Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Vikings made history as fearless explorers and conquerors. To this day, they are celebrated as heroes. But is this justified? All the myths and legends about the courage and adventurous spirit of the Vikings seem to have obscured the dark side of their success. Viking society was determined by human trafficking and slavery. It was this that allowed the Viking world to expand, and to win the reputation and admiration it still holds today. Why did the Vikings hunt humans? Who were their victims? What role did slaves play within their society? What fates awaited their captives? How was the slave trade organized, and how did it develop over time? And what impact did this human trafficking of the Vikings have on the Europe of the Middle Ages? Now, for the first time, a docu-drama seeks out the answers to these questions and illuminates the history of the Vikings and their slaves. The key: the story of the Irish monk Findan, who was enslaved by Viking Warrios together with his sister in the 9th century, as recorded in his own words. It is the foundation for a filmic journey to an age when Norse seafarers established themselves as explorers and – rather lesser-known – as people traffickers and slave owners. Archaeological research and scientific analysis accompany this filmic journey into the past, while international experts on Viking history explore the significance of slavery in the Viking World.It’s time to tell the story of the forgotten ones – the “Victims of the Vikings”.
The Vikings made history as fearless explorers and conquerors. To this day, they are celebrated as heroes. But is this justified? All the myths and legends about the courage and adventurous spirit of the Vikings seem to have obscured the dark side of their success. Viking society was determined by human trafficking and slavery. It was this that allowed the Viking world to expand, and to win the reputation and admiration it still holds today. Why did the Vikings hunt humans? Who were their victims? What role did slaves play within their society? What fates awaited their captives? How was the slave trade organized, and how did it develop over time? And what impact did this human trafficking of the Vikings have on the Europe of the Middle Ages? Now, for the first time, a docu-drama seeks out the answers to these questions and illuminates the history of the Vikings and their slaves. The key: the story of the Irish monk Findan, who was enslaved by Viking Warrios together with his sister in the 9th century, as recorded in his own words. It is the foundation for a filmic journey to an age when Norse seafarers established themselves as explorers and – rather lesser-known – as people traffickers and slave owners. Archaeological research and scientific analysis accompany this filmic journey into the past, while international experts on Viking history explore the significance of slavery in the Viking World.It’s time to tell the story of the forgotten ones – the “Victims of the Vikings”.
