Vikings season 6 finale ended the series on a high note, offering fans pieces of satisfaction as well as disappointment with each and every main character’s arc, especially King Bjorn. But amidst the gripping emotional storyline, there were a few surprising moments in season 6 part 2 that caught our attention and one such sequence, in particular, suggests the show creators may have had plans to explore a new eastern world.
Every fan would be well aware by now that Ubbe Ragnarsson (Jordan Patrick Smith) ended up with one of the better character developments by the end of Vikings season 6 after going through some of the toughest hardships. In Episode 16 titled ‘Final Straw’, the Son of Ragnar faces his worst moments after abruptly leaving Greenland due to their horrifying conflict with Kjetill, and are once again faced with hunger and the harsh sea along with Othere and the settlers.
Did Vikings season 6 hint at a new eastern civlization?
During the ongoing sea travel, the interesting friction between Ubbe and Othere’s character once again leads the arc to an interesting build-up. Drifting in the sea at night, Othere begins to sing a hymn, presumably to calm himself but Ubbe quickly counters with his own Viking song and sings it with utmost barbaric tone to state his dominion that Odin is mightier than the Christian God. However, the son of Ragnar mistakenly associates the hymn with Christianity due to Othere’s faith.
In reality, The mysterious Christian wanderer sings the seven Swaras of Hindu Carnatic music. ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’ the Sanskrit words from the Hindustani music are referred to as Svara. You can see the two Viking characters sing in the video below.
Othere singing Hindustani hymn an influence from Persians world?
It’s unclear exactly why Othere was singing a Hindu Carnatic hymn and how he may have learned it in his journey. In Vikings season 4, Bjorn, Rollo and the others have their first encounter with Muslims during their raid in the port city, Algeciras. It’s possible that the Hindustani music influence in central Asia may have crossed across to the Persians and spread through the regions closer to the then England and Scandinavian sectors for wanderers such as Othere to learn it.
Diving into exploring the other side of the eastern world would be an interesting storyline for the upcoming spin-off series, Valhalla. So far, we know that the series will be set in the future when the age of Vikings is coming to an end as Christianity takes over Scandinavia. The main and supporting cast for the show has also been announced with an interesting mix of talent, similar to the Vikings show. Stay tuned for more updates.
