"Norway the year 999" "I don't want anyone to burn in the flames of hell." "So if you find more heathens around then hear their confession, baptize them and after that, kill them." "The White Viking" "A film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson" "Chapter 1 The Day of Wrath" "In Halogaland, I destroyed a likeness of Odin, made of gold and in Maeri I burned Odin again where he appeared as a tree twice a man's size." "They were not alive." "But Godbrandur the chieftain is said to have a likeness that is alive and eats stockfish." "Odin spits out the bones!" "A God that eats stockfish is both blind and deaf." "Will that Odin help the last chieftain that I have to fight?" "Or... will he fight like a berserker?" "Godbrandur the chieftain has never been conquered by anyone." "But he has never had to face King Olafur Tryggvason and his White Christ." "So you will grant me a victory?" "Without me there will be no victory." "Now I have reached the farthest part of Norway." "Do not forget what you promised me when I started this crusade." "I will live forever but you will die." "It's a pity to have to burn such a beautiful temple." ""My mother's words were:" "Go buy a ship and oars, sail with the Vikings." "Stand on the prow, steer the mighty Viking ship." "Hold course for a haven, Hew down a man or two. "" "Pull, little Vikings." "Pull!" "Pull now, birds and chickens!" "One, two, three, and heave!" "It's too steep!" "Askur, you are too heavy." "Are you not real Vikings?" "You are as heavy as a dungheap!" "Imagine this wagon piled high with silver." "and you that you are in Ireland, fighting the Christians traitors." "Pull!" "Before the arrows start flying and heads are chopped off." "With Askur in charge, there is nothing to fear." ""My mother's words were:" "Go buy a ship and oars, sail with the Vikings." "Stand on the prow, steer the mighty Viking ship." "Hold course for a haven, Hew down a man or two." "My mother's words were:" "Go buy a ship and oars, sail with the Vikings." "Stand on the prow, steer the mighty Viking ship... "" "Here!" "Pater Noster!" "Now one of you will show his strength by fighting against me." "to prove that he is worthy of becoming your new leader instead of me." "and steer my ship in Viking." "We were sent her to spy, not to slay youngsters that would only alert them unnecessarily." "Mighty Freyr!" "Will you grant me many gallant sons and fair daughters with my bride Embla." "May you whet your weapon day and night and strengthen it between her thighs." "What were you saying Hrafn, about Embla?" "I just meant that you are now her owner." "You can do with her whatever you desire." "Shut your gob about my woman." "She is the only woman worth staying at home with, and not sailing with you." "Isn't it so!" "Yes Askur!" "She's the only one who's worth it." "It isn't possible to have more than one child at a time." "With other women!" "If he copulates with two women at the same time" "She could bear twins." "That's it!" "Twins!" "She could bear twins!" "Oh Pater Noster!" "We will surprise these heathens at their wedding party." "Pater!" "There would be no Christians in Norway without me." "And there will be no more without me." "Norway is bleeding!" "It is for your sake that blood has been flowing and in battle" "I am your humble tool." "Without me there will be no victory." "It is to our mutual advantage that I make all Norwegians worship you." "Let my whip absolve me from sin so I can hear your voice" "speak to me as you speak to the king." "I was the one who baptized him and gave him to you when he was an outlawed Viking in England." "Outlawed from Norway!" "If he conquers Norway for you" "reward me by speaking also to me." "Are there polar bears in Iceland?" "Neither polar bears nor brown bears." "This one came floating on an iceberg from the cold Greenland to the warm Iceland." "The names that the Vikings chose for these continents might have confused it." "How much do you want for it?" "It isn't for sale." "But I have some Icelandic sheepskins that should keep you warm." "I'd rather purchase some Irish slave women to stoke my fire during the winter." "These fancy dressed lads that were on your ship behave like they had already conquered the world." "Why are they not working like ordinary men?" "These are the sons of Icelandic chieftains." "They prefer skirmishes and poetry." "And the chief Lawspeaker of Iceland does not sail to Norway for his son's wedding?" "The Lawspeaker was riding to the ship but then his horse collapsed on a flat road." "ODIN!" "COME DOWN TO US!" "ODIN!" "COME DOWN TO US!" "ODIN!" "ODIN!" "ODIN!" "HE IS HERE!" "I offer you my dolls." "Mighty mother Freya as you have given me a child, growing inside of my body." "At the beginning of time the gods in Valhalla constructed the world and created life." "Then they hammered together man and woman so that families might thrive." "Stronger than bear sinew are the bonds that will now bind you together." "You Embla, my own daughter, my only child." "and you, Askur, son of Thorgeir the Lawspeaker of Iceland." "The greatest of all gods, Odin, is here" "proclaims you to be one flesh, marked for him." "Step hard on the ground let the seed fly welcome the young maiden" "Freyr, in time of love" "Freya, in time of love." "Step hard on the ground let the seed fly" "welcome the young maiden" "Freyr, in the time of love." "Freya, in time of love." "I am a white bear!" "I came floating from Greenland on an iceberg." "Accept the scent of the bear as a wedding gift!" "And..." "This shawl was made for an Arabian princess." "Accept it, beautiful chieftain's daughter, as a gift from a humble seafarer." "Thorgeir, Askur's father, Lawspeaker of Iceland, entrusted me and my two companions to bring you this likeness of Freya." "Thorgeir says that this goddess will protect you forever as she protects in her womb, her precious gift of unborn life." "Now we shall sail in search of adventure!" "Do not forget to shovel the manure and milk the goats while we're away!" "Milk what!" "Shall I hold your prick when the arrows start flying?" "Just think of us when you stand there in the dung, while we're looking for adventure!" "This dagger, sacred to Odin, has given us many glorious victories on our Viking raids!" "I will steer Godbrandur's ship in the same glorious way as you did when you were our leader." "Godbrandur's ship?" "No." "The ship of Askur Thorgeirsson from now on." "I am coming with you." "Come on then." "And bring Embla with you." "Both of us are coming in our minds!" "In our minds!" "We are the Vikings!" "Now you are my ship." "And I shall sail on you." "Listen to this poem." "How wonderful it is." ""My mother's words were these." "Go buy a Viking ship and oars" "Sail with the Vikings, stand in the prow" "steer the mighty Viking ship" "Hold course for a haven... "" "Do you know who wrote these words?" "My grandfather." "Egill Skallagrimsson, the chieftain of Odin." "He was the greatest Viking ever." "And the greatest poet." ""Hew down a man or two. "" "WE ARE THE VIKINGS!" "Once, the King of England imprisoned my grandfather and was going to behead him." "But do you know what happened?" "Egill, my grandfather, wrote a poem:" "The Head Ransom - "Hofudlausn"." "A poem so beautiful, so magnificent," "that the King cried when he heard it." "Erik the Bloodaxe cried like a baby." "And Egill kept his head." "That is the power of poetry." ""My mother's words were these." "Go buy a Viking ship and oars... "" "Here we spent our wedding night, your mother and I." "And I was conceived here myself when your grandfather wed your grandmother." "When you return to Iceland, please give Askur's father, Thorgeir this book as a gift from us." "This book shouldn't get wet and needs proper care." "Is it Irish?" "Askur took it in Ireland when he fought dragons and giants." "What!" "Who are..." "What is the matter?" "I gave my dolls to mother Freya." "But they did not burn." "I had this strange dream." "I saw a large tree growing up from the ground but it bore no fruit." "So, it was a tree this time!" "Did it speak to you?" "Maybe it means that Freya will not allow me to have children." "Something will happen to our child, Askur." "Nothing will happen to our baby." "My father, the chieftain of Odin, has sent us the spirit of the great Freya." "He is a chieftain, like your father." "This is a sacred token." "And now I will show you the secrets of Freya." "Look." "This is you," "and this is our child." "In a safe shelter." "Surrounded by warmth and happiness." "Then you better keep me, the mother part while I take care of the child." "As for that dream of yours, Embla this is what the tree signified." "That is Freyr's scepter!" "Deep in the forest..." "Freyr's scepter, rising in glory and the bringer of fruit in the shining springtime." "Who wrote that?" "Your great grandfather?" "No." "I, Askur Thorgeirsson, wrote it for my beautiful bride." "Listen!" "What?" "Can you hear the waves, kissing the shore?" "Up and down..." "Back and forth..." "Before you take up arms, listen to my words!" "I offer you the same conditions as the others" "I have subdued for the White Christ." "The one that rules all heaven and earth." "Those who accept baptism into the true faith, of their own free will, they shall live." "Those who refuse, shall die." "If your god is as powerful as you claim, let him challenge our god and see who is the strongest!" "No one has seen this White Christ except as a lifeless figure on a cross." "Then show us your god, Godbrandur." "Where is your god now?" "Our god is here and sees fear in your eyes." "Godbrandur tries to tell you that our god is invisible but he will soon come." "Askur." "As for your god, it is just a blind and deaf lump of wood." "King Olafur, the one eyed monster..." "Let us kill him." "Let's kill him!" "Now look there!" "Our god appears with burning lights!" "Are you destroying the god of your forefathers, you traitor!" "Show Odin what you are made of!" "Kill these bastards!" "Let's kill them!" "Let's kill them!" "Take them alive!" "Agnus Dei!" "No!" "No!" "Alive, Thangbrandur!" "I said alive!" "What a hero!" "Attacking men with no weapons!" "Baptism is quick!" "We will Christianize with holy water, and