Vikings!

I've been watching and enjoying The History Channel's series Vikings. It's historical fiction, so one has to be careful about relying on the specifics of who stabbed whom, but there are three general traits that the show gets right.

First, brutality. Yes, the Vikings were bloodthirsty, but so were the Christians. Crucifying heathens, for example, or a priest in full vestments telling a woman that he was going to cut off her ears and nose as punishment for adultery. (The woman, an educated one, quite correctly asked where in Jesus's book this punishment was authorized. She did not get a useful answer.)

Second, treachery. Everybody's double-crossing everybody. This is what happens in a lawless environment. Third, religious fervor. A man shows up and is able to calm a crying child, so he must be a wizard. A beam of light and a headache is a divine communication. God talks to everybody all the time.

In short, I'm a big fan of Vikings.