To remove or not to remove: Debate over taking horns off Viking statue in Manitoba community

September 13, 2024 Canuck

A Facebook post has sparked a debate in Gimli about whether to make a cosmetic change to its iconic statue.

The 15-foot tall Viking statue in Gimli has been standing watch over the Icelandic community since 1967.

“It’s great! It brings a lot of people and it’s been here forever!” said resident Mark Quberko.

But recently, a controversy over the statue has emerged in the community. Specifically the horns on his helmet, and whether it’s historically accurate.

“There’s never been a Viking helmet found with horns,” said Julianna Roberts, the executive director of the New Iceland Heritage Museum.

It prompted one Gimli resident to ask on social media if there has ever been a discussion about removing the horns from the Viking statue.

“It’s kind of embarrassing,” the resident wrote.

The post sparked a fiery debate online with hundreds of replies.

“He’d feel naked without the horns,” one person wrote.

“Who are the horns embarrassing? Local cattle?” Another person wrote.

However, not everyone was in favour of the horns, with one person writing that they were hoping they’d be removed when it was restored several years ago.

A horn removal operation didn’t appear to have a lot of support from people on the street Friday.

“I think it looks good how it is,” one person said.

“It’s probably look weird without horns,” another resident said.

While the horns may not be completely historically accurate, they are certainly popular if sales of Viking toys in the Museum gift shop are any indication.

“Without a doubt, the ones with the horns sell way faster than the ones without the horns,” Roberts said.

The person who initially made the post that sparked the debate declined to appear on camera, but told CTV News Winnipeg that although he doesn’t believe it is historically accurate, he does think the statue looks awesome, horns and all.

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