The Great Viking Entertainment Thread

[Mitth'raw'nuruodo]

My anticipation for this game has resurrected my hunger for all things viking. Sadly there arent too many of them. I am gonna list out all the memorable viking related stuff I have read / played / seen / listened to. If anyone has anything to suggest, please add on, so that myself & others can check em out.

Edit: I am also adding the suggestions made by others in the thread to this list.

Movies and TV

The Vikings (1958), a movie starring Kirk Douglas as a character inspired by Ivar the Boneless. Did not like it very much, too lighthearted and hollywoodish for me.

The 13th Warrior. I think most viking fetishists know and love this movie.

Beowulf, the animated epic. Loved it, very saga-esque. And the music and ambience was awesome.

Beowulf & Grendel. A bit abstract and artistic, in a very different way from the animated movie, but I liked it very much. Especially loved the clean and shiney portrayal of the geats.

Outlander, viking and sci-fi - two of my favorite genres. I found it enjoyable but still wanting.

The Vikings, the History Channel TV series. Not bad by any means. I wish it was more historical.

Hrafn Gunnlaugsson's Raven Series looks very interesting. (Suggested by Eizo)

Valhalla Rising, yet to see. (Suggested by Focuspuller)

Erik the Viking, its funny. Did not include at first because its not a serious portrayal. (Suggested by Eizo)

Ring of the Nibelungs / Curse of the Ring, german TV movie based on Volsunga Saga and Wagner's Opera (I am guessing), full of violence and beautiful women. As a child I found it somewhere between Beowulf and LOTR.

Valhalla (1986), looks very interesting. (suggested by MasterCrumble)

How to tame your dragon, a charming movie. I forgot to add it first. (suggested by SpectralShade)

Music

Wardruna is the only album I am familiar with. I often play it during officehours to add epicness to my daily grind.

Amon Amarth while I enjoy their music, I did not include at first, because it is after all, modern music, not music from the viking age. (suggested by CrimsonYeti)

Týr, I should have added this. I think their music is more "viking" than Amon Amarth (suggested by Eizo).

Books

Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. This is one of my favorites, especially because the protagonist himself is sort of a viking-nerd. Its almost lyrical. I highly recommend the first book.

Horlf Kraki's Saga by Poul Anderson, written like a proper saga, by a master author.

The Last Viking series also by Poul Anderson, biography of Harald Hardrade, set during end of the Viking Age :(

"The Long Ships" by Frans G. Bengtsson. (Suggested by Aleonymous)

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton (Suggested by last_chance90)

I also have The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay, Oathsworn series by Robert Low, Raven Series by Giles Kristian and Godless World Series by Brian Ruckley, which I am yet to read.

Games

Wont bother explaining these.
Medieval (1 & 2) Total War, and Viking Invasion
Mount and Blade
Crusader Kings 2, the Old Gods
Viking: Battle for Asgard
ParaWorld
Age of Mythology
Rune
Saga: Rage of the Vikings
Norse by Norsewest.
Skyrim

Manga & Comic Books

Northlanders (suggested by Mr.Heisenberg)

Vinland Saga (suggested by hreinnbeno)

Thorgal (suggested by Benzibuk)

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Age of Mythology
WOOOOOOO BEST GAME EVAR (well maybe not, but I still have 4500+ hours in it). Norse rush 4 lyfe

[FrothyBrains]

İlk olarak =KH= Microwaved tarafından gönderildi:

Age of Mythology
WOOOOOOO BEST GAME EVAR (well maybe not, but I still have 4500+ hours in it). Norse rush 4 lyfe

If that count is accurate, you have spent over 187 days playing one game....sir I think you may have a problem. You could have probably done something useful, like cure cancer, with that amount of time. ;)

[[CPC] Claiy]

İlk olarak Benzibuk tarafından gönderildi:

I would recommend the comic Thorgal, really nice stories and drawings
Together with Northlanders the best viking comics to me

Yes, Thorgal is a really good viking comic.

For music, i would add a complet album from Manowar "Gods of War" all songs are about Odin, Thor, Loki, Valhalla etc ...

