Hollywood decided to make a film based on Michael Crichton’s 1976 novel “Eaters of the Dead”, and they ended up producing the film “The 13th Warrior”. “The 13th Warrior” is a 1999 American historical action film which is a loose adaptation of the tale of Beowulf combined with Ahmad ibn Fadlan’s historical account of the Volga Vikings. The film stars the likeable actor Antonio Banderas as ibn Fadlan. Crichton stated that his book was based on two sources. The first three chapters are a retelling of Ahmad ibn Fadlan‘s personal account of his actual journey north. His experiences and his observations of the Varangians are chronicled. The historic Ahmed Ibn Fadlan traveled as an emissary to the land of the Volga Bulgars. His intention was to convert them to Islam. On his way to the Volga Bulgars he encountered the Varangians (Volga Vikings) and the Turks in Central Asia and Russia.

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Critics savaged the movie but over the decades a cult following grew and many came to love this story that treated us to a good amount of butchery. In cinema we are given a story about travelers, and bravery, the sons of weak lords, sword play, foul play and even cannibals and kings. On screen we get Norsemen and battle smoke, a terrible foe, brotherhood, jokes and its accompanying laughter, we even get a leader who gives an impressive speech to rise up, to be warriors and to defeat an unguessable foe.

His kinsmen stand to serve a dying man of a dying breed. Men like Bullwyf tend to be honorable and rare indeed. What’s not to like about a movie about heroes and cavemen? The movie with so much promise deliverers many dislikes; audiences waited for an awesome buildup to what could have been a truly brutal and kinetic fight but the disjointed camera work was underwhelming; indeed even though the director experimented with hand held cameras for the final battle scene. The subplot of clan politics is never explored yet this too had promise. Those who know that director McTiernan’s cut of the film conflicted with author Michael Crichton’s vision will forgive the movie for its small failures.

In the end what makes the plotless movie so good is the viewer lends it value, because most men can relate to these kinds of simple tales and so the ambition of these normal men grows on you. A confluence of elements make this thin film actually viewing worthy. It is a tale of a small band of brave men willing to investigate what brought devastation to a terrified people, even risking their own lives to obtain the answer. The biggest draw here is these men don’t have super powers and so we can relate to them. Many of the Norse men die. Antonio Banderas delivers a remarkable performance as Ahmed, portraying the transformation of a reluctant observer into a fierce warrior. As Chesterton wrote, a courageous man needing to cut his way out from enemies surrounding him must, “combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying.” “he must desire life like water, and yet drink death like wine.” Which reminds me of a funny moment in the movie when Ahmad Ibn Fadlan is told Meade is made from honey. Yes, the movie is sweet.

The movie helped jumpstart Vladimir Kulich’s career. It was reported that the movie cost $160 million to make, due to the re-shoots and promotional expenses and only earned $60 million at the box office.  The movie failed to capture either critics or audiences, and went on to become one of the biggest box office bombs of all time. The movie isn’t a terrible film as some have said. The action is where it’s at baby. We’re here for the action, and there’s a good amount of it to cover for the aimless plot. As mentioned earlier, “The 13th Warrior” did not achieve significant commercial success upon its initial release, but it gained a dedicated following over time due to the action and tale of heroism. Enjoy!

Trivia

The Vikings’ disparate armor can be explained by the Norse tradition of taking the armor of a vanquished foe. It was also a display of status in Norse society; the nicer the armor the higher the position. Halga appears to have a Roman gladiator’s helmet.

Graeme Revell had composed a complete original score when the movie was slated to be released as “Eaters of the Dead” in 1998. After the film was deemed unwatchable during test screenings, Michael Crichton took over the project, rejected Revell’s original score, and brought in Jerry Goldsmith to rescore the film, renamed “The 13th Warrior.”

Dennis Storhøi almost drowned during the underwater section. Antonio Banderas jumped into the water and pulled him out of the water and saved his life.

Although rumors persist that this was one of the most expensive movie flops ever, with a budget of $160 million, the producers claimed it actually cost $90 million before marketing. The movie grossed $32,698,900 in the U.S., and $61,702,600 worldwide.

