The most frustrating thing about doing a living reenactment of the Viking Age are the questions people ask: "why is your sword so light?" and of course, “where are your horns?” Repeatedly it is necessary to answer these questions: but why do people have these images of times gone by anyway? Aside from Wagner's opera-singing fat lady with horns and a pointy bra, it is today's period films and television shows that lead people to believe these inaccuracies and ultimately provide a false lesson in history. Furthermore, many plots are not even faithful to real events, providing a distorted representation of what is actually history. During the last few years I spent as a re-enactor, I learned nothing about making a film or anything like that; However, I learned a lot about specific lifestyles and historical events. Therefore, I find myself thinking that it would be easier for filmmakers to follow historical events rather than invent new ones from scratch, in turn, using their medium to teach people rather than raise more questions to answer. People believe they gain knowledge of history by watching Hollywood movies that claim to be based on historical events, sometimes even claiming to be entirely historically “accurate.” I too fell victim to this Hollywood conundrum until I realized a real interest in the story. Some of my favorite films, like Mel Gibson's Braveheart and Michael Crichton's The 13th Warrior, shaped my imagination about what a Viking wore and how the ancient Scots fought battles, but these films depicted things that happened differently or not ever happened. Ultimately, my awareness of the errors in these films and my utter disappointment led me to put aside my favorite films and look for more authentic ones at...... middle of paper ......l. But if they did things carefully it would reduce the risk of people forgetting important things, such as how the Battle of Sterling, a crucial moment in Scottish history, was won; as well as the precious past of other cultures, including our own. Works Cited Braveheart. Dir. Mel Gibson. Perf. Mel Gibson. International Entertainment Icon. 1995. DVD. Ewan, Elizabeth. "Brave heart." The American historical review. 100.4 (1995): 1219-21. Network. March 13, 2014.Franklin, Cory. "History according to Hollywood." New York Times. New York Times. February 22, 2013. Web. March 13, 2014. The Thirteenth Warrior. Director Michael Crichton. Perf. Antonio Banderas. Touchstone images. 1999. DVD.Umanath, Sharda. “Historical inaccuracies in films can hinder learning.” Positive and negative effects of monitoring popular films for historical inaccuracies. Duke SU. January 12, 2012. Web. March 13 2014.