“The Funeral of a Viking” by Frank Bernard Dicksee
The Age of the Vikings
The Viking period (793-1066 A.D.) in European history was full of fascinating people and dramatic events. From their raiding parties which conquered many English and French villages, to their generally brutal fighting styles, to their elaborate burial traditions, there’s a lot to explore here.
Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor visited a Viking village during season 9 two-parter, “The Girl Who Died”/”The Woman Who Lived”, but there’s no reason that these two sorts of stories need to overlap in any real way. (Not that I’m saying I’d be averse to seeing Ashildr again, and Maisie Williams would probably be awesome next to Jodie Whittaker.)
Historical figures we might meet: There’s strong evidence that female Vikings, or shield maidens, such as those depicted frequently in shows such as History’s Vikings series did exist in reality. Some of them were famous warriors, even. Wouldn’t it be cool if this Doctor, now a woman, found her way to a society where that kind of female power and strength wasn’t just encouraged, but celebrated? How might that affect her?
Should the Doctor Who powers that be not want to delve too deeply into the gender dynamics of Viking society, there are also some famous warriors that might be worth meeting simply because they were interesting and/or weird. Erik the Red discovered Greenland. Eric Bloodaxe murdered his own family members to stay in power. Ivar the Boneless had a debilitating bone disease (osteogenesis) and still managed to be terrifying.
Potential adventures: The Viking Age began with a raid on the Lindisfarne monastery off the northeast coast of England, an event that reverberated through history for years. What drove these people choose to attack at this particular time? What happened to the monks who lived there? Did any survive?