ironsides death was cemented- it was the only thing giving them hope of taking over Kattegat. When they saw he wasn't dead, Olafs final words haunted them. Even though they outnumbered the Vikings, they were made scared by the power of a United people and a defiant Spirit.

So, what do you guys think? Has anyone watched this series? I highly recommend. There's a lot to discuss! I know it's fantasy, it takes some truth and the rest is romanticized or twisted for the purpose of making this excellent series... But as King Olaf says, "all we have are stories."

[Kodemaster]

Thank you for the recommendation and the links! I have a lot of movies and series to catch up on, I love fantasy.

[Volgerle]

I've seen it already a while ago. Yes it is very entertaining. For my taste too much of violence, gore and 'nudity' in it. But definitely always thrilling to watch. And interesting characters although at times I thought that actually almost every character was somewhat of a psychopathic killer and/or fighter with super-powers (even all of the women esp. the 'shieldmaidens'). One notable exception was the wife of Floki, Helga. She always seemed benign and never 'evil' while almost every one around her was constantly scheming and machinating to their own benefit. Of couse she was killed off in the show after a certain time.
Certainly the times where tough then but I'm not sure if everyone was evil back then in reality. Of course, it's a Hollywood show and it needs characters like these to get a/the story going.
I also remember that I thought that in the last season(s) they lost it a bit and got repetitive. But it is too long ago for me now to remember why this was my impression.

Have you seen the spin-off show called 'Valhalla' already?

As a sidenote, I liked the music of 'Vikings' a lot. It already starts with the eerie opening track 'If I Had a Heart'. Then I am a huge fan of Nordic Folk music and there is of course a lot in it, such as Wardruna. They even featured their singer Einar Selvik in a short scene in one episode here:

[tides2dust]

Thank you Volgerle, I loved the music too- thanks for sharing that one. I like the names a lot too.
I did find the violence too hard to endure at times. None of that was appealing... I liked your review and your thoughts of Helga. I think those who weren't chasing titles- like being a king of Norway, or seeking glory of epic ego proportions existed in greater number than the main characters from the show.  Then there were those born who had the drama thrusted upon them, whether they asked for it or not. An interesting thought...

Yes I'm just finishing the Valhalla series. It started off kind of meh for me but of course I end up getting absorbed and enjoying the characters. I am one episode away from finishing, and what the Roman soldier did to Haralds friends was absolutely atrocious. I feel like the original series did a better job at capturing the culture, rituals and the ideas of that time period.

Still, I am enjoying being taken back to these time periods and considering the great human epic as a whole.

Random side note... Speaking of music... I am really enjoying listening to whales lately... <3  And for that matter, just listening to nature and the sounds of animals. It goes straight to the core/soul.

[Adrian]

TRandom side note... Speaking of music... I am really enjoying listening to whales lately... <3  And for that matter, just listening to nature and the sounds of animals. It goes straight to the core/soul.

Absolutely.

When I was spending a lot of time in Orange County, CA, myself and my now wife, really enjoyed Whale and Dolphin watching trips out of Dana Point. They, and Cetaceans generally, really are amazing and Spiritual creatures.

[Tak]

Wow! I watched this series in 2019 and I absolutely loved it.

As you all say, I'm not a fan of violence and nudity either, but this series didn't bother me at all. Every night I watched it with a friend I lived with; it was our ritual, and we braided each other's hair and everything like the Vikings LOL. I got goosebumps every time the intro started, which we watched on a huge TV with good sound quality...
I can't give such a complex account of each of the characters because I don't remember much anymore, but I didn't finish it because not all the episodes had come out, but I watched almost the entire thing.
Like you, I enjoy the music of those cultures, and I was really struck by all the practices they engaged in. I didn't know them, and I wonder if they were really like that. Such violent times... But I really enjoyed the beautiful landscapes, the clothing, the decorations, and the whole aesthetic. What I liked most was that each character had a very complex backstory, always fueling my curiosity. It was never boring! There were so many parallel stories that you were always in suspense and then made the connections.
Sometimes I complain about this world, but I'm thankful I wasn't born in that era! I think I wouldn't be alive.

The intro...

You have no idea how hard it was for me to understand that at the beginning it says "Give me more" lol

[tides2dust]

I can envision it now Tak, your face when trying to understand the lyrics: "What are they saying?" 

