Gudrún

*"How easily we all become princesses again when the beasts take us for their wives."*
―Gudrún[src]
Queen **Gudrún** is the queen of Hrafnsey.

## Biography

### Background

*"Amleth. Even now, you believe the fairy tale I told you was true? "A noble bride hailing from the land of Brittany"? I never began as his bride."*
―**Gudrún** to Amleth[src]
Gudrún was a slave who was raped by Aurvandil. He married her when she bore him a son, whom they named Amleth. For this reason, he endured her, though he saw her as unfit to be his bride. She fell in love with his bastard brother, Fjölnir, who did not begrudge her past. As Amleth grew up, Gudrún told him that she had been a noble bride hailing from the land of Brittany.

### Aurvandil's Return

*"The enemy had a taste of my liver."
"Are you hurt?"
"Enough for Amleth to be marked as my successor. I watched his innocence tonight. He must be awoken to what awaits him."
"He is just a puppy."
"He's the same age as my grandfather when he took to the throne."
"That was different. He had to kill his uncle first."*
―Aurvandil and Gudrún[src]

Aurvandil and Fjölnir embark on a season-long conquest. One day as Gudrún is being dressed by her handmaidens, Amleth enters her bedchamber and she angrily tells him never to enter her chambers without invitation. She raises her hand to strike him, but Halla the Maiden enters and tells her that Aurvandil has returned. She lowers her hand, strokes Amleth's face and takes his hand as they go to prepare for Aurvandil's arrival.

They dress in ceremonial garb and travel to the great hall, where Aurvandil enters on horseback. He dismounts and approaches Gudrún, telling her that like a battle dog returning to its master, he has come to be fettered by his queen's fair locks. She replies that they are bound together and kisses his hand. Aurvandil addresses Amleth and Gudrún pushes him towards his father. Aurvandil gathers his son up in his arms and smothers him. Gudrún asks Aurvandil if Fjölnir will grace them with his presence and he replies that he will be with them soon.

As they dine, Gudrún notices that Aurvandil is having difficulty filling his plate and offers to help him. She asks him what is wrong and he replies that it is nothing. Aurvandil then addresses his subjects by telling them of his conquest and ordering the slaves to carry in the silver that he and his men have plundered.

Aurvandil gifts Amleth an amulet that he found around a prince's neck and Fjölnir enters the hall, hailing his brother. Gudrún offers her cup to him and Heimir the Fool makes a crude remark about her cup growing wet for more men than her king. Fjölnir angrily orders him to be silent, accusing him of slandering his lord and mistress. Aurvandil calms him and tells him that his infant son Thórir is more in need of his protection. Fjölnir holds up his son and toasts his brother, while Amleth toasts the kingdom of Hrafnsey.

Later that evening, Gudrún wieves as Aurvandil approaches her and informs her that the enemy has had a taste of his liver. She asks if he is hurt and he tells her that he is almost wounded enough for Amleth to be named his successor. She dismisses the servants as Aurvandil tells her that Amleth must be prepared for what awaits him. Gudrún rejects the idea, stating that Amleth is still a puppy. Aurvandil points out that he is the same age that his grandfather was when he took the throne, to which Gudrún replies that he had to kill uncle first. She attempts to seduce him, but he refuses, stating that he will defeat the wound and die by the sword. She assures him that he will die in battle and the gates of Valhöll await him.

### Conspiracy

*"It was I who begged on my knees for Fjölnir to kill King Aurvandil. I pressed my lips upon his strong, sweet hand, I kissed it, and I begged him. And so this day would never come, Fjölnir ordered your death — with your own mother's blessing."*
―Gudrún to Amleth[src]

Once Aurvandil takes Amleth to the temple, Gudrún approaches Fjölnir and begs him to kill Aurvandil, giving him her blessing to kill Amleth. Fjölnir ambushes them outside the temple and decapitates Aurvandil himself. He orders his men to bring him Amleth's head and returns to Hrafnsey. As his soldiers perform a coup, Fjölnir carries Gudrún out of the keep, slung over his shoulder, as she laughs. They are approached by Finnr, who has had his nose cut off, and he informs them that he has killed Amleth and thrown his body in the sea.

### Exile

*"Fjölnir fled to that frontier backwater with his wife and son after King Haraldr of Norway, took his kingdom. He killed his brother for nothing, now he's a sheep farmer!"*
―Eiríkr to Amleth[src]
Gudrún marries Fjölnir and they rule Hrafnsey together. However, Fjölnir is later overthrown by King Haraldr of Norway. Together with Thórir, they flee to Iceland and set up a farm at Freysdalur. Gudrún and Fjölnir later welcome a son of their own, Gunnar.

### Fjölnir's Dream

*"I know you are hiding in your feathered-shadow, Aurvandil. You are dead. Be gone!"*
―Gudrún[src]
Gudrún is woken by Fjölnir, who tells her of a dream he has had in which he heard a voice called out to him from the darkness that his time had come and that he was coming home to Hel. He expresses fear that it was Aurvandil and she assures him that if his brother calls to him, it is from the battlefield of the dead. She assures him that he will meet Aurvandil again there and kill him again and again.

