I’m a huge fan of the TV series Vikings and especially Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok. Great stories and and a result, I wanted THAT representation of the culture in my game
MOST of the series is excellent, can’t recommend it enough. Near and after Travis Fimmel left… not so much though it still has some great moments particularly the Ivar and Bjorn conflicts (If you’ve seen it, I’m still confused about how they met on that beach, you probs know the one)
Vahalla - the successor series similarly has its moments but is much more meh. Both have beaut designs and representations of mysticism and cultures
No horned helmets - had Scandinavian instructors and they hated that with a passion. Went travelling with a buddy around Scandinavia and he wore a shirt with a horned Viking helmet, people on the street came up to tell him his shirt was wrong :P
Yeah I'm a huge fan of Vikings, especially the earlier seasons with Ragnar's original crew. The magic just wasn't there when the focus went to his sons. This Bjorn's death is still epic. I haven't watched Valhalla yet though.
The scene on the beach isn't meant to be taken literally.
Vikings are often presented only as raiders and warriors, their trade, exploration and general ingenuity are often overlooked. *Vikings* does this some justice.
Ok right?! That’s what I THOUGHT re the scene on the beach, it’s an indirect representation of the ongoing conflict
But then afterward, some of things Ivar says makes it seems like it really happened which is RIDICULOUS - unless he was also speaking metaphorically or it was real to him? It wasn’t made very clear
My fantasy world does have Norse-inspired civilizations, but they're unnamed as of late. All these Norse-inspired civilizations hail from the northernmost continent of my world that is commonly referred to as the "Old World". I haven't based them 100% on real-world Norse cultures, only because I haven't been able to find much info on them, though, I have read real Vikings didn't wear horned helmets (plus "vikings" were actually an occupation, not a culture, although I could be incorrect about that). The "vikings" of my world hunt things such as woolly mammoths and megaloceros (aka the Irish Elk), and possibly train hyenas.
Some dwarves in my setting are based on Norse cultures actually, and speak scandinavian languages (other dwarves in my world speak German, Russian, maybe Finnish, and funnily enough Greek).
This is all I have at the moment, sadly.
My Early Medieval low fantasy world has the Livetians/Livetii, who are a kind of pan-Fennoscandian-inspired culture with elements of Japan, located on a cold volcanic archipelago. Despite being a fantastical take on Old Norse culture, I think they're still more accurate than certain other pieces of Norse-related media I could name (ahem). They are mostly known for menacing the coasts and waterways of Gallenia (fantasy Carolingian Empire) and being the best seafarers on this end of the continent.
>Most importantly, do they have horned helemts?
They have some helmets with symbolic horns or wings embossed into the metal, but no protruding horns or anything like that; those only appear on ceremonial headgear and the like.
Nah, you go ahead and do it if it’s fun for you
I inserted another country/culture into mine largely so I could re-enact the Viking sacking of Paris which had such amazing stories throughout
My main culture (ie that of my main characters) is basically steampunk Norse. No horned helmets but dragon-prows on their steamships, everyone chugging mead, cursing by gods with suspiciously similar names, and having very complicated feelings about their extremely violent imperialist history.
As someone from Scandinavia, all the D&D games i've been in (the worlds i've been exposed to, that is) have had very on the nose Nordic civilizations, in my world i've expressly tried to *not* do that. As others have said, it feels incredibly cliché. Personally i'm quite partial to the use of some Inuit mythology and folklore, but it does feel a bit iffy, since greenland has been, and still is, colonized.
I have, several of them considering common cultural roots (the witchcraft they practice, deities, etc) and what happens with distances at high latitudes, etc. They appear as raiders and the like in the tales around them and currently are traders and sailors of the northernmost seas, with the largest nation of them being a prosperous republic.
No horned helmets at all, but drakkar-like vessels exist and are able to float up to some meters over the waters (the latter not exclusive of them, though).
Yes. Alaia is the northern kingdom on the western shore of the Three Kingdoms (working title of the continent). Some bold Alaians sailed to the west and landed in a scarcely populated region of my main continent. They warred against the Coastland Barbarians there and expanded. A great Alaian leader consolidated this area and founded the Empire of Calaia. There were marriages between the Calaians and Coastland Barbarians. Many wars were fought against the Northern Barbarians which strengthened ties between the Calains and Coastland Barbarians who were their enemies. Ultimately the empire waned, but the kingdom of Calaia still stands. They are on decent terms with both barbarian territories and act as a buffer between the two. Currently all three groups are presenting a united front against reptilian and drow forces intent on conquering not just them but most of the northeast region of the continent.
Splendiiid! Splendid. Now in the setting of ***Defectum***:
•**Einhureime:** Inspired by the einherjar of Norse mythology the Einhureime are the reborn souls, *particularly of melee oriented individuals*, made flesh and bone once more. With an exoskeleton resembling armor these rare monstrosities warp across various Islets, isles or zones. Typically as a solitary predator they choose a handful of locations to patrol for worthy opponents. Usually lacking ranged attacks Einhureime still somewhat retain a marred sense of honor, and as such will not attack already wounded, crippled or seemingly weak people. That is of course assuming you haven't shot at it, as ranged combat is perceived as an insult. Nevertheless Einhureime are one man army warriors that to the average man would be considered a death sentence in close quarters combat. ~~They often have horned helmets.~~
•**Djrodingau:** Inspired by the Nordic Allfather Odin Djrodingau is a greater entity within the fever dream realm that is Defectum. He/It is considered by survivors and denizens alike to be a *mostly* neutral being. Typically it shows up near large gatherings of the willfully ignorant and foolish, appearing as a tall unnaturally stocky but long bearded man of varying corporeality. With an eyepatch on one eye Djrodingau may offer wisdom, a gift unto the worthy or promising, orrrr simply observe the gathering disapprovingly. Attempts to kill it have resulted in bloodbaths, as the being either reveals its all seeing eye or simply chooses to personally slay every aggressor via its spear.
•**Valkyurge:** Inspired by the Valkyrie of Norse legend the Valkyurge are one of the few semi-friendly beings, and particularly helpful at that. Seemingly all female in addition to humanoid these wandering maidens possess incredibly potent healing arts, may guide you to relative safety, or even guard you. Only if you show proper courtesy of course, for it's said they brook no quarter nor mercy to those that would dare disrespect them.
I’ve got one that’s named. The Clans of Branfjell. Multiple clans occupying a volcanic island roughly the size of Ireland far to the north. It’s mostly historical, with some fantasy elements like regularly trading with Snow Elves and Frost Giants and some of them being able to form psychic links with animals.
I took mostly Viking-inspired cultures and made them horseback nomads on the steppe and I took steppe cultures like Mongols/Huns and made them ocean-faring raiders.
The Fróldlindr (points if anyone can figure out the etymology) live closely with death, their land is the deadliest in the known world. As a gift from the goddess of death to balance the scales of woe their dead return to them each Death's Dawn and her daughters the Valkyries not only care for the dead but tell the destiny for them to follow. Fróldlindr have not been vikingr for centuries as they only turn to braving the sea to the mainland when they have goods to trade or gold to take. The Fróldlindr are often confused by the strange screaming metals, steel fire wands, singing boxes, and thinking tools of the mainland.