then it's done." "But if you prefer to die, it will take a much longer time." "You will die slowly." "The choice is yours." "May you freeze in Hel!" "Freeze!" "A man who tries to kill his legitimate king deserves to die slowly and then burn in the fires of hell!" "But this king has a great and noble heart and you are young, so I shall be merciful." "His soul does not deserve such torments." "Thangbrandur!" "Baptize him, hear his confession and then execute him." "Choose your fate, chieftain Godbrandur." "I have brought Askur up as my own son, and I will die with him." "Together we shall go to Valhalla, with our heads held high." "So be it." "But you shall be the last one to die." "Your death will be longer and more painful than mine." "White Christ wants to baptize you, chieftain Godbrandur." "Come to him freely." "and I shall spare your daughter's life." "Father!" "Don't give in because of me!" "The White Christ wants everyone to come to him by his own free will." "How much do care about your daughter's life, Godbrandur?" "My daughter's family can be tracked back to Odin, to the beginning of time, when Odin first visited Norway." "Odin will take revenge!" "This lump of wood will never take revenge!" "Do not give in because of me!" "You refuse to see the light of Christ," "and therefore, your daughter must burn." "FREYA!" "No!" "No!" "This pelt is fit for a King!" "This pelt is fit for a King!" "Please accept this gift from a humble merchant!" "I am no heathen." "I was baptized by the archbishop of Rouen!" "I am just a travelling merchant." "Make him shut up!" "You took part in a heathen wedding." "Therefore I will forfeit your ship and goods." "FREYA!" "I'm ready!" "Throw water over me!" "Throw water over me!" "Embla!" "Now the last chieftain is defeated and the last heathen stronghold is fallen and all of Norway is in my power." "I want more." "I want to unite into one great kingdom all the countries and the islands where the Vikings have settled." "You demand more than I can offer." "If you have not established this kingdom within a year, you shall cut off your right hand." "No!" "No." "Weep and place your hand on my bleeding heart, or I shall make you blind." "No." "I shall weep with the one eye that is capable of weeping." "Show me your tears." "Swear to establish this kingdom of mine with all the Nordic countries." "Look at my tears." "Look at my tears!" "I swear with my tears, that I will cut off my right hand if all the Northern countries are not yours within a year." "Bigger tears." "Bigger tears!" "Bigger tears!" "I have already given you one eye." "No sacrifice is too great for such a glorious victory." "Bigger tears!" "No!" "No!" "Bigger tears!" "The White Christ has heard my prayers!" "The White Christ has heard my prayers." "The boy who tried to kill you, is the son of the Lawspeaker of Iceland." "The one who had you whipped on the arse and sent back to Norway?" "Yes." "That beast is the father of the boy who tried to kill you." "Now we can take revenge and send the Lawspeaker his son's head and burn the body." "Let the head bring heartfelt greetings greetings from Thangbrandur, the Bishop, the very man he disgraced!" "First we burn his hand, the hand that tried to kill you and then we burn his limbs." "One by one." "So you are an Icelander?" "Your father is Lawspeaker and poet in Iceland?" "In Iceland men are either heroes or poets." "They have brought both poetry and heroism and peddled it here on a grand scale." "What are you, a hero or a poet?" "Both." "Have you written any glorifying verses about me, poet-hero?" "No, and if I did, they would not be glorifying." "Unless gold was given in return." "We will send the Lawspeaker his son's head attached to the body." "You will travel in one piece." "Thangbrandur." "These lcelanders you are going to baptize, are they also chieftains' sons?" "Yes, but..." "Tell them the happy news that they are chosen as Christian missionaries." "They'll become heathens again if they set foot in Iceland." "Do what I command." "Make sure my soldiers do not touch his bride until we have reached an agreement." "A king has to reward his men when they win a great victory." "Now they expect to have your bride as a reward." "If you harm a hair on Embla's head, you will wish you had burned me instead." "Cut him down." "This time the cross will be your weapon, poet- hero." "You will lead my missionaries on a crusade to Iceland." "If you want to conquer Iceland then why don't you go there yourself with your army." "Iceland is too remote and the seas too turbulent for longships and if the king is away for too long the chieftains will take advantage of it and rise against me." "Nonetheless, Iceland needs to be Christianized and you will do it!" "And if I refuse to go?" "Then you will die and my soldiers will have your bride." "I swear upon the bleeding heart of my saviour, that your bride will be placed in Christ's charge and shall be returned to you the day you prove that Iceland belongs to the White Christ, like I do." "I, King Olafur Tryggvason, kneel before you as your humble servant." "Put your hand on his heart." "He has a great and noble heart like me." "Repeat after me:" "I swear to dedicate my life to this holy mission." "But I do not believe in Christ." "I do not demand that you believe." "Your mission is to make other people believe in him." "I swear to dedicate my life..." "I swear" "I swear to dedicate my life..." "To this holy mission..." "To this holy mission..." "Benedictus!" "Benedict." "Now you will learn the Ten Commandments." "You shall only believe in one God." "There is just one God." "That is the difference between the gods in Valhalla and Christianity." "that the Christian God is only one but in Valhalla there were many gods and they really didn't exist." "One God,you say." "But didn't this god beget a son?" "There is but one God." "Other gods do not exist." "But this seems to be quite a family and Mary, the mother of God as its head." "Should I tell my men to worship Christ or Pater Noster before battle?" "Christ, Pater Noster and the Holy Spirit, are one and the same." "Don't you understand this?" "It is enough for you to believe." "Aside from understanding, then tell me what to do when I've arrived in Iceland, ready to Christianize the heathens." "What should I say and do?" "You'll say:" ""Christ has arrived!" "Let yourself be baptized or else, die. "" "So I'll convert them with weapons?" "Usually, it is not necessary." "They are commoners that are easy to convince." "They only need to see this cloak and they become as meek as lambs." "Then you have to baptize them with holy water and say: "I baptize you in the name of White Christ. "" "Then you explain to them the perils of hell." "And explain to them what I don't understand myself?" "You tell them, that as heathens, they will surely burn in the fires of hell." "You explain to them that you are there to save them from the fire." "I was taught that all men who died by weapons would go to Valhalla and would live there as heroes with great feasting, that the bonfire was always burning and it never got cold." "People will assume that your hell is the same place as Valhalla and then everyone will want to go to hell." "It is not the same place!" "Not at all!" "And the fire, the fire in hell is cold!" "Ice cold fire!" "Ice cold fire!" "Yes!" "You don't want to go there when you're dead." "Into the frost!" "Stress that point." "You're there to absolve them from their sins." "Save them from the freezing fires of hell!" "But what is sin?" "Everything that goes on in Valhalla is a sin." "Lusts of the flesh the conscience has to conquer." "But how about Mary?" "She couldn't have born a child if the Pater Noster hadn't desired her." "How did he do it?" "The birth of Christ was a virginal birth." "The holy spirit told Mary that she would give birth to the son of God." "There was never any fleshly communion." "And you expect the Icelanders to believe this?" "If they start to ask stupid questions you'll just say:" ""The ways of God are inscrutable to man. "" "And then you baptize them." "An easy job, really." "Don't confuse them with the theology." "But if this is so easy, why did you fail at it Bishop?" "I was alone!" "A stranger to everyone." "They sent feathered monsters against me." "That I had to kill by myself with my sword." "You are the Lawspeaker's son and have a powerful brother and you'll have this cloak" "and the sword!" "And you have the sons of the most powerful chieftains to back you up." "If I had that support, things would have been different." "I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ, the White Viking who fought with his holy weapon the cross, in life and death." "Amen." "Kiss it!" "I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ, the White Viking who fought with his holy weapon the cross, in life and death." "Amen." "I baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ who fought with his holy weapon the cross, in life and death." "Tell his brother that Askur intends to Christianize the Icelanders and make them the subjects of the King of Norway." "And that he will demand the chieftainship after his father." "Are you afraid he may have success where you failed?" "For Askur's head I will give you this ring." "Only for his head?" "Then the whole body might be expensive." "For the head!" "I should dispossess you of all your belongings and make you serve in my army." "I am an old man." "I would be of little use as a soldier." "Then I shall make you a warrior of Christ." "You will build a church here." "A temple to the White Christ." "Twice as big as the barn where you kept your likeness." "Then I shall let you keep your estate." "May your mission bear rich fruit, dear brother." "I want you to gain great glory from this journey." "Your victory shall be my victory." "Here is your holy cloak." "And the purseful of coins that the King ordered me to give you for the journey." "Everybody here is a witness, that I have fulfilled the king's will." "Since my wife passed away," "I have grown too old to manage my own estate." "But I have Askur and my daughter to help me." "Askur!" "I will be back!" "I will be back when I have Christianized the Icelanders." "What!" "I