The Northman and the Meteoric Rise of Nordic Fantasy

The fantasy genre has been on an interesting journey since the turn of the millennium. In the 2000s, it was all about traditional Tolkien-style fantasy, spearheaded by the Lord of The Rings trilogy from Peter Jackson. For years, it would set the blueprint for big-budget epics going forward. At the turn of the 2010s, a new sub-genre entered the scene, Nordic Fantasy, which hails from Scandinavian society. While it utilises similar elements, namely a mixture of swords and sorcery, this version is defined by its setting and elements of real history.

Between the 8th and 11th centuries, the Vikings raided, pillaged and explored much of Europe and the wider world. Their unmatched prowess in combat, brutality and sailing became key features of multiple properties from blockbuster films to video games. Some took heavy inspiration while others based themselves directly in Norse Legends. Let’s take a look at the major properties that fuelled this rise...

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Originally released in 2011, Skyrim isn’t based in the real-life world of the Vikings, but it does take some heavy influence. The game’s setting is based in the north of Tamriel, its people, the Nords, value prowess in battle and the worship of their God Talos. The story’s climax takes place in Sovngarde, Skyrim’s rendition of Asgard, where the Dragonborn faces Alduin the World-Easter. Even the wider landscape is similar to Norway with snow-capped mountains and rolling hills. Each of the nine holds is ruled over a jarl and some of the enemies you encounter, most notably the undead Draugr and trolls, are pulled straight from Norse mythology.

The Elder Scrolls was already immensely popular thanks to the fourth entry, Oblivion, in 2006 and Skyrim reached an even higher level of success. It’s been re-released multiple times through the years, albeit with diminishing interest, selling over 30 million units by 2016. In a way, the near-unending popularity of Skyrim paved the way for greater interest in Nordic tales. Even with Bethesda’s weaker writing and storytelling, the world and RPG systems kept many players invested. I can attest to this myself, having poured in over 1000 hours into the title since it launched.

Vikings

In 2013, Game of Thrones had already opened the door to adult-oriented fantasy and other IPs followed suite. Vikings was one of them, following the tale of Ragnar Lodbrok, a legendary Norse hero who rose from rags to riches to become a powerful king. Across six seasons totalling 89 episodes, audiences were treated to a deep and involving tale put together by an Irish and Canadian production crew. It wasn’t without criticism and some historians, like Lars Walker, did call out its depiction of early Viking governments, but the series was very well received overall.

Its themes spoke of personal growth, family and leadership clearly resonated as the show reached six million viewers on its premiere. Even today, Vikings maintains a strong cult following; with the recent follow-up Valhalla arriving on Netflix, the staying power of Nordic fantasy remains strong. Taking place a century later, Valhalla follows the exploits of William The Conqueror alongside other major figures. It’s likely to run well into the 2020s.

Thor: Ragnarok

Marvel is no stranger to God-like figures and one of their most memorable characters debuted in 2010’s Thor. Played by Chris Hemsworth to this day, the God of Thunder had a slow start. The 2010 film and its sequel, The Dark World, are often regarded as two weaker efforts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet through further expansion in the Avengers quadtrilogy and other cross-overs, Thor has steadily risen in popularity which culminated in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok.

Giving director Taika Watiti the reins, the film was met with near unanimous approval. It was a colourful, zany sci-fi flick that upgraded its main lead while taking advantage of its Norse trappings. The first two Thor films featured similar settings and themes, but it was the third entry that put them into play, creating a far better film in the process. The film’s titular event plays a key role in the climax as Asgard is destroyed, taking Cate Blanchett’s Hela with it. It will be interesting to see where the series goes next with the upcoming Thor: Love and War.

God of War

Making its debut in the 2000s, the God of War series established itself as one of the premier AAA titles under PlayStation. After many years of bloodshed in the Ancient Greek pantheon, it was time for a change and Santa Monica Studio settled on Norse mythology. In 2018, Kratos journeyed to Midgard, found a new wife and son and as the game begins, it starts with a simple tale of a duo looking to lay a loved one’s ashes to rest. Yet all who played it found a narrative that went much deeper than that, not to mention maintaining the franchise’s brutal carnage.

Much like Skyrim before it, God of War was a smash hit with the gaming community, drawing critical acclaim and winning several awards. In many ways the franchise grew up with its fourth release, boasting a more mature story and a greater focus on characterisation over action-packed combat. The franchise was well-placed to enter the Nordic scene, having already made a great impression on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. In turn, it utilised Kratos’s actions from previous games to drive home a sense of tired remorse. The protagonist can rarely run from his troubles, but his relationship to Atreus keeps him pushing onwards. With God of War: Ragnarok just around the corner, this new direction for the franchise is here to stay.

The Northman

Finally, we come to The Northman, a film well suited to Robert Eggers and his focus on immersive production. His latest effort is perhaps the most authentic representation of Nordic culture yet seen in cinema. Being set in the time of the Vikings and portraying their era with an unfiltered lens, we’re treated to many grisly moments from the burning of a village to the mutilation of enemies.

With a relatively modest budget of 70 to 90 million and solid performances from all involved, the film is both atmospheric and arresting in its appearance. The world of 895 AD looks absolutely stunning throughout the film, taking full advantage of the cinematic screen and all the godly visions contained therein. With The Northman tipped to be one of the best releases of 2022, it’s clear the realm of Nordic Fantasy shows no signs of slowing down with an effective explosion of interest over the last decade. Where the sub-genre goes from here is anyone’s guess, but you can bet general audiences will flock to it.