That was definitely NOT what i expected!
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will-694 — 12 years ago(July 02, 2013 03:52 PM)
"Not an action movie." Period. Exclamation point. This is not a film to watch to see bulging muscles and cheesy dialogue.
. . . and not a horned helm in sight.
A real "sleeper." This is one of the most mesmerizing little gems I have stumbled across in a long time.
It is everything you describe and more. A marvelous character study and journey of self-discovery and of losing, then rediscovering one's faith and, through that journey, one's inner-strength.
As to your spoiler; did you think that particularly heinous act is a modern invention? It's something that could very well have occurred.
The film is carefully paced so it does seem to drag occasionally, but the narrative and the acting keep you moving forward.
I suspect the haters are going to hate, but this really is a terrific film.
. . . And YES! Somebody with half a brain, recall all of those horrible "Uber Viking" covers and just use a shot from the film. Yeesh! How can anyone these days be so uninformed? -
TaraDeS — 12 years ago(July 02, 2013 04:43 PM)
As to my spoiler..
and to all readers: Now i am too lazy to mark the spoilers!
I knew and i know that raping a man happened in the past history like it happens nowadays.
But i wondered about the historical accuracy if especially Northmen were "famous" for raping old monks.
Have read about some raping of young apprentices and even here the sources are very insecure. -
tehenriksen — 12 years ago(July 09, 2013 03:21 PM)
I think we should look at it on a more individual level though. These characters are definitly shady in one way or another. Just following a man who crave the power of a god reflects that, in addition to them being pirates. I didn't find it at all out of character for that guy to rape the munk really. If you want to read more on the topic, i can refer you to an article on this site:
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/gayvik.shtml
Thats a site generally known for well researched articles on the topic of norse culture. The research are usually based on various law texts, sagas and archeological evidence, so in my mind the conclusions is almost as good as it gets. -
TaraDeS — 12 years ago(July 09, 2013 04:32 PM)
The "viking Answer Lady" (your link) talks a lot about nordic homosexuality.
But that was not the issue.
That special "character" was raping everything what was not at three on the tree.
That was not the issue either.
Said also in my first post that this movie did not claim to be historical accurat.
I only wondered if the Vikings were famous for raping old monks. -
tehenriksen — 12 years ago(July 09, 2013 04:54 PM)
Obviously you didnt read it so i'll quote the relevant stuff:
"The evidence of the sagas and laws shows that male homosexuality was regarded in two lights: there was nothing at all strange or shameful about a man having intercourse with another man if he was in the active or "manly" role, however the passive partner in homosexual intercourse was regarded with derision."
And:
"Being used homosexually by another man was equated with cowardice because of the custom of sexual aggression against vanquished foes. This practice is documented in Sturlunga saga, most notably in Gumundar saga dra where Gumundr takes captive a man and his wife, and plans for both the woman and the man to be raped as a means of sexual humiliation (Ok var at vi or at leggja runni rekkju hj einhverjum grungi, en gera at vi Bjrn prest, at at tti eigi minni svviring.) (Srenson 82, 111; Sturlunga saga, I, 201). In addition to rape, defeated enemies were frequently castrated, again testified to in several places by Sturlunga saga. Grgs records that a klmhogg or "shame-stroke" on the buttocks was, along with castration, a "major wound" (hin meiri sr), ranked with wounds that penetrated the brain, abdomen, or marrow: the klmhogg was thus equated with castration as "unmanning" the victim, and classed with wounds that cause major penetrations of the body, strongly suggesting that the term refers to rape or forced anal sex such as was inflicted on a defeated combatant (Srenson 68). It is not known how widespread the practice of raping defeated foes actually was, or if it existed before the advent of Christianity, but in other cultures which have had as strong an ethic of masculine aggression as existed among the Vikings, the rape of defeated foemen was obligatory."
Mind you, this is mostly from the sagas written by a Christian Icelander some 200 years after the pagan age of the norse ended.
But based on this, and other germanic cultures sexual agression of foes as a means of humiliation, I don't think its out of character for this guy to rape the monk. Especially considering his already shady character-traits.
Anyway,
Sorry for overanalyzing things, the norse culture and that period in history is a big hobby of mine. -
TaraDeS — 12 years ago(July 09, 2013 05:14 PM)
Sorry, man!
I DID read it and the nordic history and mythology is a big hobby of mine too.
Perhaps you should read your own quote somewhat more exactly.
Especially this one:
"suggesting that the term refers to rape"
"It is not known how widespread the practice of raping defeated foes actually was, or if it existed before the advent of Christianity, but in other cultures"
Assuming is not evidence.
I never denied the nordic homosexuality and that men had been raped in the past and nowadays.
The question stays unanswered:
Were the Vikings famous for raping old monks? -
TaraDeS — 12 years ago(December 28, 2013 05:51 AM)
Luckily they created for the german market another cover.
Much more suitably!
Even some more photos there:
http://www.amazon.de/Blut-Wikinger-Blu-ray-Marc-Pickering/dp/B00DDTTBQ Y