In accordance with the book, John McTiernan’s version of the Wendol’s mother was an old woman, played by veteran actress Susan Willis. When Michael Crichton took over and did the reshoots, he decided that brutally killing off an old lady did not reflect very well on the heroes. Crichton decided to make her younger, sleeker, and tougher. In the final release, Wendol’s mother is played by Kristen Cloke (uncredited), but the final credits still list Susan Willis as the Wendol’s mother.

Weath, one of the Viking warriors, wears a piece of tartan as part of his costume. Tony Curran was born in Scotland.

Adapting “Beowulf” for his novel and then for this movie, Michael Crichton changed some of the original names for ones that sounded similar: Beowulf is here named Buliwyf, Hygelac becomes Hyglak, the Grendel transformed into the Wendol, etc.

One of the Viking ships used in the movie is now in the Norwegian pavilion in the EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World, where it is used as a playground for kids. Disney owns Touchstone Pictures.

The film uses modern Norwegian and the occasional Swedish as a stand in for Old Norse, which was the language of the Vikings. The Vikings the real Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan encountered were the Rus (Swedish-Slavic Vikings) and would have spoken East Norse, the dialect of Old Norse that later became Swedish and Danish. Norwegian Vikings would have spoken West Norse, a dialect that gave rise to Norwegian, Faroese and Icelandic.

When Ibn Fahdlan and Melchisidek enter the tent at the beginning of the movie, Melchisidek speaks Greek, which eventually leads to a conversation with the Viking Herger. Though Herger obviously understands Greek, he responds in Latin, which Melchisidek understands. In the 10th century, there was no official connection between Scandinavia and Byzantium. Though it’s not explained how a Northman could understand both Latin and Greek, Herger could have learned the languages from taking part in the Viking raids in modern-day Russia (where the first scenes are filmed), and south into what was then the Byzantine Empire. The dominant language of the realm was Greek, with Latin as a second language. The Vikings made at least one attempt to conquer Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.

The source novel, “Eaters of the Dead,” has become part of one of the most notorious hoaxes in Librarianship Circles. The Ahmad Tusi Manuscript, which the bibliography says is the novel’s source, is completely made up. The name of the translator, Fraus Dolus, is two Latin words meaning both ‘hoax’ and ‘fraud’. Since the novel was published in 1976, the University of Oslo, where this manuscript is supposed to be kept, has sent out letters telling enquirers that they have been the victim of a hoax.

“Haltaf the Young” played by Oliver Sveinall is a boy of about 15 who is one of the 12 Viking warriors, but has no spoken lines in the movie and is only seen in a couple of shots when the group first arrives by boat at King Hrothgar’s land in Norway. He is not shown in the earlier scene when the Oracle calls out the warriors, and he is not seen or mentioned at any point starting from the first battle with the Wendol in the Great Hall that night. However, when the group arrives to the Great Hall for the first time and are being introduced Buliwyf kneels down in front of King Hrothgar in the foreground with the other 12 warriors (11 Vikings plus Ahmed) behind him including Haltaf who clearly is a boy much shorter than all the men around him. That is the last time he appears on camera and his fate is never discussed.

Some of the Wendols throwing weapons are based on the Roman Plumbata, which replaced the Pilum (throwing spear) in early 4th century in Legionary Armies. Other longer throwing weapons shown are based on the medieval war dart or fletched javelin.

In John McTiernan’s original cut there was no final duel between Bulywyf and the leader of the Wendol.

The idea of 13 warriors is taken from Scandinavian myths regarding the danish king Hrolf Kraki (Pole-Ladder). The legend goes that Hrolf Kraki had an entourage of 12 warriors (like Buliwyf in the film) and in some versions, one of them is Bödvar Bjarki, a hero who shares parallels with the hero Beowulf. Some scholars has suggested that the story of Bödvar Bjarki is simply another version of the story of Beowulf.

Was filmed two years before its eventual release date, which had been pushed back several times.

The cave scenes were almost filmed on location, near the camp set in Elk Bay, but production forced them to film the scenes in a studio in Delta, in a large stage called the “A-Frame”, owned by the Meier Worldwide Intermedia. The stage measured 10,000 m² (107,639.11 ft²); 200 meters long, 50 meters wide, and 20 meters tall.

Loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, “Beowulf”, whose author is unknown.

