| “ | We're Vikings, it's an occupational hazard. [src] | ” |
| — Stoick the Vast |
Vikings are the primary characters of the How to Train Your Dragon book and film series. They reside in the northern seas where they pirate, loot, steal, raid, etc. They typically dress in animal pelts, fur boots, and horned helmets and possess a great amount of knowledge on navigation, thievery, and combat. Their tempers are generally foul and stubborn, and they rarely communicate with people from outside of their tribes on a regular basis. The feature that most greatly separates them from real-life Vikings are their use of dragons as partners and pets. They also are separated from real Vikings is the horns on their helmets and the fact that they fight Romans in the books. The Roman Empire had fallen by the time of the first Viking raids in real life.
Quick Answers
What are some of the names of the Viking tribes in the How to Train Your Dragon series?
What are some of the dragon names used by the Vikings in the series?
What is the average height of a Viking in the How to Train Your Dragon series?
How does the relationship between Vikings and dragons evolve in the series?
What skills do the Vikings in the series possess that set them apart from real Vikings?
How to Train Your Dragon (series)[]
There are several known tribes of Vikings in the book series, including the Hairy Hooligan Tribe, the Meatheads, the Hysterics, and the Bog-Burglars. The first two are known to get together during the initial Viking tests their youth must pass in order for they and their dragon partners to be recognized by their respective villages. The Hysterics are the black sheep of the Vikings in that they seem to be feared by all other Viking tribes for their insanity and relative barbarism. The Bog-Burglars comprise primarily female Vikings who are as foul and sturdy as any other.
Hairy Hooligan Tribe: The main Viking Tribe in the books, who live on the Isle of Berk. Their present chief is Stoick the Vast, until he abdicates his position to husband son and heir Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. Also, they have a Pirate Training Program for the teenagers of the tribe, which is run by Gobber the Belch.
Meatheads: The closely neighboring tribe to the Hairy Hooligans. Not much is known about this tribe, except their present chief is Mogadon and the heir of the tribe is Thuggory.
Bog-Burglar Tribe: The tribe filled with mostly fierce female Vikings. Like their name says, they are amazing burglars and are often competing against the Hairy Hooligans. Their present chief is Big-Boobied Bertha and the heir of the tribe is Camicazi.
Hysterics: This tribe is the most feared of all for their insanity and relative barbarism. The tribe believes that the earth is round and there is a place called America. This is ironic since they were right. They were once trapped on their island for 15 years by the Doomfang until Hiccup fed him the Potato, however unwillingly he was to let go of it. Their present chief is Norbert the Nutjob.
Berserk Tribe: The tribe known for their anger and madness. Fishlegs is half Berserk. The present chief's name is the Chief Berserk. They live on the island of Berserk with a complex tree prison.
Outcasts: The tribe of savage Vikings that always constant war with other tribes. Their chief was once Alvin the Treacherous (who was exiled because he got bold) and is a distant relative of the Hairy Hooligan's royal bloodline.
Lava-Lout Tribe: The tribe that is the worst enemy of the Hairy Hooligans that live on an island with a volcano. Not much is known about this tribe, except they wear fireproof suits created by dragon skin.
DreamWorks Dragons (Franchise)[]
| “ | We're Vikings, we have stubbornness issues. | ” |
| — Hiccup, in How to Train Your Dragon |
Though their lives as Vikings are emphasized in the film adaptation, the individual tribes are not mentioned at all. The Vikings are also revised to be mainly dragon killers and do not begin to accept dragons into their lives until the end of the first film.
The individual tribes however are mentioned and explored more in depth in DreamWorks Dragons: The Series, Dragons: Race to the Edge and graphic novels.
Hairy Hooligan Tribe: Primarily living on the Isle of Berk, the Hooligans have thrived for seven generations. At the start of the franchise, their chief is Stoick The Vast, a strong and hefty Viking, towering over 7 feet tall, who rules with both an iron fist and compassion for his people. After the unfortunate event of his death in the second movie, his only son, Hiccup Haddock III, rises to the chieftain throne, and continues his life passion to create a utopia for both dragons and humans.
Outcasts: Ruled by Alvin the Treacherous, the Outcasts are a barbaric tribe of outcasts from other tribes, Alvin himself being a former Hooligan, having been banished by Stoick the Vast many years earlier. They reside on Outcast Island, capturing and attempting to use dragons for their own treacherous purposes. They've been long time enemies of the Hooligans, however Alvin and Stoick made amends half way through the TV series. Though technically allies with the Hooligans now, the Outcast tribe as a whole appear to still be rough and barbaric.
