What made the Vikings so Dangerous? 5 Viking Deaths and What They Tell Us About the Viking Mindset 

Me: "When will you cover Napoleons campaigns in egypt and northern italy?" Epic History: "Here you go, a video about Vikings" Me: "EPIC"

"He survives...not his fault" has to be the most viking sentence I've ever heard.

Fighting against someone who isnt afraid of dying or to some degree even wishes to die is probably the most terrifying opponent you can wish for.

“Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.” - Marcus Aurelius

I want this channel, to replace History Channel’s slot.

Just wanted to put it out there that Tom Shippey isn't just a professor, he's also a Tolkien expert. He worked very closely with Peter Jackson to make sure the Lord of the Rings movies were accurate to the books

There is a line in the movie "The 13th Warrior" that seems fitting for the Viking attitude to dying: "The All-Father wove the skein of your life a long time ago. Go and hide in a hole if you wish, but you won't live one instant longer. Your fate is fixed. Fear profits a man nothing" Also I really enjoyed this video, will be looking at more from this channel :-)

It's incredibly badass that you've got all of these brutal myths about vikings, and they sound incredibly far fetched, but they really were just that brutal.

His narration voice matches every single timeline in history.

This is so refreshing. You aren’t talking over the professor. You aren’t barraging him with questions. You’re just letting him talk about something he’s clearly very passionate about. This is how history should be presented: in its most authentic form.

As someone who grew up with these stories, I feel like a big thing that many people miss is the aspect of fatalism. Not even the gods can know when the Norns will cut a man's thread. It seems only reasonable that a man won't die until he's meant to, at the set time and in the set way that fate dictates, so there's nothing to get fussed about. A man who truly believes this would fight without fear because he'll be killed only if fate says he will and, if he is, there's no point in making the story of his death a boring one. Of course they're just stories and it's likely that the skalds played up this fatalist courage but it's still something to think about.

Thank you Tom Shippey for your work here , and also for your dedication to JRR Tolkien through the years. This Tolkien fan appreciates you!

I'd no one going to talk about how he got an actual professor in his video. This is awesome. It's truly TV worthy and reminds me of the old history channel documentaries.

I really like this guys narration, he doesn’t make horrible noises with his mouth, just speaks crisply

I've been studying Vikings for quite some time, and I can point out to the fact that the expert interpreted it well about Viking's attitude to death. Vikings of long ago had a belief that only those who die in the battlefield will have the opportunity to enter Valhalla and drink with Odin himself. That warrior will be carried up by Valkyries (beautiful women with wings) and his souls will be welcomed at the hall of the gods. Of course, modern society thinks of this as a funny religious belief but people of long ago are very religious like all Christianity and Islam. This goes to show that Vikings welcome death with pride and honor, as they believe they will be reborn in the afterlife and enjoy a feast with the gods. Given such strong belief, they can't probably feel fear at all. This is the advantage they had that turned them into fearless beasts, but it's all folly in today's times.

I cannot imagine something much scarier than viking men rushing to their deaths weapon in hand as they know they will die. Considering their beliefs that dont want to die without a fight. So a wounded viking is probably even scarier. That's a man who knows he'll die but wanna make the most of it. Thats a man who will make it his mission to take people with him to the grave.

"The piggies would grunt if they knew how the old boar suffered". This has got to be one of the most badass things ever to be said before your are killed.

"When it comes to Vikings, you can kill them, and speaking as English men, we did... over there! But frighten them...? that's not gonna work. They're always going to come back at you. You're not safe until the last one of them is dead". I would listen to Tom Shippey for hours.

Vikings were similar almost to Spartans where they were raised to be warriors from birth and on a cultural level they believed there was nothing more honorable than dying in combat. When you can condition a soldier to literally not fear death, they will not be subject to things that would rout other men. They genuinely fear nothing because they're having a good time in the present life but honestly cannot wait to find out what's in store for them in Valhalla.

Protect this man at all costs

I really like how Vöggr stabbed under the armpit, to bypass the armor. It is a small detail, but it shows how much the channel cares.

The thought of a Viking king, heading into battle at the head of the front line, while quoting poems about the impending battle, just SO rules.

