I will think about it. The BBC have made some good viking documentaries.
Yes, you have to pay attention to your dress, Zak. Real vikings are VERY fashion sensitive. The bishop Alquin of York ranted about how the english women should stop fancy the norsmen just because they washed once a week, took care of their looks (a comb, a pair of siccors, a tweezer and such was a must have for any proper viking) and were well dressed with fancy stuff.
I hate those side shaved heads and samurai style manbuns that is passed of as "viking". Bollocks! The contemporary images we have of viking men shows well trimmed beards and moustaches, and something like a Beatles style haircut. Long in the neck but well kept.
Looks were very important. If you went to die you did your best to die well dressed and good looking so you came to the Gods in a dashing fashion. If you proceeded to chop down a dozen saxons while looking dashing so much better.
Sadly, "Vikings" do their best to portray vikings according to our own weird idea of what a real macho badass man should look (that is, like a criminal thug, which is downright sick). In short, the vikings would not agree on much. They would probably see many of those who try to be and look badass "viking" or like bikers etc as filthy, poorly dressed pieces of garbage.
The more badass and succesful a viking, also the real vikings considered vikings in their time (that means by most scandinavian seen as dangerous "Bad hombres") would strive to look the part. If you were succesful, you showed it in some way. You had fancy jewelley and bling, used expensive cloth and colours in your clothes, also expensive fur but NOT leather because leather was raingear and poor mans clothing.
In a way, the hombres and the ganstas are more viking than most wannabes. Why? Because they are not shy of wearing bling or show of their success with expensive clothes. A viking might see a ghetto gansta with that gold chain and rings and say "Respect!" but consider some Alt-right dude with shaved head as "pathetic wanker". He would probably say it too the persons face too, just for shits and giggles.
In short, people are rarely interested in the vikings. Not in what they really were or what they really did or what they really looked. They are interested in using them to bolster their own lack of self-esteem. I would say that the very idea of using the vikings as an ideal image on how to be is directly un-viking.
Still, Zak is forgiven for being american. He has a long way to go but there is potential there. One day, he may carve the blood eagle on his foes steak.
