When vikings are no longer chic...

There is little doubt that heathenry has had an surge of interest due to the popularity of programs like "Vikings" and "Last Kingdom", not to mention assorted other viking-inspired products.

Perhaps some of these newcomer Vikings fans will like what they find and continue their study of heathenry and teutonic mythology in general. But what will happen to our nascent heathen culture when the great media marketing machine moves on to another topic? Right now, there are a dearth of stores and companies offering a range of heathen-friendly products and services, mostly thanks to their being bolstered by the current media-driven interest.

When models dressed as burly, rambunctious viking men and women no longer adorn our screens, large and small, what will happen to our path?

My belief is that, naturally, its growth will slow, perhaps even cease for a while, but I hope that the subculture will move away from the superficial "vikings are cool, I want to look like Ragnar" that has become more pronounced since the media explosion and into more obviously spiritual and/or historic development.

I have to confess that websites offering (tight) tshirts for (musclebound) Ragnar Lothbrok wannabees with cheesy Valhalla slogans really do rather annoy me. Never a particularly big fan of the overemphasis of Ragnarok at the best of times, I had to hold back my bile when I witnessed a group of Brosatru with Grimfrost t-shirts and drinking horns shouting loudly during the Wardruna concert I attended.

I get it, I really do. But some of us will still be raising a toast to our ancestors when you pretenders have moved on to the next thing your television tells you to like. At least have the decency to show some respect and take the time to find out what your current obsession-du-jour is really about.