From epic sagas to superhero movies, Vikings have been around since the dawn of cinema.

Why are we so obsessed with them?

Theyve been labelled the global terrorists of their day by some historians.

We just cant get enough of these guys.

Between the 10th Century and 18th Century, however, we heard little about Vikings in the history books.

Along came the Victorians!

I do love the Victorians and their childlike sense of historical wonder.

As an anxious, existential punch in myself I can relate to them as a culture.

They were lost in a rapidly changing world.

These are the same Victorians who, if they liked it, put a Byzantine dome on it.

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Its easy to understand what the attraction was.

I cant imagine a Victorian whose whiskers wouldnt be set aquivering by fiery dragons.

Of course, this last bit hints at the other side of the Vikings appeal.

I mean, Christianity has its merits but do they have a specific God of war and battle?

Or a hammer-wielding super-sexy one devoted to thunder and lightning?

I think youll find they do not.

Its no surprise then that Vikings found their way onto film soon after its invention.

Vikings, of course!

Sadly, the film wasnt a huge success.

Here, the main appeal of using the Vikings was that they didnt wear a lot of clothes.

Throughout the 70s and 80s, the trend to explicitly put Vikings in the movies dwindled.

Vikings got relegated to the B-Bucket, appearing only in films likeBerserker(1987).

No one wanted to play at Vikings any more.

Post-millennium however, Vikings have come back with a vengeance.

Were in a worrying, transitional time now, hurtling into the digital age at a rate of knots.

The New Wave of Viking Cinema is split two ways.

On one side, gritty and realistic; on the other, new extremes of quasi-mystical fantasy.

That said, the filmmakers perhaps took realism too far.

Thoris, of course, the elephant in the room of this article.

Its total fantasy but is perhaps a hint at the Viking movies future.

Everyone loves a cosmic dude with a hammer, right?

SyFy are working on an entire Beowulf TV series set in space (yes, IN SPACE).

and, most intriguingly, an upcoming UK filmThe Berserkersthat promises to be an all-action, gore-soaked VikingHunger Games.

Sounds ace, huh?

Crank up the Wagner.

Its well and truly hammer time.