History As Spoiler: Let's Play It Safe And Spoiler Tag "Future History"

[David T. Cole]

Philosophically I hate marking history as a spoiler but for history that's not well known and the subject of a TV show, I think spoiler tagging historical fact that will/might/probably be on the show should be spoiler tagged.

 

Here's why: some people like the show and are avoiding the known history the show is working with so they can enjoy it on face value. So please spoiler tag your historical facts for stuff taking place in the 'future' in the Vikings show universe. Thanks!

[green]

I foresee nothing but red spoiler buttons in my future.  Also how can people avoid known history when it is known?  I understand not wanting to be spoiled about fiction. But how can anyone be spoiled by history?  Do they not teach it in schools anymore?  (Pssst, don't tell the people in Turn the Americans win in the end).

 

Yeah I know you have to deal with complaints and requests but it will be really hard to talk about what is basically a history show without history seeping into it.  I wouldn't know where to begin.  I hate to "lawyer' my posts.  Takes the fun out of discussing stuff and makes it a chore.  Also some of us will be talking at one level while others at another which is gonna make the threads really weird to read and respond too.  Have fun modding all this.  We are like a herd of cats in the end.

 

And hey how come you haven't gone back to doing those funny screen caps stuff from Season 1.  It was one of my favorite things on this web site.

[David T. Cole]

Let's be real, there's history you can reasonably except someone to be exposed to in school or daily life and then there's the 99.9% you can't. Viking history is pretty much in the latter camp unless you're from Iceland or the like.

Also it doesn't come up that much outside the informed spec / spoiler threads.

Also also spoiler tagging isn't a big deal.

[praeceptrix]

Let's be real, there's history you can reasonably except someone to be exposed to in school or daily life and then there's the 99.9% you can't. Viking history is pretty much in the latter camp unless you're from Iceland or the like.

Also it doesn't come up that much outside the informed spec / spoiler threads.

Also also spoiler tagging isn't a big deal.

Alas, David, it has been my experience as a college history professor that most of my students are completely unaware of history (& geography!), whether they allegedly learned it in school or not.

[David T. Cole]

Hence the policy.

[green]

On 5/4/2016 at 1:37 AM, Lillybee said:

As a history major who specialized in Russian history I was very unaware of Viking history aside from the fact of the raids on England.

I have been reading up on Ivar the Boneless and am fascinated about him and his life.

Specializing about Russian history I assume you meant in the west  The Vikings were all over Russia and founded Kiev where they ruled for years.  They used Russian rivers to head south into the Byzantine Empire and at one time the emperor's version of the Praetorian Guards were all Viking mercenaries.

BTW anyone reading this here that can get into the speculation with spoilers thread?  I can't without it hanging up my computer for like 10 minutes until I finally give up and do a Ctl+Alt+Delete to close my browser down.  It is way too graphics intensive more my computer.  One or two on a page it can handle of there seems to be dozens now.  Can't we have maybe one then just a link to click on to see the others?  I miss being able to read that thread anymore.

Can magdelene please post the Hirst interview link this week in the episode thread because I want to be able to get to that link for the last two episodes this season and I know I can't any more because it has been posted in the above thread in past weeks even though each time it is abut a specific episode after all.  Thanks in advance.

[KalamityJane]

I truly believe that real history is not being taught in schools anymore, but only speculated-made-up history that is 'politically correct' and cherry-picked clean to remain unoffensive to all cultures is now the norm. One only has to look at the new crop of history themed tv shows, such as Versailles, Reign, and the rest. I appreciate Vikings for at least keeping somewhat true to the Norse culture. 

[Son of the Norse]

I agree KJ; even if a lot of it is just based on Ibn's fact finding journey; at least it is closer to the real deal then what kids are force feed today in their one-sided history books.

[green]

Actually the history books back a generation or two ago were far far worse.  If you believed them, history only happened in Europe.  At least the history that "counted."  Same with religion.  Only western religions counted.  And people like George Armstrong Custer were national heroes because Native Americans were godless heathens etc etc.  I even had a history teacher when I was living in the south that declared that slavery was a good thing because those poor colored folks got their souls saved by being owned by good Christians.

Don't for a minute think that "old school" history books were better.  They were crap.

Should have also added given this show that the Vikings were only godless murderers, rapists and pillaging heathens period.  That was it for their "story" in old school textbooks.  They usually were given a few paragraphs in these texts mentioning same.  And because they were seen by these texts as having no culture or "real" religion or worth of any kind were deemed not worth studying further as a result.  They were simply evil bad guys and that was it.

Edited November 11, 2017 by green

[Stallion12]

When I was in elementary school everything sounded not that bad, when I was in high school they went into detail, and contrictided everything in the elementary books. I don't know how it is today, but it always bothered me how they watered it down to the point there wasn't any truth to it.

[walnutqueen]

I watched a fascinating and unique perspective of Viking history on the PBS show Nature  -  "Wild Way of the Vikings".   It was about how the Vikings interacted with the natural resources and wildlife they encountered during their exploration and settlements of the North Atlantic.  Well worth the watch; I was riveted.

Edited February 14, 2019 by walnutqueen

[walnutqueen]

PBS aired another look at Viking history on NOVA - "Lost Viking Army" that investigated a 9th Century mass grave in a rural English village.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/lost-viking-army/

[ADRz]

On 11/10/2017 at 11:35 AM, green said:

Actually the history books back a generation or two ago were far far worse.  If you believed them, history only happened in Europe.  At least the history that "counted."  Same with religion.  Only western religions counted.  And people like George Armstrong Custer were national heroes because Native Americans were godless heathens etc etc.  I even had a history teacher when I was living in the south that declared that slavery was a good thing because those poor colored folks got their souls saved by being owned by good Christians.

Don't for a minute think that "old school" history books were better.  They were crap.

Should have also added given this show that the Vikings were only godless murderers, rapists and pillaging heathens period.  That was it for their "story" in old school textbooks.  They usually were given a few paragraphs in these texts mentioning same.  And because they were seen by these texts as having no culture or "real" religion or worth of any kind were deemed not worth studying further as a result.  They were simply evil bad guys and that was it.

It all depends on what you call "history".  If "history" is the telling of notable events that have created the modern world, then virtually all of it happened in Europe, Asia and North Africa.  For all intends and purposes, the "New World" had little to no contribution to the modern world (save a few plants and animals).  Of course, societies emerged and disappeared in the Americas, but their influence and contribution to the present day world is virtually nil.  The reasons for that are multiple. 

I think that the pendulum has swung too much the other way.  The American Indians have gone from savages to noble human beings but we forget that they prayed against each other with unparalleled ferocity.  In fact, even the occasional brutality of the conquest of the American frontier cannot sometimes compared with the horrific acts of Indians against other Indians.  The Sioux were as brutal a conqueror as anybody else in that game.  Thus, it is important to have a balanced view.

History is not the past.  History is actually the present and its evolution.  The past is irredeemably lost.  Thus, if we are studying history to understand the present, then the historical events in Europe, Asia and North Africa are the areas that we need to concentrate on.