Floki from Vikings: Did Flóki Vilgerðarson really exist?

Floki is one of the best-known characters from the TV series Vikings. In fact, the character is based on a person who actually existed.

This historical figure was the model for Floki in Vikings

The shipbuilder Floki is one of the most charismatic characters in the Vikings series Vikings. And he had a real-life role model.

• The “real” Floki was called Flóki Vilgerðarson. However, he was better known as Hrafna-Flóki, which means raven Floki. Because according to his beliefs, he had three of the black birds with him. These were always supposed to show him the right way.

• Around the year 865, Loki is said to have set off from the coast of Norway to Iceland. His wife and two daughters were on board. This makes him one of the first Vikings to ever set foot on the island. He is also said to have given it the name Iceland or Iceland.

• At first, Floki couldn’t really get to grips with the newly discovered world and its challenges. Disappointed, he returned to Norway and told people there how cold and inhospitable Iceland was. Despite this, he is said to have been drawn back to Iceland towards the end of his life, where he died.

Floki from Vikings and the historical Flóki Vilgerðarson: A comparison

Although Floki in Vikings is a purely fictional character, there are some similarities with the real Flóki Vilgerðarson. But there are also connections to another figure in the Norse world. Please note: The following mentions events from the series. If you have not yet seen the series, the following applies from now on: Warning, spoilers!

• Just like Flóki Vilgerðarson, Floki also travels to Iceland in the series Vikings. He feels enlightened by the island and wants to convince other Vikings to found a colony there with him. He also has to contend with the harsh and hostile island.

• In the series, Ragnar is one of Loki’s closest friends. In real life, the two heroes are unlikely to have met. Although they are said to have lived around the same time, they had no points of contact apart from that.

• Loki from the Vikings series bears a certain resemblance to Loki, the god of evil mischief. Just like the latter, he is more of an outsider. His punishment for the murder of the monk Athelstan is also similar to the punishment Loki suffered for the murder of the god Balder. Both were put in chains and tortured by a dripping liquid on their heads, while their wives try to alleviate the agony with a bowl.