The characters from Vikings have very peculiar styles based on (though not exactly accurate) what real Vikings wore, including their tattoos and in some cases eye makeup, like the one Floki wears– but why does he wear black paint? Created by Michael Hirst, Vikings made its debut on History Channel in 2013, and even though it was originally planned to be a miniseries, it was so well-received it was renewed for a second season. Vikings lived on for five more seasons, and fans are now waiting for the final batch of episodes from the sixth and final season.
Vikings initially followed legendary Norse figure Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel) and his travels and raids alongside his Vikings brothers, among those his actual brother, Rollo (Clive Standen), and his best friend Floki (Gustaf Skarsgård). As the series progressed, it shifted its focus to Ragnar’s sons and their journeys, and they took the lead of the series after Ragnar was killed in season 4. Even though Ragnar’s time came to an end, many other characters from season 1 and who were close to Ragnar made it a bit further, among those Floki, whose fate is unknown after getting trapped in a cave. With Vikings waiting for its final episodes to be released, its a good time to look back at the characters that made the series what it is and all those details that have sparked the curiosity of viewers, such as Floki’s eye makeup.
Floki is Kattegat’s boatbuilder and a very eccentric character, often playing the role of trickster among the Vikings and always worried about what the Gods will have in store for them. Though he’s a joyful man, he’s also deeply troubled and quite intolerant when it comes to other beliefs and religions, as seen with Athelstan. Floki doesn’t stand out just for his personality and odd behavior, but also because of his physical appearance, as he often wears a lot of black eye makeup – but there’s a reason behind that. Vikings makeup artist Tom McInerney has shared that, among the few things known about Vikings and their looks, is that both men and women wore kohl around their eyes to enhance them, and the reason for Floki to wear it more often (and intensely) than other characters is connected to his beliefs.
McInerney went on to explain that, as Floki represents the Pagan culture the Vikings embraced and “expressed a deep connection to the Gods of his time”, that gave them the chance to embellish his look in a way in which they could suggest he “may touch on an almost alchemic ritualistic approach to his craft”. Of course, fans have come up with their own interpretations on why Floki wears eye makeup almost all the time, with some explaining that Scandinavians wore eye makeup to appear more fearsome, others that it could be a tribute to the Norse god Loki, and others have gone as far as to suggest it’s a nod to the Eye of Horus – and while they have similar designs, that would be historically inaccurate, as these are two very different cultures in very different points in time (and it’s unlikely Hirst and company took inspiration from the Egyptians for the show).
While Floki’s eye makeup does have a historical background, the writers of Vikings could have decided to have him wear it almost all the time simply to make the character stand out and further enhance his peculiar personality. If Floki is alive and is saving his final appearance for the last episodes of the series, it will be interesting to see if he still wears black eye makeup after everything he went through, especially the cultural shock of finding a Christian cross in a cave he believed would take him to Helheim.