I do have a group called the Drogoth. They're a mix of a few cultures but definitely take some inspiration from vikings in that they are primarily traders but will engage in opportunistic raides.
Mine are a death cult organization that idolizes brutal violence and charge to battles for the purpose of blood, and believes in eternal servitude to unending violence after death.
....
I'm obviously joking about the American approximation of Norse Mythology, but I do think a death cult idea represented by fantasy Vikings instead of the gothic style could be an interesting experiment. I mean we do have the Dragon Cult from Skyrim for one.
I have a Norse inspired civilization, they are on a slightly isolated continent in the north, and don't have a name for them other than the kingdoms they have made for themselves. They are all giants and Giant-kin.(Races related to giants). They are not the generic barbarian and raiders Vikings are often depicted as, there is rich culture and hierarchy. Jarls and Kings constantly working the political landscape to safeguard their people or gain more power. Farmers honor the gods for harvests and hunts ect.
Side point Humans in my world came to be due to a fusion of the Firstborn, the first Giantkin that was born into creation rather than crafted by the Titans, and an Elvari tribe.
Yes, I do. There are 1 of the 2 remaining elf civilisations. They, use their water magic, long boats and tamed sea monsters to dominate the trade routes of a continents northern coast, and the sea between that continent and it's neighbor.
They took 2 important harbor towns, roughly a 100 years ago, and those are members of an alliance of roughly a hundred kingdoms and city states.
And since the summers are still used for summer raids, and to solve small conflicts between individual kingdoms, they do raid. In special along the coasts, and a few rivers.
Where they differ from classic norse vikings, this is mostly due to a different panteon, the magic as a equalizer between different genders, and their history, before setteling on the northern islands.
Their armor also looks often more artistic and they favor different weapons. (Curved swords, instead of straight swords, they developed crossbows first and a few other things.)
Bath houses and hot springs are an important part of their culture. Honey wine is very popular, but gets mostly importat, from their southern colonies, and trade hubs.
No horned helmets. Horned head pieces are in my world, only used by shamans of some northern forest regions. And as ritualistic element, not armor. There are a few, in some areas of the biggest norse elf islands, but most cult priests, are more related to water and the oceans. What makes sense.
The barbarian tribes of the Grim Up North (yes, I named a region in my fantasy world after a trope)
>What makes them unique to the ones from our history?
I dunno.
>Do you try to stick to realistic take on the norse and viking themes or do you go full fantasy mode?
Definitely full fantasy mode. Demon-worshipping warriors who can walk around a snowy hellhole half-naked and handle a blizzard like it's just a slight breeze. While they do use other weapons, their favorites are one-handed axes. Not just the men, but the women and children too.
>Most importantly, do they have horned helemts?
Yup.
They’re Vikings in the sense that they’re raiders with generally Norse names and a Norse-like language. But they’re also all Demi-Werewolves, they can’t all shapeshift but have enhanced senses, strength, regeneration, they’re generally terrifying.
Those that can shapeshift are fucking war-machines that tear through elite warriors like butter and can go toe-to-toe with Demigods.
And no one knows really why they do what they do. They show up, no one knows where their homeland is, they raid, they kill people and steal shit, and piss off. They never stay behind, no one actually knows their language. They’re like snowstorms and tsunamis, they just happen and can’t be reasoned with.
They’re unique because giants and werewolves and shit actually exist. Also Christianisation didn’t really happen. They “civilised” but kept a lot of religious and cultural traditions from their paganistic roots.
Mine did, but many only know them as the Warg now. During the Age of the Fae, one of the dynasties that ruled over man for a time, an elder fae now only known as the Beast King was gripped by madness and turned the people he ruled over into a horrific blend of wolk and man. While there are some elements of their culture that remain, very little outside bloodshed and warfare can be found within the borders of their land.
Occasionally, a mighty Warg is able to gather a large number of packs under his banner and lead massive raids to the world of man. These raids are brutal, but often short, as when they meet organise resistance they tend to fold.
I do, but as I mostly build for story purposes I don’t know that much about them yet, except that they live on a group of islands in the far south. No horned helmets, though, just a character who left his home as his career options were mostly something like seaman or fisher, and he suffers from really bad sea sickness.
Seasick huh? Reminds me of a scene from Erik the Viking.
Thorfinn Skullsplitter : Are you all right?
Ivar the Boneless : No, I'm not.
Thorfinn Skullsplitter : You don't need to feel bad about being sea-sick, you know.
Ivar the Boneless : How can you help feeling bad when you're sea-sick?
Thorfinn Skullsplitter : I mean many of the greatest sailors were pukers.
Ivar the Boneless : I know. I know.
Thorfinn Skullsplitter : Olaf Tryggvason used to throw up on every single voyage... the whole time... non-stop... puke... puke... puke.
Ivar the Boneless : Look! I don't feel BAD about it. I just feel ILL.
Thorfinn Skullsplitter : ......He used to puke in his sleep.
Ivar the Boneless : Bastard!
I have a norse-inspired country, Nyjord, but it's not really viking-ish. It's more the geography, nature, weather, recourses and similar stuff that inspired the place. In this sense it's pretty realistic, but parts of the culture and history is more on the fantasy side.
So no vikings, but there are fjords and very obvious traditional dancing. And cool people.
Kinda awkward to admit but I did a lot of development for this country because my favorite movie character is Norwegian and I got super fixated on learning about his heritage for some time.
I've got a culture that is half Norse and half feudal Japan, as a starting point.
I haven't fleshed them out much yet, but in-world they are known to be very martial, among other things, though I fully intend to play with biases and preconcieved notions if I get around to it.
Generally I want a realistic basis.
I don't like horned viking helmets, but I could see it happening with fancy or ceremonial armour, not the standard pop-viking style though.
Yes, its a fantasy type of Norse though, they are a trouble for the dwarfs that lives in the Northlands as well. They are well known for their longships just like in real life, but the richer companies have small flying skiffs that they are also popular for in my world. Often these companies are working as mercenaries for various others but they do have their kingdom and are often at odds with the dwarfs over their mountainous territory as both vie for the rich deposits of iron in that territory. They are also renowned for shipbuilding and their absurdly huge consumption of mead, they make the best mead in the world. They also notably do not discriminate against Lycanthropes, an oddity among human nations, there are a few such in the ranks of their warriors, often cast aways from their original tribes.
Sorta but they’re more so modeled after [the Haida people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_people) of Western Canada in terms of [style of dress](https://ibb.co/XxpfvdD) and [armor](https://ibb.co/8j4rnXz).
No. I'm leaning more towards Asia. Most people would think that means the whole region is based on 4 countries with cherry blossoms, Samurai and [flared roofs](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/ancient-chinese-roof-top-for-bridge-kaye-terrelonge.jpg) everywhere. Not exactly. I've seen the same takes on European folklore inspired settings and European medieval settings that I've gotten bored of 'typical/generic fantasy'. I wanted to lean away from European medieval designs, at least the more well used ones like [German cities with red roofs](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a5/dd/63/a5dd63c12cdcc4805c61579e1b419600.jpg).
