How the Skol Chant became synonymous with the Vikings

A hush will fall over the crowd on Sunday night at U S Bank Stadium just before kickoff between the Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons The calm before the storm In that moment Hall of Fame defensive end Jared Allen will raise his ams above his head wait for that unmistakable beat to drop then clap his hands together while more than people join in unison If somebody isn t ready for whatever reason I promise they ll be locked in after that Skol Chant safety Josh Metellus reported It s almost like a college feel because everybody in the building is doing it As the tempo slowly picks up and the Skol Chant builds to a crescendo Allen will put an exclamation point on the pregame ritual by sounding the Gjallarhorn from its permanent perch in the northwest corner of the stadium There s nothing quite like it edge rusher Jonathan Greenard announced It really makes it feel like we re about to go to battle That type of reaction has invariably been the ultimate goal for vice president of content and production Bryan Harper He has served in his current role with the Vikings for the past decade and takes immense pride in fostering an conditions in the stands that provides an advantage on the field Where does the Skol Chant fall into that equation It might be the the majority pivotal part of an elaborate production that features everything from fake snow falling from the rafters to players running out of a tunnel shaped like a Viking ship that used to shoot fire before the NFL banned pyrotechnics Though the addition of the Skol Chant can be traced back to Sept when the Vikings were host to the Green Bay Packers in the first home competition at U S Bank Stadium the inception of the idea came a inadequate months earlier when Iceland upset England in the knockout stage of the European Championship to reach the quarterfinals of its first major international soccer tournament After bowing out in the next round Iceland returned home to a hero s welcome greeted by more than people that indicated up in the capital city of Reykjavik to celebrate the accomplishment A video clip of the celebration went viral on social media It manifested the crowd participating in something known in Iceland as the Viking War Chant with everybody in attendance raising their arms over their heads waiting the beat to drop then clapping their hands in unison That sound familiar We knew we had an opportunity to create a new tradition when we opened U S Bank Stadium Harper noted That happened and it kind of smacked us in the face like There it is As intrigued as the Vikings were without delay after seeing it it was essential to them that they didn t rip it off They desired whatever they did with it to feel authentic at its core That prompted vice president of social impact Brett Taber to reach out to Football Association of Iceland on behalf of the Vikings Eventually Taber got in contact with squad captain Aron Gunnarsson It meant something special to us that it was coming from Iceland Taber explained There was like a Viking heritage aspect to it In the end Gunnarsson gifted the Viking War Chant on behalf of Iceland doing so with the help of professional powerlifter Thor Bjornsson who has also starred as The Mountain in the HBO hit series Contest of Thrones A video clip of Gunnarsson and Bjornsson explaining Viking War Chant was shown on the big screen at the first home tournament at U S Bank Stadium They were visible Icelandic figures that people might recognize Harper revealed The pride that they had in it was really cool After making certain subtle tweaks to make it their own the Vikings rolled out the Skol Chant before kickoff A number of company legends were at the epicenter of the spectacle including quarterback Fran Tarkenton up in the stands and the Purple People Eaters down on the field We knew the key was going to be how we launched it Harper reported We knew if we got it right it was going to something that we could build upon It was a steady build from there as the Skol Chant started to become more and more ubiquitous across the state As much traction as it gained in the early stages the defining stretch came roughly a year later when journeyman quarterback Episode Keenum led the Vikings on a magical run that culminated with the Minneapolis Miracle We started seeing it pop up everywhere Harper announced You really started to see it take hold and we knew OK This is going to last Appealed if there is a specific Skol Chant that stands out above the rest Harper and Taber both pointed to the immediate aftermath of the Minneapolis Miracle There s a memorable camera shot of Keenum leading the Skol Chant amid of the euphoria He just started doing it by himself and then the crowd started doing it with him Taber revealed That was when it it was like OK This is never going to die This is a part of who we are The momentum has continued over the past decade as the Skol Chant has taken on a life of its own It s commonplace for fans to greet each other on the street by raising their arms above their head and clapping their hands together It has become this rallying cry synonymous with the Vikings Taber stated That s even more special than what it means inside of U S Bank Stadium It still means something inside U S Bank Stadium too I m extremely excited to get that Skol Chant going quarterback J J McCarthy revealed It s going to be a lot of fun It s safe to say the Skol Chant has worked it better than anybody could ve ever imagined We hoped that it would turn into something like this Harper announced Now we look at what it s become and it s like Wow What if Iceland never goes on that Cinderella run None of this ever happens Taber stated We never would ve thought of it Related Articles The Loop NFL Picks Week What makes a great punt returner We called Marcus Sherels to find out J J McCarthy misses Vikings practice to be at birth of his son Vikings place Blake Cashman and Ty Chandler on injured reserve Vikings safety Harrison Smith gives 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