The Northman Trivia | 40 facts about the new film

«The Northman» is a 2022 American epic historical action drama film directed by Robert Eggers and co-written by Eggers and Sjón.

Let’s find out more about the film!

1. The Northman is a 2022 American epic historical action drama.
2. The film was directed by Robert Eggers.
3. It was co-written by Eggers and Sjón.
4. The movie is based on the legend of Amleth
5. . Alexander Skasgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe star in the film.
6. Filming took place from August to December 2020 in locations throughout Ireland.
7. The Northman had its world premiere in Stockholm at Rigoletto Cinema on March 28, 2022.
8. It began theatrical release in some countries on April 13, 2022.
9. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on April 22.
10. The film has grossed a total of $3.4 million worldwide and received critical acclaim.
11. It received particular praise aimed at its direction, production values, atmosphere, and the performances of the cast.
12. Principal photography was to begin in March 2020, but it was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
13. Filming started in August 2020, at Torr Head, County Antrim, and Ballygally near Larne in Northern Ireland.
14. In September 2020, the team began filming in Malin on the scenic Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, the Republic of Ireland.
15. Archeologist Neil Price of the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Uppsala University, Sweden, served as a historical consultant on the film.
16. Also, the literary scholar Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir (author of “Valkyrie: The Women of the Viking World”) served as a historical consultant along with Neil Prince.
17. The film cost between $70–90 million to produce, which was higher than its original $65 million budget.
18. In a test screening, one audience member said the story was confusing while the studio felt the beginning was too slow-paced.
19. New Regency Productions accepted a new cut and opted out of additional test screenings on November 4, 2021.
20. The dental markings on the Shield Maiden (played by Katie Pattinson) are based on finds in various Viking graves of horizontal lines carved into the teeth. These are particularly common on the island of Gotland. The principal theory is that the carvings were decorations and filled with color pigment.
21. The actors were already present on set and rehearsing before the production shut down due to Covid-19 restrictions.
22. The Sorcerer (Ingvar Sigurdsson) is dressed in women’s clothing.
23. In iron age Scandinavia, magic was seen as a female activity and the words used about male magicians are the same used as slurs about homosexuals. Interestingly, the Norse principal god Odin is a practitioner of magic and is said to have disguised himself as a woman so he could learn magic from the goddesses.
24. The film takes place in the year 914, during the “landnámsöld”. The “landnámsöld” (literary “age of land-taking”) refers to the early settlement of Iceland, before the establishment of the Althing.
25. The Sorcerer (Ingvar Sigurdsson) is seen holding onto a preserved head. This invokes the myth of Odin and his mentor Mimir. Mimir would advise the god Odin who was his student, but Mimir was murdered by Odin’s rival gods. Then Odin pickled Mimir’s decapitated head and reanimated it with magic so Mimir could continue to advise him
26. The Valkyrie wears a helmet with a bronze swan as decoration. In Norse Mythology Valkyries would assume the shape of swans.
27. Ingvar Sigurdsson learned to throat sing for his role as the He-Witch
28. The film takes place in what constitutes modern Scotland, Ukraine, and Iceland.
29. One of the first shots in the theatrical trailer shows a pair of ravens flying toward the island where the story is supposed to take place. The ravens, more than likely, are a reference to the two ravens Hugin and Munin who were used by Odin as familiars in many Viking/Nordic legends.
30. Bjork’s first feature film role since Drawing Restraint 9 (2005).
31. Queen Gudrun’s headpiece is of Finnish design. It’s intended to be loot from one of Aurvandil’s wars.
32. Very loosely based on the story of Amleth which appears in the Gesta Danorum (History of the Danes) written circa 1200 by Saxo Grammaticus – but based on earlier oral traditions. Amleth inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet, though it is doubtful that Shakesepare read Grammaticus directly.
33. The film is titled Northman, which is also the last name of the Vampire in which Alexander Skarsgård is known for playing in HBO’s True Blood (2008).
34. The role in question is Eric Northman, a 10th century Viking who was turned into a Vampire.
35. The Norse way of pronouncing “Amleth” would probably be with a soft “th” like in “the”. Norse words usually don’t end with a lisping “th” like in “thunder”
36. Alexander Skarsgård’s real-life brother Bill Skarsgård was originally cast as Thorir but dropped out due to a schedule conflict after the delay of filming due to COVID-19
37. Robert Eggers came up with the idea for the film, whereas Movie Insider says Alexander Skarsgård came up with it. Eggers clarified in an interview with Den of Geek: during a meet-up between him and Skarsgård, Skarsgård constantly brought up how he had wanted to make a Viking film for years and Eggers pitched his vision for a Viking film.
38. Eggers did not have a story at the time, only later he pitched an adaptation of Amleth to Skarsgård
39. Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, and Kate Dickie were previously directed by Robert Eggers in The With (2015).
40. Alexander Skarsgard plays the vampire Eric Northman in True Blood. Similar to this plot, in the tv show Northman’s Nordic royal family is slaughtered and he seeks revenge there as well.