Gudrún hears the cawing of ravens and rises from the bed. She makes her way to the window at the opposite end of the longhouse and opens it. She finds several ravens there and begins shooing them away, expressing her belief that they are vessels for the soul of Aurvandil, tormenting her from beyond the grave.

### Acquiring New Slaves

*"We keep this one, the rest can go."
"But mother needs two for the kitchen and one for the laundry. And two males for the harvest."*
―Gunnar to Fjölnir[src]

Fjölnir purchases several slaves from the Land of the Rus, with some being assigned to help Gudrún with the kitchen, the laundry and the harvest. By night, she discovers several ravens outside her window and shoos them away. One day as she combs Fjölnir's hair in the longhouse, she notices one of the slaves, Björnulfr, staring at her through the doorway and orders a slave to shut the door.

### The Chieftain's Feast

*"Did we win?"
"Spoken like a true chieftain's son!"*
―Gunnar and Gudrún[src]

As they prepare to set out for the Chieftain's Feast, Gudrún tends Gunnar's hair, which annoys him. He tells her to leave him alone, as he is not a child, and she replies that she knows grown men who need a woman to tend their hair.

At the feast, they meet with the family of Hákon Iron-Beard and watch a game of knattleikr between five of Fjölnir's slaves and five of Hákon's slaves. Eventually, only Björnulfr and a very, large, strong, brutish man called Thórfinnr Tooth-Gnasher remain. As they attack each other, Gunnar runs onto the field and takes the ball, sending everyone into a panic. Thórfinnr attacks Gunnar and is about to kill him, but Björnulfr tackles him to the ground and headbutts him to death. Gudrún and Fjölnir desperately attempt to revive Gunnar and to everyone's relief, he regains consciousness. He asks if they won and Gudrún commends him for speaking like a true chieftain's son.

Later they night, Gudrún enjoys the festivities with her family.

### Murders at Freysdalur

*"What if that which covets Gunnar's life has come to seize what was snatched away from it?"
"And you wish it to have him?"
"Never. But it will not end until it has been appeased. It has already taken two lives for the one it was cheated of, yet ..."
"The spirit must be offered a life for that life. The rite must be done with faultless custom."
"Tonight. Áshildur the Temple Priestess must do it. Bid her take whomever she deems fit – our Gunnar must be safe."
"We will brave whatever witchcraft the Norns offer us. It will be done!"*
―Gudrún and Fjölnir[src]

One morning, the dismembered corpses of Thórir's friends, Hersveinn Battle Hard and Hjalti Battle Hasty, are discovered nailed to the barn in the shape of Sleipnir. Thórir swears revenge on those responsible and accuses the Christian slaves. Finnr and Hallgrímr Half-Troll restrain him and Gudrún strikes him across the face, telling him to stop. Fjölnir calms him, promises that his friends will be avenged and dismisses him. Finnr wonders if Thórir is right, as the Christian's god is a corpse nailed to a tree, to which Gudrún asks how they would find weapons. The temple priestess, Áshildur Hofgythja, examines the corpses and determines that the wounds were left by supernatural means and that the spirit must be sated with a sacrifice.

Later that night, Gudrún and Fjölnir sit in their longhouse and discuss the deaths of Hersveinn and Hjalti, with Fjölnir declaring that they brought the wrath upon themselves. He wonders if some emnity arose between them and Hákon Iron-Beard's men, as he paid settlement for those killed. She tells him that an affliction was chanced there apart from what befell their eyes. He tells her to speak clearly and she points out that Gunnar was almost killed and wonders if he was meant to die. She suggests that the Dísir still haunt the mountains and that they tasted his blood, which has aroused their appetite.

Fjölnir tells her that he does not wish to speak lightly of it and Gudrún replies that it is not the work of a natural being and that it may be coming to kill Gunnar. He asks if she wishes it to have him and she replies that she will never want that, but insists that the spirit will not stop until it has been appeased. He suggests that they do so by offering it a life and she tells him that Áshildur must sacrifice whomever she deems fit to ensure Gunnar's safety. He assures her that they will brave whatever witchcraft the Norns offer them.

Gudrún and Fjölnir later hear a distant howling. Their dog, Rakki, begins to bark and they order him to stop, but he attacks Fjölnir. Gudrún grabs her sword to defend her husband, but he draws his own dagger and kills the dog in self-defence. She later joins Fjölnir and Thórir in the temple, where they find Áshildur bound and gagged and her assistant, Hallur Freymundur, castrated and disemboweled. Gudrún comments that Freyr seems to have chosen for himself who is deemed fit for sacrifice and hopes that his hunger has been sated. Fjölnir replies that it is not the work of his god, but trollish sorcery.