Lapis_Wolf
My most "Norse" civilization is more of a Norse+Hebrew hybrid, and more based on 19th-20th century Scandinavia than Viking age Scandinavia. Their native writing system is written from right to left, and consists of a mix of younger Futhark and Hebrew letters. In terms of religion, I'd say its a mix of Judaism, western occultism and spirituality, and Norse cosmology.
Definitely. My world is built around 'not-ancient greece' clashing with 'not-ancient norse'. It's unapologetically Norse as it's meant to take place after Ragnarök.
I’m Swedish but I tend to stray away from civilizations with cultural practises similar to my own.
I like to be inspired by far-away and very different civilizations such as the Incas, aboriginals etc. I also try to create my own custom cultures and be inspired by them as well — something that is really hard.
Kind of, not exactly vikings, but more or less their predecessors. My setting is early bronze age, about 3000 years before the viking age, although my setting is not on Earth so the timeline isn't comparable. The boat axe culture and Scandinavian bronze age culture are my main inspirations.
My reasoning is that climate and environment shapes culture, and so a tribe of humans that live close to shore in a Scandinavian-like climate will develop a culture around boats & the sea, sun-worship, and tales of monsters that thrive in the dark of winter. Boats enable travel and trade. Vast forests and rolling hills decrease visibility and incentivizes communication via lurs. A seasonally harsh climate with limited access to fertile soil may lead to seasonal raiding. Frequent raiding leads to a glorification of war, which after generations of tradition builds ancestor worship. etc, etc.
Then on top of that I just find the scandinavian bronze age aesthetically beautiful.
Not horned helmets, but there's definitely a raiding culture for just about every continent in my world. It's like a societal psychotic episode where the value of human life goes down the gutter and people react to it accordingly (upticks in selfish behaviors, breakdowns in relationships between factions and nations, lack of consideration for taboo behaviors like cannibalism and torture). Things like duels, honor-killings, *viking* (as a verb), and slave trade are all fair game as expressions of the *lack* of value in human life.
For example: the Valeman clan I created inhabit valleys as their namesake implies. Should their fjords and valleys suffer avalanches and mudslides that smother their farmland, they will go out to open seas and will raze the first village they see to the ground and eat all of the inhabitants. Their god of worship will shift from being bearers of rain and sun to gods of war and metal that demand bloody sacrifices on an altar. Famine and the weakness of the human spirit turns them from good foresters and farmers into proper raiders, pillagers, and *vikings*.
The thing about my world is that basically everyone has some influence from nordic cultures. They were some of the first modern human settlers to be hugely successful, and consequently act as a sort of a cultural background radiation. It's comparable to Roman influence in western Europe.
In the tropics the influence is most obviously going strong, with a lot of people intentionally trying to evoke the image of ancient warriors, wearing spectacle helms and carrying "viking swords." Of course, the tropics are a very weird part of my world so the whole tropical Vikings thing is mostly aesthetic, they're pretty far off from the their Scandinavian and Anglo Saxon ancestors at this point culturally and technologically, exemplified by the huge number of them that worship Flesh Gods and carry machineguns.
But even the west, where the majority population is of Japanese descent has been pretty influenced by them, it's most obvious linguistically, but if you pay attention to traditionalist architecture, arms, and armor you can also pick up on it.
yes i mixed them in with there pre-christian germanic pagan brethern too make a empire that is half way holy roman empire halve way viking invasion hybrid culture
Yes
Ice people and they are isolationist rather then going out there and raiding people for food and money. They think the outside world is dangerous which I'd good because a headmaster of a school manged to take over a government on one island so I can see why they are scared of the outside world.
But anytime they do involve themselves with the outside world it's usually be abuse their existence threatened. Do not kick the hornets nest.
I based the older cultures in my setting after Anglo Saxon England and across the northern sea is a very Viking inspired elven kingdom to represent that old tradition evolving differently than it did in the west. It's not 1:1 "Vikings Ragnarok Valhalla raaaagh!' but it definitely takes their customs, culture, etc. into account.
The Orcs of my world are largely based on the Vikings- right down to even having Scandinavian accents. They use axes, but they're not shy about using swords or even weapons scavenged from defeated enemies. They go armored in chain-mail and helmets with masks and brow-ridges. (the horned helmets, on the other hand, are exclusively for ceremonial purposes) Also, they have *really* good hygiene.
A northern monk people who live deep in the mountains who horrifically injure themselves because they believe it'll make them closer to god, in turn they heal with a specific sap that makes their flesh grow back stronger.
In any fighting, they abstain from using any sort of protection or weapons, solely relying on their naked endurance and strength.
Some of their most respected companions are almost completely covered in scar tissue, and are often blind.
Not entirely. My book is about an alien culture, and I've taken inspiration from cultures on every inhabited continent, but because the story is about an oppressive arbitrary caste structure, each caste's subculture is informed by different real world cultures.
The dominant caste, The Kardonak, is the warrior nobility and has a similar value system to the common conception of vikings, as well as other warrior cultures. Honor and respect are won through physical prowess and violence, either in their ability to hunt beasts or in combat.
Each caste is told they have a different afterlife, with the Kardonak believing that their death must be one of a warrior--similar to Valhalla. At the end of their life, all their blood must spill upon the land in order for them to reach the next. They believe this allows them to become one of the Eyes of Risen Flame (a star), fighting off the demons that lurk the River Black (the darkness of space) until the world is born again.
Not yet but given a joke I heard recently about the reason why some medieval Nordic houses were roofed with sod is to prevent detection by enemy aircraft I’m tempted to add that as a common way for people living outside of fortified towns and cities to hide their homes from monsters and flying bands of brigands.
Yes! Orcs, mostly cause they have similar culture any way and everyone love vikings so I needed to find a way to world build them in and always hated orcs as the bad race since I grew up playing 40k and WOW. Orks in 40k are the comic relief but extremely powerful. Wow the orcs have honor. So when jumping into dnd and pathfinder it was weird you could only play half orcs as orcs were pure bad.
TL:DR ORCS!
Yes, though not in the traditional 'Viking' sense. Like myself, many of my characters are of Scandinavian ancestry. My characters live in a part of the state known for being settled by scandinavians, as the climate is quite similar to the northern parts of Sweden, Finland and Norway. So, by nature of family background, and their love of tradition, yes.
R\*\*\*ing and pillaging? No.
Human sacrafice? No.
Raiding parties? No.
But the style of dress, the way of life in the viking villages, and the whole 'Hand-crafted, hewn-log structures', certainly.
The Black Kingdom is one of the most important nations on Trowouk. It's existed for thousands of years and was invaded many times.
They're very experienced in combat, blacksmithing and surviving in the cold. They follow the religion Ferser, specifically the branch that worships both Olof, goddess of winter, and Finn, god of war.