And this as a bonus a little montage of Vinland Saga (contains spoiler) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lXPS84qajc&hd=1

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

İlk olarak last_chance90 tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak =KH= Microwaved tarafından gönderildi:

Age of Mythology
WOOOOOOO BEST GAME EVAR (well maybe not, but I still have 4500+ hours in it). Norse rush 4 lyfe

If that count is accurate, you have spent over 187 days playing one game....sir I think you may have a problem. You could have probably done something useful, like cure cancer, with that amount of time. ;)

I'd like to see you cure cancer in 187 days. SNAP TO IT, ITS GO TIME NOW.
And for the record this was as a child with very few games to play. Many many moons ago.
Edit for confession:I actually prefer playing egyptian and atlantean. Norse is a one-trick pony.

[[CPC] Claiy]

İlk olarak =KH= Microwaved tarafından gönderildi:

İlk olarak last_chance90 tarafından gönderildi:

If that count is accurate, you have spent over 187 days playing one game....sir I think you may have a problem. You could have probably done something useful, like cure cancer, with that amount of time. ;)

I'd like to see you cure cancer in 187 days. SNAP TO IT, ITS GO TIME NOW.
And for the record this was as a child with very few games to play. Many many moons ago.

I know the feeling Age of Mythology was such a great game, Ajax throwing ppl forever.

[allenstergess]

Nice thread gonna watch Beowulf now!

[SpectralShade]

I reckon "How to tame your dragon" could fit in as well, given the setting of that movie.

[BHOOD666]

here is another game...a classic.. "The Lost Vikings"
i played it on Amiga years ago but ist´s still running on emulators...:)

[CrumbleCat]

This thread warms the heart of an old viking such as myself! Great work! A TABLE OF MEAD TO ALL PARTICIPANTS.

Oh, I can only recommend this danish animated movie. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valhalla_%28film%29

You can watch all of it on youtube with English subtitles. In 8 parts or so.

PS: I am danish. :P

[Mr. Stimpson]

It isn't really rich in viking history and most of the movie revolves around native-Americans, but Pathfinder was a decent movie. Worth a watch.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446013/

[Epictetus]

Why isnt there a wikipedia page for Viking entertainment? Maybe we could all chip in a few trading cards to the man who is up to the task.

[Focuspuller]

I'm marathoning the Blurays of Vikings. :)

[Eizo]

Röde Orm (Red Serpent) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Ships

A classic book, also recently adopted into a great comic book tetralogy

Copied from Wikipedia.

The Long Ships or Red Orm (original Swedish: Röde Orm meaning Red Serpent or Red Dragon) is an adventure novel by the Swedish writer Frans G. Bengtsson. The novel is divided into two parts, published in 1941 and 1945, with two books each. It is one of the most widely read books in Sweden, topping the charts of most loaned books at Swedish libraries for many years.[citation needed] The first part was translated to English by Barrows Mussey as Red Orm in 1943, but later editions and newer translations by Michael Meyer use the title The Long Ships. The book has been translated into at least 23 languages.
The narrative is set in the late 10th century and follows the adventures of Orm ("serpent"), called "Red" for his hair and his temper, a native of Scania. The book portrays the political situation of Europe in the later Viking Age, Andalusia under Almanzor, Denmark under Harald Bluetooth, followed by the struggle between Eric the Victorious and Sweyn Forkbeard, Ireland under Brian Boru, England under Ethelred the Unready, and the Battle of Maldon, all before the backdrop of the gradual Christianisation of Scandinavia, contrasting the pragmatic Norse pagan outlook with the exclusiveness of Islam and Christianity.[1]

Also something that might be of interest The Vikings on Film: Essays on Depictions of the Nordic Middle Ages [books.google.se]

[vdroumev]

İlk olarak Eizo tarafından gönderildi:

Korpen Flyger / Hrafninn Flýgur (eng title: When the Raven Flies) and the rest in the trilogy are THE movies to see if you are in to vikings (and good movies)!

I strongly recommend them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Raven_Flies

Whole movie of 'Korpen Flyger' available to watch online [www.swefilmer.com]

Where can I watch the movie with english subtitles?
Its in some norse language..

[Gomer]

Go back to Cultures 2. One of the best Viking games I ever played.