Religion and Mysticism in The Northman
Spoilers ahead for the Viking epic from director Robert Eggers
The opening shot of The Northman from director Robert Eggers is of a raven in mid-flight. The camera soon pans over and pulls out to show us the frigid island the raven is headed towards along with a trio of ships. It’s the first of many beautiful shots in the film, but it also establishes the film’s focus on religious symbolism and mysticism. Ravens have long been associated with the Norse god Odin, who is the object of worship of Prince Amleth (played by Alexander Skarsgard as an adult and Oscar Novak as a child) and his family in the film. Ravens will continue to play an important role throughout the film as do the religious practices and mystical traditions of the various characters we encounter.
Before we get too deep into the weeds, here’s a brief synopsis of the film for those of you heretics who are reading this without having seen it already. The Northman is an adaptation of Scandinavian legend of Amleth (which was also adapted by Shakespeare into Hamlet and by Disney into The Lion King). Amleth is a young prince who witnesses the murder of his father (King Aurvandill War-Raven as played by Ethan Hawke) and abduction of his mother (Queen Gudrun as played by Nicole Kidman) at the hands of his uncle (Fjolnir as played by Claes Bang). Amleth pledges to avenge his father, save his mother, and kill his uncle, and the rest of the movie follows an adult Amleth as he tries to make good on his vows. It’s a ferocious and uncompromising look at the brutal lifestyle of the Vikings told through Amleth’s eyes.
While the epic battle sequences and gruesome violence have nabbed most of the headlines when discussing The Northman, it’s the painstaking detail paid to the religious traditions and mystical practices of the people from that era that really set the film apart from other historical epics. Very early in the film is a scene in which King Aurvandill guides Amleth through a ceremony (conducted by Heimir the Fool as played by Willem Dafoe) to impart some knowledge onto Amleth about his duties as his heir. The two channel the spirit of wolves and ingest psychedelic henbane seeds in order to have a mystical experience. Per Eggers, the ceremony itself was concocted by him and co-writer Sjon, but all of the items and substances used in the ceremony were pulled from the historical record and archaeological sites. The most visually striking moment from the scene is when Amleth touches a wound on his father’s abdomen and has a vision where he sees his father’s beating heart and circulatory system morph into a version of Yggdrasil (a sacred tree at the center of the cosmos in Norse mythology) from whose branches hang all of the male members of his lineage with himself at the top. It’s a breathtaking visualization of the reverence for one’s ancestors and importance of hereditary monarchy in this society. It’s also a motif that will crop up again later. Coming into contact with familial blood triggers visions of both his ancestors and future progeny attached to this psychedelic tree. It’s intentionally ambiguous if these are true mystical experiences or merely the effects of hallucinogens combined with deeply held beliefs. It’s left up to the viewer to make that determination.
Another important thread that runs through the film that I touched on earlier is Amleth’s devotion to Odin. He is a true believer in every sense, and it greatly impacts his life and decisions. The first time we see Amleth as an adult is as part of a mercenary unit of berserkers. Berserkers were elite warriors of Odin during the Viking Age who were thought to have channeled the spirits of bears or wolves on the battlefield. They also may have fought bare-skinned (potentially a double entendre: bare/bear-skinned). In The Northman, Amleth wears a wolf skin as a cowl and little else while fighting. There is another incredible scene prior to the battle where the berserkers hold a ceremonial war dance to get into an ecstatic trance in preparation for the coming fight. It is just theoretical at this time as to if this is how berserkers entered their ecstatic state of fury, but it is one of the more widely accepted theories.
Amleth’s devotion to Odin is paid off much later in the film as well when he is being held captive by Fjolnir (who happens to be a devotee of Freyr instead of Odin). While left strung up and unattended, an unkindness of ravens enters the structure and pecks away at his bindings to free him. Once Amleth is cut loose, the bearded figure of Odin appears standing over him with a raven perched on each shoulder. In Norse mythology, Odin has two ravens named Huginn and Muninn (literally “thought” and “mind” when translated into English) who travel the world gathering information for the god. It is once again left ambiguous as to whether Amleth was actually saved by Odin and his ravens or if he was hallucinating, but Fjolnir and his men are startled by ravens flying out of the doorway when they go back to check on their now missing prisoner.
One last example I wanted to touch on was the depiction of Valkyries and Valhalla in The Northman. In Norse mythology, there are two separate realms one can go to in the afterlife following their deaths. One is Hel. Hel is reserved those who die of natural causes such as sickness, old age, etc. The other realm is Valhalla. Valhalla is the destination for those who die in battle. This was the preferred destination for warriors from that time. It’s typically described as a great hall in Asgard ruled over by Odin. When a warrior is slain in battle, he is whisked away to Valhalla by a female entity called a Valkyrie. Both Valkyries and Valhalla appear in The Northman, and it is one of the most impressive visual spectacles in the entire film. We first see them when Amleth is freed by Odin and it appears that Amleth may have succumbed to his wounds. That turns out to be a feint, but Amleth is eventually taken to Valhalla by a Valkyrie at the end of the film. Valhalla appears as a great glowing green doorway in the night sky. I am not doing it nearly enough justice, but trust me that it is utterly magnificent to behold. The Valkyrie who carries Amleth to Valhalla (played by Ineta Sliuzaite) is depicted as a warrior riding a white horse and adorned in full battle regalia. Her eyes are an inhuman pale blue, and her teeth have had grooves chiseled into them and filled with black pigment. This is apparently something that some Vikings actually did to their teeth to appear more menacing. I am here to attest that it most certainly has the desired effect. Watching the Valkyrie ascend the night sky to Valhalla with Amleth in tow is a beautiful and fitting image for The Northman to conclude with.
There are plenty of other examples of religious practices and mysticism throughout the film (including some Slavic practices), but I wanted to limit the scope of this piece to the ones directly impacting Amleth since he’s the protagonist of this story. I genuinely loved this film (I have seen it twice as of me writing this), and the incredible devotion to accurate and beautiful depictions of these practices is a huge reason why. I may never get to spend eternity in Valhalla, but this is the next best thing.