This is such a wonderful little documentary. I love the history of the Vikings. Please make more documentaries about the Vikings! And bring back this historian! You can really tell he has a passion for his studies.

loved hearing him recite those poems. just lovely.

As a swede who is very interested in this period of history it’s always irritating seeing videos about vikings because most of them are false. But this one feels very genuine and I very much like the professor as well so I must say I’m very happy to finally come over a video about vikings where they have actually done their research. A thumbs up from me

"Fight well, whether you live or die today its already been decided by the gods!"

The way that we were taught of Tormod Kolbrunarskalds's death in high school goes something like this: He died at the battle of Stiklestad, shot by an arrow to his chest. With his last breath, he made a poem, in which he said: "The king has fed me well, for the roots of my heart grows deep in fat" while he was pulling the arrow out of his heart. I have checked, and it's written pretty much how we were taught it. In the "Heimskringla" by Snorre Sturlason, there is a Saga about Olav The Holy. I searched it online, and I read the passage of his death. Tormod is not instantly killed by the arrow on the battlefield, and he is not standing while he is pulling it out. A female healer is trying to heal him after the battle by making him eat a smelly porridge of onions and herbs. Why the smell? Because she didn't know how bad the wound was, and wanted to check if she could smell the onions coming out of his intestines. The arrowhead was stuck so far into his chest that they she couldn't pull it out with a tong alone. The arrowhead had hooks in it. Tormod said he would pull it out with her help. When the arrowhead loosened, the hooks had pulled parts of his heart out. Some of it was flesh, some of it was fat/tallow. When he saw this, he was lying down when he helped to pull the arrow out. This is the moment he made the poem. Harald Hardråde is not mentioned to have finished his poem. How the professor have gotten this information, I have no idea.

i love the Scandinavian mythology and the Vikings history, there is such a powerful thing about it.

Man, the narrator, Tom Shippey, must be descended from the Vikings he spoke of: wry, animated, dramatic, able to relate the dark, violent humor of the tales. I really like him. He's an old man, now, but retains youthful energy and spirit. It's always my hope that ther're new generations that come up to take over from our precious historians and scholars as they leave us.

"Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back". -Marcus Aurelius (Gladiator)

22:50 "... you can kill 'em, as we did! But frighten them? That's not gonna work. They're always goin' to come back at you. You're not safe until the very last one of them is dead." Gave me chills...

I love listening to Prof. Tom Shippey's storytelling in this video on the Vikings. Thanks for featuring him in this episode.

That scene in Vikings with the pulled hair was hilarious.

I love the expert and how he is smiling every time he's talking about the "bad" sense of humor

I grew up in Denmark and I can tell you that even to this day, we do love our "galgenhumor" - gallow's humour. I guess it's still in our cultural memory

My God! What an absolutely astonishing man the Professor is ! He is a western treasure! The discipline, dedication and singular love he has applied to enriching the world to times and places we can scarcely fathom ,a thank you from a remote student in the wilds of Texas seems scarcely noteworthy yet with the greatest humility I bow my head in thanks and gratitude for the lifetime invested in bringing these treasured nuggets of history forth. With Profound respect, Michael Weeks, San Antonio Texas ( from Devonshire a scant 12 generations or so).

Im from Iceland, and we are tought this in school. We also can read Old Norse, as its very similar to Icelandic so the old text he is reading is almost as I would read Icelandic text today. Great video very high production value, well done!

As long as God gives me breath on this earth, I will watch Epic History TV videos.

"I might die but I will laugh some how about what pain I may trick you into receiving" is my take away from this. A viking spirt lives in everyone that has ever had an enemy.

I've always been fascinated with the Viking culture so I found this to be an excellent video and thank you for sharing your insight into the subject!

I had hoped there would be atleast a mention of the lone Berserker at Stamford Bridge.

"Ragnar's death in a snake pit is almost certainly invented, *but his sons... **_the piggies_** ...were very real* "

The viking spirit also persisted long after the viking age. King Magnus Barefoot raided and conquered in Scotland, Man, Wales and Ireland. He got sovereignty over Anglsey and probably Gwynned after accidentally defeating the invading Normans there. He was ultimately killed by a ambush in Ireland after being reckless. Before his death his men said he should be more cautious he said "Kings are made for honour, not for long life" The Norwegian crusade led by King Snorri I was also basically a long viking raid, on the way to Jerusalem they raided in Iberia and the Balearic Islands, the earliest recorded attacks on the Muslim Balearic Islands by a Christian force.

