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What is interesting to me about Vikings is that they were failed farmers.

I think Vikings have always been popular, haven't they? I remember being a kid and being in second grade reading a book about this Viking warrior.

Vikings were pretty brutal, but also very educated people. They were salesmen, businessmen who started raiding when business wasn't good. That's why they had such great boats.

I love that Viking era, but also they're a fatalistic people and that dictated their fearlessness in battle and approach to life.

When you're a Viking, you never know when you're going to get the axe.

I got interested in the Vikings, and then you realize that there isn't much to be read about them because they did not write their history. It was written by hostile witnesses, by Christian monks and so on. From what I could see and understand, I was really excited about it. I loved their culture and loved their gods.

The Vikings themselves are fascinating creatures. They're human beings, of course, but their ethos are so different from ours. The fact that they live as warriors - their willingness to die for the sake of what they believe in - is quite shocking to us, and it's fascinating to see.

I made my kids into Viking fans, so they will carry their misery with them, too. A little disappointment in life goes a long way.

With 'Vikings,' I had the task of making these people interesting and, to a point, sympathetic.