Berserker Tribe: Despite their name, their chief is the peaceful Oswald the Agreeable, and have been friends with the Hooligans for 50 years. But when Oswald disappears and is presumed dead, his only son Dagur the Deranged ascends to the position, and he lives up to the "berserk" name. He wages war on Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and the rest of the Hooligan Tribe in an effort to get the dragons he's trained. After joining up with Dragon Hunters however, he has a change of heart, reunites with his sister Heather, and the Berserkers become strong allies to the Hooligans. Dagur and Heather go searching for their father and peacefully take charge of the tribe on Berserker Island.
Appearance[]
Both the book series and the franchise portray both Vikings very similarly to each other.
The vast majority of them are warriors. They're known for their massive muscle mass and immense strength, while their muscular build, the thick layers of fat, and distinctive clothing meaning that many Vikings have small heads relative to the rest of their bodies. This, in some circumstances, is also explained, more or less directly, by the fact that Vikings use muscle-over-brain power.
The typical appearance of a Viking consists of them dressing in animal furs, fur boots, woolen trousers, and horned helmets, that not only both protect against the harsh climate and provide excellent defense against enemy attack, but was a necessary and distinctive element of their attire. The helmets in particular were usually adorned with upward-curving horns that hooked up at the tips.
Character[]
Most Vikings are characterized by physical strength, which allowed to resolve any conflict. They're usually insensitive and empathetic, with how they ruthlessly kill their enemies. Though, a few possess a developed capacity for logical and tactical thinking, as well as empathy for weaker creatures.
One such individual was Hiccup, who brokered peace between both Viking and dragons—the two races that were at war for a long time.
Headquarters[]
“This is Berk. It's twelve days north of Hopeless, and a few degrees south of Freezing to Death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery" [...] It snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three.”
— Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, How to Train Your Dragon.
Vikings are divided into different tribes, each with their own chieftain, and residing in a specific location – usually, it's an island. Vikings in the book series and the franchise live in the Northern Hemisphere, near the Arctic Circle, where harsh climatic conditions prevail for most of the year.
According to Hiccup, it snows nine months of the year, and hails the other three.
All tribes known from Cressida Cowell's books are concentrated on the islands of the Barbaric Archipelago, and those from the films and series are located within a slightly different archipelago of a sort. Historically speaking, Vikings inhabited the areas around the Baltic Sea—around present day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
They're known to build their small villages in areas near the sea and rivers to allow for some farming.
Their houses are single-family, tall, made of wood, and have sloping roofs that allow snow to fall immediately to the ground, preventing it from settling. Large amounts of snow falling in this climate zone could cause the buildings to collapse otherwise, as seen with when Bucket and Mulch mentioned they had to dig Mildew out of the snow, only to wonder why they bothered. (See: Animal House)
The homes of Vikings in the films and series are often decorated with carved dragon heads and inscribed designs.
Tribes[]
The Vikings are all divided into tribes, each inhabiting a different geographic region. These tribes differ greatly from one another, primarily in their customs, traditions, primary occupations, and lifestyles.
Beliefs[]
The Vikings were polytheistic. This means they worshipped multiple gods of a pantheon. In their Norse paganism religion, each god is responsible for a specific sphere of life, but the most important of all the gods are Odin, the Allfather, and Thor, Odin's son, responsible for, among other things, violent weather phenomena.
In the short film "Legend of the Boneknapper" (in the memories of Gobber the Blacksmith), Thor appears as a powerful god with the ability to change form.
The main gods mentioned in the series are: Odin, Thor, Loki, Freyja, Tyr, and Magni.
Vikings believe that, after death, distinguished warriors go to Valhalla.
Customs (Book Series)[]
Birth of a Child – In the book series, each child is brought before a Naming Dame upon birth, who assesses the child's abilities and names it. An infant deemed weak or unfit for future combat should be killed or exiled.
Funeral – See "Viking Funeral".
Pirate Training Program – A education system involving a series of lessons the young Vikings in the book series undergo on Berk. See "Pirate Training Program" for more information.
Thor'sday Thursday – One of the holidays celebrated by the Vikings in the books is a celebration honoring the god, Thor. Various competitions are held during the festival, as well as the Final Initiation Exam, in which young trainees demonstrate the skills of the dragons they've trained.
Freya'sday Fete – An holiday that takes place every year on Freya'sday Eve, celebrating the end of winter and the coming of spring.
The Thing - A meeting called under extraordinary circumstances, attended by representatives of many allied tribes.
Customs (Franchise)[]
Child Naming – A child's welcome is a ceremony officially welcoming a newborn Viking into tribe, during which the chieftain or his acting chief announces the child's name, which was previously chosen by the parents. In the series, this was seen in the episode "Viking for Hire" as Gobber led the ceremony.
