ART

Why did I choose this text?
I choose for this art because it shows what Vikings believe in. The picture shows the road to Walhalla. The literal translation for Walhalla is 'Room of the Fallen' (Lindow, J. (2001). Only the warriors died in battle were worthy enough to go to Walhalla, hence what the Vikings believed. Walhalla was the kingdom of Odin, one of the many Scandanavian Gods.

This picture shows a warrior in battle, who most likely has died. The warrior had proven to be worthy of entering Odin's kingdom, the gate is open and the stairs had shown itself.

What I find remarkable about their religion is that they do not believe in 1 particular god, they instead believe in many gods which all have their own trademarks. 

Christians believe in Heaven and Hell, but the Vikings believed that there was special ''heaven'' for people who died of natural cause, Niflhel. This world was led by Hel, goddess of the underworld of Norse Mythology.

How did I come up with this text?
I came up with this picture because I knew exactly what I wanted to show, so I searched on Pinterest for the perfect picture. I eventually choose for this one since the warrior stands ground at the foot of the stairs, on his way up to the desired kingdom.

How does the text link to the Theme or any other Theme discussed?
Even if this art doesn't directly link to the English Speaking World and more to War and Religion, in some way you could connect it. Since the Vikings conquered so many unknown lands, they also learned a lot about the habits and uses of those lands. Christianity was slowly adopted into Scandanavian lands and it slowed the raids. This art could also be linked to our previous Theme; Unrealistic Dreams since Walhalla is part of a belief. It was a dream of many soldiers to enter Walhalla in the end.

Personal response
I have a love-hate relationship with the concept of Walhalla. The whole idea of believing in something greater than Earth and afterlife is amazing but if you weren't a soldier or you have fallen ill, you would go to Niflhel, which basically is hell if worded in Christianity terms. I am sure they didn't think of Niflhel like actual hell, but they did their utter best to become worthy of Walhalla and Walhalla was everything. Walhalla meant you did well in life and that is what they lived for. 

Why did I choose this text?
The Viking ship was perhaps the greatest technical and artistic achievement of the European dark age (Becker, R. 2003) and that's why I choose to not do one piece of art, but two.

Everyone that has heard of the Vikings should know of these type of boats, but not many know that there were two types: Warships called Langskip and Merchant ships called Knörr.

How did I come up with this text?
I came up with the inspiration when I was rewatching Vikings, where Floki was working on the ships to make them stronger. They had to endure every possibility they could face on the sea so Ragnar could travel further than man has been. 

Whenever you ask someone if they know who the Vikings were, 9/10 answers would include these boats so, therefore, it was a must to include.

How does the text link to the Theme or any other Theme discussed?
This picture will link in every single way to the English Speaking World since these boats were used to travel. Because of this particular reason, it could easily be connected to the theme War as well. 

Personal response
I personally love these ships, they are so aesthetically pleasing as they are useful. They were built with such precision. I am not a boat type of guy but these are ones I fancy, but then again... I might be biased, not because of the Vikings but I love Floki and everything he did in the series.