Part 4/6:
The depiction of Viking funerals has often been dramatized in media. While boats being set ablaze is a factual element, many details depicted onscreen are exaggerated or fabricated. For example, while elite Vikings might receive elaborate ship burials, many simply had more modest ceremonies involving fewer materials and lesser ritualistic elements.
The episode sheds light on a particularly detailed historical account—one by the traveler Ibn Fadlan—which describes not just the burial process, but the accompanying extravagance, including the preparation of fine garments and the presence of alcohol, which served as a critical element in Viking society.