quote:
Originally posted by JohnCourage:
I also thought it was interesting how the King's burial scene was similar to the burial scene in 13th warrior.
"Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Lo, there do I see the line of my people, Back to the beginning Lo, they do call to me. They bid me take my place among them, In the halls of Valhalla, Where the brave may live forever!"
That prayer is taken verbatim (well, translated) from Arab historian/writer/traveler Ahmad ibn Fadlan's 10th century account of a Rus death rite. The Rus were 9th-10th century Vikings who settled and raided along the Volga River in what is now Russia (which literally means 'Land of the Rus').
In fact, in The Northman, Amleth flees from his homeland of Hrafnsey, Iceland and travels to Russia, where he joins just such a band of Rus, fighting as an Ulfhednar.
Alongside the legend of Beowulf, ibn Fadlan's writings served as the other half of Michael Crichton's inspiration for the book The 13th Warrior, which was adapted into the film you're referencing... Like the 13th Warrior, ibn Fadlan was an Arab Muslim travelling/living with Vikings. So it makes sense that the prayer would be included in that movie.
And it's one of the few (maybe only?) concrete accounts available today of Viking funeral rites, so it makes sense that The Northman would draw from it as well, considering they were striving for strict adherence to historical accuracy.
