I knew I wanted to write something here today, but wasn’t sure what it would be. Further reflections on Ukraine? The immense consolidation of wealth and power into the hands of a very privileged and very flawed few, occurring at lightning speed over the last few years? And then it occurred to me: I saw The Northman a couple days ago, and clearly THAT is what you want to hear about tonight. So here we are!
Viking Authenticity 101
As soon as I heard that Robert Eggers was going to be releasing a Viking movie, I knew they had me. Let’s be honest: I can get enjoyment out of something with as much authenticity as Thor: Ragnarok, or the movie version of a text book come to life. I enjoy the myth and legends and intrigue around Norse culture as much as I do the authentic history. Horned helmets? I’ll take it! Formed leather armor with pelts? Fine with me (in fact, I HAVE MY OWN, have you seen it?? Because here it is)
Now just because I enjoy all those things, doesn’t mean that I’m not aware that the couple examples of horned helmets we have weren’t viking, and were ceremonial….I know that true authentic historical armor was likely to be chainmail or lamellar…and that the Vikings tv show isn’t exactly a documentary. But, I enjoy all of it just the same. And from the people I know who are from the Scandinavian countries themselves, they seem to hold a similar view.
BOOM. Historical accuracy in spades! ;) Don’t at me.
All that being said, I typically try to not find out much about a movie before I see it, beyond what is in the preview. I like to be surprised. Especially if I am actually going to a movie theater to see it, which I hardly do these days. So imagine my joy when I discovered how much authenticity The Northman sought to pack into its dirty and dark story. I won’t go into the plot here, more than to say it’s based upon Saxo’s saga…which was ultimately used by William Shakespeare as the inspiration for Hamlet. Take from that what you will.
So just to get this out of the way, the movie was fantastic. Richly woven, deeply researched, intelligently written, and superbly acted. I could watch it ten times in a row. And for those of us who carry a mental “Viking Authenticity” bingo card in our heads at all times, this is a blackout. It was truly incredible to see. To see authentic viking swords, along with seax blades and period accurate axes, was a Christmas morning. Spectacle helmets galore, and lamellar armor, if indeed armor was to be had (which frequently, in real life, it wasn’t!). The environment, shot in Northern Ireland and Iceland, was dark and dreary and metal, just like my soul. There was even diamond woven cloth on a priestess, oh my goodness.
But to me, I think the part that most blew me away, was how the true North philosophy of life was captured. As I have stated, I am fascinated by the Viking age (ha, clearly.) But I don’t take it as a way of life we should truly try to emulate. There are certain facets that can be taken, sure, but overall, the way Vikings thought is extremely alien to anything a modern Westerner would recognize now. To the Norse, the gods were alive and active; the veil between worlds was thin, and manipulatable by shaman and seers. Luck was a tangible commodity that attached itself to some people, and a sizable part of the human soul was carried in each of us by a female ancestral spirit. And all of this was referenced in the movie.
Do you want to know what the Norns have to say to you? Do you REALLY?? Be careful what you wish for, Bjork may just show up!
There were barrow dwellers and hallucinogens. Valkyries as the terrifying and powerful creatures they were, not as the sexpots with metal pasties that we so often see these days (though I enjoy those sometimes too!) And they captured one of the most alien ideas I have picked up from the sagas: the notions of motherhood and what they meant to certain female Norse nobility. One of the more horrific facts that one uncovers when learning about Viking histories, is that the bonds of parenthood could be very…fragile. Many children were largely raised by the community, and with the mortality rate being extremely high due to sickness, plague, famine, and everything else that could kill children during what was a very tough time to survive, and in austere conditions…well, parenthood could look very different from what we recognize now. There are tales of Kings sacrificing their sons to the gods, of children being abandoned during noble ransoms, of weak children being killed by their parents in a cruel attempt to strengthen their line. If you want some examples of viking mothers acting in these ways, just look up Gunnhild. Even these horrific views of parenthood were addressed in the movie.
Valkyrie as the terrifying creatures they were! Fierce and nonhuman
The Northman doesn’t shy away from what the Norse truly were, and it doesn’t sugarcoat them. We see the cruelty they could be capable of (yes, they would burn settlements. Yes, they were avid slavers, as was much of the world at this time). It unflinchingly looks into the past, and shows us what was interesting, what was horrifying, and why the world they lived in pushed them to these views and actions. It glaringly demonstrates how they could be both victim and perpetrator, capable of mercy and love and dark magic and hatred. In short, it’s a tale of humanity, of our love and cruelty, and how the seeds of both are entwined within our own souls. It was a fascinating movie, and the more I reflect upon it the more I love it.
FIERCE
