Is Kattegat from Vikings a Real Place?
Both Vikings and its sequel series, Vikings: Valhalla, find their main backdrop in the city of Kattegat. Although Kattegat is clearly visible in both programs, the issue of its actual existence is more complicated than first seems. Originally meant as a short miniseries, Michael Hirst's Vikings appeared on the History Channel in 2013. But its great appeal resulted in its multiple season renewal. Starting a century later, the spinoff series Vikings: Valhalla follows a Kattegat that has changed significantly over the years.
The reality of Kattegat
Although the show presents Kattegat as a busy Norwegian metropolis, the actual Kattegat is not at all a city. Rather, it is a marine area in the Scandinavian region with Denmark, Norway, and Sweden bordering it. It lies specifically between the Danish Straits islands of Denmark to the south, the Jutlandic peninsula (shared by Germany and Denmark), and the Swedish provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland, and Bohusländ to the east.
A major obstacle for navigation, Kattegat's shallowness marked by many reefs and strong currents is underlined in Vikings: Valhalla during Leif Eriksson and Freydis Eriksdotter's trip to Kattegat. Vikings: Valhalla, where the little village has evolved into a vast trading port under Jarl Haakon, better depicts this actual site.
Though the site is real-world, the Kattegat shown in Vikings was shot at Lough Tay, County Wicklow, Ireland. This decision was taken to get the intended show visual aesthetic. Although the show is inspired by Norse mythology and history, it is not a strictly accurate portrayal; it uses artistic license with elements to improve the tale. Vikings: Valhalla makes use of the same filming site as its predecessor even if Kattegat's portrayal differs greatly.
Origins of Ragnar Lothbrok
Travis Fimmel's portrayal of Ragnar Lothbrok in the Vikings series notes his Kattegat and Norway background. Still, historical records of the actual Ragnar Lothbrok show no evidence of his hailing from that area. Although his name appears in certain historical accounts, books such as The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok show him accomplishing fanciful deeds such dragon killing.
The fabled Ragnar Lothbrok most likely combines several actual historical people, including Viking chieftain Reginherus, King Reginfrid, and Denmark's King Horik I of 845 AD, known for the siege of Paris. It is still debatable whether Ragnar Lothbrok was a real person or a composite figure given the dearth of specific historical data. As so, the issue of his actual birthplace still unresolved.
The Rule of Jarl Haakon
Jarl Haakon (Caroline Henderson) is first presented as Kattegat's leader in Vikings: Valhalla. She is unique among Black rulers in the Vikings universe being the first one. Though women in Viking society enjoyed a better position than in other civilizations of that time, historical evidence does not corroborate the existence of a female Viking ruler.
Haakon's leadership in the series is set following the death of her spouse, who was murdered by Christians for not renouncing his pagan beliefs. Viking society sometimes let women take over as heads of household should their husbands die suddenly. Though Jarl Haakon is a fictional character developed for Vikings: Valhalla, her name most likely comes from Haakon Sigurdsson, late 10th century Norwegian ruler. Although many of the Vikings universe's characters are not based on actual people, Kattegat stands out as a fictional fabrication.
Other Sites within the Vikings Universe
Unlike Kattegat, most of the sites shown in Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla are actual places—many of which still exist today. One could find well-known cities like London and Paris among examples. Vikings: Valhalla also visits Constantinople, a metropolis as historically important as London and Paris that subsequently adopted the name Istanbul in 1930. Kattegat is the only place created especially for the shows since even the larger historical sites, such the kingdom of Mercia or Uppsala, have real-world equivalents.
One prominent site in Vikings, Valhalla, is in a semi-legendary realm and calls for a great degree of creative flexibility on the part of the show's writers. This site is Jomsborg, the Jomsvikering village. Although the village is described in several Viking sagas and stories, its precise location is still up for contention among scholars. Some historians even suggest Jomsborg might not have existed at all.
According to the general agreement, Jomsborg—should it have existed—was located in what is now Poland, perhaps along the eastern Oder river discharge. Some analysts think that the town of Wolin in northwest Poland sprang from the Jomsborg village mentioned in the sagas. Other scholars, however, argue that the fortification detailed in the sagas indicates to a site nearer Denmark. Jomsborg is more real than the totally fabricated Kattegat even if the reality behind it is still under investigation and is yet unknown.
