History AwesomeMusic / Vikings

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhk59DZt15Y "If I Had A Heart".]] A perfect summation of Ragnar's character. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7L9QfFAQuw Its remix in the intros for season 6's second half]] is just as amazing, establishing the darker tone for the final episodes.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhk59DZt15Y "If I Had A Heart".]] A perfect summation of Ragnar's character. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7L9QfFAQuw Its remix in the intros for season 6's second half]] is just as amazing, establishing the darker tones towards the end of the series.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhk59DZt15Y "If I Had A Heart".]] A perfect summation of Ragnar's character. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7L9QfFAQuw It's remix in the intros for season 6's second half]] is just as amazing, establishing the darker tones towards the end of the series.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mhk59DZt15Y "If I Had A Heart".]] A perfect summation of Ragnar's character.

* The spoilerific title of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8uyMJQH9pY this track]], [[spoiler:Floki Appears to Kill Athelstan]] is the single best track of all of season 3, if not all of the score. Einar Selvik chants passages from freaking [[Myth/NorseNythology Völuspa]], passages about Ragnarök! Combined with heavy chanting and drums that build up to a climax, the final moments of the piece sound like a ritual sacrifice. It really helps setting up the scene as Loki's murder of Baldr, with [[spoiler: Floki]] and [[spoiler:Athelstan]] taking up each role respectively. FridgeBrilliance, as it's the beginning of the end for [[spoiler:Ragnar]] and NothingIsTheSameAnymore after that. Loki murdering Baldr, indeed. For added symbolism and FridgeBrilliance; the track is reused in episode 9 of season 4 as the vikings sail up river for their final attack on Paris. Not only is it foreshadowing [[spoiler:Ragnar's fall from grace]] but the lyrics contains this verse: ''Bræðrmunu berjask ok at bönum verðask, munu systrungar sifjum spilla''. It means "''[[CainAndAbel Brothers shall fight and each other bane be, sisters' sons shall kinship stain]]''".

-->''"The raven flies in heavenwheel\\

Algir"''

%%* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx96NA7ak5s "Sacrifice" by Sharon Lyons, at the end of "Sacrifice"]], when King Horik sacrifices [[spoiler: Leif]].
* In season 1, the soundtrack had its moments but was rather generic overall. In season 2, composer Trevor Morris realised how awesome Wardruna is an recruited Einar Selvik of Wardruna to provide additional music and authentic instruments that would have been used in the age of the vikings. The result? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxaPZxTrDJI "Battle of Brothers"]] is the perfect example: The mix of ancient and modern elevates the score into a sound of its own. The music is absolutely furious, with Norse war-poems chanted over distorted strings and drums, horns and Norse fiddles. The chanting sounds like the gods of war inciting the vikings to animalistic fury (the ritualistic nature of the music does not help). The music becomes more and more harrowing, until [[spoiler: Rollo slaughters Arne One-Eye]] and the music regresses into a harrowing wail. Here that music is played ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhhlmz6gik live]]''. Hearing that chant and lament sung by a full choir is in a dimension of its own.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPPIqC2oejE Battle for the Hill of the Ash]]. TheHellIsThatNoise chant is raw, and it certainly sells [[spoiler: Thorstein's death and Thorunn's disfigurement]]. And Einar Selvik's chanting and fiddle delivers.

* The spoilerific title of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8uyMJQH9pY this track]], [[spoiler: Floki Appears to Kill Athelstan]] is the single best track of all of season 3, if not all of the score. Einar Selvik chants passages from freaking [[NorseNythology Völuspa]], passages about Ragnarök! Combined with heavy chanting and drums that build up to a climax, the final moments of the piece sound like a ritual sacrifice. It really helps setting up the scene as Loki's murder of Baldr, with [[spoiler: Floki]] and [[spoiler: Athelstan]] taking up each role respectively. FridgeBrilliance, as it's the beginning of the end for [[spoiler: Ragnar]] and NothingIsTheSameAnymore after that. Loki murdering Baldr, indeed. For added symbolism and FridgeBrilliance; the track is reused in episode 9 of season 4 as the vikings sail up river for their final attack on Paris. Not only is it foreshadowing [[spoiler: Ragnar's fall from grace]] but the lyrics contains this verse: ''Bræðrmunu berjask ok at bönum verðask, munu systrungar sifjum spilla''. It means "''[[CainAndAbel Brothers shall fight and each other bane be, sisters' sons shall kinship stain]]''".