I would have loved to watch this with you~ your girlfriend could give me a Viking hairstyle too, I'm ok with this. 

Well, Adrian, you had a post here this morning that seems to have disappeared. And I have been wanting to write something- somewhat because of the content in this thread, and also a separate tangent. I'm not sure if it's better I create a new thread- or just carry on... So we'll just carry on:

Watching the Intro shared by Tak, re-watching the clips shared in the OP- considering the time period as shared by Adrian and the expression of Spirit which I had initially hinted towards...

I was feeling almost appalled with myself for taking only one aspect of Spirit and venturing down that particular avenue. What can be said?

Spirit is far greater, more primal- raw, creative, fierce and imaginative than ANYTHING we know. True, all that we know, is essence of SPIRIT. Including that which one calls evil. All duality but a fraction of MIGHTY SPIRIT. More ancient than perhaps, our species and our species effort to express the fruits of this Spirit.

Such a powerful force, with not only incredible powers of creation but terrifying powers of destruction. And perhaps in more ways than what One Universe allows.

Filled with reverence for that Living Intelligence, I could not reply last night. What can one say in acknowledgment of such a vast and reality shattering presence?

But I feel a fondness for the time period the Vikings takes place in. I am questioning whether or not matters of Spirit are as progressive as I once thought. I do not say this because I wish to disown any notion of progress or evolution, I question with much discomfort at potential frightening realities.

Where are we in todays world? We have so much technology, the worlds are smaller than before... But many of us have lost our independence with the natural world. Can we grow our own crops? Can we skin an animal and make use of the meat? Can we start our own fires, build our own shelters or filter our own water? Even now I write from a little unit of comfort and luxury, where artificial air keeps me cool and if it were to break down- would I have any idea of how to fix it?

Expanding upon this... Looking back at all of the expression mankind has shared with each other, fruits of Spirit, the relationship seemed more Alive than today. Ancient architecture more appealing, art and music- more sublime... But equally true, are the hardships of those times and the darkness in collective thought. We didn't seem to mind slavery, we didn't seem to mind public torture. We didn't seem to mind sacrifice.

And in some ways, even those dark expressions were fruits of this ALL POWERFUL and ANCIENT SPIRIT. So, I can not say there was anything WRONG given the time period... As I've said, if I were born in that time- I would likely engage in the practices of sacrifice and worship of many Gods.

Even though we have advanced exponentially technologically speaking, our evolution as a species is not at par. And, with all of this technology, I feel sometimes disconnected from Nature. I was very happy to connect in nature today, and even with the moistness in the air. The green shrubs, the dirt on my knees, the many insects and birds. The sweat dripping from my body. In our disconnect, our ability to express this powerful SPIRIT at times seems lessened. Art and music is not as appealing, architecture seems bland. Our collective relationship with presence has been muddied, despite all of this progress.

And, in the name of progress, we seem to limit expression. Such limitation is expressed in the show- where Christians feared Pagans, condemned the worship of many Gods and forced many people to adopt not the religion of Jesus but a religion about Jesus.

And still, Spirit is MORE than that reality... Terrifyingly so.

So... I have great respect and reverence for the ancient cultures, who worshipped in ways that scare us today. It feels like I don't know much anymore... What is right, what is wrong... Because I know Spirit is far greater than any one particular path.

I suppose a part of Gods gift, free Will, means choosing how to engage with this very powerful and ancient force.

---Sorry for what is to be a longwinded post, I have an additional trail of thought that belongs with this:

Self-determination vs one world government.

If we are truly a progressive species, a one world government is inevitable. However, I do not support the current model of globalism as it does not recognize the brotherhood of man. A Himalayan Monk gave a satsang prior to the COVID pandemic and told us the warring ideals of today are civic nationalism vs globalism. He cautioned to side with civic nationalism as a way to preserve heritage- what would this world be without all the beautiful varying cultures therein?

Still more, he said that the League of Nations had good intentions but there were nefarious elements planted within- where greed motivated a few seeking dominion over Earth.

If I believe we are a progressive species, I think it is possible to have a one world government- but only when the world is ready to recognize that all sovereignties and supremacy belong to God.
It doesn't matter what name you call God, but we must recognize a higher power if we are to have representatives handle global affairs.

