Viking Lessons
Curious and kind-hearted warriors inspire us to explore the world and cherish our social bonds.
The fascination with Vikings is in the air: from video games to TV shows, these Scandinavian naval warriors have been drawing a lot of attention to themselves lately. Many people think they are buff blond pirates who won’t spare anyone in their brutal attacks, but I see a lot of diversity and humaneness in their culture and in their stories.
I am a big fan of “Assassin’s Creed”, by Ubisoft. Each of the 12 games is set in a historic background, such as Ancient Egypt or the Italian Renaissance. In the last one, “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla”, we live Eivor’s life. This game sparked my interest about Nordic mythology, and I was so fascinated by it that I started watching the TV show “Vikings”, which my friends had already recommended me to watch.
The story is inspired by the legend of the Viking Ragnar Lothbrok, a legendary Nordic hero, and I recommend it to all of my friends who love “Game of Thrones”. The storyline in both shows are very similar, with captivating characters trying to take over the throne. But “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy, while “Vikings” is based on historic facts. If you like realistic battle scenes, with horrible deaths, don’t watch the show. When they were not in battles, Vikings were farmers who lived a simple life, but enjoyed each moment intensely.
I was hooked to the show, and it made me think a lot about our society, humanity and (of course) social networks. Except for the part of attacking, torturing and killing, I think the Vikings and their amazing stories can teach us many lessons.
1. Living in community gives our life meaning
Since I have lived in so many countries, I noticed that the individualism is very present in the United States and the Western Europe culture. People put their individual needs above social needs, independence is highly valued and they tend to focus on personal identity. The problem is, people living in an individualist culture don’t really have a support network, don’t have as much emotional competence and tend to have worse mental health in general, according to research.
In the United States, two out of five people feel that their relationships aren’t meaningful and that they feel isolated. This is why I find it delightful to see the Viking villages in the show, with their sense of community and unity, both in battles and while raising their kids. Together, they celebrated their victories and mourned their sorrows. One depended on the other. This is important because we are social beings, our interactions complete our existence and give meaning to our life. This was actually one of the lessons the pandemic taught us all: we need to be around other people to keep a good mental health.
2. If you live well, you don’t fear death
Vikings were brave and embraced their mortality. They found a way to master the biggest fear of an individualist society: dying. For thousands of years, human life was very short. Today, we have the longest life expectancy ever, but we are never prepared to die because we think we still have not fulfilled our destiny. This happens mostly because we have high expectations for life, and we are always comparing ourselves to others.
Seeing people with toned bodies, throwing fancy parties and traveling around the world on social media, makes it crystal clear how unequal our lives are. And this is why so many people feel unsatisfied, out of place, and start wishing for a bigger house, a sexier boyfriend, a fancier car. So we stop realizing that satisfaction comes from love, kindness, friendships and mutual support. When we are good to ourselves and to others and live the true happiness, the idea of dying is not all that threatening — after all, there might be a passage to another life, whether in the sky or in Valhalla.
3. Curiosity drives change
The Vikings were curious people. They loved to explore the unknown and wanted to know more about everything they saw or touched. They had the most advanced navy of their time and were insatiable travelers. If we can’t travel yet, their challenge for us is: why can’t we enjoy the free time to learn something new (such as play an instrument, speak another language, try a different recipe) instead of giving in to temptation and watching another TikTok video or spend hours binge-watching another TV show?
Why not break the pattern of settling for something comfortable and start taking more risks in our life? Hidden opportunities only reveal themselves to people who chase them, no one makes dreams come true in their comfort zone. Why are we so afraid of exploring, changing our career path, moving to another city or to another country, going out with someone that isn’t our “type”? Are you a top? Why not be a bottom for a change? Do you like action movies? Try watching a documentary. We are afraid of opening ourselves up and taking risks because we don’t want to be judged, so we pretend we fit in. Following the flock is just being afraid of being the stray sheep, that is, ourselves.
4. Women and men are equal
If compared to many women of that time (and of today), Viking women had more rights and freedom. They could inherit and own land, ask for a divorce and have a high social status. Their strength was remarkable, and they dedicated themselves to fencing and developing war skills, besides sailing and battling side by side with men. They were very respected. Lagertha, Ragnar Lothbrok’s first wife, is one of my favorite female heroes in “Vikings”. Besides being a wonderful Viking and very stylish in the show, she’s a historic figure. Actually, many people argue on who’s the toughest blond: Lagertha or Daenerys, from “Game of Thrones”? Lagertha has some advantage on one-on-one combat, but… Daenerys has dragons. A tough fight, for sure…
The Vikings’ curiosity and bravery are wonderful, just like their hearts, their loyalty, their sense of purpose and their desire to conquer uncharted territory. In today’s age, who would dare to go into a battle or embrace the idea of dying like they did? Okay, we might not be able to live exactly like a Viking, but their culture inspires us to see that each day is a new opportunity to imagine, be brave, explore the world and find friendship and love — without ever forgetting to be kind.
Stay beautiful