* "Laukr", when Ecbert cries in his chapel after [[spoiler: realising he has to essentially sentence Ragnar to torture and death]].
* [[spoiler: Ragnar Lothbrok's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3lvKAorNbE death song]], which plays before Ragnar delivers his [[spoiler: [[FaceDeathWithDignity badass]] [[DefiantToTheEnd death speech]]]].

-->The raven flies in heavenwheel\\

Algir

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Do not uncomment them without expanding them to explain what makes them awesome. A Youtube link is not context; WeblinksAreNotExamples. A quote from the lyrics is not context. WHY are these tracks awesome?

* Harald Finahair's theme song: "My mother told me". A jolly pirate-esque song about the anticipation of going on Viking raids, often contrasted against scenes of Harald's horrible actions. Bonus for actually being based on a poem from the Viking age.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuXOM5XLza4 "Battlefield"]] is perfect for throwing us back into the the savage world of the Vikings. The album version adds a kullning (a traditional Swedish farmers call), which sounds positivly primordial.

* There is hardly a better music choice than [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbgvgk50e94 Fehu]] for a scene showing a Viking raid. The lyrics are made up of Norse poems how wealth is the cause of war. The first of the show's very succesful use of Wardruna/Einar Selvik.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx96NA7ak5s "Sacrifice" by Sharon Lyons, at the end of "Sacrifice"]], when king Horik sacrifices [[spoiler: Leif]].
* In season 1, the soundtrack had it's moments but was rather generic overall. In season 2, composer Trevor Morris realised how awesome Wardruna is an recruited Einar Selvik of Wardruna to provide additional music and authentic instruments that would have been used in the age of the vikings. The result? [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxaPZxTrDJI "Battle of Brothers"]] is the perfect example: The mix of ancient and modern elevates the score into a sound of it's own. The music is absolutly furious, with Norse war-poems chanted over distored strings and drums, horns and norse fiddles. The chanting sounds like the gods of war inciting the vikings to animalistic fury (the ritualistic nature of the music does not help). The music becomes more and more harrowing, until [[spoiler: Rollo slaughters Arne One-Eye]] and the music regresses into a harrowing wail. Here that music is played ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqhhlmz6gik live]]''. Hearing that chant and lamnent sung by a full choir is in a dimension of its own.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iociDmASBI Ragnar Describes the Blood Eagle]] is as creppy as it sounds.

* [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDQ342wWKZQ "King Ragnar"]], deliciously ''Conan''-esque. Suprisingly, the electric guitar fits right into the mythological sound.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPPIqC2oejE Battle for the Hill of the Ash]]. TheHellIsThatNoice chant is raw, and it certainly sells [[spoiler: Thorstein's death and Thorunns disfigurement]]. And Einar Selvik's chanting and fiddle delivers.

* The spoilerific title of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8uyMJQH9pY this track]], [[spoiler: Floki Appears to Kill Athelstan]] is the single best track of all of season 3, if not all of the score. Einar Selvik chants passages from freaking [[NorseNythology Völuspa]], passages about Ragnarök! Combinded with heavy chanting and drums that build up to a climax, the final moments of the piece sound like a ritual sacrifice. It really helps setting up the scene as Loki's murder of Baldr, with [[spoiler: Floki]] and [[spoiler: Athelstan]] taking up each role respectivly. FridgeBrilliance, as it's the beginning of the end for [[spoiler: Ragnar]] and NothingIsTheSameAnymore after that. Loki murdering Baldr, indeed. For added symbolism and FridgeBrilliance; the track is reused in episode 9 of season 4 as the vikings sail up river for their final attack on Paris. Not only is it forshadowing [[spoiler: Ragnar's fall from grace]] but the lyrics contains this verse: ''Bræðrmunu berjask ok at bönum verðask, munu systrungar sifjum spilla''. It means "''[[CainAndAbel Brothers shall fight and each other bane be, sisters' sons shall kinship stain]]''".

* Harald Finahair's theme song: "My mother told me". A jolly pirate-esque song about anticipation going viking, often contrasted against scenes of Harald's horrible actions. Bonus for actually being based on a poem from the viking age.