will not be gone for long!" "Don't let them trick you to go!" "Don't go!" "The King has sworn an oath." "What oath?" "When I have Christianize the Icelanders, he swears to spare my life, free you and give you back to me." "I will go with you!" "Embla!" "Let me go with him." "No!" "You stay here." "You are the fuel that fires his burning zeal." "Embla!" "Wait for me!" "I shall return!" "Don't be afraid!" "His fearlessness is his strength." "When you are young even the impossible is possible." "You are sending him to his death!" "He is too young to fear death and then death does not exist." "Askur!" " Embla!" "May you freeze in Hel!" "I've heard these words before." "You took baptism only to save your daughters life." "She will be my hostage to make sure you do not betray me and do not try to escape to Iceland." "One day you will regret your deeds." "Your daughter has the temper of a queen, Godbrandur." "The sea is cold." "Even the great Grettir himself would not attempt to swim ashore." "What is that?" "A token that will secure me victory." "A token of Freya." "And yet the White Viking wears it proudly around his neck." "The ways of God are inscrutable to man." "The White Viking" "A film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson" "Chapter 2" " A Fish On the Mountain" "So, when I have finished building the Christ temple..." "Then I will come to bless it." "If everything is as you say, I will ordain you as a priest." "You will have the same privileges as a heathen priest possesses." "Priests..." "But my daughter?" "The White Christ." "I am leaving Godbrandur's daughter in your custody." "Take her to the Roman convent." "She is the bait that will get Askur to Christianize the Icelanders for me." "She is Godbrandur's chain." "As long as she is a hostage, he will never rise against me, but will build churches." "The Roman convent has turned even the worst witches to Christ." "Godbrandur's daughter is no witch!" "Her beauty is one of a queen." "You will treat her accordingly." "I intend to baptize her myself." "Time will sweeten her." "I will dedicate my life and soul to the task." "If anything happens to the girl," "I shall send your soul to hell and feed your body to my ravens." "Do not fail me again." " Have I ever failed you?" "I have served you faithfully from the time I first met you." "In England, when you were just a wandering Viking." "Coming from Russia." "An outlaw from Norway." "I baptized you." "I gave you the tools of Christ." "My birds are hungry." "It was not my fault." "After the ravens have eaten a bishop, they will desert Odin and turn to Christ." "Witch!" "The King's order is clear." "Not a hair shall be hurt on hear head." "The bishop brings here a woman bearing the fruits of her flesh?" "Are you... expecting a child?" "Children are born here all the time." "ICELAND THE YEAR 999" "Is that Ljosavatn?" "We need to fill water." "Runolfur, Svertingur's father lives here." "None of us will go ashore here." "Let them fill water and then we sail for Ljosavatn." "I want to meet my father and brother." "You will not find your father there." "He is at the outdoor Parliament." "At the sacred place "Thingvellir"." "Our fathers will be there too." "Then let's sail for Thingvellir." "Thingvellir is in the mountains." "We can get horses at my father's." "And ride to the Parliament at Thingvellir" "Then we can ALL ride for Thingvellir." "Together." "Your father has not been sleeping well." "I'm riding on to the Parliament at Thingvellir to meet him." "Give my friend Askur something to eat while I get horses." "Where does this man come from?" "From Norway with Svertingur Runolfsson." "Yes, I could tell by the smell." "What smell?" "I'm quite satisfied with my own smell." "Last time a Norseman was here, the drinking water smelt like piss." "Get out of here, White Christ!" "I'm not the White Christ." " Get out!" "Listen to me!" "Murderer!" " Get rid of the smell of Christ!" "Looking for Runolfur?" "Then you've found him, White Christ." "You should fight by my side Svertingur Runolfsson or you will break your oath to King Olafur in Norway." "Icelanders may swear what oath they like in Norway to save their lives." "In these parts we cut down any messenger of the White Christ." "However, I will not kill the son of Thorgeir at Ljosavatn." "I do not need my father's name as protection." "This sword will do that well enough." "Bishop Thangbrandur killed this woman's father, a crippled man and two cows with that sword." "I do not think you will increase its reputation or it yours." "Watch this ceremony carefully so you will be able to be baptized with the utmost honour when the his majesty the king will arrive." "Lord Christ, descend from heaven." "Appear before these humbled sinners so they may see your glory and be cleansed." "Hallelujah!" "Christ come to us and cleanse their sinful bodies in the holy waters of Jordan." "Sanctus." "Sanctus." "Sanctus." "Veni creator spiritus sanctus." "His Majesty will baptize you himself." "Christ take these two repentant sinners into your protection and make them your brides for the sake of your name." "Lord Christ, ye who punish us for our sins and misdeeds walk before us now and forgive us." "May the Holy Ghost appear to confirm your acceptance of these two shriven souls as your brides." "See it!" "See it!" "Repeat after me:" "I am a bride of Christ!" "I choose to serve him humbly to my death." "I adore Christ!" "Now you will put on this habit." "You are silent." "It is good to accustom oneself to silence." "The girls that come here have to learn to keep silent, and obey." "They shall never take you away from me." "The bishop is hungry." "Did you fast during your travels here?" "Then we can expect the hunger to help Embla find her tongue soon." "She keeps quiet." "Really!" "She isn't deaf or dumb is she?" "She didn't say a word when I handed her the habit." "It doesn't matter if she is quiet or not, as long as she doesn't run away." "She nearly killed one of my men on the way here." "But all the same, I am not allowed to harm a hair on her head." "She is one of his treasures." "Privileges are always a liability here." "You lick the King's feet." "I do not have to lick his feet." "Olafur is like a child to me." "I baptized him in England when he was only a wandering Viking" "on his way from Russia." "Outlawed from Norway." "I gave him the cross and the White Christ to conquer the Norsemen." "But he is like a child." "Children can become troublesome if you take away their playthings." "like when birds peck." "The ways of King Olafur are inscrutable to me." "I think the small witch with the green eyes wasn't cleansed properly shouldn't I..." "I'm keeping her for myself." "I see we have an invalid here..." "Gunnar." "I bought these trousers in Rouen." "They would suit you well." "A shawl that the girls will adore." "Hey, that honey is expensive!" "Why own Ljosavatn if a man cannot get honey?" "Own it?" "So, you have taken over the chieftainship?" "My father has given me his sword." "How do you like my new house?" "Such a house should be hung with tapestries worthy of the French King himself." "What king is that?" "I will own all of this." "Alone." "You alone?" "Why do you ask?" "You had a brother in Norway?" "Had?" "Have you news of Askur?" "It costs a great deal to sail to Iceland." "If Askur is the man I think, he will be here before you know it." "Askur is here?" "In Iceland?" "The King has baptized him into the Christian faith." "He has great plans for him here." "My father declared bishop Thangbrandur outlaw at the Parliament." "I would not wish him to outlaw his own son." "He will claim the farm." "I did not build the new house for Askur to claim it." "Gunnar." "Askur will inherit Godbrandur's estate in Norway." "What is some small holding in Norway compared to this?" "The estate of the chief Lawspeaker of Iceland!" "I have a book for your father." "What is this book?" "It is a law book." "But there is nothing in it about inheriting estates." "I will take it to him." "I promised to tell him about Askur's wedding." "And that is all he will hear about!" "Ketill brings bad news from Norway, mother." "We should consult the birds." "Hard to get a reply from birds already cooked." "All news from Norway are bad." "I have heard that Olafur who calls himself king, has cut out one of his eyes, just to mock the great Odin!" "If you tell my father anything of my brother's travels, you are a marked man." "I won't be eating any honey while this bastard is in Iceland." "Thorgeir food!" "Boiled fowl." "He is senile!" "He has almost stopped eating." "He won't speak to anyone." "He just lies there." "Thorgeir!" "He just lies there." "You have a visitor." "I'll leave your food here." "Thorgeir." "Thorgeir." "I bring you news of your son, Askur." "I am bringing you a gift from him." "Is the girl beautiful?" "And well developed?" "Good for bearing children." "We have always chosen our women with great care in our family." "But I have to be content with that witch." "She even tries to poison my food all the time." "Like when she and her son poisoned my horse's feed." "even though it was marked for Odin." "Were they appreciative when you brought them the carving of Freya?" "They thought it very well made and said that she guarded within her the treasure that is unborn life." "So Askur knows why I didn't come to the wedding." "He knows that your horse collapsed on a flat road." "Did Askur say anything about visiting his father?" "Not that I heard of." "But he thinks this gift will make you happy." "A man so easily deceived and who does not attend his eldest son's wedding only because his horse breaks its leg on the way to the ship." "Thinks that Odin has hindered his travels." "I am not worthy of receiving any gifts." "But are you not curious to see what he sends you?" "No." "No." "Askur will not trick me out of my bed." "If he has sent me something, it is only to bring me to Norway and I cannot go anywhere." "I am forced to stay here, rotting, into the darkness of hell." "This gift will not take you to Norway." "If anywhere, it is Ireland." "Askur took this book there, as plunder, during a Viking raid." "So Askur knows that if a book is anywhere in my vicinity it will