At last count, this syndicated cartoon about the adventures of an oafish, red-bearded, horny-helmeted Viking was carried by 1,900 newspapers in 58 countries, including the Sun. Created in 1973 by New Yorker Dik Browne, it’s set in Norway but its scruffy antihero (he takes an annual bath) regularly hops in his longboat to raid England. Hägar’s co-stars include his bossy wife, Helga, children Hamlet and Honi, dog Snert, pet duck Kvack and scrawny first mate Lucky Eddie. Browne died 25 years ago but passed the baton to his son Chris, who is still producing the strip – now titled Dik Browne’s Hägar the Horrible in tribute Photograph: Dik Browne
This famed explorer was born in Iceland around 970 and sailed to North America a full 500 years before Christopher Columbus. Legend has it that his ship was blown off course as he voyaged from Norway to Greenland and he ended up accidentally sailing to America instead, becoming the first European to do so. It was “a land he did not expect to see”, with “self-sown wheat fields and grapevines” and more trees than he’d ever clapped eyes on. Leif, who married a noblewoman from the Hebrides, later established a small Norse settlement at the northern tip of Newfoundland Photograph: Lake County Museum/Corbis
The Asterix comics by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo have a huge cast of characters. Guest villain in 1966’s Asterix and the Normans is this chieftain from the frozen north, who kidnaps Justforkix, the cocky city-slicker nephew of Gaul leader Vitalstatistix. Olaf and his fellow Vikings rampage around, slaughtering all in their path, drink apple brandy from the skulls of their enemies and don’t even understand the concept of fear. Olaf has a luxuriant blond moustache that makes him rather resemble wrestler Hulk Hogan. His wife and daughter’s names in the film adaptation? Ikea and Abba, obviously Photograph: Everett/Rex Features
Going by the superb nickname “Shaggy Breeches”, this legendary Norse ruler distinguished himself with many raids, becoming the scourge of nearby kingdoms. Played by Ernest Borgnine in 1958 epic The Vikings, Ragnar Lodbrok wore those renowned breeches as protection from the venomous serpents he battled to court his second wife, Swedish princess Thora. He was eventually killed by the King of Northumbria, who threw him into a pit of vipers or wolves, depending upon which tale you believe. His five sons avenged him by invading England with the Great Heathen Army Photograph: Cinetext/Allstar
Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones and Boudicca have a rival. Norwegian “shieldmaiden” Lagertha dressed in men’s clothing to fight on Ragnar Lodbrok’s side against the Swedes, and a 12th-century history book recalls: “… a skilled Amazon who had the courage of a man and fought among the bravest. All marvelled at her matchless deeds, for her locks flying down her back betrayed that she was a woman.” Impressed, Ragnar Lodbrok courted her and she became his first wife. Lagertha later killed her quarrelsome second husband with a spearhead concealed in her gown. Don’t mess Photograph: History Channel
Monty Python member Terry Jones created this reluctant Nordic hero for a 1983 children’s novel, which he adapted into a satirical fantasy film six years later. Played by a fresh-faced Tim Robbins, sensitive warrior Erik sets sail to ask the gods to let his people see sunlight again. He meets strange tribes, fights a fake-looking sea monster and falls in love with Imogen Stubbs’s magical princess. The supporting cast included John Cleese (who replaced Jack Lemmon at short notice as a favour to his old Python pal), Eartha Kitt, Mickey Rooney and Jones himself. Sadly, Erik didn’t pillage enough laughs and bombed at the box office Photograph: PR
He only lived until the age of 25 but the leader of the last great Swedish Viking expedition still managed to clock up some serious sea miles. Having fallen out of favour with the king, Ingvar set out with a fleet of 30 ships to sail down the Volga, reopen trade routes, pillage Persia, battle the Georgians and eventually establish a new land. Sadly, disease killed most of the intrepid explorers somewhere around the Caspian Sea, circa 1041, and just one of the 30 boats returned home. The sorry saga was recorded on 26 hulking rune stones, erected by the dead men’s families and friends, dotted around southern Sweden Photograph: NorseMyths.net
“Listen to me and I will tell you the story of Noggin the Nog, as it was told in days of old…” Like Bagpuss and Ivor the Engine, which make viewers of a certain vintage go misty-eyed, this stop-motion series came from Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin’s Smallfilms stable. When his father, King Knut, died, unassuming Noggin had to find a queen to rule beside him or forfeit the crown to his uncle, Nogbad the Bad. After encountering ice dragons and talking green birds, he married Eskimo princess Nooka of the Nooks and ruled the Northlands. The episode about a “Moon Mouse” inspired Smallfilms to create The Clangers Photograph: PR
Putin-faced Danish thesp Mads Mikkelsen is best known as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale and Dr Lecter in NBC series Hannibal. But between Bond villainy and cannibalism, Mads starred as mysterious mute warrior One Eye in Nicolas Winding Refn’s moodily metaphysical Norse epic Valhalla Rising. Said to have emerged from hell, the heavily tattooed, supernaturally strong One Eye batters enemies to death with his bare hands, disembowels them and impales their heads on sticks. Charming. However, he’s redeemed by his friendship with a boy slave, before joining up with Christian crusaders and fulfilling his true destiny Photograph: PR
Teen hero Hiccup and his pals on the Viking island of Berk arrived a decade ago in Cressida Cowell’s hit fantasy novel How to Train Your Dragon. It’s since spawned 10 more books, a TV series and an Oscar-nominated 3D film – with a sequel due out this summer. Scrawny but smart, Hiccup plans to become a dragon slayer, but after capturing his first dragon, realises he has no desire to kill it and instead befriends it. He becomes one of the only people ever to speak Dragonese and proud owner of two dragons: hunter Toothless and hairy flyer Windwalker (who somehow smells of hot chocolate) Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar
