Five Epic Films About Vikings

The heroics and sagas of the Viking Age lend themselves perfectly to modern story-telling and many films have been made about the Vikings. Here we have a look at five great films that you may or may not know about, if you know more, let us know in the comments!

1. The Vikings (1958)

 

This classic drama is based on the story of Ragnar Lodbrok and stars Kirk Douglas as Ragnar. It also stars Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine and remains an action packed adventure with an epic score! 

2. The 13th Warrior (1999)

 

This film stars Antonio Banderas and is based on the novel 'Eaters of the Dead' by Michael Crichton, which itself was based on Beowulf. Banderas' character Ahmad ibn Fadlan was a 10th Century Muslim scholar who wrote an account of a Rus Viking chief's funeral. Read the description HERE. 

 3. Valhalla Rising (2009)

This Danish film is set around 1096 AD and follows the adventures of a Viking called One-Eye as he travels with crusaders attempting to find the Holy Land. Instead they land on an unknown shore line and clash with unknown forces and dark visions. 

4. When the Raven Flies (1984)

This Icelandic-Swedish trilogy is an epic tale of revenge and is loosely based on the Samurai film Yojimbo. It also takes a lot of inspiration from the original Icelandic Viking Age sagas and the film attempted to portray the period as accurately as possible. 

5. Pathfinder (2007)

Pathfinder tells the story of a Viking warrior in North America, the only survivor of a raiding party who is adopted by a Native American tribe. Surviving several other Viking attacks the warrior is respected as the bravest of the brave by the local tribes.

These are five epic Viking films, what are your favourites? Let us know in the comments!