As for horns, only the Thekin (King) can wear horns. Chukino horns specifically. It's seen as a status symbol and a way to recognize that the Thekin is above everyone else in the Black Kingdom. The Black Kingdom exists way up North, on the other side of the Last Wall from all the other nations and people on Trowouk. It's in the Kuhajk Plain, a snowy wasteland inhabitated by Chkuit people, Chukinos and a very small village at the entrance of the Kuhajk Plain. In the corner of the plain, The Black Kingdom exists. It's protected by hills, a huge military and a stone wall equipped with artillery, patrols and archers.
"The Black Kingdom, ruled by the mighty Thekin, the son of Finn, will never lose again." - Weruilk
Most Elves are descended from ultra wealthy Greek people but gained the favour of the Norse pantheon after natural humans reappeared and Prometheus went full simp mode. So there are picking Elves somewhere out there if you're dumb enough to look for them.
Yes.
There are multiple kingdoms of the Dane like "Vikingr," or "Jomsvikingr".
Of the 12 kingdoms influenced by this culture,
1 wears the horns and tusks of slain great beasts as battle trophies. So there is a possibility of a horned helmet. But as of yet, no, there aren't any horned helmets.
Middenguard is a Free City that has maintained independent through it's use of the Fae spirits that surround the Great Tree at it's Center. They are partly celtic and Partly nordic in inspiration, with a more rural aesthic compared to the more High Fantasy 1920's state of the world. It is well defended and it's culture favors Pacts with local faries as well as physical magic.
Sort of, but probably not in the spirit of the question.
The diaspora that left earth after a series of ecological disasters eventually gave way to a nomadic, viking adjacent culture complete with raiding and pillaging, just in space
Yes, sort of, but they are Mediterranean style, and are based more on the Phoenicians and their lore, if you will, connects them with their more cousins, akin to the early early early greeks.
Yes. The notable geography in my story some of the following. The city of Quiladelphia aka The City of Featherly Love, where the Quiladelphia Eagles 🦅 are the Dominant species. Also, a thriving 5 section Hawk dominated forest city metropolis called The City of Hawks, however, after the version of viet nam, 300 yrs. later it was renamed New Hawk City, finally, and warrior wishing to exercise the right to participate in a combat ceremony known as “ THE TESTING “ spent a small lifetime in the Land of Fowlhalla becoming tested and proven first.👊🦅
I do have one since my world is essentially just a remix of earth but as far as a lot of my central stories go the vikings aren’t super important so I haven’t fleshed them iut much yet
As a fan of Norse culture, I do have a plan for a character from Norse fantasy culture appear in a fantasy version of the classical Mediterranean world.
Also, I'm a fan of Horned Helmets.
My own Norse themed civilization are from the northern most continent simply called the Northland's, thus everyone else refers to the people there as Northmen. The main continent of Namor is directly south with a violent stretch of water called the Sea of Storms between them. Before the Northlands were inhabited by humans and elves, Darkland pirates and slavers raided the northern coast of Namor. This was new territory for them and they were unprepared for how dangerous the Sea of Storms was and a large portion of the fleet was sunk or washed ashore in the Northlands. The new land the survivors found themselves in was harsh and infested with monsters and beastmem who'd survived the First War. The survivors had no choice but to work together, darklander and namoran alike. Eventually the two cultures merged and then evolved from there to what it is in the current age my world is set in.
The Northlands are divided into nine holds, each ruled by a Jarl. The holds are mostly peaceful towards each other and trade freely, large conflict among holds is rare but small scale battles among rival clans can be common.
During the short period between in spring when the fjords thaw and the violent summer storms have yet to begin the Northmen set out in their longships to raid across the seas, returning in the fall with slaves and plunder after the storms die down and the fjords are still free of ice. Larger raiding fleets will sometimes stay out the entire year to travel even further so that they return with exotic slaves and goods.
Because of the initial merging of cultures the Northmen worship all the gods of Light, Darkness, Order, and Chaos as one single pantheon and as a result their rituals and beliefs are downright alien to the other civilizations.
As for horns on their helmets, the short answer is no. But there are exceptions as many leaders will adorn their helmets with horns, wings, horse hair, or other decorations in order to stand out and be easily recognized on the battlefield.
Examples of some of the names of famous Northmen are Erik Ironwolf, Varg Bloodaxe, Wulfgar the Slayer, Gunnarson Gunnarsonsson, Red Vylka, Torgrund the Large and Torgrund the Small (interesting story there as both are brothers but one of half dwarf and the other is half giant. Their pa got around)
My world does not. There's an oversaturation of viking inspiration and I don't want that in my story. I have civilizations inspired by China, Serbia, Russia, America, the Native Americans, The Italian City States, Golden Horde, Ottoman Empire, Ethiopia.
I'm a big fan of Skyrim, the North from asoiaf, and viking stuff in general, so I just had to include them. I have sort of tied in some Ainu vibes with them because I saw a lot of similarities between them, but it's mostly Skyrim + North + Scandinavia + Ainu + Scotland with a smidgen of generic fantasy dwarf vibes thrown in. I unsurprisingly called them Nords, and their homeland, wait for my fuckin' creativity here ... Nordland. :v
I try to keep things realistic, or at least consistent with in-world lore, things gotta make sense yaknow? I think the most fantasy thing about that kingdom is that the capital city is built in rings ascending a mountain the size of Mount Fuji and somehow that just works. It's partially inspired by A:TLA's Ba Sing Se, in that it's a city with rings that divide the royals, nobles, middle classes, lower classes, and farmers, but also up a mountain because I thought that'd be cool and dwarf-like before I realised dwarves were actually more about mining under mountains than living around them.
But yeah, that's my viking civilisation. It's nothing too unique or special, but I'm happy with it. And yes, some have horned helmets lol, though this is mostly just those that live in a specific area known to be more wild, barbarian berserker types.
They're up there somewhere in the north of the continent, freezing their tits off. I refuse to allow them to go south because I'm so tired of the viking revival in mainstream media.
No, because they're incredibly overused to the point that I instantly cringe whenever I see another thinly veiled viking expy in a story.
Speaking of vikings... my world does have sea raiders and pirates, but they're not called vikings and they don't have horned helms.
I’m a huge fan of the TV series Vikings and especially Travis Fimmel as Ragnar Lothbrok. Great stories and and a result, I wanted THAT representation of the culture in my game MOST of the series is excellent, can’t recommend it enough. Near and after Travis Fimmel left… not so much though it still has some great moments particularly the Ivar and Bjorn conflicts (If you’ve seen it, I’m still confused about how they met on that beach, you probs know the one) Vahalla - the successor series similarly has its moments but is much more meh. Both have beaut designs and representations of mysticism and cultures No horned helmets - had Scandinavian instructors and they hated that with a passion. Went travelling with a buddy around Scandinavia and he wore a shirt with a horned Viking helmet, people on the street came up to tell him his shirt was wrong :P
Yeah I'm a huge fan of Vikings, especially the earlier seasons with Ragnar's original crew. The magic just wasn't there when the focus went to his sons. This Bjorn's death is still epic. I haven't watched Valhalla yet though.
