Take a Tour of the Insanely Epic Hair of Vikings
The History Channel’s Vikings is a parade of pillaging, plundering, and great period hair. From headbang-ready locks that sway poetically to the swing of an ax, to a whole lot of braids, beards, and braided beards, those Norsemen coordinate their savagery with some pretty fierce dos. Game of Thrones may resemble the show in many ways, but Westeros doesn’t hold a candle to all of the straggly hair extensions and big, bad facial hair coming out of eighth-century Scandinavia. Since the show’s been renewed for a second season, you can expect Ragnar Lothbrok and his men to keep bringing the Viking pain, and more of those crazy haircuts. Here’s every dazzling hairdo and beard from Vikings’ first season.
CK model turned actor Travis Fimmel plays Ragnar Lothbrok, a farmer-warrior who manages to make an undercut and single power braid look sexy. A killer...
CK model turned actor Travis Fimmel plays Ragnar Lothbrok, a farmer-warrior who manages to make an undercut and single power braid look sexy. A killer haircut to rule them all.
Ragnar’s son Bjorn sports a shaved back. For Viking boys, edgy hair starts here.
Ragnar’s ball-breaking wife, Lagertha, has a flaxen faux-hawk thing going, with side braids to reflect her wild warrior side.
Ragnar rocking a headband, making us picture him as a drummer for eighties glam band Ratt.
Father-son matching headbands!
Blond hair, red beard. Hair color-blocking for the Dark Ages.
Gabriel Byrne as Viking chieftain Earl Haraldson, with luscious hair extensions and a little salt and pepper. Distinguished, like Gabriel Byrne would ...
Gabriel Byrne as Viking chieftain Earl Haraldson, with luscious hair extensions and a little salt and pepper. Distinguished, like Gabriel Byrne would keep it.
Though it favors glam-rock styles, the show also pays tribute to punk rock care of Floki (played by Alexander Skarsgard’s bro, Gustaf Skarsgard). Note...
Though it favors glam-rock styles, the show also pays tribute to punk rock care of Floki (played by Alexander Skarsgard’s bro, Gustaf Skarsgard). Note the spikiness, thick guy-liner, and rebel patch of fore-hair.
Ragnar’s brother Rollo, paying homage to nineties Wrestlemania hair.
Viking Eric and his beautiful golden tresses.
Vikings shaved the backs of their heads so enemies couldn’t pull their hair. Plus, it accentuates ears!
Double mustache twists complement Olafur’s two-faced nature.
Pretty beard accessories! Like ornaments on a pube-y Christmas tree.
Ragnar’s battle braids and Viking Leif’s virility-packing tri-banded beard.
Ragnar smears blood over his sideburns for instant hair dye. Essential to look your best when you’re about to hack a couple dozen monks to death and l...
Ragnar smears blood over his sideburns for instant hair dye. Essential to look your best when you’re about to hack a couple dozen monks to death and loot all of their stuff.
Hagrid-like dude welcomes Ragnar back from his raid. Aww, big, friendly beards are the best.
A bunch of not-so-friendly beards.
Metallica’s Robert Trujillo making a cameo. Just kidding — that’s Viking Kauko looking like he can totally shred.
Beards, beards, beards.
Lagertha’s battle pompadour and sides decked with chain mail, showing that Viking chicks won’t be outdone in the hair department.
Three beard braids.
Only to be outdone by one, two, three, four … sorry, we lost count.
R.I.P. Ron Jeremy.
Viking Leif always has the best beard bling.
A rich, full-bodied peasant beard.
Earl Haraldson’s poor flunkies always seem to have the same teensy beard twizzles, likely a measure of self-respect.
From glam to punk, to Britney.
Earl Haraldson marries his young daughter to a rich, old Svealander with rich, old beard braids.
Torstein and his dainty-braided, Kurt Cobain–y look.
Viking thugs or middle-aged heavy metal band? We don’t even know anymore.
Nothing like bird-themed scalp art to celebrate a victory. Getting your hair did after a job promotion — it is the Viking way.
You didn’t think we’d end this without a real Viking helmet, did you? Two words: hair metal.
English beards. So boring.
Another character, another beard braid. We'd like to call this one the Granny Goes to Bed.
Since his capture by the Vikings, English monk Athelstan traded his holy doughnut do for a Beatle cut and the beginnings of a beard.
As new Viking chieftain, Ragnar shows off some next-level braiding. Viking hair tip: Keep braids in place with the stuff used to fix leaky garden hoses.
Inspired by Ragnar, this warrior woman serves up some fierce-ass braiding. Soon: The Vikings sacrifice a woman to the gods when they discover the gift...
Inspired by Ragnar, this warrior woman serves up some fierce-ass braiding. Soon: The Vikings sacrifice a woman to the gods when they discover the gift of cornrows.
Viking priests take cornrows up a notch with keloidal cornrows.
A lot of firsts for Athelstan on this episode: first trip on shrooms, first sensual scrub-down, first beard clip ...
"Let my people go ... " but more punk rock, really.
Jarl Borg, leader of Gotaland, demonstrating how an ornate beard can compensate for a receding hairline.
The new Athelstan — from stubble-chinned Christian to full-bearded Viking. Now with Joan Jett–inspired bangs!