(CNN) – If you’ve ever seen the Vikings depicted on TV, you’d be forgiven for picturing them with unkempt beards, horned helmets, and ready for battle. But Danish photographer, designer and Viking descendant Jim Lyngvild wanted to give them more depth.
“We don’t know exactly what the Vikings looked like,” says Lynvild. “So you have to imagine.”
Lyngvild’s imagination led him to photograph people dressed as historical and mythical Vikings in the wild, with brightly colored clothes or long flowing hair.
He dreams of an image that he wants to see as a photograph and makes his own clothes, often antique fabrics purchased during his travels to India. He then launched a Facebook and Instagram message to his website, which has nearly 300,000 followers, in search of the perfect role model.
He said: “Always choose natural models, and never go to modeling agencies. “I needed to have something personal and authentic. And I always find that online.”
Photographer Jim Lyngvild (right, in white) works with models during a photo session with Richard Quest (left).
Beau Molloy / CNN
“For me, it’s just about being able to honor my ancestors, for my sake and their good,” Lyngvild said. “Glorify your ancestors, because they are everything – they made you. And in my case, it was the Vikings.”
Look through the gallery above to explore Lyngvild’s Viking world – including his recent photo session with CNN host Richard Quest.
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