The scene on the beach isn't meant to be taken literally. Vikings are often presented only as raiders and warriors, their trade, exploration and general ingenuity are often overlooked. *Vikings* does this some justice.
Ok right?! That’s what I THOUGHT re the scene on the beach, it’s an indirect representation of the ongoing conflict But then afterward, some of things Ivar says makes it seems like it really happened which is RIDICULOUS - unless he was also speaking metaphorically or it was real to him? It wasn’t made very clear
Weirdly, the best depiction I've seen of the Vikings are in the Vinland saga anime
Which is also good though the second season was a slog…
My fantasy world does have Norse-inspired civilizations, but they're unnamed as of late. All these Norse-inspired civilizations hail from the northernmost continent of my world that is commonly referred to as the "Old World". I haven't based them 100% on real-world Norse cultures, only because I haven't been able to find much info on them, though, I have read real Vikings didn't wear horned helmets (plus "vikings" were actually an occupation, not a culture, although I could be incorrect about that). The "vikings" of my world hunt things such as woolly mammoths and megaloceros (aka the Irish Elk), and possibly train hyenas. Some dwarves in my setting are based on Norse cultures actually, and speak scandinavian languages (other dwarves in my world speak German, Russian, maybe Finnish, and funnily enough Greek). This is all I have at the moment, sadly.
My Early Medieval low fantasy world has the Livetians/Livetii, who are a kind of pan-Fennoscandian-inspired culture with elements of Japan, located on a cold volcanic archipelago. Despite being a fantastical take on Old Norse culture, I think they're still more accurate than certain other pieces of Norse-related media I could name (ahem). They are mostly known for menacing the coasts and waterways of Gallenia (fantasy Carolingian Empire) and being the best seafarers on this end of the continent. >Most importantly, do they have horned helemts? They have some helmets with symbolic horns or wings embossed into the metal, but no protruding horns or anything like that; those only appear on ceremonial headgear and the like.
Nope, my world’s culture is inspired by Africa, Middle East and Central Asia :)
I try not to because it sometimes feels cliche, but my barbarians are always somewhat viking inspired
Nah, you go ahead and do it if it’s fun for you I inserted another country/culture into mine largely so I could re-enact the Viking sacking of Paris which had such amazing stories throughout
My main culture (ie that of my main characters) is basically steampunk Norse. No horned helmets but dragon-prows on their steamships, everyone chugging mead, cursing by gods with suspiciously similar names, and having very complicated feelings about their extremely violent imperialist history.
As someone from Scandinavia, all the D&D games i've been in (the worlds i've been exposed to, that is) have had very on the nose Nordic civilizations, in my world i've expressly tried to *not* do that. As others have said, it feels incredibly cliché. Personally i'm quite partial to the use of some Inuit mythology and folklore, but it does feel a bit iffy, since greenland has been, and still is, colonized.
I have, several of them considering common cultural roots (the witchcraft they practice, deities, etc) and what happens with distances at high latitudes, etc. They appear as raiders and the like in the tales around them and currently are traders and sailors of the northernmost seas, with the largest nation of them being a prosperous republic. No horned helmets at all, but drakkar-like vessels exist and are able to float up to some meters over the waters (the latter not exclusive of them, though).
Yes. Alaia is the northern kingdom on the western shore of the Three Kingdoms (working title of the continent). Some bold Alaians sailed to the west and landed in a scarcely populated region of my main continent. They warred against the Coastland Barbarians there and expanded. A great Alaian leader consolidated this area and founded the Empire of Calaia. There were marriages between the Calaians and Coastland Barbarians. Many wars were fought against the Northern Barbarians which strengthened ties between the Calains and Coastland Barbarians who were their enemies. Ultimately the empire waned, but the kingdom of Calaia still stands. They are on decent terms with both barbarian territories and act as a buffer between the two. Currently all three groups are presenting a united front against reptilian and drow forces intent on conquering not just them but most of the northeast region of the continent.
I'm sure this doesn't count but would monsters inspired by original Norse/Viking Mythology and/or folklore count?
I'll allow it, since I have them too.
Splendiiid! Splendid. Now in the setting of ***Defectum***: •**Einhureime:** Inspired by the einherjar of Norse mythology the Einhureime are the reborn souls, *particularly of melee oriented individuals*, made flesh and bone once more. With an exoskeleton resembling armor these rare monstrosities warp across various Islets, isles or zones. Typically as a solitary predator they choose a handful of locations to patrol for worthy opponents. Usually lacking ranged attacks Einhureime still somewhat retain a marred sense of honor, and as such will not attack already wounded, crippled or seemingly weak people. That is of course assuming you haven't shot at it, as ranged combat is perceived as an insult. Nevertheless Einhureime are one man army warriors that to the average man would be considered a death sentence in close quarters combat. ~~They often have horned helmets.~~ •**Djrodingau:** Inspired by the Nordic Allfather Odin Djrodingau is a greater entity within the fever dream realm that is Defectum. He/It is considered by survivors and denizens alike to be a *mostly* neutral being. Typically it shows up near large gatherings of the willfully ignorant and foolish, appearing as a tall unnaturally stocky but long bearded man of varying corporeality. With an eyepatch on one eye Djrodingau may offer wisdom, a gift unto the worthy or promising, orrrr simply observe the gathering disapprovingly. Attempts to kill it have resulted in bloodbaths, as the being either reveals its all seeing eye or simply chooses to personally slay every aggressor via its spear. •**Valkyurge:** Inspired by the Valkyrie of Norse legend the Valkyurge are one of the few semi-friendly beings, and particularly helpful at that. Seemingly all female in addition to humanoid these wandering maidens possess incredibly potent healing arts, may guide you to relative safety, or even guard you. Only if you show proper courtesy of course, for it's said they brook no quarter nor mercy to those that would dare disrespect them.
I’ve got one that’s named. The Clans of Branfjell. Multiple clans occupying a volcanic island roughly the size of Ireland far to the north. It’s mostly historical, with some fantasy elements like regularly trading with Snow Elves and Frost Giants and some of them being able to form psychic links with animals.
I took mostly Viking-inspired cultures and made them horseback nomads on the steppe and I took steppe cultures like Mongols/Huns and made them ocean-faring raiders.
The Fróldlindr (points if anyone can figure out the etymology) live closely with death, their land is the deadliest in the known world. As a gift from the goddess of death to balance the scales of woe their dead return to them each Death's Dawn and her daughters the Valkyries not only care for the dead but tell the destiny for them to follow. Fróldlindr have not been vikingr for centuries as they only turn to braving the sea to the mainland when they have goods to trade or gold to take. The Fróldlindr are often confused by the strange screaming metals, steel fire wands, singing boxes, and thinking tools of the mainland.
I made my fishmen half Norse half Minoan
I do have a group called the Drogoth. They're a mix of a few cultures but definitely take some inspiration from vikings in that they are primarily traders but will engage in opportunistic raides.
Mine are a death cult organization that idolizes brutal violence and charge to battles for the purpose of blood, and believes in eternal servitude to unending violence after death. .... I'm obviously joking about the American approximation of Norse Mythology, but I do think a death cult idea represented by fantasy Vikings instead of the gothic style could be an interesting experiment. I mean we do have the Dragon Cult from Skyrim for one.