The ability for Vikings to take the harshness of reality in such stride is admirable. Facing death is one thing, but to face *brutality* with a smile and a joke, it fills me with envy.

Harold Hardrada deserves a movie from the fall of Olaf - his time in Kiev - his time as a Varangian guard - to his fall at Stamford bridge

The best history channel around.

This is what I love about being British, the diverse history of us and the rest of Europe. We’re all linked somewhere down the line the heritage of this continent is literally epic!

This has to be one of the best and most interesting videos I've seen on RU-vid! Tom Shippey was brilliant!

12:42 I was expecting him to say that they found an extra pair of hands without the body it belongs to.

"We fight that's how we win and that is how we die" ~Vikings mindset 💀

I'm Norwegian Swedish Irish and Hungarian. Adopted by a Italian/Sicilian family and my name is also Italian/Sicilian but my real last name would of been Noren. I love learning history and about my Ancestors/people. It's a very rich history.

The poem at 14:20. Has made tears fall from my face, and those who have listened to me speak such in my families language. Please understand the weight of this.. thank you all

Vikings: "We're not stuck here in northern Europe with you. You're stuck here with us."

There are stil a similar mindset in Finland. It's called "sisu". You go on, despite bad odds. A "madness" to do the impossible or die trying. But without the sarcastic humor. Something more like John Wick. Pure will and commitment.

That scene with the Jomsvikings is hilarious situational humor, you can't beat that. But Tom Shippey is great despite being born an Englishman. Defending Tolkien's works as great literature and having real insight into Scandinavian history. He walks that great golden middle road of not being too simplistic nor too elitist.

The best short and to the point compilation of some Viking history I've seen. Makes you want to learn more about the things he mentioned but didn't fully address.

"Death is coming, its certain. But actually im going to see what i can do to make this memorable" EPIC!

"Laughing shall I die" is such an epic line it will be my life motto now.

Glorious is this humor to live and die without fear To go forth into the unknown and all they care about is beer. Cheers.

I'll never forget, when I was about to move abroad, the last thing my uncle said to me was, ”remember, it doesn't matter if you die, what matters is how many of the MFers you take with you.” pretty much summed up my heritage right there.

Also in 1066 with Harold, there was a small bridge they had to retreat from, and one single bearsark stayed and fended off the English with a Dane axe for almost 3 or so hours. The only way they even killed him was they snuck under the bridge and stuck him in the groin with a spear

The professor they interview is really amusing to listen to. I would love to drink a beer with him and listen to him talk about all the stuff he has been studying about the vikings.

Speaking of Stamford Bridge... I worked with security in Stockholm/Sweden many moons ago... This one day I took an extra shift at Solna stadium where 2 local teams were to duke it out. Needless to say, the fans couldn't behave themselves so the match was cancelled. Much to the fans ire... When it came time to "escort" the fans off from my section we were reinforced with 4-5 policemen which made our force as many as 12-14... Well, halfway through the exit tunnel the fans turned and tried to bull rush us, and they were in their hundreds. The tunnel was narrow enough for us to form 2 lines and at the same time it limited the others approach... I can tell you it was the longest 15 minutes in my life... Also, in some mysterious way the videos from the surveillance cameras somehow disappeared. :)

These videos are always so great. Beyond being informational, citing where the information comes from makes such a big difference.

That historian said so many times that the story was “funny “and then immediately saying “in a way “ so people don’t think he’s crazy 🤣 I think it’s funny too

My ancestors didnt steal from the monks, the building was on fire and they took the gold & silver to keep it from getting damaged ;-) They were very thoughtful people

This video literally helped me to get over the most beautiful relationship i ever had. Thank you for that. ❤️

The English make the best Documentarys....from production to information to presenter....all just the best

In the Netfix series Vikings the hands cut off joke during a beheading took place. And indeed I must say, it was very funny.

I'd be frustrated at my king if he released and congratulated the dude who was responsible for slicing off my hands... Just throwing that in there, great video as always, and happy new Year.