not remain unread for long." "The Irish are Christian and do not know how to use a sword." "But no one wields a pen better than they do." "Askur has inherited my wisdom." "He sees into your soul even though he has never set eyes on you." "How about that wandering outlawed Viking that calls himself the king of Norway?" "King Olafur has his warriors piss on the holy relics of the great Odin, to desecrate them and convert Norway to worship the White Christ." "His soldiers would be hard pressed to find places to befoul here in Iceland." "It hasn't been long since Iceland was settled so no place has become hallowed ground of Odin - yet." "But in Norway there are sacred powers in every stone." "I will rot on this godforsaken island that will never see happiness." "Is anyone here?" "Is there anyone here?" "Christ has come!" "You will accept baptism into the faith of the White Christ." "I shall prove who is the stronger, the White Christ or Odin." "I've had enough of these White Christs coming here every year now." "And this one I will kill!" "You can't kill him!" "That is Thorgeir's son, Askur." "He sailed here with us." "Thorgeir's boy?" "Looks more like him than that other oaf he calls his son." "The King of Norway has forced him to turn us Christians." "If you refuse, he will have to fight you." "And if you kill Askur, the king will soon know." "One can't kill anyone anymore!" "The White Christ has come!" "You want to give him the same treatment as Thangbrandur got?" "I call upon you to accept baptism!" "That ride didn't do much to calm that fool who calls himself bishop and he was twice as crazy when you had finished with him." "Not quite so cocky..." "I will prove who is stronger, White Christ or Odin." "Get rid of him, wife, but don't involve me." "Accept baptism or die!" "I've come to challenge chieftains and destroy temples!" "Be careful, mother." "Greetings my good man." "Is there anything I can help you with?" "Children erected this nithing pole for bishop Thangbrandur when he was here last year." "It hasn't been taken down yet." "Aren't you the White Viking himself?" "Isn't that the costume the White Christ uses in battles?" "It suited Thangbrandur better than it suits you." "But Thangbrandur told me..." "He wished me to be regarded a bigger fool than himself." "I shall kill him!" "Foolish he may be, but he pissed into our drinking water and killed all our chickens and geese in the name of the White Christ." "Then he said he had killed heathen giants, all covered in feathers." "Is this not the place of the Parliament?" "The Parliament closed yesterday." "I want to address the Parliament." "Then you will have to wait for twelve months." "The Parliament gathers only once every summer." "Why don't you come on in?" "Where is your husband?" "My husband?" "He is down on the coast, cutting up whales." "Come." "He will not be back till the autumn." "Are you and your people Christian, or...?" "I don't know what happened between my husband and Thangbrandur after he destroyed our temple." "But Thangbrandur fought against sin all night long, in this house." "And I fought at his side and it was a great battle." "The whole house was shaking till we won!" "Then he baptized me with the holy seed of the word." "I feel I need to be baptized again." "That custom of letting travelers sleep in the housewife's bed is certainly kept alive here!" "Let us hope sin will have its victory this time." "Or we will not get any sleep tonight." "What do the birds say?" "Dead birds do not speak much." "Askur is older than me and can demand the chieftainship." "He has the right of the firstborn." "Your father would not be chieftain if he had not married me." "And he never mentioned that Norwegian whore when we were to marry." "Vicious tonges whispered that your father had married the chieftainship and not me." "My father has always preferred Askur over me, even though he's never seen him." "The whore's son shall not inherit the chieftainship." "That whore was in the King's family." "Icelanders do not bow to any king!" "The ravens of the great Odin changed the horse's mind and made it collapse on a flat road and kept my father from going to Norway." "Let them chase Askur from the country before my father knows he is here." "Fowl and ravens." "Fowl and ravens." "Filled with sorrow." "Filled with sorrow." "Pick out his eyes." "Pick out his eyes." "Fowl and ravens." "Fowl and ravens." "Filled with sorrow." "Filled with sorrow." "Pick out his eyes." "Pick out his eyes." "Pick out his eyes." "Pick out his eyes." "What are they saying?" "What are they saying?" "There is a fish on the mountain." "And the mountain has no roots." "The birds do not spit no more and rocks don't cry" "With women's beards and down from cats" "The fish on the mountain will be caught." "Mend the nets..." "Mend the nets..." "What does that mean?" "Mend the nets..." "Mend the nets..." "Mother!" "White ravens do not live long!" "Me?" "Alone?" "Freyr has arrived!" "Volundur!" "The greatest carpenter of Iceland!" "Such an abundance of splendid idols, no one crafted before he did." "If the belief in the great Odin at Valhalla dies your work dies with it." "I do not make the blót sacrifices myself." "I would prefer it if you didn't chant these rhymes." "If the belief in the great Odin dies your work dies with it." "Stop that!" "No one carves fairer idols than Volundur." "Even though carving idols is interesting and pleases the chiftains" "I do not make the blót sacrifice." "The messengers of the White Christ will tremble before your idols should they dare to come here." "May the same idols save me from the messengers of the White Christ." "I do not know how to carve the likeness of Christ and would become impoverished and idle." "Don't worry brother." "I will kill any White Christ who might wander here." "Killer-Hrappur fears no man!" "No!" "No!" "Never!" "Go away, White Christ!" "Christ cleanses us of our sins with pain." "Those who wish to be like him not only cleanse themselves," "but all those whose lives they have touched." "Great mother Freya, grant me strength until Askur's return." "You have desecrated the robe, Christ wanted you to wear." "You heathen bitch!" "Please!" "Don't..." "I am in charge here!" "I told you she is one of the king's treasures." "His treasures!" "If you cannot think of yourself, think of your unborn child." "It will starve too!" "When you have Christ at your side, you have nothing to fear." "Use him" "as King Olafur does." "Are you the brave warrior who challenged feathered monsters at the house of Runolfur the Strong?" "The great fish on the mountain?" "I am here to baptize the Icelanders in the name of the White Christ." "I should like to be baptized by such a well known hero." "You are notorious already." "I then baptize you in the name of the White Christ." "White Christ..." "White Christ..." "Cold and wet is your kiss, oh Christ but I am now yours." "Great is your power, fish on the mountain." "You are now a Christian and shall follow him in silence!" "We thank you for the sacred piss of Thangbrandur that we drank in the name of Christ and the fish on the mountain." "In silence, I said!" "Is this a Christian symbol that gives you great strength?" "Can I keep it?" "No!" "Give it to me." "No!" "Who gave it to you?" "A woman who rules the world." "The mother of God?" "He is one." "One?" "Then how about the Holy Spirit?" "Doesn't he have a rod as large and stiff as a horse's?" "Isn't it so?" "Where are you heading?" "To Ljosavatn." "Then we'll ride together." "This woman you say rules the world, is she as beautiful as Freya?" "Even more beautiful." "What is her name?" "Her name is Embla." "The White Christ has news of your daughter." "Godbrandur." "Your daughter Embla is well." "I have ordered my humble servant bishop Thangbrandur to place her in the Roman convent." "There she will be protected from danger." "And there she will see my glory." "The Roman convent?" "In the convent all young maids learn to obey the word of God." "They are brides of Christ." "The bride of Christ?" "The brides of Christ do not care for the pleasures of the flesh, only the holy word." "White Christ has chosen her as his bride himself." "Such honour cannot be described in words." "She is a descendant from Odin." "But White Christ, please let me see my daughter." "When you meet your daughter, you will yield and kneel at her feet." "That is all I can tell you." "I will hide here." "You will assist me if needed." "What do you mean?" "One of the White Christs is on his way now." "Just carry on." "The fish is on the mountain." "Come!" "That is Thorgeir the chieftain working." "Are you Thorgeir?" "Thorgeir?" "What do you want with him?" "He is my father." "I am Askur." "Who told you I was Thorgeir?" "The old woman that led me here." "I am not Thorgeir." "Volundur is my name." "Caught like a fish on the mountain." "Killer Hrappur!" "Killer Hrappur!" "Your brother has been killed!" "The white raven has killed your brother in the smithy!" "Calm down, Killer Hrappur." "My father will determine a sentence cruel enough for him!" "Father, here is the White Christ." "The messenger of the Norwegian King." "He has slain Volundur, your carpenter." "Pronounce judgment now!" "He slew my brother in an ambush." "I demand to kill this Christian hound now!" "If he is a missionary of the King, we should take this up at the Parliament." "I will not wait a year!" "Pronounce judgment now!" "I am not a rash man and I am old and tired." "You are the Lawspeaker and have the power to pass judgment." "I'm not sure I can think of a sentence harsh enough for him." "He deserves to die slowly." "Very slowly." "First we'll cut out his eyes and then we'll chop off his limbs one by one." "We'd only be doing him a favour by dismembering him." "These missionaries long for a death like that." "Such men do not deserve to die with honour." "No." "The worst punishment is to have to crawl back to King Olafur after the miserable failure of his mission." "I therefore sentence this man to be outlawed from Iceland for life." "Send him back to Norway." "I would rather have the pleasure of cutting him to pieces." "But Thorgeir Lawspeaker is right." "Tell the King, when you crawl at his feet that you were