From fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero franchises, to historical fiction and documentaries, the past two decades have seen a dramatic uptick in Saga-centric narrative. And though all Western fantasy can be linked to the Icelandic Sagas, a handful of recent productions have been more overtly connected to this history. History's "Vikings," for instance, gave us the first few centuries of "the Viking Age" — bringing us from the infamous raid on Lindisfarne in 793 C.E., to the establishment of Normandy in 911 C.E. — while Netflix's adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's works, "The Last Kingdom," offered a more nuanced depiction of the Dane-Saxon conflict that defined a pre-unified England in the 9th and 10th centuries. "Vikings: Valhalla" has given audiences another historically informed Viking "what if," imagining a world wherein Leif Erikson (Sam Corlet) and Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter) traveled in the same circle. Given the series' focus on the future King of Norway — who, spoiler alert, was defeated by another Harold (Godwinson) before the latter was himself defeated by Viking William the Conquerer in 1066 C.E. — we can safely assume that "Vikings: Valhalla" will bring us to the end of the Viking Age.
But the end of the Viking age is not the end of the northmen, and the Viking Age itself concluded well before one of the most important chapters and settings in Norse history. Because while many of the most celebrated figures and conflicts stem from the 9th-11th centuries, it was the tumultuous 13th century, and Iceland's place within, and response to it, that cemented the legacy of these figures. Without this era, the world of fantasy as we know it — arguably, the world of literature and storytelling as we know it — would look decidedly different.The 13th century is where the next great Vikings show should begin
Group of mourning Icelanders in "Vikings"
History
It might be tempting to write off a series about 13th century Iceland as too narrow in scope to make for a compelling story. However, medieval Icelanders were not immune from the increasing interconnectivity of the period's movements in religion, trade, education, social and economic structuring and nation-building, and class dynamics. As with all history, context is key, so it's important to take a super brief survey of "the world" at the start of 13th century:In Asia, Genghis Khan overtook Beijing. The Mongol Empire kicked its seemingly unstoppable expansion into a whole new gear. In Rome, the Fourth Lateran Council discussed and made doctrine what constituted heresy, what was and wasn't a sacrament, and who could and should be persecuted, put to death, or warred with under these definitions. In Africa, the Mali and Ethiopian empires and the Kingdom of Zimbabwe rose to prominence, while across the ocean, the Pueblo culture flourished as the nomadic tribes who would build the Aztec empire moved into Mesoamerica. In England, a group of wealthy nobles forced a (wealthier) monarch to sign Magna Carta, a document whose full impact was still centuries away. While the era saw great advancements in the sciences and humanities thanks to Muslim scholars and polymaths, it was also a period of religious violence and Crusading fervor. In Europe, the status and mobility of women and non-Christians was further marginalized and inhibited by the Christian church. And in Iceland, a handful of powerful chieftains vied for greater influence over an island that would lose its independence before the century's end.
Snorri Sturluson — author of the Edda, Egil's Saga, and the Heimskringla, and the figure most responsible for our knowledge of Norse mythology — was one such chieftain.
Snorri's saga is the perfect gateway for a northmen TV show
Snori Sturluson in red
zabanski/Shutterstock
The idea is not that Netflix (or Amazon, or Showtime, because Max is too ridiculous a name for such subject matter) would come out with an "epic biopic" of a single Icelandic skald and politician. Rather, the idea is to tell the greater story surrounding the fall of the Icelandic Commonwealth, the violence and greed that preceded it, Snorri's role and story within it, and the minds, mechanics, and cultural prioritization of various kinds of storytelling that allowed such lasting and impactful art to rise from the ruins of so much bloodshed.
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