Funeral – A Viking funeral is a ceremony intended to bid farewell, pay respects, and commemorate the deceased. It involves launching a boat carrying the deceased's body into the ocean and setting it alight with flaming arrows. Sometimes, the funeral is less solemn, with the deceased buried in the ground along with their personal belongings. A funeral ceremony was featured in both "How to Train Your Dragon 2" and the Race to the Edge Episodes episodes "Buffalord Soldier" and "Twintuition."
Dragon Training – Back when Vikings were still at war with Berk in the film, the new recruits are tasked with learning to fight dragons in the Kill Ring so that they can best defend their village against future attacks. In addition to this function, the training also aims to identify one promising warrior, who can slay their first dragon in front of the entire tribe.
Passing of Chieftaincy – This ceremony is depicted in How to Train Your Dragon 2. The future chieftain kneels before the tribe's elder, who marks him with ash, drawing a symbolic mark on his forehead. The title of tribal chieftain is passed down hereditarily, from father to son. If the chieftain has no son, the most respected warrior in the tribe likely becomes his successor.
Snoggletog – The equivalent of Christmas; a multi-day celebration held in winter during which wooden Christmas trees are erected, the village is decorated, and gifts are exchanged. Young Vikings are said to receive gifts from Odin, who traditionally places them in their helmets.
Thawfest – A competition organized by the series' Vikings, in which young warriors participate. They compete in various events, with the best one receiving a medal.
Bork Week – A holiday celebrated annually by the Vikings in the series in honor of Bork the Bold, who was the first to document and accurately describe all known dragon species. Since peace was concluded with these creatures, they also participate in the festivities, presenting themselves in flocks and with air shows.
Loki Day - For the Vikings, a holiday of jokes, pranks and playing tricks with impunity, is a way of worshipping this deity, shown in more detail in the episode "Shock and Awe".
Gripe Day – A special day when Vikings can come to their chief and ask for advice on any matter. This custom was mentioned in the series in the Race to the Edge episode "Have Dragon Will Travel, Part 2".
Dragon Racing – A Viking pastime, mainly the Hairy Hooligans, invented shortly after the domestication of dragons, consisting of riders racing on the backs of their dragons and catching sheep for points.
Portrait Painting – The series showcases the tradition of painting portraits of chieftains and their sons. A collection of portraits painted on shields hangs inside the Great Hall.
Trivia[]
- While almost every Viking in the movies and the books bore horned helmets, according to history, Vikings never wore such helmets. Instead, they wore something akin to an ocular plate helmet.
- Historical Vikings were, in many ways, different to that of those in the How To Train Your Dragon books and movies. For example, their statures were not that large, as they in fact stood around the average height of 5 ft - 5 ft 7 in. Along with this, the armor they bore was either that of chain-mail or gambesons, if they could afford it; if not, then they would rely on thick wool and linen clothing, of which they wore in their everyday lives outside of being Vikings.
- Vikings are not a people, but rather a title and profession, as the word Viking simply means 'pirate'; someone who raids. However, Vikings were also traders, farmers, and explorers.
- According to the series, there's a old Viking saying. "When your friends are roasting on the spit, you're the one who's feels the fire." Which means that you feel the pain just as intensely as those who are directly experiencing it, as evidenced when Mildew framed the dragons for the destruction of the Armory on Berk, leading Stoick to endanger the island by banishing the dragons and leaving it vulnerable to Alvin the Treacherous and the Outcast Tribe to attack. (Alvin and the Outcasts)
- Women, among historical Vikings, had more rights than in other cultures. These included the right to inherit property from their husbands or children who died without issue, and even the right to divorce.
- Historically, while the helmets had no horns, they did have a visor for the eyes, and a chainmail collar was attached around the rim to protect the neck. Woolen or leather caps were worn daily. The myth surrounding this headgear comes from Wagner's opera "The Ring of the Nibelung."
- It is said that a Viking's childhood ends at the age of 12 in real-life Viking society.
- According to various sources, the day of hygiene for the Vikings was Friday or Saturday.
- Before battle, Vikings pelted the enemy with stones and insults. They did everything they could to demoralize the enemy and make more mistakes. One could say they were the forerunners of psychological warfare.
- Vikings used toothpicks and had significantly fewer gaps in their teeth than other people living at the time.
- The Vikings were recruited by various European rulers and served as mercenaries for menial tasks.
- The Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperors formed their guard from Vikings – the Varangian Guard, the most elite unit in the Byzantine Empire.
- The current Viking stereotype is due to Irish monks, whose monasteries were raided by Vikings.
- One typical Viking dish was fish that was buried for several weeks. It's equivalent is Surströmming.