History's 'Vikings': Logo decoded

Viewers first glimpsed the logo for History’s Vikings series — which is set to premiere early this year — in the exclusive trailer posted here on EW.com about a month ago. And there it is above, again, in all it’s glory. At second glance, it’s a rather complicated logo. What’s behind it? EW did a little investigating, and History spilled the details about what’s inside the design. Here’s what we learned.

OVERALL: The logo is intended to capture the spirit of the Viking culture in several elements, and particularly, the letter V is supposed to represent the “multiple dimensions of the Vikings.”

LEFT SIDE OF THE V: The festooned portion of the V is supposed to tell us the story of the softer, lesser-known aspects of the Vikings — specifically about their family and life. The upper section is a nod to their craftsmanship/technological advances; the middle section represents brotherhood and unbreakable bonds; and the lower section represents growth and life. According to History, “all of these elements are steeped in Viking history, derived from elements of Viking life, and actual Viking symbols.”

RIGHT SIDE OF THE V: A very different story is told on the bloody right side of the V — one that’s much darker. It represents war, violence, death, and conflict, and — as you can probably tell — it’s shaped like the blade of a sword.

SYMBOLS WITHIN THE V: The first is technology and ship building — a portion of the symbol that is inspired by photos of actual Viking ships. The second is brotherhood — the show’s lead character Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) loves his family fiercely and is driven by his desire to explore, teach his son, and build a better life for his people. The third is growth and life — depicted by the symbol known as the “Tree of Life,” this is all about dreaming beyond primitive Viking society. And lastly comes violence and conflict — the cracks, worn texture, and blood splatter on that blade indicate that the weapon has (and probably will continue to be) put to use.

So there’s your history lesson for the day.

Tanner on Twitter: @EWTanStransky

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