Vikings - A help or hindrance to heathens?

There is no doubt that there has been a huge resurgence of interest in Vikings of late. The Vikings series and a smattering of films (not all Marvel) have seen some success and, at the very least, have made the public aware of names like Thor and Ragnar Lothbrok.

But, what effect has this really had on heathenry? If I were to tell a stranger tomorrow that I am a heathen, would they expect me to be a bloodthirsty warrior like Ragnar and company, or maybe a comic-book nerd who fantasises about spacefaring gods with superpowers?

With the huge number of viking memes and groups on social media, and adverts for t-shirts, drinking horns and replica axes, they could be forgiven for thinking that, as a heathen, I long to disembowel someone with a sword, just to get into Valhalla. After all, fighting all day and feasting all night is all a good heathen wants, isn't it?

Well, no. Actually, it isn't. Personally, I'd just like to spend as much peaceful time with my family and friends as I possibly can. In this life and the next. Academia would seem to suggest that arch-heathens would have agreed with me, too. There is a growing belief that Valhalla was more of a consolation prize for heathens who died abroad during raiding missions. As they couldn't be buried in their family burial mounds, Valhalla was the spiritual equivalent of a Bendy Bully and bus fare home, rather than getting to win the luxury speedboat of the afterlife.

Plus, even if I did die in battle, Odin essentially takes the leftovers back to Valhalla. Freyja gets first pick of half the battle slain and takes them to Folkvangr, her meadow. Where I would imagine a much nicer time is had by all. Got nothing against Odin, but surely fighting all day every day is gonna get old pretty fast - no matter how bloodthirsty you were when you first died.

Some of my best 'heathen moments' are simply talking with my wife and daughter over the Sunday lunch table. Family time like that just as heathen in my eyes, and considerably more acceptable to contemporary society that blood-eagling your neighbours cos they parked across your drive without asking you.