Looking for Vikings - conversion story

  • Thread starter Thread starter irom
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I

irom

Guest
I am looking for books (movies too, anything) about Viking conversion to Christianity, something without secular bias, please advise.
 
A lot of the primary sources for Norse history are online and do talk about this stuff. Vinland Saga, for example, talks about how Leif Ericson became Christian, and how King St. Olaf sent him back home to evangelize Greenland, and what results he got.

The story of St. Magnus is also very interesting, as is St. Olaf. There are some other guys of note; you just have to look.

Historically, some Norse who went to Byzantium to join the Varangian Guard or to trade tended to become Christian, as did Norse who settled in Christian areas. The transition took a lot longer in the Norse homelands, except where intermarriage led to kids being raised Christian. The role in this of Christians who were captured and enslaved (“thralls”) is not well understood.
 
Heimskringla by Snorri Sturlasson has a lot of what you want.
 
I wouldn’t recommend the TV series Vikings since it’s very graphic in sexual nature. But… if you can look past that it’s good.

It has Christian themes, the main character is the Viking leader Ragnar and when the Vikings invaded England they slaughtered these monks in a monastery but Ragnar saved one and took him with him, and who eventually caused him to convert.
 
Blue_Rose said:
I wouldn’t recommend the TV series Vikings since it’s very graphic in sexual nature. But… if you can look past that it’s good.

It has Christian themes, the main character is the Viking leader Ragnar and when the Vikings invaded England they slaughtered these monks in a monastery but Ragnar saved one and took him with him, and who eventually caused him to convert.
Click to expand...
Well, I only watched the first 3 seasons of the show, but they seemed to portray the “Christian” Saxons, including the monk, mostly as hypocrites who are just as into sex, looting, power. etc., as the Vikings are, but at least the Vikings are honest about it.

Ragnar himself is somewhat like King Arthur, he may or may not have actually existed. But many of the storylines are based on traditional stories about him, and some are quite interesting. One is how he met his second wife, Aslaug. (Though per the legends she was actually his third wife; his first wife was the shieldmaiden Lagertha, as in the show, but he also had a second wife, Thora, who died before he met Aslaug).

Or how he spared his cripped son, “Ivar the Boneless” from infanticide, even though that was expected in Viking culture. And there are historical documents describing a Viking general, “Ivar the Boneless”, whose men actually carried him into battle sitting on a shield, as he could not walk.

And while the show portrays Ragnar as overthrowing King Horik to become king, some historians think King Horik was actually the inspiration for Ragnar.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top