LEGO and Mythology

Although most LEGO sets show little if any mythological influence a few from recent years clearly have.  The most obvious recent example is the 2010-2011 Atlantis theme, especially sets like 7985:  City of Atlantis, which features the mythical city.

The Atlantis theme has some loose connections to mythology, unlike the 2005-2006 Vikings theme which uses a lot of specific references to Viking lore.  Each set includes one Norse mythological creature, including

• Fenrir
• Wyvern
• Nidhogg
• Midgard
• Fafnir

So why did LEGO use Norse mythology in their Vikings sets?  It represents a drastic change as the vast majority of sets lack any historical context.  My guess would be that it may have been a geographical decision.  Denmark was a huge bastion of Viking activity centuries ago, and this still influences their culture today.  If anything it is surprising that LEGO did not create Viking sets earlier.