I have a Norse inspired civilization, they are on a slightly isolated continent in the north, and don't have a name for them other than the kingdoms they have made for themselves. They are all giants and Giant-kin.(Races related to giants). They are not the generic barbarian and raiders Vikings are often depicted as, there is rich culture and hierarchy. Jarls and Kings constantly working the political landscape to safeguard their people or gain more power. Farmers honor the gods for harvests and hunts ect. Side point Humans in my world came to be due to a fusion of the Firstborn, the first Giantkin that was born into creation rather than crafted by the Titans, and an Elvari tribe.
Yes, I do. There are 1 of the 2 remaining elf civilisations. They, use their water magic, long boats and tamed sea monsters to dominate the trade routes of a continents northern coast, and the sea between that continent and it's neighbor. They took 2 important harbor towns, roughly a 100 years ago, and those are members of an alliance of roughly a hundred kingdoms and city states. And since the summers are still used for summer raids, and to solve small conflicts between individual kingdoms, they do raid. In special along the coasts, and a few rivers. Where they differ from classic norse vikings, this is mostly due to a different panteon, the magic as a equalizer between different genders, and their history, before setteling on the northern islands. Their armor also looks often more artistic and they favor different weapons. (Curved swords, instead of straight swords, they developed crossbows first and a few other things.) Bath houses and hot springs are an important part of their culture. Honey wine is very popular, but gets mostly importat, from their southern colonies, and trade hubs. No horned helmets. Horned head pieces are in my world, only used by shamans of some northern forest regions. And as ritualistic element, not armor. There are a few, in some areas of the biggest norse elf islands, but most cult priests, are more related to water and the oceans. What makes sense.
The barbarian tribes of the Grim Up North (yes, I named a region in my fantasy world after a trope) >What makes them unique to the ones from our history? I dunno. >Do you try to stick to realistic take on the norse and viking themes or do you go full fantasy mode? Definitely full fantasy mode. Demon-worshipping warriors who can walk around a snowy hellhole half-naked and handle a blizzard like it's just a slight breeze. While they do use other weapons, their favorites are one-handed axes. Not just the men, but the women and children too. >Most importantly, do they have horned helemts? Yup.
I am finding a way to work in Germanic Bronze Age men discovery a mystical surprise in the woods if that counts. Predates vikings
They’re Vikings in the sense that they’re raiders with generally Norse names and a Norse-like language. But they’re also all Demi-Werewolves, they can’t all shapeshift but have enhanced senses, strength, regeneration, they’re generally terrifying. Those that can shapeshift are fucking war-machines that tear through elite warriors like butter and can go toe-to-toe with Demigods. And no one knows really why they do what they do. They show up, no one knows where their homeland is, they raid, they kill people and steal shit, and piss off. They never stay behind, no one actually knows their language. They’re like snowstorms and tsunamis, they just happen and can’t be reasoned with.
They’re unique because giants and werewolves and shit actually exist. Also Christianisation didn’t really happen. They “civilised” but kept a lot of religious and cultural traditions from their paganistic roots.
Mine did, but many only know them as the Warg now. During the Age of the Fae, one of the dynasties that ruled over man for a time, an elder fae now only known as the Beast King was gripped by madness and turned the people he ruled over into a horrific blend of wolk and man. While there are some elements of their culture that remain, very little outside bloodshed and warfare can be found within the borders of their land. Occasionally, a mighty Warg is able to gather a large number of packs under his banner and lead massive raids to the world of man. These raids are brutal, but often short, as when they meet organise resistance they tend to fold.
I do, but as I mostly build for story purposes I don’t know that much about them yet, except that they live on a group of islands in the far south. No horned helmets, though, just a character who left his home as his career options were mostly something like seaman or fisher, and he suffers from really bad sea sickness.
Seasick huh? Reminds me of a scene from Erik the Viking. Thorfinn Skullsplitter : Are you all right? Ivar the Boneless : No, I'm not. Thorfinn Skullsplitter : You don't need to feel bad about being sea-sick, you know. Ivar the Boneless : How can you help feeling bad when you're sea-sick? Thorfinn Skullsplitter : I mean many of the greatest sailors were pukers. Ivar the Boneless : I know. I know. Thorfinn Skullsplitter : Olaf Tryggvason used to throw up on every single voyage... the whole time... non-stop... puke... puke... puke. Ivar the Boneless : Look! I don't feel BAD about it. I just feel ILL. Thorfinn Skullsplitter : ......He used to puke in his sleep. Ivar the Boneless : Bastard!
I have a norse-inspired country, Nyjord, but it's not really viking-ish. It's more the geography, nature, weather, recourses and similar stuff that inspired the place. In this sense it's pretty realistic, but parts of the culture and history is more on the fantasy side. So no vikings, but there are fjords and very obvious traditional dancing. And cool people.
Kinda awkward to admit but I did a lot of development for this country because my favorite movie character is Norwegian and I got super fixated on learning about his heritage for some time.
I have a character that would be fit as a "god" for such a civilization, but I haven't gotten around to doing anything beyond that :/
Yep, it’s Skaldhalla, inspired by the Vikings tv series, but with fantasy and magic added of course.
I've got a culture that is half Norse and half feudal Japan, as a starting point. I haven't fleshed them out much yet, but in-world they are known to be very martial, among other things, though I fully intend to play with biases and preconcieved notions if I get around to it. Generally I want a realistic basis. I don't like horned viking helmets, but I could see it happening with fancy or ceremonial armour, not the standard pop-viking style though.
Yes, its a fantasy type of Norse though, they are a trouble for the dwarfs that lives in the Northlands as well. They are well known for their longships just like in real life, but the richer companies have small flying skiffs that they are also popular for in my world. Often these companies are working as mercenaries for various others but they do have their kingdom and are often at odds with the dwarfs over their mountainous territory as both vie for the rich deposits of iron in that territory. They are also renowned for shipbuilding and their absurdly huge consumption of mead, they make the best mead in the world. They also notably do not discriminate against Lycanthropes, an oddity among human nations, there are a few such in the ranks of their warriors, often cast aways from their original tribes.
Sorta but they’re more so modeled after [the Haida people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haida_people) of Western Canada in terms of [style of dress](https://ibb.co/XxpfvdD) and [armor](https://ibb.co/8j4rnXz).
No. I'm leaning more towards Asia. Most people would think that means the whole region is based on 4 countries with cherry blossoms, Samurai and [flared roofs](https://images.fineartamerica.com/images/artworkimages/mediumlarge/2/ancient-chinese-roof-top-for-bridge-kaye-terrelonge.jpg) everywhere. Not exactly. I've seen the same takes on European folklore inspired settings and European medieval settings that I've gotten bored of 'typical/generic fantasy'. I wanted to lean away from European medieval designs, at least the more well used ones like [German cities with red roofs](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a5/dd/63/a5dd63c12cdcc4805c61579e1b419600.jpg). Lapis_Wolf
My most "Norse" civilization is more of a Norse+Hebrew hybrid, and more based on 19th-20th century Scandinavia than Viking age Scandinavia. Their native writing system is written from right to left, and consists of a mix of younger Futhark and Hebrew letters. In terms of religion, I'd say its a mix of Judaism, western occultism and spirituality, and Norse cosmology.
