ROLL back the clock to the year 893. Denmark, the land of Scandinavian bicycle culture and Carlsberg (maybe Carlsberg wasn’t invented yet), and the home to Svend and his band of merry looters and pillaging Vikings. As different as that world may seem, this advert shows that helmets may have always caused a bit of fuss…
An advert by Danish ad agency &Co. for the Danish Road Safety Council has made an incredibly amusing take on the importance of wearing a helmet, even for those considered amongst the bravest in history.
It’s an ad for cycle helmets, but the same lines can be drawn for motorcycle helmets.
‘ Helmet has always been a good idea’
With crowds gathering in the community as he hears the ceremonial horn, bravado in overload and yells from the warriors on the hill - he mounts his horse. “Today, we sail to England” announces our hero, Svend. I feel like this is all standard Sunday ride-prep, no? Maybe not.
In the distance Svend’s kid yells ‘Wait Dad!’, and comes running with a helmet in hand before presenting him with his helm… but he isn’t bothered, mind. His mate Hjalmar asks if Svend should be wearing the helmet before they take off for England… but Svend is a careful rider, he says.
Admittedly this would all have taken place before strict helmet laws would have been in force, of course. So this Viking is well in his right to not wear his lid.
But Svend isn’t bothered. He says it makes his scalp itch, it’s annoying, and it ruins his braids! And what will he do when he gets there, run around England wearing a silly helmet?
Convinced by his wife to wear a helmet when she says “Svend, you can go looting and pillaging all you want, but you have to wear a helmet”, he dons the lid and heads off - not before smacking his head on the arch as he leaves the Viking village.
Watch the advert here:
So much for being a careful rider. Helmets have always been a bright idea… anyway, I bet the English wear helmets too!
![Singapore Police biker [credit: Lee Joonmin Facebook].png](https://cdn.visordown.com/styles/v2_small/s3/field/image/Singapore%20Police%20biker%20%5Bcredit%3A%20Lee%20Joonmin%20Facebook%5D.png?itok=uMGuVi48 "Singapore Police biker [credit: Lee Joonmin Facebook].png")
