Ah Vikings, Nordic heroes of legend, pillagers of European nations, subject of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and also the subject of some fantastic works of art. I spent some time browsing the web -- mostly DeviantArt and Behance -- to bring you the 25 best pieces of Vikings-related art I could find.
25. Bad Day by Nikolay Popov
Starting off with a light-hearted take on Vikings, Bad Day depicts a Viking having, well, a bad day. The picture is full of fun little details, including a two-headed orc (one of which is blinded), hairy armpits, and a Viking out of his natural element. Not so fun when you’re the one being attacked, is it?
24. Vikings II: Wolf Archer’s Progenies by Alexandre Imbert
This is concept art for a game, but its minimalist style is unique and charming, and each of the characters still manage to feel distinct. Check out Alexandre’s other concept pieces in the link, and if you’re interested, the game is available now!
23. God of War by Catalin Lartist
This one by Catalin Lartist manages to be epic and playful at the same time. The skyline is beautifully done with the Borealis casting an otherworldly light over the image, and our Viking stands strongly in the center. Then you look at the puppy’s face on the left and it just makes you chuckle. It’s so dang cute!
22. Berserkers by Alexander Forssberg
Berserkers is a series of concept art by Alexander Forssberg, and I’m particularly drawn to it because of how fresh the take is. Each of his three characters feel totally separate, but the style is consistent and a nice blend of minimalism and realism.
21. Viking Life by Ben RC and MilkPresso Studio
Viking Life is a series that reminds me of the PlayStation title, Tearaway. It’s light-hearted and feels like it’s been handcrafted out of paper. Each scene in the series depicts a comedic, fun take on a Viking village’s daily routine, and it’s a joy to look for the small moments in each image.
20. Baptize the Elders by Alexander “Ace” Carmen
Going towards something a bit more intense, Baptize the Elders is a wonderfully dark image. The face-shaped fire silhouetting the mysterious figures standing close to the foreground, and the title itself create an eerie sense of mystique. It’s clear that there is a story here, and I’d love to know what it is.
19. Viking | Coffee Addicted by Rodrigo Cordeiro
Rodrigo Cordeiro’s coffee-addicted Viking is charming and quirky and represents a softer side of the medieval warrior. Plus, look how little that cup is in his massive hands. It’s great!
18. Good Day to Die by Max Mitenkov
A picture is worth a thousand words, which is certainly the case in Good Day to Die. One warrior stands strong on the shore as a ship-full of enemies land, and as the title implies, he won’t make it out. But if we can gather anything from his stance, he won’t go down without a fight. This is true Viking legend, and the dark tones of the image capture the grittiness of war perfectly.
17. Late by Ismail Inceoglu
There are a lot of stories about giants in Nordic tales, but what I love about Late is that it chooses to portray the giants as simply massive warriors. They aren't one-eyed cyclops or loin-cloth toting gargantuan imbeciles, they’re towering warriors in full armor, wielding appropriately-sized weapons. It’s fearsome and mythical, and the art style is beautiful to boot.
16. Duel by korpehn
The framing of this image feels like a scene out of a movie. You can practically hear the stream running, a whistle of the wind as it passes through the trees, and the soft clanking of armor as two warriors face off.
15. Beyond the Storm by Max Mitenkov
Vikings are warriors of legend, so of course they would fight horrifying Lovecraftian sea creatures. What else do you do in sea-faring legends? The depiction of the creature is a fascinating and unique touch as well since it could very easily have just been a giant squid. I don’t know, something about ocean creatures with teeth freaks me out.
14. The Beast by CaelGibran
The best part about The Beast is the subtlety. The beast blends in so well with the background that you could almost overlook it, which in a real setting would be terrifying. Imagine trying to fight a super-strong, horrific monster that you can’t even see!
13. The Swarthy One by Rowye
I had to look it up, so to save you the trouble, “swarthy” means dark-skinned, usually in reference to complexion. I’m assuming this image gets its title from the implication that the ferocious giant in the distance is a dirty boy who hasn’t cleaned himself in a while, but when you can harness the power of storms and wield a flaming blade, do you really need to?
12. The Kraken Spite by caiomm
Do I even need to say anything about this one? Look how freaking cool it is. The detail on the dragon’s face is insane. I also just love when these epic fights happen in beautiful, broad daylight. Smoggy, rainy battle scenes are epic and cool, but there’s something inherently scary about being attacked in broad daylight. Like, oh gross, I can see every nasty detail of your lizardy flesh!
11. Vikings in America by Manzanedo
A part of Viking history that often goes overlooked is the fact that they touched land in America long before Columbus. Obviously, the dragon in the background is a fictional aspect, but Native Americans did fight many battles against the Vikings, and it’s interesting to see the historically fierce warriors go head-to-head.
10. Viking by MattDonnici
There’s not a lot happening in this one, which is precisely why I love it so much. The focus is entirely on the skeletal Viking in the foreground. I almost wish the picture had a title like “Reaper” or something because the idea of the Grim Reaper as a Viking is awesome.
9. Poison by ChunLo
This art style is so damn cool. Like, so cool. It has an Eastern feel to it, especially in the way the Viking’s face is drawn, with his helmet almost taking a samurai-like look where it connects to his face. Also, giant snakes. Freaky and dope!
8. Viking by Valerie Abatzgolu
I know it’s not as epic as some of the others, but hot DAMN I love this art style. Anything that can capture that “Wind Waker” vibe always gets bonus points in my book.
7. Midday Thief by Ismail Inceoglu
Another giants-in-armor style piece, except this time he’s just holding a cow real chill under his arm. I enjoy that the scene is more pulled-in this time so that we can see the reactions of some of the smaller men. There’s a lot to take in, and the art style is fantastic.
6. Viking Thanos by Rodrigo Lorenzo
This isn’t a crossover I ever thought I needed, and now all I want is a Thor comic featuring this version of Thanos, because CAN YOU IMAGINE?
5. Vikings March by derekzabrocki
The way this image conveys depth is really interesting to me, as each of the faces contains less and less detail the further out it is. It sort of gives the picture a hazy, dreamlike feeling to it. It’s like that scene on the beach in Saving Private Ryan, where the sound is muffled and everything is out of focus. It’s adrenaline in a picture, with a melancholy edge to it.
4. Viking Up North by Camille Kuo
I like mountains, okay? And wolves. He looks like a good boy! Also that HAMMER. Overall, the armor design in the picture is sweet, and you can see a step-by-step of how the picture was done on Camille’s Behance.
3. See You in Valhalla by Narholt
This is another one of those images that tells a story, as three warriors look at a burning fire on top of a mountain. Even just the words “burning fire on top of a mountain” are epic.
2. Odin’s Tree by Narholt
This picture is dark. Something about it being called “Odin’s Tree” is really off-putting when you take into consideration that there are people hanging from the tree. The painting style shows so much detail despite having a watery, minimalist style and uses shadows masterfully to convey its tone.
And if all that sounds pretentious, then I don’t know, it’s creepy and I dig that.
1.Viking Repose by SebMcKinnon
Me as a Viking.
In all honesty, I put this as number one because I like how the painting explores the aftermath of a battle. It’s not glamorous, beer-chugging, and feasting. It’s rainy and bleak, and bloody, and dismal. It’s a lonely, contemplative piece that presents a different narrative to the classic Viking tale.