This historian in the video, Dr./Professor Shippey, is super entertaining to hear speak, I'd love to see more of him. His enthusiasm and real-world interpretation of things often sensationalized was extremely interesting!

The more I learn about Vikings the more mysterious and kick ass they become. Their whole mindset is humbling and inspiring.

English army surround Vikings. Vikings: Well I guess we die.... *Procede to make an epic poem about it*

This video looks like a top quality documentary...And in fact IT IS!

I love this voice whos telling these stories so dramatic and passionate If i had i teacher like that i would started learn history earlier omg

I really liked this mans insight and no BS presentation. Well done.

I'm a simple dane, I see anything about scandinavia history. I click it

Its not Napoleons Marshals pt5 but that's okay this is good.

Scaldic lore and training should be mentioned here. They were trained to remember the stories of skalds past with a word for word accuracy so it's not surprising the stories are pretty accurate since scalds only changed stories so they would fit better with scaldic rhyme styles

i like how enthusiastic this dude is about telling the stories, i like this dude

I really like to see a Vikings series similar to this at some point and some of the historical basis of the Viking Saga like Vinland or even the Viking invasions of Britain and Europe. That would be cool to see.

I like how you all combined the normal format and the format with the professor explaining combined, he is a treasure and we most protect him at all costs

I've had this on my "Watch Later" for a while now. Why on earth did I wait so long to watch this?? AMAZING video

Very nice telling from Tom. The DNA heritage from the Vikings are indeed injected in the British people since thousands of years ago. The sense of humour of British soldiers has been very important for them to handle tough situations in both World Wars and given the extra edge to never give up...as Queen Elizabeth says my boys are the best soldiers in the world and there are not many Wars they have lost.

Epic History is the absolute best history channel for learning

What a nice man, his enthusiasm is inspirational, well done Tom Shippey...& Epic History.

This was really well made I enjoyed that thank you

My name is Bjørn, and I approve of this video! All of these deaths are depicted in the TV show Vikings, although some taken out of context. Vikings albeit taking a lot of liberties to make the story, did a massive amount of research.

I need a bit of help tracking down a story. I remember reading a short description of a tale from (I believe) Viking mythology. It was about two rivals (brothers I think). One kidnaps the other and tortures him to death. From the perspective of the listener, the victim is seen as the victor in the conflict because despite his pain, he refuses to cry out. In fact, I believe he laughs as he is being disemboweled-- no matter how much he suffers, he refuses to acknowledge it. It was portrayed as a peek into the Viking value of an unbreakable will and sense of dark humor in the face of death. Maybe I am confused on the origin, but it is definitely a tale from Western Europe. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Great video by the way. You got my subscription.

All I can say is wow. This video is amazing. The editing, storytelling, the guest scholar, it's all wonderfully done. I find it hard to believe that I'm watching a YT video by the quality of the vid. I just wished you made more Viking content because they truly are fascinating.

They forgot the nameless Viking berserker who held off the whole English army on Stamford bridge single handedly. It’s said that he killed like 50+ men before he was speared in the groin by an Englishmen who snuck under the bridge and thrust his spear up through the boards of the bridge hitting said berserker in the groin and ending most likely the last great Viking berserker…. And we don’t even know his name…I’m sure someone back then knew his name but was killed shortly after the berserker.

That viking mindset is forever immortalized in skyrim. During the execution when the first stormcloak is about to be executed but they gotta do the sermons before. "Shut up and let's get this over with. Come on i haven't got all morning"

One of my favorite viking sayings come from when this dude who opened a door only to unexpectedly come face to face with a rival, getting run through on the spot. The thrust made the tip of the sword break against his spine. Dying, but amused that he f-up his killers sword he stated: Broad indeed your sword may be, but the steel poor! Then he died.

A surprise,but a welcome one.

The Viking era fascinates me!! if i could travel back in time to see any period in history it would be this era!!

very interesting video. i have read many of the sagas in my life and hope to read more. i love the old guys enthusiasm in this video. he knows and loves his history and it really gives something to this video

this is straight up documentary content, you my friend are an absolute legend

Okay he forgot to mention the Viking warrior who died fighting on the bridge in Harald's name.

Incredible Viking video. Perfectly done. I didn't know anything about them before this. Thank you

These stories told beautifully by a true gentleman.