caught like small fry in a net here in Iceland when you were killing defenseless and innocent people." "A shame that such a handsome man should be a lackey of the King and kill people simply because they do not worship the same gods." "Who pays for your brother's fare?" "He who buys honey!" "You shall sail now!" "Honey?" "Now we'll all eat honey!" "Fowl and ravens." "Fowl and ravens." "Filled with sorrow." "Filled with sorrow." "Pick out his eyes." "Pick out his eyes." "The White Viking" "A film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson" "In that terrible battle in heaven between Christ and Satan" "Chapter 3" " The Resurrection In that terrible battle in heaven between Christ and Satan" "Chapter 3" " The Resurrection and his minion, Beelzebub," "Chapter 3" " The Resurrection a third of all angels fell down to hell a third of all angels fell down to hell and their bodies were solidified by the fall that the people of earth could observe them." "These angels are now demons and imps of Satan and are still revolting against the White Christ and try to lure humankind to evil." "This church will be White Christ's fortress in his battle with Satan and on the day of judgment, we will fight at his side." "Kyrie Eleison" "Kyrie" "Sanctus." "Sanctus." "Sanctus." "Kyrie Eleison." "They have seen us." "Kyrie Eleison" "Kyrie." "Sanctus." "Sanctus." "Sanctus." "What news from Iceland?" "So you would like some news from Iceland?" "Have the heathens been converted?" "It is expensive to travel to Iceland." "Great seas and the trip long and chilly as you would know yourself." "You have nothing to fear." "Askur had no success." "Is he not with you?" "Or at least a part of him?" "You promised me a ring of gold if Askur failed." "I promised you the ring for Askur's head." "Askur met his father and brother and there was no conversion." "Give me the ring!" "Give me the head!" "If he's alive, I do not owe you anything at all." "I asked for he head!" "The ring!" "The head!" "The head!" "The ring!" "Now you are ordained as a priest." "White Christ is pleased with you." "And so am I." "You will return my daughter to me?" "Only the White Christ can return your daughter." "When you have finished his church." "Finished the church?" "But I have finished it?" "When it is completed, even the most barbaric heathen would hesitate to burn down such a magnificent building." "King!" "King!" "Askur, who tried to kill you, and whom you sent to Christianize Iceland," "has joined forces with his father and brother!" "We should have sent them the head alone." "and kept the body." "He's now walking around in one piece and leading the heathens against you." "And that makes you happy." "If Ketill brings bad news from Iceland," "I'd rather have him telling me that himself." "From now on, no ship sails for Iceland without my permission!" "A church of Christ differs from a temple of Odin, Godbrandur." "A church has to be twice as high rise towards God, the creator of Heaven." "You'll have to build another level." "Twice as high." "And when that is finished the church will be splendid enough to keep White Christ himself." "And his bride." "This church of Christ, will it ever be finished?" "Push." "Push." "Bear down." "No!" "No!" "White Christ." "Embla will be your bride and I know you will take good care of her." "I love her more than life itself." "and when she returns, all my belongings will go to her." "Where is Embla?" "The bishop said that you had decided to settle in Iceland." "Where is Embla?" "What happened in Iceland?" "I asked where Embla is!" "Christ has chosen her as his bride." "Is that what the King said?" "No, Christ himself told me." "He spoke to you?" "Yes." "Like Odin used to?" "I used to feel Odin in my head." "This Christ does not speak to me." "But the White Christ that the King has with him, is white with a beard, and a mouth that speaks." "He told me he had chosen Embla as his bride." "You're saying that White Christ is your son-in-law, and not I?" "I'm just telling you what the White Christ said to me." "The god himself." "Embla is descended from the gods." "Her forefather Odin, came to her foremother during one night and if the White Christ marries the descendant of Odin it means that differing powers merge in one family and peace between warring powers." "Odin is attracted to women." "So why should not White Christ be the same?" "The king has tricked you." "Hear my words, White Viking." "I shall take Embla from the king and from you, even if it costs me my life." "Why can't I get that young Valkyrie out of my mind?" "I have promised you all the lands in the west that belong to the Vikings and now I want you to promise me this:" "When Embla becomes your bride then transform into flesh your Holy Ghost." "Be incarnate in me your bravest warrior and your most faithful servant," "the king who Christianized Norway!" "Those who God loves die young." "Those who Christ calls to him, find everlasting life." "I have a visitor for you." "Where is my child?" "Christ will bestow upon it the crown of life." "Christ...?" "This milk was intended for one of his children, but now it shall burn you!" "Murderer!" "Witch!" "You heathen witch!" "Get away!" "My orders were that Godbrandur's daughter be treated as a queen." "Not as a witch!" "I was not told you were carrying a child." "I did not ask either so the fault is mine." "Allow me to give it a burial in the name of the White Christ as a token of my heartfelt regret for what has happened." "That will not bring my child back to life." "I will even conduct the ceremony myself." "That is the highest honour I can bestow upon anyone." "I will give the child back to Freya, who gave it to me." "You are a woman most fit for a king." "A chieftains daughter." "Your father is building the biggest church in Norway." "A king needs a strong woman by his side." "I'm afraid you will not see Askur again." "He has taken over his father's farm in Iceland, and he is not coming back." "He has betrayed the White Christ." "And... you." "He will never betray me." "If you will be baptized of your own free will and become mine," "I will take you away from here." "If not..." "Consider my offer and send for me." "Askur will come back." "My dreams tell me so." "Do not steal from me my hope as well as my happiness." "This was a birth of a virgin." "Why was I never told that she was carrying a child?" "Birth of a virgin?" "Birth of a virgin." "How could I know?" "Babies are born here all the time." "I thought the most important thing was that she did not escape." "Embla was an untouched virgin." "And now it has happened that the son of God has been killed the second time!" "What did you promise me?" "What did you promise me?" "To look after her with your life and soul!" "Why can I never trust you?" "Have I ever let you down?" "Remember what I did for you in England?" "Outlawed from Norway, when you came from Russia." "I made you a king!" "England.." "England." "How many times shall I have to pay for what you did in England?" "I made you king!" "How often have I not forgiven your foolishness and stupidity for the same reasons?" "I baptized you" "Go." "Go." "The king is here." "Wait for me here." "Embla!" "Is she here?" "No." "Shall I fetch her?" "Has she asked for me?" "Not that I know of." "But she knows she is expected and that you intend to baptize her." "Bishop Thangbrandur asked for a ceremony fit for a queen when Embla is to be baptized." "Start the ceremony." "You did not send for me." "You did not send for me." "I will wait for Askur." "One day you will be old, gray and ugly, and still waiting." "Then you will remember how I once offered you the world." "I offered you the throne." "Everyone would have to kneel for you." "Whatever you desired could have been yours." "I have made my decision." "If you change your mind, you will become the Queen of Norway." "Christ is risen..." "Jesus!" "Jesus Christ!" "I've seen him!" "I've seen him!" "Who?" "The miracle!" "It is true!" "He has risen from the grave!" "Whom have you seen?" "Jesus." "He is in there." "Not in there." "There!" "Can you swear by the Holy Mother of God that it is true?" "Both in the name of the Mother of God and God himself." "If you saw a phantom then it was Satan." "Here is neither Christ nor Satan." "But I saw him!" "I saw Jesus Christ!" "She has seen Jesus Christ!" "I allow you to perform mysteries, and you begin to see ghosts!" "Sister Helga claims to have seen a vision of Christ." "But Satan sent that vision to her mind!" "Satan can appear in any shape in our minds." "He doesn't even hesitate to take on the shape of White Christ himself." "No!" "Satan." "Not Satan!" "Christ will not reveal himself until the final day." "And even if he had come down to us, he would have been wearing all his holy attributes." "The crown, the robe, and the sword!" "As you can see, here are his attributes." "No one." "Not even Satan dares touch them." "No one is here except us and this holy icon of wood." "Christ himself is invisible." "His holy spirit will protect us against the evil." "Now, go back to your chambers and praise the Lord." "If it was Satan that appeared in my mind, then I must be baptized again." "I must be cleansed." "Satan!" "Not Satan!" "Anyone who so wishes may be baptized now, and then we'll take the Holy Sacrament together." "Jesus Christ!" "Go back to heaven!" "Or they will crucify you again!" "Jesus Christ is here!" "We are not prepared for you." "They will punish you again!" "Go back to heaven!" "It isn't time yet to raise the dead from their graves." "Christ has come to punish her." "Go away!" "You have nothing to fear from him." "Come." "He will not hurt you!" "He has come to punish her." "Do not punish me!" "Look!" "Look at my scars!" "I have been punished enough." "Punish me not for those babies." "I didn't make them." "Children of sin!" "They deserved to die." "I was only doing your will." "Get away from me, evil Christ." "I have done no wrong but serve you." "Embla!" "He is coming to get us!" "Embla!" "It's me." "Askur." "It is you." "I knew it!" "I knew you would come." "I never doubted for a moment." "Our baby is dead." "They took it away from me." "They gave it a Christian burial." "Against my will." "I know." "I