Why? Because then we do not work towards the benefit of a few and instead acknowledge that every person is born with inalienable rights. I suppose even now, these are the defining moments for what that looks like. Some nations seem more dark than others, and some world powers pretend to care but are quick to oppress. 

How many times have we willingly sacrificed our self determination in favor of a greater good? We do it here with new members- we try to express cordial mannerisms and kind hearted intentions. We may do it at work, where it is sometimes better to find ways to work together than satisfy ones own desires/ambitions.

The brotherhood of man/woman is needed, which I believe is what Jesus taught. But still in our slow-to-develop ways we strayed from the teachings of Christ and instead forced a religion about Christ onto people who would rather worship Gods of Old. To me, it does not matter what you call God- whether you follow Jesus, Yogananda, or none of the above. It only matters that you believe in a higher power. That higher power doesn't have to be anything other than unity in humanity. A parent will love their child, wish their child to succeed, and the higher power in that dynamic is a love greater than their self interest.

Despite the warring ideals of today, we are still motivated by greed to a point where self interest comes at the cost of another's basic liberties.

Freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom of religion- basic sovereignties are still not recognized world wide. But if we are a progressive species, we understand that all of these freedoms are willingly surrendered to a greater good- without compromise to the freedom themselves. There is no external force demanding censorship, which God to worship, which medicine to take... which path to choose.

So we have some ways to go... And I wonder if this is a pre-requisite to entering into a galactic citizenry. But it does not seem that technology has helped us evolve spiritually, and that perhaps even in these ancient days where bloodshed was more common- the relationship with Spirit seemed more real than this. 

I see it is possible to have a global government and at the same time, individual nations with their own culture. But we are not there yet. Is it greed that leads us astray? Is it possible to have these freedoms and a one world government?

-----

There are many questions here- what it means to be human, whether or not Spirit cares for any of this, whether or not it's right to try and go any particular direction... Last night I was far too immersed by the feeling of ancient omnipotence to even open my mouth or channel these thoughts...
As if to say... There is way more to life than this- including our notions of right and wrong.

Many times I am amazed by the human potential, perhaps this is one of those few times where I am a little discouraged by my own choices- wondering if the path I am following is authentic or the efforts of attempting to "bottle" beautiful, wild and primal essence.

I think I have my answers already, and continue to believe in Love- a greater Love than I know, and maybe I need to pray to God what that Love looks like on more evolved Worlds... Maybe I need ask God if there is more to God than our Universe.

[Adrian]

Tides, yes, I wanted to find a particular Youtube link to include in the post, which I have since found, so here it is.

The Vikings were certainly an interesting culture to say the least. When they invaded Britain in around 900 CE they basically slaughtered and pillaged their way through the Anglo Saxon kingdoms,  After they had taken control of most of Britain, they brought across their families, women, children from Norway and Denmark mostly, and a very different picture emerged. A city close to where I live was one the major Viking strongholds. A large number of Viking artefacts, home and street layouts etc have been uncovered through the course of modern construction.  There is a very interesting museum, which I have visited a couple of times, which contains many of the artefacts and remains found, and which suggests a fairly normal and organised family life, after the men had set down their swords and axes. Later the Vikings and Anglo Saxons integrated and the kingdoms of Britain united to become the United Kingdom, and the peoples mixed freely with each other with a family life. The Viking/Norse "sagas", legends and mythology are certainly very colourful,  Asgard, Ragnarök etc.. Their gods also gave rise to the days of the week as used today.

Monday – Manadagr, Tuesday – Tysdagr, Wednesday – Odinsdagr, Thursday – Þórsdagr, Friday – Frjadagr, Saturday – Laugardagr, Sunday – Sunnudagr So for example Wednesday is Odin's day, and Thursday is Thor's Day.

Here is the website for the museum: Yorvik Viking Centre

Beneath the museum is a ride that tours a reconstruction of Viking life, based on the remains of dwellings, artefacts etc found there. As the tour goes around the dwellings, there are animated models that speak in English and also speak to each other in the Norse Viking language. This is a short video I found taken by a visitor.

As an as an aside, the name of the village were I grew up ended in the letters "by", which in England indicates it was originally founded by Vikings, probably as a small farming community. The name of the village just across the river ended in the letters "ton" which indicated it was founded as a small Anglo Saxon settlement.