The Viking Movie: 10 Elements to Writing This Powerful Sub Genre

In many ways, the Viking movie is a sub-genre as old as the cinematic form itself. And Vikings have certainly been an integral part of folklore and storytelling for centuries. However, the Viking movie seems to have found new life in recent years. Not only that but Viking tropes find their way into movies and TV shows that have another primary genre, such as the Thor series. So how can you weave Viking elements into a screenplay? What do you need to know about the genre when writing Viking movies? We investigate…

Who Were the Vikings?

The Vikings were a subgroup of people originally from Scandinavia from the late 8th century to the late 11th century. Their skill in combat and craftsmanship made them seafarers who would raid and pillage western Europe and beyond, travelling by sea and conquering and settling countries. Unsurprisingly, in literature and art, Vikings were always represented as the villains, and in most cultures, the outsider.

The modern interest in the Viking culture is often in its anthropological and mythological elements, which deepen the stories beyond the raiding and pillaging typically illustrated in textbooks. The Vikings tie in the swashbuckling elements of the pirate movie and the character drama of the gangster movie while also having a rich history filled with angles to explore.

Some would consider The Viking (1928), which depicts Erik the Red’s exploration of the area east of Iceland, the first film with a Viking subject. Since then, there have been few films with a Viking theme, and even fewer that stray into fantasy or are based on tales connected to Viking history, such as adaptations of Beowulf. However, it’s a genre with increasing popularity in the 21st Century.

So what goes into creating a Viking movie or TV show? Let’s take a look at 10 elements that define the Viking genre.