was there." "How?" "I lay hidden." "Then, I opened the grave." "It was a boy." "I love you." "I saw him!" "We have to get away from here." "I saw him." "We have to." "We have to." "I saw Jesus." "I told you so!" "Now you'll believe me." "I saw him." "I saw Jesus!" "I told you so!" "He came to me in the chapel." "Then he tried to follow me." "It was not Satan." "It was Christ." "Was it Christ?" "He had all his holy attributes." "Are you sure?" "If we all pray together, he might come once more to bless us." "Are you sure he'll want to bless us?" "He wants to bless us." "How do you know that?" "I could tell from his eyes." "Who are these men?" "Looks like Godbrandur's men." "Godbrandur's assassins." "I baptized them." "Go find the rest of them." "The king has left." "Mother Freya." "I give back to you the child you gave me." "The White Christ has demanded that Askur must die." "The day you kill Askur I will join him in Valhalla." "I have begged him to have mercy on his life but if you would do the same he would maybe hear your prayers." "His heart is large and bleeding." "You have used me to break my father's and husband's will." "But you will never break me." "You are like me." "You would die for what you believe in." "But could you sacrifice Askur?" "White Christ has promised that if you agree to become his bride, he will spare Askur's life." "But if you refuse him," "Askur must die." "Your father is here." "He too longs for you to become the bride of the White Christ." "Godbrandur" "Now you see your daughter, as I promised." "Your father, true to his word is building the most beautiful church in Norway." "I have kept my word." "Now you may speak!" "Embla!" "Remember White Christ's will." "I agree!" "Joyously!" "Only let her return to me." "With... with White Christ." "Father." "Let the king neither force you nor fool you." "Your daughter must accept White Christ of her own free will." "If not, Askur will die." "Now you may return home to continue building your church." "Continue?" "The bell tower!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "If I agree to become the bride of White Christ, on what conditions will you spare Askur's life?" "Askur must return to Iceland." "You must convince him that this is your will." "He will go on your command." "On my command?" "And your sworn oath to him?" "Concerning me?" "A king's oath shall stand as law." "Then I accept." "A new millenium is soon upon us." "A thousand years have passed since the birth of Christ." "This year, Christ intends to reincarnate and return to us as man." "On your command." "Embla!" "The king is willing to spare your life." "That hound will spare no one!" "Say nothing." "These walls have ears." "Promise me you will go back to Iceland." "You must return to Iceland." "That is his condition." "I will go, only if you come with me." "I am his hostage." "until you return and tell him Iceland is Christian." "But I am an outlaw in Iceland." "Anyone has the right to kill me." "But I am the one who is asking you to go." "You are going at my behest." "Will you promise to go back to Iceland?" "If you want me to do the impossible, and that is the only way," "then I will go." "The king has a generous heart." "He said if you agreed to go, he would allow me to spend your last night here with you" "because tomorrow you must set sail for Iceland." "My king!" "It was not my fault that Embla fled." "Forgive me." "Punish me!" "I am the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." "Agnus Dei!" "These men have waited for months for you to allow my your ship to sail to Iceland." "My king!" "This lcelander was Christian when he left Norway." "I baptized him on your command." "He became heathen as soon as he set foot on Icelandic ground." "Yet he dares to return here to Norway." "My family has inheritance here in Norway." "Is that a cross?" "Or the hammer of Thor?" "Or both as you see fit!" "This ring was given to my father by King Haraldur Bluetooth." "Your father is a heathen chieftain." "I will talk with my father." "And my mother has been baptized twice." "First by Bishop Thangbrandur and then by Askur." "You can attest to my words." "Yes." "Kjartan!" "Kjartan Olafsson." "That is a family heirloom." "I beg you to take something else." "Kolbeinn Thordarson." "Kolbeinn Thordarson, Kjartan Olafsson." "Hallur Gudmundsson." "Svertingur" "All Icelandic chieftains' sons." "I'll give my permission for all these treasures to return to Iceland." "But you will all stay here with me." "For your sake, I hope your families will understand the message I'm sending with this jewellery, carried by Bishop Thangbrandur." "This time you will carry out the instructions you gave Ketill concerning how much of Askur Thorgeirsson would return to Norway." "Or else.." "...I will give this head to my ravens." "No!" "No!" "Never!" "Never!" "Go away!" "Stop touching me!" "Embla!" "Askur." "It's you." "It's you." "It really is you." "I dreamt of our child." "And then the White Christ appeared and the child disappeared." "Then the White Christ tried to come to me." "I felt his hand." "It was cold." "As cold as a dead fish." "But yours is warm." "He has visited me in my dreams repeatedly and always he tries to get into bed with me." "I then push him away." "But this time it was only you and not that evil spirit." "And you're alive." "Alive!" "And I'm so happy!" "So happy that can't do anything but cry." "There is nothing to fear." "Look!" "Freyja is with us as well." "But there is so much to fear." "It isn't just the White Christ who wants me to become his bride, but the king himself." "That will never happen!" "Then we'll go to Valhalla together, here and now." "No." "I want us to live and fight the evil in this life." "That is the reason for us being here." "And I will never give up." "Never!" "The White Viking Iceland." "Summer of year 1000" "A film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson" "Wake up!" "Wake up!" "Chapter 4" " The Day of the Wolf" "The White Vikings are coming here!" "Askur, who killed my brother and the bare-arsed bishop!" "Wake Thorgeir!" "Gunnar!" "Gunnar!" "Thorgeir!" "Who is this savage?" "I have to see Thorgeir!" "Where is Gunnar?" "Don't you know it's the middle of the night!" "The White Christs are coming!" "The White Christ?" "Yes." "Not just one, but two!" "Askur and the bare-arsed bishop." "They are sailing here as I speak." "And you will say no more now." "Thorgeir is sleeping." "Then wake him!" "They mean to kill Thorgeir." "To kill all of us." "Gunnar will answer with his sword!" "He's sleeping in his new house." "Don't you understand!" "Askur was outlawed here in this very room and it was Thorgeir who passed the sentence, not Gunnar." "And now Askur is here seeking revenge!" "Get out." "And keep your big mouth shut!" "No." "I will not keep my mouth shut!" "Gunnar is in the new house." "Come with me." "We will kill them before they get here!" "No need to involve Thorgeir." "He is sick." "You have woken him." "Go and speak with Gunnar." "I will soothe Thorgeir." "The noisy savage has left!" "Bring Hrappur here!" "You speak very loudly." "And you have good ears." "I hear what I want to hear." "Who is this Askur who is on his way to kill me?" "The man that you outlawed and sent back to Norway." "The man who murdered Volundur, my brother." "You sentenced him." "Here in this house." "Gunnar promises me that if his brother ever returned to Iceland he would pay with his life for killing my brother." "Gunnar's brother?" "His brother for my brother." "Gunnar was to take care of that?" "He swore a vow before Odin." "Give me my armour and my sword." "Gunnar!" "Gunnar!" "Your father is up and about!" "Out of bed...?" "Your brother Askur has returned, and this time your father knows who he is." "So hurry up!" "Hurry up!" "Where is my sword!" "You gave your sword to Gunnar." "Then I will fight them with my bare hands." "Bare hands?" "They're here to kill you." "You can't fight them with your bare hands!" "Who should Odin welcome more in Valhalla than a man killed in battle with two White Christs?" "Hrappur!" "Killer-Hrappur!" "Let us kill these White Christs!" "Take this calf." "Odin is thirsty." "Gunnar was keeping this calf for his wedding." "It is written that when the White Christ returns, the fatted calf shall be slaughtered." "Go, do your spells against betrayal and falsity." "Let us kill these White Christs!" "Yes." "Let's kill them!" "You are up early, my father." "I seemed to hear Heimdallur's horn blowing as I slept." "And when I awoke," "I wondered if the wolf had come unfettered and if his age was upon us." "The wolf?" "What wolf is that?" "The great wolf Fenrir." "When he is free from his fetters and the day of the wolf is upon us brother shall fight brother." "You outlawed my brother for slaying Volundur." "You are the Lawspeaker, and your word is law." "You once said:"Land shall be built by laws, but destroyed without them"" "The law shall not be broken." "Now anyone is allowed to kill him." "In the name of the law, this sword must speak!" "Yes, it shall speak!" "If this sword is going to speak, I shall be the one to make it speak." "Now the White Christ will learn that my weapons bite!" "Do you see Thorgeir?" "I see his armour." "But not who's wearing it." "Your father's men have gathered to celebrate our arrival!" "Ravens, ravens in the mountains go pick out his eyes... bleeding on the White Christ's cheeks..." "Ravens, ravens in the mountains..." "I have an errand for Thorgeir." "What errand has the White Viking for Thorgeir?" "He is my father, and is said to be the wisest man in all Iceland." "Here is your father." "I am here as your son." "Not as the White Viking." "The king holds my wife Embla hostage." "Her life depends on the success of my errand." "And what does the king demand to let her live?" "That I bring him the news that Iceland has been Christianized." "The Christian god sacrificed his own son." "But he never died." "He returned from the grave a few days later, mightier than ever." "We will perform that play so that everyone believes what he sees." "Get ready for a hard battle, and we shall both have victory." "My firstborn son is a follower of White Christ and has come on the errand of King Olafur