Tbh - if you do any academic study of history, that’s what it all starts to look like.

Even without academic studies - I wanted some context for Tolkien (analogous periods\events), Walter Scott, Dumas, who not. And I wanted some context for R:TW and M2:TW games, so I found mods like Europa Barbarorum. And eventually I’ve read some of Icelandic sagas, and some of medieval poetry translations, and so on. Same with context for fantasy books, some alternatives IRL.

So, after that, there’s just nothing on screen I can watch.

Icelandic low-budget movie kinda associated with Beowulf, but making Grendel a neanderthal (yep), looked cool due to seemingly authentic buildings and weapons and clothes and everything. But it wasn’t a very interesting movie.

I’ve seen a Danish low-budget movie “Eagle’s eye”, some things felt like fine, but again, the story itself just didn’t seem right. Except for the one-eyed guy seeing through the eye of a bird - eh, I dunno why it was an eagle and not a raven, but his relation with the king and with the bishop seemed an interesting allegory on heathenry and christendom.

Roman empire - just leave me alone.

like no, the man was not a proto Thomas Jefferson

The man also, when he found out his wife had a lover, made her a bath filled with his blood. That was in his youth, but.

At the same time he called her “so meek, so simple-minded, so kind” when thanking gods for her.

He became very wise by the end of his life, but, eh, not in US founding fathers’ direction. More like Obi-Wan Kenobi made emperor.