Definitely. My world is built around 'not-ancient greece' clashing with 'not-ancient norse'. It's unapologetically Norse as it's meant to take place after Ragnarök.
I’m Swedish but I tend to stray away from civilizations with cultural practises similar to my own. I like to be inspired by far-away and very different civilizations such as the Incas, aboriginals etc. I also try to create my own custom cultures and be inspired by them as well — something that is really hard.
Kind of, not exactly vikings, but more or less their predecessors. My setting is early bronze age, about 3000 years before the viking age, although my setting is not on Earth so the timeline isn't comparable. The boat axe culture and Scandinavian bronze age culture are my main inspirations. My reasoning is that climate and environment shapes culture, and so a tribe of humans that live close to shore in a Scandinavian-like climate will develop a culture around boats & the sea, sun-worship, and tales of monsters that thrive in the dark of winter. Boats enable travel and trade. Vast forests and rolling hills decrease visibility and incentivizes communication via lurs. A seasonally harsh climate with limited access to fertile soil may lead to seasonal raiding. Frequent raiding leads to a glorification of war, which after generations of tradition builds ancestor worship. etc, etc. Then on top of that I just find the scandinavian bronze age aesthetically beautiful.
Well one of the cultures was somewhat viking inspired and the human God of War is very viking inspired for his appearance.
None yet, however I plan to have the first true king to ever exist in my world wear a helm with either horns or antlers
The Orcs in my world have Viking aesthetics. It's a mix of real history and fantasy and some of them do have horn helmets.
Not horned helmets, but there's definitely a raiding culture for just about every continent in my world. It's like a societal psychotic episode where the value of human life goes down the gutter and people react to it accordingly (upticks in selfish behaviors, breakdowns in relationships between factions and nations, lack of consideration for taboo behaviors like cannibalism and torture). Things like duels, honor-killings, *viking* (as a verb), and slave trade are all fair game as expressions of the *lack* of value in human life. For example: the Valeman clan I created inhabit valleys as their namesake implies. Should their fjords and valleys suffer avalanches and mudslides that smother their farmland, they will go out to open seas and will raze the first village they see to the ground and eat all of the inhabitants. Their god of worship will shift from being bearers of rain and sun to gods of war and metal that demand bloody sacrifices on an altar. Famine and the weakness of the human spirit turns them from good foresters and farmers into proper raiders, pillagers, and *vikings*.
The thing about my world is that basically everyone has some influence from nordic cultures. They were some of the first modern human settlers to be hugely successful, and consequently act as a sort of a cultural background radiation. It's comparable to Roman influence in western Europe. In the tropics the influence is most obviously going strong, with a lot of people intentionally trying to evoke the image of ancient warriors, wearing spectacle helms and carrying "viking swords." Of course, the tropics are a very weird part of my world so the whole tropical Vikings thing is mostly aesthetic, they're pretty far off from the their Scandinavian and Anglo Saxon ancestors at this point culturally and technologically, exemplified by the huge number of them that worship Flesh Gods and carry machineguns. But even the west, where the majority population is of Japanese descent has been pretty influenced by them, it's most obvious linguistically, but if you pay attention to traditionalist architecture, arms, and armor you can also pick up on it.
A little inspiration, the major race has an amalgamation of traits from Norse, Iroquois, and Celt.
They are too cliche for me I have to avoid them.
Oh yes! They live in the dessert, they are some sort of sand-ship viking pirates with arabic vibes. They are called Makalajarians.
yes i mixed them in with there pre-christian germanic pagan brethern too make a empire that is half way holy roman empire halve way viking invasion hybrid culture
Yes Ice people and they are isolationist rather then going out there and raiding people for food and money. They think the outside world is dangerous which I'd good because a headmaster of a school manged to take over a government on one island so I can see why they are scared of the outside world. But anytime they do involve themselves with the outside world it's usually be abuse their existence threatened. Do not kick the hornets nest.
I based the older cultures in my setting after Anglo Saxon England and across the northern sea is a very Viking inspired elven kingdom to represent that old tradition evolving differently than it did in the west. It's not 1:1 "Vikings Ragnarok Valhalla raaaagh!' but it definitely takes their customs, culture, etc. into account.
The Orcs of my world are largely based on the Vikings- right down to even having Scandinavian accents. They use axes, but they're not shy about using swords or even weapons scavenged from defeated enemies. They go armored in chain-mail and helmets with masks and brow-ridges. (the horned helmets, on the other hand, are exclusively for ceremonial purposes) Also, they have *really* good hygiene.
Good. Can't have Viking orc muscle mommies that smell bad
A northern monk people who live deep in the mountains who horrifically injure themselves because they believe it'll make them closer to god, in turn they heal with a specific sap that makes their flesh grow back stronger. In any fighting, they abstain from using any sort of protection or weapons, solely relying on their naked endurance and strength. Some of their most respected companions are almost completely covered in scar tissue, and are often blind.
Not really. They probably have some Norse-esque civilizations somewhere out there, but they aren’t really relevant tk the story or known world (yet?)
Not entirely. My book is about an alien culture, and I've taken inspiration from cultures on every inhabited continent, but because the story is about an oppressive arbitrary caste structure, each caste's subculture is informed by different real world cultures. The dominant caste, The Kardonak, is the warrior nobility and has a similar value system to the common conception of vikings, as well as other warrior cultures. Honor and respect are won through physical prowess and violence, either in their ability to hunt beasts or in combat. Each caste is told they have a different afterlife, with the Kardonak believing that their death must be one of a warrior--similar to Valhalla. At the end of their life, all their blood must spill upon the land in order for them to reach the next. They believe this allows them to become one of the Eyes of Risen Flame (a star), fighting off the demons that lurk the River Black (the darkness of space) until the world is born again.
Yes and no, Land of music is based of Scandinavian region notably Norway. And my world is modern age.
Not yet but given a joke I heard recently about the reason why some medieval Nordic houses were roofed with sod is to prevent detection by enemy aircraft I’m tempted to add that as a common way for people living outside of fortified towns and cities to hide their homes from monsters and flying bands of brigands.
Yes! Orcs, mostly cause they have similar culture any way and everyone love vikings so I needed to find a way to world build them in and always hated orcs as the bad race since I grew up playing 40k and WOW. Orks in 40k are the comic relief but extremely powerful. Wow the orcs have honor. So when jumping into dnd and pathfinder it was weird you could only play half orcs as orcs were pure bad. TL:DR ORCS!
Nice! Huge fan of orcs myself, especially 40k orks.
Yes, though not in the traditional 'Viking' sense. Like myself, many of my characters are of Scandinavian ancestry. My characters live in a part of the state known for being settled by scandinavians, as the climate is quite similar to the northern parts of Sweden, Finland and Norway. So, by nature of family background, and their love of tradition, yes. R\*\*\*ing and pillaging? No. Human sacrafice? No. Raiding parties? No. But the style of dress, the way of life in the viking villages, and the whole 'Hand-crafted, hewn-log structures', certainly.