Tryggvason." "My sword wishes to speak with the outlaw that murdered Volundur." "Mine too!" "Now, White Christ, you shall prove that your God is stronger than Odin." "If Askur kills my father, we kill Askur right away." "Ravens, ravens... pick out his eyes, blind him..." "Now you should attack me with all your strength." "Do you see that door to the temple?" "In there is the grave of the Son." "May the White Christ have mercy on your soul." "Now you will die, White Christ." "The ravens have spoken." "The ravens have spoken." "The White Christ is dead!" "White Christ has been killed!" "White Christ is dead!" "I have sacrificed my own son to Odin." "Now you too have been marked with the sign of the great wolf of Fenrir." "White Christ is dead." "White Christ is dead!" "This sacred seal will not be broken until I will bury my son myself." "Now you will die too, White Viking." "I am a German and under the protection of the king of Norway." "Noble Thorgeir!" "Let your sword finish its speech and cut the head off this White Christ that you outlawed!" "In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit." "The Norwegan king's emissary is not an outlaw in Iceland." "I have here material proof from King Olafur." "I bring a treasure, jewellery that will make Iceland Christian!" "I am no outlaw in Iceland!" "Take the king's man to the Parliament and let him conduct his case at the assembly." "The Parliament can lift the king's protection off a foreigner." "Take this!" "An unconscious bishop isn't really fit to ride to the Parliament." "At least he will keep his big mouth shut on the way!" "Back in Norway" "Let me conquer her heart and then I shall sail with my entire fleet to Iceland and conquer it." "You have not fulfilled your promise." "Chop of your right hand!" "You must keep your promise, then my heart will bleed again." "Give me more time." "Take Embla into the secret of your bleeding heart and make her mine." "Then Iceland shall bleed in your name the Faroe Islands, Scotland and all the islands in the west that the Vikings have conquered." "Now, when I sip from the Holy Grail," "let your heart bleed." "A new millennium is dawning." "You shall witness the mystery of the Holy Grail." "Give me your hand." "Why are you asking for my hand?" "So that you may witness the miracle." "Can you sense it?" "Can you feel the power?" "The heart of the Redeemer is bleeding in desire for your soul." "You are the blessed bride." "You shall rule as my queen on earth and in heaven till the day of the final reckoning." "Come to me." "My heart is bleeding." "Was that knife meant for me?" "My heart can bleed too." "But you're mine." "If you try to take me by force," "I shall kill myself first." "If you will not come to me of your own free will," "I shall have to take you by force." "You say you wish me to be your queen." "Then treat me like a queen, not like one of your slaves that you rape on the floor when your flesh is longing for it." "Now you're finally acting like a queen should." "I should never have sent you to the Roman convent." "I should have brought my queen here from the very beginning." "I will give you the finest clothes ever seen in Norway." "And a bed hung with Arabian silk." "Back to Iceland" "No reason for being suspicious." "He is burying the whore's son in his own tomb." "Come, we have seen enough." "Here is your sanctuary." "No one will ever dare try to open my tomb." "Did you kill Volundur?" "He was killed with my sword, but I was not his killer." "I came to Iceland to seek your advice." "And I did in fact meet you then, gagged." "And I outlawed my own son" "I had waited so long to see." "This treasure was in the bishop's bag." "This jewellery is a message from the king about the sons of the four most powerful chieftains in Iceland." "The king has taken them as hostages." "He will have them killed if the Parliament assembly does not comply to his demands." "He will have them executed." "I know him." "These chieftains are very powerful." "But such power is a fragile thing." "If the chieftains become Christians just to save their sons' lives, they will be stripped of their power, and will hold no power in the Parliament." "A Christian cannot be a chieftain." "Confronted with such hard terms they will be forced to stand against King Olafur and the Christians." "Then the Volva's prophecy will come true, of a civil war and the apocalypse." "Did you say the chieftain Godbrandur is now a priest of the White Christ?" "And he's still a chieftain and keeps his estate?" "A priest has the same power as a chieftain had before." "Norway is governed by a king." "But here the law is the king." "And the law is not subject to the whims of one man." "And you?" "You took baptism." "Embla was sworn to me in the name of Odin." "The king was threatening to burn her at the stake if I didn't become his missionary." "For Embla I will sacrifice everything." "I recognize this courage from my own heart." "It was only for the sake of your mother that I found the strength to burn jarl Hakon's fleet in Limfjord." "He had his ships chained across the fjord." "Ale brings happiness and is a powerful medicine." "I ask all the chieftains to move over to the assembly area." "The Parliament has received a demand from King Olafur Tryggvason." "The king demands that the Parliament assembly declares Iceland Christian." "Outlaw!" "Outlaw!" "Thorgeir, our Lawspeaker has sent a message to the Parliament that bishop Thangbrandur may address the assembly even if he is an outlaw." "This Parliament has no jurisdiction over me." "I am King Olafur's man." "I am a German born man." "King Olafur brings you the new constitution of the White Christ!" "This White Viking is a thief and a murderer." "His words violate the sacred Parliament." "Let us whip this man's bare arse again." "The White Christ has many faithful followers here." "The crucifix will conquer!" " Odin is the strongest!" "Odin shall have victory!" "The White Christ is our saviour!" "The cross will conquer no other than Christ himself who perished on the cross!" "Let the bishop finish his speech!" "Silence!" "I propose that all Christian men in Iceland, shall be outlawed immediately!" "Tell them to shut up!" "That won't be easy!" "Then we Christians will have our own Parliament, fully independent!" "These traitors are going to destroy our laws!" "Let us kill all these traitors before their numbers increase." "Then you will have to kill me and my men!" "Thorgeir has arrived!" "I heard he killed his own son?" "Nobody is allowed to carry weapons in the assembly." "Those who threaten others, even if only verbally is in contempt of the law." "Looks like Thorgeir expects this Parliament will be boring." "The chieftains are arguing about gods instead of enjoying sport and poetry." "I, Olafur Tryggvason, have previously requested that the Icelandic Parliament to accept the Christian faith of its own free will." "This outlaw kills crippled people and chops down cows." "Silence him!" "He has learned nothing from his last visit!" "If my father had not killed Askur, I would have done it myself." "All weapons are illegal." "Even crosses and spears!" "Have you lost your mind?" "You have brought with you every drop of ale and wine from the farm!" "Are you planning to keep the whole Parliament drunk for a week?" "Let the bishop speak, and stop this chanting while he is speaking." "I, Olafur Tryggvason want all Icelanders to know..." "Thorgeir, let's go to the assembly." "...that I have given this oath in front of the Almighty God that if Christianity is rejected a second time by the Icelanders..." "Even if the king asks us a thousand times to accept his faith, we will always say no!" "Let us kill him!" "Your orders were that Thangbrandur be allowed to address the assembly." "Only you can prevent the consequences." "Even though we do not believe in the same God, neither of us want a civil war." "Only you can prevent bloodshed now." "I have come to hold my son's wake." "Ale makes you happy." "Ale is great medicine." "If this Parliament outlaws us, we Christians will establish our own Parliament with our own laws and then there will be two nations in this country." "Obey the king's orders!" "If the Christian faith is rejected again, four sons of Icelandic chieftains, that I hold hostage, will not only be executed but will be tortured like our saviour Jesus Christ was tortured" "when he was nailed to the cross!" "This was brought by the king's missionaries." "My son crossed the rainbow bridge to Valhalla this morning." "I am inviting all of you to his wake!" "Thorgeir offers ale for everyone!" "Now my sword will speak." "If my son has to die because of the heathens' stupidity..." "Hear my words!" "The White Christ is merciful." "He wants you to come to him of your own free will." "The Christians will fight us." "Now we are going to kill them once for all." "Don't worry." "The young ones are always attracted by the latest fancies." "Latest fancies!" "My friends will drink to my son's memory." "We'll kill them before they set up their own state and give half of Iceland to the king of Norway." "Our forefathers were driven away from Norway by the king's tyranny and tax pressure." "This king shall never have the reign of this country!" "This was taken from your son by the king and sent here with my son." "I do not wish my dead son who brought this jewellery to be called a thief." "The king shall never subdue me." "Runolfur!" "Give this jewellery to Gudmundur the Rich." "Thorgeir is offering free ale for everyone!" "If you reject Christianity, King Olafur will force upon you all the punishment demanded by Our Lord." "If Iceland doesn't become Christian," "The king will sacrifice the lives of these men, prohibit all travels to Iceland, assume possession of all properties, and goods owned by Icelanders in Norway, and have all Icelanders killed when they come to Norway." "Outlaw!" "You can be cut down yourself!" "I will silence him!" "Gudmundur, look here." "Can the king's messenger name the men the king holds hostage?" "I would rather show you the material proof." "By no doubt the hostages' relatives will recognize the treasures taken from them in Norway." "Show them to us!" "I have been robbed!" "Stay