Them Vikings and their little ways

No, I have not ever taken a DNA Test but the ancestry known to me strongly points to a Viking heritage. 

That must be why I have really taken to and enjoyed the Netflix Series "Norsemen" which is now into its third series. 

It is a warts and all depiction of the life and times of Vikings in the 8th Century through a small warrior and farming community, a curious mixture of farcical humour through clever writing and a mix of historic and contemporary references blended with abject horror and frankly, quite disgusting behaviour which is grounded in actual fact from Chronicles of that era. 

The stories lurch along from quite Parochial activities in the fictional hamlet of Norheim to very violent and merciless action in the raiding parties of the main characters on the quiet, innocent and naive East Coast of England. 

It is both entertaining and interesting on the educational front , the latter because my Infant schooling back in the 1960's and early 1970's was, where the Vikings were concerned, quite boring even though it should not have been with their civilisation being at the forefront of the cultural activities of rape, pillage and plunder. 

Three particular customs have been blended into the episodes which emphasise the brutality but also very practical attitudes of these Scandinavians. 

These are Holmgang, Attestupa and The Blood Eagle. 

The first, Holmgang is a formal challenge between parties, in effect a duel, as a means to quickly and decisively settle a dispute. The derivation of the word is holm meaning a small island which in the land of lakes may have been the location for the combatants to meet and do business. 

It was quite a socially neutral activity in that anyone offended could make the challenge regardless of status in the hierarchy of the settlement. The grudge could be from an outstanding debt, on a matter of honour or as an act to avenge a relative or friend. The non-attendance of the person challenged was taken to mean that the challenge was a just one. Conversely if the offended party did not turn up then they ran the risk of being outlawed or banished. 

In Norsemen the dramatic presentation of a Holmgang is a bit of a stretch of the meaning. 

One of the fiercest warriors, albeit a bit chubby and socially awkward confides in the Chieftain that he wants to take a wife and land. He currently lives in a tent with only his one set of clothes and weaponry. The Chieftain encourages him to challenge a rather weak and stuttering but wealthy and married member of the village to Holmgang. In a most unbalanced bout the warrior cleaves the unwitting man in two with the first strike of his broadsword. To the victor goes the riches, house, land and enthusiastic spouse. 

In similar vein as an expression of the rough justice and very hand to mouth existence of the Vikings at the mercy of natural and other forces is the term Attestupa. 

It is actually a reference to a precipice in a mountainous and fjord environment common to Sweden and Norway. In Nordic times it was the place where elderly people threw themselves or were thrown by others to their death. 

Life expectancy was understandably limited in such harsh times what with primitive, if any, medical knowledge, diet, climate influences and the constant threat of violence in battle or from your neighbours (see Holmgang). 

The Norsemen dramatisation is of a group of barely middle aged men on top of a high cliff face being invited to do the honourable thing and make a leap to certain death. Valhalla, the place of the Viking Deities awaits but the villagers are understandably reluctant to participate. 

It ends with a promise to the slave who has been trusted with the task that the selected few will just go off and make a life somewhere else. In a later episode they are found having a fine existence in a camp in the forest and are actually recruited to help to rescue the village from a particularly despotic and highly unbalanced Warlord. 

The third custom is extremely gruesome and yet unsurprising for a culture where fighting was a key element of existence. 

The Blood Eagle may just have been a part of the Viking Myth in order to intimidate and arouse fear amongst enemies and their own subjects alike. It was an alleged form of ritual execution. 

The victim was placed in a prone position over a bench or log pile. 

Their ribs were then severed from the spine with the sharpest of implements and the lungs pulled through the opening to resemble a pair of wings. It does seem a bit far fetched and the practice in actual Viking tradition is the subject of much academic debate. 

I can recommend Norsemen as a bit of good fun but not for those of a squeamish sensitivity. 

Oh, and there is also quite a lot of sexual and politically incorrectness highly likely to upset a good proportion of the viewing public. 

When is Series 4 being shown?