Originally titled ‘Eaters of the Dead’, the film went through several re-edits after test audiences did not react well to the initial cut. After re-shooting several key scenes with Michael Crichton taking over as director, the title was changed to ‘The 13th Warrior’. The budget, which was originally around $85 million, reportedly soared to more than $110-115 million before principal photography wrapped. With all of the re-shoots and promotional expenses, the total cost of the film was a rumored $160 million.

Promotional posters in México displayed the film’s title as “Eaters of the Dead”. Most theaters never received posters with the new title, confusing moviegoers.

Director Stuart Gordon first optioned the rights from Michael Crichton’s book in the early 1990s and generated a lot of interest in the project, before Martha Coolidge got interested and John McTiernan was ultimately hired to direct it.

The Buliwyf’s dog name is Rekkae (played by Connor).

Sven Wollter’s only Hollywood film and English language role.

The second film where Maria Bonnevie plays the daughter of a Viking chieftain. She also played one in “Hvíti víkingurinn”.

When entering the hut, the camera pans over what is supposedly the mangled, gored (and beheaded) victims of the Wendol. Curiously, the scene has been visibly darkened and details blacked out digitally. This was most likely done to make sure that the movie stays within the R-Rating.

Ahmed Ibn Fadlan (Antonio Banderas) is referred to by his actual name by the North Men only once, by Buliwyf, during the first raid of the Wendol (Buliwyf shouts “Ahmed” as he throws a sharpened stick to to him to wedge into the ground to stop the Wendol horses during their charge through the village). Other than that he is referred to by the company of warriors as “Ibn”, “Little Brother”, or simply “The Arab”.

A big deal is made of Ahmed Ibn Fadlan’s religious piety and his devotion to Islam. Several occasions throughout the film show him abstaining from alcohol, at prayer, and attempting to convert Buliwyf and the other North Men to Islam. He is, however, not a very devout man and violates his religion on more than one occasion throughout the film. He has a sexual affair with a married noblewoman (the reason for him being banished in the first place, though in reality he would have been executed), he is also vain, constantly showing off (his jumping horse, his swordsmanship with a smaller, lighter blade, and complaining about his “ruined nose”), and he, likewise, sleeps with another woman, and a non-Muslim at that.

Continuity 

One warrior is missing. Two die in the first fight. Four die in the first battle. There are seven left. This can be seen when they are riding for the cave. However only six enter the cave. One was lost.

The rope Edgtho slides down connecting the tree to the watchtower suddenly appears.

In the scene where the warriors are outside talking in a circle (just after they have met with the king), you can see one of the warriors with a war hammer resting across his shoulders. The scene shows the hammer end up and the spike end down, but in the next shot the ends are reversed, and then back again. He was fidgeting, spinning the hammer on his shoulder.

During the Angel of Death’s “recruitment drive”, and just after she announces the 13th warrior must not be a Northman, Herger is standing up and looking at Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan. Just few seconds later, Herger is seen sitting down with a different set of clothing.

After one of the warriors claims “only an Arab would bring a dog to war,” Ahmed displays his horse’s abilities. One shot of Ahmed on his horse is shown in the rain immediately before hurdling one of the horse-mounted warriors. It is not raining during the rest of the scene.

Factual errors

At one point, Ahmed grinds a straight broad sword into a curved scimitar. First, such an alteration to the blade could not be done with a grindstone. Such a task would require heating the blade and pounding it into the proper shape. The grindstone would only be used to polish and sharpen the blade. Also, this kind of alteration without heat treating and tempering the blade would compromise the integrity of the steel, resulting in a weapon too fragile for use. Finally, it appears as though it takes Ahmed, a man untrained in smithing, only a few hours to make these modifications on the grindstone. In reality, it would likely take a trained swordsmith days, if not weeks, to complete such a job.

Buliwyf asks Ibn Fadlan to teach him “words that stay”, i.e. writing. Vikings had been writing with runes in the proto-Norse language for at least a thousand years by then.

Incorrectly regarded as goofs

Before the last fight, Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan invokes God by calling Him ‘Father’. Muslims don’t address God like this.

Ahmed also doesn’t speak English. All English heard in the movie is the loose translation of what was said.

While most warriors discarded their original weapons to swim under the cliffs, they acquired new ones: Buliwyf is given a sword by the king, Herger uses an unfamiliar halberd, and Edgtho’s knives are borrowed. Thus, the last fight is not wrong.

Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan says he cannot drink beverages fermented from grapes or wheat, but drinks mead, because it is fermented from honey. In fact, any fermented beverage is forbidden to Muslims.

It is clear that in that moment of horror and desperation, especially after such a terrible battle and after hearing that four of their friends were killed, Ahmed felt the connection with the northmen through their humor (it’s made from honey!) and simply said to himself: to hell with it! This is not a goof, but rather an ultimate evolution in character.

When Herger offers Ahmed mead, in which Ahmed refuses because he can’t drink fermented grapes or wheat, the shape and position of the horn of mead alters drastically.

It varied only in orientation. Pointy end up, pointy end down. He can be seen turning it while passing it.

When Wulfgar the Boy-Messenger talks with Buliwyf about the danger in the realm of his father King Hrothgar, Melchisidek translates Wulfgar’s words for Ahmed (and the audience). However, Wulfgar doesn’t talks Latin or Greek but Norwegian, when supposedly Melchisidek isn’t capable to talk it.

This also happens later in that scene. It is possible that Hargar was translating to Melchisidek, but the sound of it was omitted in order to not confuse the listener. Not a goof.

Revealing mistakes

Right after Herger says to Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, “Relax, little brother, there are more”, Ibn runs his sword through a monster. The sword seems to be sticking out of the monster’s back but if you look closely you’ll see that he is only holding the sword under his armpit.

The nylon webbing strap holding the Wendol leader’s bearskin cloak and headdress in place are visible during the final attack by the Wendol.

When Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich) is seen using his double-handed longsword to kill the bodyguard of the “mother” in the caves, the sword is obviously a lot shorter than seen earlier for practical reasons. Had the sword been original length the killing of the bodyguard would not have worked as depicted.

When Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan rides to save the little girl, and he pulls her up onto his horse, it’s clearly a grown stunt woman, almost his size.

During the first fight at the Castle against the Wendol, when the fight is over, one of the guys tosses Ahmed one of the Wendols’ claws. They all obviously could tell right then the claw is on a “stick” or shaft and if wasn’t just a bear claw. The Wendol obviously hold onto the sticks which have bear claws attached to them. The Vikings right then would have figured out they were not serpents or animals but someone or something trying to impersonate bears.

Fear and superstition outweigh the leap of logic that it would take to figure that out.

Anachronisms

The saber Ibn Fahdlan makes is a curved sword which is exclusively Turkish. Arabs at that time used straight swords similar to western broadswords. An Arab nobleman wouldn’t know how to make one even if he had an anachronistic/exotic taste for Turkish cavalry sabers. Turkish style curved swords became fashionable in the Middle-East after large groups of Central Asian Turks began to be enlisted by Islamic armies later.

Not exclusively Turkish. Ahmed is from Baghdad, the trade and cultural center of the 10th century Islamic world, and could easily have seen the curved blade design, which had been in use for centuries. He was a quick study and may well have had help from the village metalworker to reshape the sword. The Vikings were skilled swordsmiths who used high-carbon steel to forge, for example, the famous Ulfberht swords.

At the beginning of the movie, Ibn is in love. He encounters a woman in a corridor, who is wearing a strange headscarf over the low part of her face. Not only is this clothing not opaque, which is forbidden to Muslim women wearing headscarfs, but it is a Yashmak, worn first by Turkish women around 1840.

Helfdane (Clive Russel) and Buliwyf (Vladimir Kulich) wear Armour that was not invented until centuries after the film is set. Helfdane wears a solid breast breastplate. Buliwyf wears a set of plate Armour, a type which was not developed and used until the 15th, early 16th century. The movie takes place in the 10th century.

Crew or equipment visible

In a scene in a cave that is the lair of the “eaters of the dead,” the camera takes an overhead wide angle shot of the “eaters” walking down into the cave. It is possible to see a young man wearing a burgundy t-shirt and beige shorts (a crew member), sitting against the wall of the cave cross-legged.

As the Wendel leader approaches the village for the final battle, there is a closeup shot of him, on horseback, arm with weapon upraised. Look closely at his chest/underarm, and there is a plastic buckle (like a back-pack snap-in) visible holding the bearskin/costume.

Errors in geography

On the map at the start of the film Baghdad is in the Caucasus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. In reality it is to the south west of there on the Tigris River.