quiet!" "Listen to the bishop's words!" "I've been robbed!" "Stay quiet!" "Listen to the bishop's words." "This is my son's bracelet." "What will you advice me to do?" "The king must have an answer." " How?" "So that he believes Iceland has converted to Christianity." "The king will not be tricked." "He wants us as to be his slaves." "Believing is good enough for the king." "What we say, is one thing." "What we do, is another matter." "New laws can be created in such a way that they protect us." "What do you mean?" "You chieftains will have to discuss this among yourselves." "That's not my headache." "Gudmundur!" "Are you not going to drink?" "There is plenty of ale!" "I will support you!" "I will always fight with you against the sin!" "Baptize me again with the holy seed of the word!" "You know how it is to lose a son." "That is my destiny now." "Then let us drink to the honour of our sons!" "Where did they get that jewellery?" "That is none of your business." "From my father." "A fine plot you have hatched against me." "You, your father and your brother." "My brother?" "My brother is dead." "The dead are said to walk around here in Iceland." "Embla!" "Embla!" "The most beautiful clothes in Norway!" "The most beautiful dress in Norway!" "King Olafur at a splendid feast got the girl he wanted." "Where is Godbrandur's daughter!" "Speak woman!" "I am prepared to die for my negligence." "What use is that to me?" "I have news from Iceland." "From Iceland!" "Your missionary, Askur..." "Have you got his head?" "I have something better than his head!" "Embla!" "Father!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "Embla." "You promised me Askur's head, whether the neck is living or not." "You are Christian, you are taking no risk by breaking this sacred seal." "Do we kill the corpse if it is alive?" "Your aim failed miserably there, you fool!" "One thing is certain!" "The dead do not stay dead here in Iceland." "Askur is not lying in this tomb." "He cannot be far away." "You should take up arms as well." "The sword is still in the smithy." "Caught like two small fry on the mountain." "We are getting better at fishing in this family!" "What do I see?" "A dead man?" "You and your father have woven a fine web of lies." "And now you intend to steal my honour." "You... you!" "Always you and your people!" "Humiliating me." "Me!" "You are thought to be dead, and you shall stay dead!" "Forgive me." "Forgive me." "Ask the White Christ to forgive you." "I cannot do that." "He will never forgive me." "After all I've done." "Odin." "Odin." "Odin." "Let me see the rainbow bridge." "Now that I am lethally wounded let me join you in Valhalla." "I am your devoted man." "If we give in to the king and allow him to humiliate us in front of our people we may as well forfeit our chieftainships now." "We will all lose our sons, even I who is a Christian." "All this because you refuse to obey the king's order." "Here, the law governs, not the king." "That monster will never suppress me." "No one knows our sons are the king's hostages." "So if we accept his terms, no one needs to know why." "Thorgeir knows." "But he just lies there under a calf skin, doing nothing." "Thorgeir." "Now you have to prove your wisdom." "Thorgeir, do you hear me?" "I hear you." "Only you have the wisdom and the experience to answer the king in such a way that everyone will be satisfied." "If we grant you our authority in this matter." "Then I have one condition." "That you will all accept my decision whatever it might be." "Confirm that!" "The people will never accept a religion different from our forefathers." "When the ale barrels are empty, this conflict will be forgotten the next morning." "Hungover men want to go home and rush to decisions." "Make the assembly drink, and drink yourselves." "I never thought that the day would come when I had to be forced to drink." "Now we will burn the church down." "No." "We will turn it into a temple for Odin when we return." "This church has cost a fortune and is the most beautiful in all Norway." "But what if the king follows us to Iceland?" "Then we will sink his fleet." "Askur is there." "His father will rally the chieftains to our side." "I have no wish to eat stockfish for the rest of my life!" "I have done nothing to offend the king." "I shall stay here." "No!" "I was joking." "I have always followed your father!" "And I will follow him now to Iceland as well!" "We have luck." "No." "We have no luck." "I saw her." "She is there." "I saw her myself." "Do you sleep with that smirk on your face?" "No." "I was born like that." "Now show me that this token speaks as clearly as you say." "The king asked me to tell you:" "the White Christ forgives you for fleeing his protection." "The White Christ wants you for his bride." "He who rules both in heaven and on earth." "Then I will become his bride." "Now!" "In my father's church." "And you shall be the witness." "But..." "Row to the church!" "Finish it." "Finish!" "But the White Christ isn't here." "He is here." "He is everywhere." "The King's god is invisible." "Finish it!" "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." "Amen!" "Now go with Ketill and tell the king I have kept my oath." "But he wants you!" "I never agreed to marry him!" "Only to marry the White Christ and that I have done." "Tell the king I want permission to sail for Iceland, where Askur is." "If the king sails away, he keeps his promise." "If he tries to take land, I know he will break his promise." "Embla." "For once in your life, tell the truth." "Whatever you have been bribed to say." "I shall tell you the truth, though you shall wish I told lies." "I saw this with my own eyes." "How?" "He died by the hand of his own father." "Died as a hero's death." "The king will ask the White Christ to have Askur canonized as a saint and a martyr in heaven." "I do not believe you." "Askur is alive and I intend to go to Iceland." "Row ashore!" "No!" "She's set fire to the church!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "Whatever your father does, he does it for you." "Not because he does not trust Odin and the gods in Valhalla." "He is still under the calf skin." "If everybody keeps on drinking he might come out tomorrow." "The Parliament has never been so drunk before!" "The king shall never break me!" "The Indians came out of the forest with feathers on their heads while we were picking grapes elsewhere." "Hundreds of Indians, and only the women at home." "And then suddenly she rips off her dress this Hallgerdur, who was on one of the other ships..." "She was quite a woman!" "...and shows them her tits!" "And the Indians turned around and fled back into the forest!" "Do not women from Vinland have tits?" "Of course they do!" "But nothing like Hallgerdur's!" "Suck!" "This tastes like horseshit!" "Ta-ba-co!" "It is time that we all establish one law and one common practice." "Any other decision would lead to the destruction of the law, and thereby the destruction of peace." "I will now present laws which I ask all of you to endorse." "The first law is, that all shall be baptized and accept Christianity." "As for leaving children to die, the old law still applies." "Those who want to sacrifice to the old gods may do so in private." "But if discovered, there will be a four year outlaw penalty." "No man can be outlawed for making sacrifices to his god in privacy with his family." "Every man may have the faith he wants, even the old one." "A volcanic eruption has started where Thangbrandur baptized slaves last year." "Burning lava is flowing towards the farm." "The gods are angry and will destroy us all with burning lava!" "Are we not standing here on ancient lava?" "What angered the gods so when this lava that we are now standing on flowed?" "The wisest man in Iceland!" "Let us walk down to the river and pour water over our heads." "And then we all can go home." "Hrappur!" "Why does this man decide everything here?" "Because he is so wise that he killed his own son Askur." "Thorgeir killed his son." "Askur wanted to kill." "He killed the one who came to kill him!" "The one who came to kill him..." "Askur wanted to kill him because he..." "Askur?" "I have come to bid farewell." "Is there anything I can do for you in return." "No." "I have made my peace with man and God." "Whether there be one God or many." "But never forget that men create the gods." "Gods never create men." "Without faith, there is no God." "So it is very important to create a fair God," "one that does not punish us too hard, even if we're fallible." "You asked me whether you could do anything for me." "Yes?" "Take this book away from me." "It has kept me awake far too long." "A man has many weapons to hand." "Books are by far the most dangerous." "If you see trouble brewing, be sure to have this with you." "My brother Gunnar thought he came fishing for trout." "But he got caught like a fish on the mountain." "Tell me..." "Do you believe in God?" "Is there another God other than the one we create ourselves?" "A god who worries about whether we believe in him would be a very vain god, not worth worshiping." "And if he exists, he won't stop existing because we do not believe." "Good." "I will then stop worrying about him." "I demand that the man who killed my foster brother Askur come outside." "I challenge him here and now." "I have wonderful news." "Askur succeeded." "Iceland is now Christian." "Like the greatest warriors he gave his life for the victory." "He will become the first Norwegian saint and shall be at Christ's side in heaven." "If Askur is fallen, he lives in Valhalla." "The life of a saint's widow is lonely." "But you and Askur will reunite, when you die and go to heaven." "If you accept being the queen of Norway in this life," "I'll gladly let Saint Askur have you in the next life." "You would not let me have Askur in my next life even if you could!" "In heaven a saint ranks higher than a king." "But now we are on earth." "So you will have the best of both worlds." "Of both worlds." "Give me a dagger!" "I did not save you from the fire only to let you burn in hell!" "You shall never have my body alive!" "Embla.." "Embla." "Embla!" "ODIN!" "Askur?" "Askur!" "Embla!" "Embla!" "I have come!" "Askur!"