THE streaming site Netflix has done a lot to expose many of us to the Vikings and the violent life they lived and in which they revelled. Any examination of history, regardless of poetic licence or glamourisation, is welcome. It’s not perfect, but it is better than nothing.
History is constantly being neglected by both academia and our young. No one really cares what happened before. I remember speaking to a young South African who knew precious little about apartheid. I also remember, relatively recently, speaking to one of the standouts in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations about her knowledge of World War II and being told: “I know it involved that guy Hitler but I’m not sure what countries were involved.”
Well, thanks to Netflix we all know that in the Vikings’ day, which included the period after the 10th century, they were violent in a manner that few have matched.
Continue Reading on Jamaica Observer
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.