“Vikings: Valhalla” – Waverider Vikings?
We have already summarized here why “Vikings: Valhalla” should please all fans of the parent series. And it’s worth watching: at least two more seasons will come. The next one might even appear this year. But there are still strange scenes, such as Vikings on a surfboard.
Greenlander Leif carves wooden surfboards in the fourth episode “The Bridge”. “This is a new Viking ship,” he claims when asked. Later, he and his followers lie on it and silently paddle across a river in order to stalk their enemies – a quite successful tactic. The English posts are quickly put out of action. But what is the truth behind the idea that Vikings basically surfed?
The scene seems all the more staged when you consider that Leif actor Sam Corlett is Australian, who are known for surfing. In any case, from a historical perspective, there is no evidence that the Vikings used boards for paddling. The first signs of surfboards, on the other hand, date back to the 12th century. Corresponding references to cave paintings have been found in Polynesia.
So while the Vikings mastered pretty much every body of water, a Leif Eriksson on a surfboard is just the product of the series creators’ imagination.
This article first appeared on TVSpielfilm.de.