Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

'' is a

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

television series created and written by Michael Hirst for the Canadian television channel

History History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

. The series broadly follows the exploits of the legendary Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew, and in later seasons those of his sons. The first season premiered on March 3, 2013, in Canada and concluded on April 28, 2013, consisting of nine episodes. It begins at the start of the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

, marked by the

Lindisfarne Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is a tidal island off the northeast coast of England, which constitutes the civil parishes in England, civil parish of Holy Island in Northumberland. Holy Island has a recorded history from the 6th centu ...

raid in 793, and follows Ragnar's quest to become Earl, and his desire to raid England.

Cast

Main

Travis Fimmel Travis Fimmel (born 15 July 1979) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Ragnar Lothbrok in the History Channel television series ''Vikings'' (2013–2017). He also starred in HBO science fiction series' '' Raised by Wolves'' as M ...

as Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking farmer and warrior who yearns to raid the rumoured riches of undiscovered England * Katheryn Winnick as

Lagertha Lagertha, according to legend, was a Viking ruler and shield-maiden from what is now Norway, and the onetime wife of the famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok. Her tale was recorded by the chronicler Saxo Grammaticus, Saxo in the 12th century. According t ...

, Ragnar's wife, and a

shield-maiden A shield-maiden ( ) was a female warrior from Scandinavian folklore and Norse mythology, mythology. The term most often shows up in fornaldarsögur such as ''Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks''. However, female warriors are also mentioned in the Latin ...

Clive Standen Clive James Standen (born July 22, 1981) is an English actor best known for playing Bryan Mills in the NBC series '' Taken'' (2017–2018), based on the film trilogy of the same name, as well as Rollo in the History Channel series ''Vikings'' ...

Rollo Rollo (, ''Rolloun''; ; ; – 933), also known with his epithet, Rollo "the Walker", was a Viking who, as Count of Rouen, became the first ruler of Normandy, a region in today's northern France. He was prominent among the Vikings who Siege o ...

, Ragnar's brother *

Jessalyn Gilsig Jessalyn Sarah Gilsig (born November 30, 1971) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles as Meredith Gordon in ''Heroes (American TV series), Heroes'', Kayley in ''Quest for Camelot'', Lauren Davis in ''Boston Public'', Gina Russo in ...

as Siggy, Earl Haraldson's wife *

Gustaf Skarsgård Gustaf Caspar Orm Skarsgård (born 12 November 1980) is a Swedish actor. He is known for his roles in ''Evil'' (2003), '' The Way Back'' (2010), ''Kon-Tiki'' (2012), and '' Oppenheimer'' (2023). He also appeared in the HBO TV series ''Westworld ...

as Floki, a gifted shipbuilder and Ragnar's friend *

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy L ...

as Earl Haraldson, Earl of the settlement known as Kattegat, the home of Ragnar *

George Blagden George Paul Blagden (born 28 December 1989) is an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his role as Louis XIV in the French-produced television series drama ''Versailles.'' He also played Grantaire in the 2012 film adaptation of ...

as Athelstan, an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

monk captured by Ragnar on his first raid in England *

Donal Logue Donal Francis Logue (born February 27, 1966) is a Canadian-American film and television actor. He played the starring role of Sean Finnerty on the sitcom '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005), and Detective Harvey Bullock on the DC Comics adapta ...

as King Horik of Denmark *

Alyssa Sutherland Alyssa Sutherland (born 23 September 1982) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Ellie in '' Evil Dead Rise'', the fifth installment of the ''Evil Dead'' franchise. Early life Sutherland was born in Brisbane. She is of Sco ...

as Princess

Aslaug Aslaug ( ), also called Aslög, Kráka (O.N.: ) or Kraba, is a figure in Norse mythology who appears in Snorri Sturluson, Snorri's Edda, the Völsunga saga and in the saga of Ragnar Lodbrok as one of his wives. Aslaug in legend According to t ...

, a love interest of Ragnar, claiming to be the daughter of the valkyrie

Brynhildr Brunhild, also known as Brunhilda or Brynhild ( , , or ), is a female character from Germanic heroic legend. She may have her origins in the Visigothic princess and queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. In the Norse tradition, Brunhild is a shiel ...

Recurring

* John Kavanagh as The Seer, the seiðmann of Kattegat * David Pearse as Svein, the loyal henchman of Earl Haraldson * Nathan O'Toole as

Bjorn Ironside Bjorn, Bjorne (English, Dutch), Björn (Swedish, Icelandic, Dutch, and German), Bjørn (Danish, Faroese and Norwegian), Beorn (Old English) or, rarely, Bjôrn, Biorn, or Latinized Biornus, Brum (Portuguese), is a Scandinavian male given name, or ...

