watch When the Raven Flies.



When the Raven Flies/Hrafninn Flýgur (1984 CE) is considered by some to be the best Icelandic film of all time. After viewing it, we can totally see why.

Though said to be cinematically styled after samurai film Yojimbo (1961 CE) and the Spaghetti Westerns of the mid-1960s (WtRF is also classified into a group of films derivatively called Cod Westerns [heh!]), it is distinctly of the Icelandic Saga tradition, which historically & artistically precedes both those classifications by nearly 800 years in writing and 1,000 years orally.

The first part of the Raven Trilogy (also known as the Viking Trilogy), acclaimed director & Icelandic national personality Hrafn Gunnlaugsson weaves a solid story of Viking brutality, vengeance, mistrust, and consequences that recalls some aspects of both Njal's Saga & Gisli's Saga in the telling. The subsequent two films are only loosely connected in story, but are thematically bonded. And we recommend them to all those who make loud (but obviously unnecessary [hey, we like its spirit]) complaint about History Channel's Vikings' authenticity. This film has all the grittiness with a non-fantastical/scaled-down delivery you probably want. Give it a watch and let us know what you think in the comments below.


[yes, this is the whole movie on YT subtitled in Hungarian, but use the settings gear icon to auto-translate the subtitles to your language of choice.]

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Guillermo Maytorena IV knew there was something special in the Norse Lore when he picked up a copy of the d'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants at age seven. Since then he's been fascinated by the truthful potency of Norse Mythology, passionately read & studied, embraced Ásatrú, launched the Map of Midgard project, and spearheaded the neologism/brand NorsePlay. If you have employment/opportunities in investigative mythology, field research, or product development to offer, do contact him.

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