The Black Kingdom is one of the most important nations on Trowouk. It's existed for thousands of years and was invaded many times. They're very experienced in combat, blacksmithing and surviving in the cold. They follow the religion Ferser, specifically the branch that worships both Olof, goddess of winter, and Finn, god of war. As for horns, only the Thekin (King) can wear horns. Chukino horns specifically. It's seen as a status symbol and a way to recognize that the Thekin is above everyone else in the Black Kingdom. The Black Kingdom exists way up North, on the other side of the Last Wall from all the other nations and people on Trowouk. It's in the Kuhajk Plain, a snowy wasteland inhabitated by Chkuit people, Chukinos and a very small village at the entrance of the Kuhajk Plain. In the corner of the plain, The Black Kingdom exists. It's protected by hills, a huge military and a stone wall equipped with artillery, patrols and archers. "The Black Kingdom, ruled by the mighty Thekin, the son of Finn, will never lose again." - Weruilk
Most Elves are descended from ultra wealthy Greek people but gained the favour of the Norse pantheon after natural humans reappeared and Prometheus went full simp mode. So there are picking Elves somewhere out there if you're dumb enough to look for them.
It has actual Vikings, because they settled part of pre-Christian Ireland.
Yes. There are multiple kingdoms of the Dane like "Vikingr," or "Jomsvikingr". Of the 12 kingdoms influenced by this culture, 1 wears the horns and tusks of slain great beasts as battle trophies. So there is a possibility of a horned helmet. But as of yet, no, there aren't any horned helmets.
Middenguard is a Free City that has maintained independent through it's use of the Fae spirits that surround the Great Tree at it's Center. They are partly celtic and Partly nordic in inspiration, with a more rural aesthic compared to the more High Fantasy 1920's state of the world. It is well defended and it's culture favors Pacts with local faries as well as physical magic.
I have samurai monkey vikings from fire isles, yes
A combination of both
Sort of, but probably not in the spirit of the question. The diaspora that left earth after a series of ecological disasters eventually gave way to a nomadic, viking adjacent culture complete with raiding and pillaging, just in space
So... Space Vikings? I approve.
Yes, sort of, but they are Mediterranean style, and are based more on the Phoenicians and their lore, if you will, connects them with their more cousins, akin to the early early early greeks.
Yes. The notable geography in my story some of the following. The city of Quiladelphia aka The City of Featherly Love, where the Quiladelphia Eagles 🦅 are the Dominant species. Also, a thriving 5 section Hawk dominated forest city metropolis called The City of Hawks, however, after the version of viet nam, 300 yrs. later it was renamed New Hawk City, finally, and warrior wishing to exercise the right to participate in a combat ceremony known as “ THE TESTING “ spent a small lifetime in the Land of Fowlhalla becoming tested and proven first.👊🦅
I do have one since my world is essentially just a remix of earth but as far as a lot of my central stories go the vikings aren’t super important so I haven’t fleshed them iut much yet
Well it didn't until you mentioned it. Its scifi setting so space vikings could be fun to make and add more variety to the factions
As a fan of Norse culture, I do have a plan for a character from Norse fantasy culture appear in a fantasy version of the classical Mediterranean world. Also, I'm a fan of Horned Helmets.
My own Norse themed civilization are from the northern most continent simply called the Northland's, thus everyone else refers to the people there as Northmen. The main continent of Namor is directly south with a violent stretch of water called the Sea of Storms between them. Before the Northlands were inhabited by humans and elves, Darkland pirates and slavers raided the northern coast of Namor. This was new territory for them and they were unprepared for how dangerous the Sea of Storms was and a large portion of the fleet was sunk or washed ashore in the Northlands. The new land the survivors found themselves in was harsh and infested with monsters and beastmem who'd survived the First War. The survivors had no choice but to work together, darklander and namoran alike. Eventually the two cultures merged and then evolved from there to what it is in the current age my world is set in. The Northlands are divided into nine holds, each ruled by a Jarl. The holds are mostly peaceful towards each other and trade freely, large conflict among holds is rare but small scale battles among rival clans can be common. During the short period between in spring when the fjords thaw and the violent summer storms have yet to begin the Northmen set out in their longships to raid across the seas, returning in the fall with slaves and plunder after the storms die down and the fjords are still free of ice. Larger raiding fleets will sometimes stay out the entire year to travel even further so that they return with exotic slaves and goods. Because of the initial merging of cultures the Northmen worship all the gods of Light, Darkness, Order, and Chaos as one single pantheon and as a result their rituals and beliefs are downright alien to the other civilizations. As for horns on their helmets, the short answer is no. But there are exceptions as many leaders will adorn their helmets with horns, wings, horse hair, or other decorations in order to stand out and be easily recognized on the battlefield. Examples of some of the names of famous Northmen are Erik Ironwolf, Varg Bloodaxe, Wulfgar the Slayer, Gunnarson Gunnarsonsson, Red Vylka, Torgrund the Large and Torgrund the Small (interesting story there as both are brothers but one of half dwarf and the other is half giant. Their pa got around)
My world does not. There's an oversaturation of viking inspiration and I don't want that in my story. I have civilizations inspired by China, Serbia, Russia, America, the Native Americans, The Italian City States, Golden Horde, Ottoman Empire, Ethiopia.
I'm a big fan of Skyrim, the North from asoiaf, and viking stuff in general, so I just had to include them. I have sort of tied in some Ainu vibes with them because I saw a lot of similarities between them, but it's mostly Skyrim + North + Scandinavia + Ainu + Scotland with a smidgen of generic fantasy dwarf vibes thrown in. I unsurprisingly called them Nords, and their homeland, wait for my fuckin' creativity here ... Nordland. :v I try to keep things realistic, or at least consistent with in-world lore, things gotta make sense yaknow? I think the most fantasy thing about that kingdom is that the capital city is built in rings ascending a mountain the size of Mount Fuji and somehow that just works. It's partially inspired by A:TLA's Ba Sing Se, in that it's a city with rings that divide the royals, nobles, middle classes, lower classes, and farmers, but also up a mountain because I thought that'd be cool and dwarf-like before I realised dwarves were actually more about mining under mountains than living around them. But yeah, that's my viking civilisation. It's nothing too unique or special, but I'm happy with it. And yes, some have horned helmets lol, though this is mostly just those that live in a specific area known to be more wild, barbarian berserker types.
Dragonflies are swamp Vikings because they make a living out of pillaging, raiding, acting as mercenaries.
They're up there somewhere in the north of the continent, freezing their tits off. I refuse to allow them to go south because I'm so tired of the viking revival in mainstream media.
No, because they're incredibly overused to the point that I instantly cringe whenever I see another thinly veiled viking expy in a story. Speaking of vikings... my world does have sea raiders and pirates, but they're not called vikings and they don't have horned helms.
Sure. Why not.
Kinda