, Ragnar and Lagertha's son * Ruby O'Leary as Gyda, Ragnar and Lagertha's daughter * Eddie Elks as Olafur, a Viking warrior in the service of Earl Haraldson * Vladimir Kulich as Erik, elderly Viking and one of Ragnar's warriors * Diarmaid Murtagh as Leif, one of Ragnar's warriors and the son of Erik * Tadhg Murphy as Arne, one of Ragnar's warriors; an archer with an eye-patch. * Jefferson Hall as Torstein, one of Ragnar's warriors and closest friends *

Jouko Ahola Jouko Ahola (born 1 December 1970) is a Finland, Finnish former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman, powerlifter and actor. He is a two time World's Strongest Man winner, a two time Europe's Stron ...

as Kauko, a Finnish Viking and one of Ragnar's warriors * Eric Higgins as Knut Tjodolf, Earl Haraldson's half-brother * Will Irvine as Brother Cenwulf, serving at the monastery of Lindisfarne *

Carrie Crowley Caroline Anne Crowley (born 23 May 1964) is an Irish actress and former radio and television presenter. She had her own chat show, ''Limelight'', and co-presented the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 with Ronan Keating. Her acting credits include ...

as Elisef, wife of Erik and mother of Leif * Sam Lucas Smith as Edwin, a Saxon *

Ivan Kaye Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the Duke of Milan in all three seasons of '' The Borgias'', and King Aelle in the first four Seasons o ...

as King Aelle of Northumbria * Jonathon Kemp as Lord Wigea, an advisor of King Aelle * Peter Gaynor as Lord Edgar, an advisor of King Aelle * Elinor Crawley as Thyri, Earl Haraldson and Siggy's daughter * Maude Hirst as Helga, Floki's woman *

Trevor Cooper Trevor Cooper (born 21 September 1953) is an English actor. Background Born 21 September 1953, Cooper studied law at Kingston Polytechnic and graduated with a master's degree in law from the University of Warwick. He taught for two years at Lo ...

as Earl Bjarni, Thyri's husband-to-be * Angus MacInnes as Tostig, an old Viking warrior

Guests

* Eddie Drew as

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

, appearing in Ragnar's visions *

Gerard McCarthy Gerard McCarthy (born 31 March 1981) is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Biography McCarthy was born in Belfast and attended St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School, Belfast, St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School. They ca ...

as Brondsted, a Viking who attacks Lagertha * Billy Gibson as Ulf, Earl Haraldson's bodyguard * David Wilmot as Olaf Andwend * Conor Madden as Eric Trygvasson, a Viking who is prosecuted in Kattegat by Earl Haraldson * Donna Dent as Rafarta, a woman of Kattegat * Cian Quinn as Olaf, son of Ingolf * Craig Whittaker as Hakon, a Viking and one of Ragnar's men * Des Braiden as Father Cuthbert, in charge of the monastery of

* Sebastiaan Vermeul Taback as Osiric * David Murray as Lord Aethelwulf, the brother of King Aelle * Cathy White as Queen Ealhswith of Northumbria, King Aelle's wife * Sean Treacy as Prince Egbert, King Aelle's son * James Flynn as Eadric, a Saxon lord *

Thorbjørn Harr Thorbjørn Harr (born 24 May 1974) is a Norwegian actor. Background Harr was discovered in a schoolyard by NRK people who were scouting for actors for youth series. Career He soon became a familiar face on programs like ''Blikkbåx'' and '' ...

as Jarl Borg, the Jarl of Götaland * David Michael Scott as Nils, a Viking warrior from Götaland in the service of Jarl Borg

Episodes

Production

Development

An Irish-Canadian co-production presented by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

, ''Vikings'' was developed and produced by Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions. Morgan O'Sullivan, Sheila Hockin, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn, John Weber, and Michael Hirst are credited as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

s. This season was produced by Steve Wakefield and Keith Thompson. Bill Goddard and Séamus McInerney are co-producers. The production team for this season includes casting directors Frank and Nuala Moiselle, costume designer Joan Bergin, visual effects supervisors Julian Parry and Dominic Remane, stunt action designers Franklin Henson and Richard Ryan, composer Trevor Morris, production designer Tom Conroy, editors Aaron Marshall for the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth episodes, and Michele Conroy for the second, fourth, sixth and eighth episodes, and cinematographer

John Bartley John Stanley Bartley, American Society of Cinematographers, A.S.C. (born February 12, 1947), often credited as John S. Bartley, is a New Zealand-born United States, American Cinematography, cinematographer best known for his work on television se ...

. PJ Dillon served as second unit director of photography.

Music

The musical score for the first season was composed by Trevor Morris in collaboration with Steven Richard Davis,

Steve Tavaglione Steve "Tav" Tavaglione (born December 1, 1950) is an American woodwind and EWI musician. He is best known for his work as a co-founder of the Latin fusion group Caldera with Jorge Strunz and Eduardo del Barrio, his work with Michael Jackson, Whi ...

, Brian Kilgore, Tina Guo and Mel Wesson. The opening sequence is accompanied by the song " If I Had a Heart" by

Fever Ray Karin Elisabeth Dreijer (born 7 April 1975) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and record producer. Dreijer was one half of the electronic music duo the Knife, formed with their brother Olof Dreijer. They released their debut solo album unde ...

. The soundtrack album was released on June 21, 2013, by

Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

. Additional non-original music by Norwegian music group

Wardruna Wardruna is a Norwegian music group formed in 2003 by Einar Selvik along with Gaahl and Lindy-Fay Hella. They create musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions and make significant use of Nordic historical and traditional instr ...

is featured in the episodes "Trial" and "Sacrifice". The featured tracks—which were not included in the soundtrack release—are "Fehu", "Ár var alda", "Heimta Thurs", "Dagr", "Laukr", and "Løyndomsriss".

Reception

The first season of ''Vikings'' received positive reviews. The review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported an 81% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10 based on 27 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Vikings makes up for its lack of historical accuracy with a heaping helping of violence, romance, and striking visuals".

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

assigned a score of 71 based on 20 reviews.

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

gave the season an overall score of 7/10, stating: "While parts of the story felt rushed and sparsely told, Vikings still gave us a good first season outing."

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Vikings (2013 TV series) 2013 Canadian television seasons 2013 Irish television seasons 01