Vikings in the Movies

'How to Train Your Dragon 2' is just as much about Vikings as it is about dragons. These Nordic seafarers being such a photogenic bunch, it's surprising that there are so few movies about them. But we've unearthed a few!

The Vikings (1958)

Hollywood's on-again, off-again love affair with Vikings starts here. Pictured are Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh and Kirk Douglas; the Danish-American Leigh might have been the only cast member with actual Viking blood.

The Long Ships (1964)

Jack Cardiff, cinematographer on 'The Vikings,' was promoted to director for this similarly-themed adventure, starring Richard Widmark as a fortune-seeking Norseman and Sidney Poitier as his Moorish adversary.

The 13th Warrior (1999)

This costly action flick bombed at the box office; audiences just didn't get why a Viking movie would star a Spaniard (Antonio Banderas). Lest you think your eyes are deceiving you, we only count 12 warriors in this photo too.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

We have this modern animated classic to thank for making Vikings cool again -- even if scholars believe that few real Norsemen wore those famous two-horned helmets. (Well, they didn't fight dragons, either.)

Thor (2011)

It's true that Thor, Odin and Loki are residents of Asgard, not Norwegian sailors. But since they are traditional Norse gods, it would be criminal to ignore them in any discussion of movie Vikings.

Erik the Viking (1989)

Monty Python's Terry Jones wrote and directed this characteristically silly, irreverent comedy. Tim Robbins, in the title role, is joined by an offbeat cast including John Cleese, Jim Broadbent, Mickey Rooney and Eartha Kitt.

Valhalla Rising (2009)

Finally, a Viking film made by Scandinavians! Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, before making the cult film 'Drive,' helmed this brutal saga starring Mads Mikkelsen, the future Hannibal Lecter.

Asterix and the Vikings (2006)

Americans may not fully grasp the enormous popularity of Asterix (and his portly pal Obelix) in his native France. Though he sports a Viking look, the little guy is strictly Gaulish. Here, however, he does encounter actual Norsemen.

Pathfinder (2007)

Karl Urban plays a Viking trying to save his adopted Native American tribe from his own savage people. 'Pathfinder' is loosely based on a 1987 Norwegian film of the same title – which, ironically, was about Laplanders, not Vikings.

Outlander (2008)

A spaceship crashes in Viking Age Norway, and that's pretty much all you need to know about this little-seen flop, starring Jim Caviezel as an alien explorer who must unite the warring locals to defeat a giant space monster(!).

The Norseman (1978)

Ah, the '70s. Where else could TV star Lee Majors, fresh off 'The Six Million Dollar Man,' play a Viking chief named Thorvald the Bold? Take all the time you want admiring costar Cornel Wilde's magnificent helmet. We'll wait.

The Secret of Kells (2009)

We close with this unique animated charmer, which relates the history of the Irish monks who tried to protect their works – and themselves – from Viking attacks. The film scored a surprise Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination.