Vikings: 12 Most Brutal Moments So Far
Blood eagles, molten gold drinks and a slow roasted person...
History is brutal. And it should go without saying that The Vikings presided over an era that was just that little bit more brutal than others.
Naturally, brutality is something that should come as no surprise when watching a show about the marauding warriors. And yet the reality of their history being captured on screen is still eye-opening, to say the least. Somehow on a show that airs on the History Channel, we are shown some of the most brutal acts on television that would even make a seasoned viewer of mature shows or films pause to take a breather.
This is the History Channel after all, and history shows us just how ruthless these men and even women were. They were not to be taken lightly and neither is this show. Thus some of the show's most notorious scenes make shows such as Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, or Sopranos look like child's play.
But which were the most shocking and brutal...?
12. Torstein Has An Amputation
Torstein was a Viking with amazing strength and courage and this awful moment proves it. In a battle against the Saxons, he gets shot in the arm with an arrow - no big deal, you might think, because characters have survived far worse.
But then later, we see that the wound has become infected and Torstein is in incredible pain and decides to have the arm cut off, obviously. He asks Floki if he could do him this favor and he agrees, so axes are put in fire and Torstein is tied to a board.
Now, what makes this so brutal is how it is done. It is not a quick and clean cut. First, they cut him with a hot ax and begin to bang down on the axe multiple times, like a hammer to a nail, to cut through the bone. We see that the arm eventually comes off and then another hot ax gets placed on the now amputated arm to be cauterized. Brutal, yes. Bad ass, absolutely.
Be thankful of modern medicine.