“Don’t waste your time looking back. You’re not going that way.”
Ragnar Lothbrok
Song: King Without A Crown by Matisyahu
NEW PLAYLIST: I’ve taken all the songs from each week’s blog and created a Spotify Playlist. Follow for updates each week.
Article: Ragnar’s Best Speeches (spoilers)
Thought: I finished the show Vikings and it was incredible. So many great characters and moments. The screenplay made you feel like you really lived with the characters through heartbreak and triumph. The show connected me to my Norse heritage more than I thought one could.
My grandfather, Helgea Sorenson, immigrated to the US from Norway. He lived in a small valley outside Oslo called Drangsholt. Coming through Ellis Island, he was told he had a girl’s name and they changed it to Helger. Because there were so many Sorensons where they lived, they had trouble getting their mail so they changed their last name to Drangsholt. My grandfather’s name became Helger Steven Drangsholt; he was ironically called “Swede” as long as I knew him. My name is Steven Helger Drangsholt.
Many times during Vikings a character would yell “I am Viking!” and pound their chest. To be Viking is to not back down from a challenge. To be Viking is to set your mind and heart to something pursuing it to your death. To be Viking is to protect your tribe. To be Viking is to trust the gods have already set the times, places and fates ahead of you. To be Viking is to be a warrior and lover with intense passion. To be Viking is to make mistakes. To be Viking is to grieve and mourn.
The heart of a Viking is in me. Passed down from my grandfather to my father to me. I pass this heart to my son. We are warriors, farmers, philosophers, lovers and creatives – We are Viking.