Robert Eggers'The Northman is a revenge story. The film sees its Amleth ace numerous obstacles- then is what happens in the end & what it means.
Warning This post contains spoilers for The Northman
The Northman ending is explained. Co-written and directed by Robert Eggers, The Northman is a horror drama that sees its nominal character wanting nothing but vengeance. The film is packed with Norse tradition, a Viking legend that directly told William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and brutal battles that are waged in the name of revenge. To be sure, the film has commodity in it for everyone.
The Northman takes its cues from the legend of Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), the Viking Napoleon who pledged to retaliate against his father after he was boggled by Amleth’s uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang). The story itself is fueled by Amleth’s open rage; he’s a man on a charge, backed by the supernatural to finish his job. It’s one he'll stop at nothing to complete.
The Northman ends with Amleth killing Fjölnir and thrusting to Valhalla himself, having been fatally picked by his uncle in their fight. Though the film ends in a rather anticipated way, it’s the layers of the story that are also worth exploring. Then's The Northman ending explained, the history of the Berserkers, Gudrún and Olga’s resemblant stories, and the ending’s real meaning.
The Berserker's History Explained Were They Real?
The Berserkers are a group of elite Viking soldiers Amleth joined in the times after he fled his vill and before he got his vengeance on Fjölnir. In the film, they’re fairly violent, storming a vill and pillaging their way through. They kill, steal children, and burn effects down, severely attacking nearly everyone. While cults don’t get too important to them in The Northman, Berserkers did actually live. They wore beast skin rather than traditional armor in battle, charging into townlets to rape and kill, fully deranged. Their name is basically where the ultramodern word “ berserk” comes from because Berserkers would be out of control in their rage and violence. Chroniclers have attributed some of this to Berserkers conceivably using psychoactive medicines.
Amleth’s Plan Why It Took Him Years To Track Fjölnir
As soon as Aurvandill was boggled, Amleth pledged to retaliate against his father, save his mama, and kill his uncle. Still, it was a veritably long time before Amleth could legislate that plan at all. He spent times down from his vill, not yet prepared to defy Fjölnir. Amleth’s time with the Berserkers isn’t explored enough, but one can gather that Amleth didn’t so important forget about his original plans to find and kill his uncle so much that he was biding his time. In his youth, Amleth didn’t have the chops or the means demanded to wage an attack on his uncle. In fact, without the supernatural rudiments, including the Seeress’ help, Amleth would have likely failed. His first instinct was to hide and stay out.
It’s also possible he came habituated to his life with the Berserkers, a group who took him in, watched for him, and trained him to come to a ruthless legionnaire whose sole intent was to execute his uncle. The intermediating times were pivotal for Amleth because they gave him space to do his own thing, come his own person, and sculpt out a life of his own that wasn’t tied only to that of his history. By the time Amleth is visited by the Seeress, he's further than ready to face Fjölnir and is clever enough to suppose a plan regarding how he'll exact his vengeance.
Why Amleth Sees Valkyrie Before His Death & Not During
Amleth and Olga tried to flee Iceland because Fjölnir was onto Amleth’s plot. After delivering Amleth from near death, he has a vision of Valkyrie flying him to Valhalla on a winged steed. Valkyrie convoying someone to Valhalla is a sure sign of death, but in this scene, it's further of an auspice. Seeing Valkyrie confirms Amleth would not survive the events of the film, but it wasn't yet his time to lift to Valhalla. Crucially, he saw Valkyrie because he was near death before, but the presentiment showed him that he demanded to complete his charge if he was to get to Valhalla at all. The coming time Amleth ascends to Valhalla, he has actually failed, picked in the heart by Fjölnir, but he’s saluted with the vision of Olga and their binary children rather than Valkyrie. In numerous ways, seeing that his new family survives is price enough for him.
How Queen Gudrún’s History Is Analogous & Different From Olga’s
One of The Northman’s biggest twists is learning that Queen Gudrún wasn't innocent in her boggled hubby’s downfall. It goes beyond the shock, still, because Gudrún’s history seems to imagine that of Olga. Both women were slaves to the Viking king before their status changed, taking the notice of someone in power and marrying their separate mates, who were of royal birth. But while Gudrún’s marriage was a loveless and cruel one, Olga’s union with Amleth was further cooperation. The ultimate brace worked together to break free from Fjölnir’s clutches, to start a new life together down from the pain of the history. While the two women went about effects else, they both did what they had to do to survive, making opinions in favor of their well-being and that of their children. Olga and Gudrún suffered greatly at the hands of others, and their differences were eventually a matter of luck and circumstance. Olga could have fluently ended up in Gudrún’s position and vice versa, which is why their peregrinations equal each other in so numerous ways.
Aurvandill’s True Nature Changes Amleth’s Vengeance Plot
King Aurvandill is deified only in the eyes of Amleth, whose perspective is the only important bone for a long time. Seeing Aurvandill from Amleth’s point of view justifies his plans for revenge against his uncle throughout the film. Still, learning Aurvandill’s true nature — as a slave- retaining robber who didn't feel to watch about anyone or anything but himself — alters Amleth’s vengeance in preliminarily unlooked-for ways. The reveal doesn’t take down the rage and reason behind Amleth’s conduct against Fjölnir, especially since he and Queen Gudrún were fine trying to kill youthful Amleth, but they do give pause to the idea of complete and unquestioned revenge when Aurvandill himself was so terrible. To that end, there's a bit more sympathy swung to Gudrún because there's an understanding regarding the request to kill her hubby. It clearly makes effects, including Amleth’s revenge plot, a lot further nuanced.
Why The Seeress & He-Witch Help Amleth Defeat Fjölnir
The Seeress and Heimir, the he-witch, are on the side of kindliness, which is why they come to Amleth in a shot to help him fulfill his pretensions. The Seeress, in particular, is a prophet who can see all that will be, so abetting Amleth isn't inescapably because he's a Viking Napoleon, but because she formerly knows what will be. Her appearance at the vill the Berserkers have just taken isn't a coexistence; it’s impeccably timed to Amleth’s character development since he’s now ready to accept the challenge of redressing his father and the Seeress is further than willing to guide him. Heimir the Fool, meanwhile, had a particular attachment to Aurvandill, with whom he worked. Heimir was the intent, indeed after death, to ensure Aurvandill’s birth remained and prospered. It’s why he guided Amleth spiritually to the brand he'd ultimately use to kill Fjölnir.
The Real Meaning Of The Northman’s Ending
The Northman is openly about redressing Amleth’s father’s murder. Still, the film is a bit deeper than what's on the face. Amleth might be fueled by his abomination for his uncle and his conduct, but he's also trying to find his own purpose in life. His trip, in numerous ways, is about reclaiming what was formerly lost to him, chancing a new family amidst the bone he noway really got to have, and to fulfill the fortune he was always meant for. Eventually, still, Amleth’s ending was about him making peace with his death, especially knowing that his birth would live on with his children. Amleth was so angry for so long and he was suitable to eventually exfoliate some of that rage in his fight with Fjölnir. He may not have been suitable to be the Viking king he was shaped to come, but he always knew that embracing his demise to exact his vengeance would land him on death’s door. Understanding that and doing everything in his power to restore his family and retaliate against his father allowed him to die in peace, with Valhalla accepting and embracing him.