An archaeologist assesses the historical accuracy ofVikingsandVikings: Valhalla, explaining what the shows get wrong. Airing on the History Channel for six seasons from 2013 to 2020,Vikingsfollows Ragnar Lothbrok(Travis Fimmel) and his companions in the 8th century as they explore and do battle. The world of the show would then return as a Netflix original withVikings: Valhalla, which takes place 100 years later and chronicles the adventures of Leif Erikson (Sam Corlett), Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and other historical figures, and the hardships they endure.
In a recent video forWired, archaeologist Cat Jarman responds to a question on social media regarding the historical accuracy ofVikingsandVikings: Valhalla.Jarman reveals that the two shows are “not very accurate,“though many of the characters and events are inspired by those in real history.She singles out the shows' depiction of Lagertha’s (Katheryn Winnick) all-female army as one element that is not supported by archaeological evidence, though she does explain that female warriors did exist at the time. Check out Jarman’s comments below:
“They’re not very accurate, but they are inspired by a lot of real events. A lot of them are inspired by the sagas. So, for example, in the latest ones, where you have King Canute and Emma, there’s a lot of the facts around these people that are really quite close to what we know happened from historical records.
But there are other things that aren’t quite right or that go a little bit too far. One of those is the portrayal of women and female warriors. Now this is something that’s caused quite big debates because certainly in the Vikings show we have plenty of female warriors. In fact, entire armies made entirely just of women. We do have records of what we call shield maidens. So they’re these sort of fighting women. But they’re usually thought to be mythical.
We have female goddesses, like Freya, for example, the goddess of warfare. You have the Valkyries up in Valhalla, for example, that swoop down onto the battlefield and take the fallen warriors up to Odin’s Hall. But do they really fight?
This is a so-called Birka warrior woman, better known as Bj 581. This is a grave that was uncovered quite a long time ago that we classified as a warrior grave. It was…full of every type of weapon imaginable. Ancient DNA of this show that this individual was actually genetically female.
I think the likelihood is that it was possible for women to also take part in battle, but we really didn’t have that many of them. Because we would have had more evidence, we would have more female graves with weapons and with weapon injuries.”
In her direct response to the user on social media, Jarman offers more clarity regarding her own feelings about theVikingsfranchise playing fast and loose with real history, writing thatthe shows are “not meant to be accurate.“Read her comment below:
“They’re fictional and not meant to be accurate, though inspired by real events. Female warrirs like in Vikings likely existed, but as far as we can tell, large armies of women are fictional.”
What The Shows' Lack Of Historical Accuracy Means For The Vikings Universe
Neither Show Needed Historical Accuracy To Find Success
BothVikingsandVikings: Valhallareviewswere positive from critics. The mothership show, for example, has a strong 93% onRotten Tomatoesfrom critics, and the spinoff fared even better, sporting a 96%. Each show clearly delivered quality storytelling, strong performances, and an interesting exploration of real figures with each new season. ConsideringVikingsran for six seasons and the spinoff ran for three, viewership was also evidently very strong.
Does Vikings' Kattegat Exist? Real World Location Explained
The city of Kattegat is the main setting of Vikings, and in Vikings: Valhalla, Kattegat is almost unrecognizable. So, is Kattegat a real place?
The fact that neitherVikingsnorVikings: Valhallaare particularly faithful to real history, then, doesn’t seem to have hindered either show. Though the two series may be stretching historical truth with their depictions of how prevalent female warriors were at the time, this creative liberty worked on a storytelling level. What’s more,neither show prevented itself as a historically accurate retelling of events, giving showrunners like Michael Hirst and Jeb Stuart the freedom to approach this time period as they saw fit.
Hirst also created historical fiction shows likeThe Tudors(2007 – 2010) andBilly the Kid(2022 – 2024).
Our Take On The Vikings' Franchise’s Historical Innacuracy
The Vikings Shows Aren’t Works Of Non-Fiction
With any show or movie that adapts real historical events or people,telling a strong, entertaining story is generally more important than staying true to every historical detail. A show likeVikings, after all, is not a documentary, and is a work of fiction, as Jarman says.
As long as theshows in theVikingsuniversestay true to their own internal rules and the world that the showrunners created, they can create a sense of verisimilitude for audiences. Even though an army of female warriors may not be true to real Viking history, such an army can feel true and real within the worlds ofVikingsandVikings: Valhalla, and that’s ultimately what is most important.
Vikings: Valhalla
Cast
Set over a thousand years ago in the early 11th century, Vikings: Valhalla chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings ever chronicled. As tensions between the Vikings and the English royals reach a bloody breaking point and as the Vikings themselves clash over their conflicting Christian and pagan beliefs, these three Vikings begin an epic journey that will take them across oceans and through battlefields, from Kattegat to England and beyond, as they fight for survival and glory.