The next morning, Fjölnir arms the male slaves to defend the farm. Thórir expresses scepticism to Gudrún, wondering how they can trust the slaves to protect them. Gudrún tells him that Fjölnir does not want an uprising by emboldened slaves and orders him not to doubt his father's wisdom.

### Discovering Amleth

*"Bitch!"
"Your taste and your mind reek of your foul father. You should have joined him in death!"
"Your words are poison."
"I am your death!"*
―Amleth and Gudrún[src]
Later that night, Gudrún tucks Gunnar into bed and he tells her that he wants to be fighting a monster. She asks him who would take charge of the farm if something happened to him or his father, urging him to sleep. He asks her if she misses her life as a queen and she replies that she does not because of him, but admits that Hrafnsey is a wondrous place and she misses having an island to herself. He promises her that he will helm a warship and get it back for her. She smiles tells him that he will before kissing him on the forehead.

Gudrún enters her bedchamber and orders her servant to leave her. As she begins to undress, she sees a sword above her shoulder. She turns to its owner, Björnulfr, and tells him that his sword is long. He tells her to stop her jest and reveals himself to be Amleth. Gudrún is shocked to learn that her firstborn still lives. He tells her that he has lived a life of death, but swore to survive until that moment and that the next day he will finish his deeds in honor and decide if living is to his liking.

Gudrún tells Amleth that he is his mother's son and he tells her that he has come to avenge Aurvandil, kill Fjölnir and free her. She comments to him that he has inherited his father's simpleness, which confuses him. She tells him that she never mourned Aurvandil, who only cared for silver and rutting his whores and may have not even had heart enough to love Amleth. She then confesses the truth of his conception, her marriage to Aurvandil and her conspiracy with Fjölnir to have them both killed, showing him her slave mark as proof. Distraught, Amleth tells her that he saw Fjölnir carrying her away screaming and she tells him that she was laughing.

Amleth accuses her of lying and she asks him what they do now that he is there. He declares that he should kill her and all that she holds dear. She tells him that he will not do it due to his love for her. She tells him that if he kills Fjölnir and his sons, he will be her new king and they will rule together. She attempts to seduce him and he recoils in horror. She grabs his sword and he pulls it from her grip. He calls her a bitch and she tells him that his taste and mind reek of his foul father and that he should have joined him in death. She declares that she is his death and laughs as he departs.

The next morning, Thórir's corpse is discovered. Fjölnir is devastated by the death of his firstborn and horrified to discover that his heart is missing. He demands that Freyr tell him what evil eats the hearts of brave young men and Gudrún tells him to be a man in front of his inferiors. She tells him that it is not the work of an evil spirit, but of Amleth. Fjölnir declares it impossible, that they rid themselves of Amleth when he was a boy, but Gudrún insists that he still lives and will not stop until their family is dead. She urges him to find the slaves who aided Amleth and Fjölnir begins killing the slaves before determining that Olga was the one who helped Amleth.

Amleth appears on a nearby hill and offers to return Thórir's heart in exchange for Olga's life. He declares his intention to avenge his father and Gudrún orders the men to kill him. They surround and overpower Amleth and Fjölnir tortures him, but he does not reveal what he has done with Thórir's heart. Later that evening, they perform a funeral for Thórir in which they sacrifice his steed, Freyfaxi, and a slave, Kormlöth. Once Gunnar decapitates the horse, he and Fjölnir strip naked and Gudrún douses them with the horse's blood, declaring that Gunnar is now their only heir. Once the funeral concludes, Fjölnir goes to kill Amleth, only to discover that he is gone.

### Hel's Gate Opens

*"Hel, close your lap. Let no more of my house's lives be unbirthed by you."*
―Gudrún[src]

Gudrún and Áshildur watch as Mount Hekla erupts. Gudrún asks what dread omen it is and the priestess replies that it is no omen, but that Hel has opened her solemn gates and makes ready to receive their murdered ones. Gudrún replies that they have made the horde rich and Áshildur tells her that all living men fear entering Hel's kingdom. Gudrún replies that they should, for a woman rules its high seat.

Gudrún tells Áshildur that when the warriors feast in the mountain hall, her death goddess Freyja will welcome her as a sister. Áshildur asks if she is a warrior and Gudrún replies that she is a queen, for which Áshildur expresses hope that Freyja will embrace her as one. Gudrún prays to Hel to close her lap and let no more of her house's lives be unbirthed.

### Death

*"In the heart ... thank you ..."*
―Gudrún's last words[src]

Amleth returns to the farm under cover of darkness and begins killing the soldiers. Fjölnir tells Gudrún and Gunnar to stay hidden in the longhouse no matter what they hear. He tells Gudrún to keep them both safe and she replies that she will before kissing him. Fjölnir then departs to search for Amleth.

Amleth enters the longhouse and calls for Fjölnir. Gudrún and Gunnar hide in the wardrobe, but once Amleth enters the bedchamber, Gudrún leaps out of it screaming. She attacks him with her sword, but he quickly outmatches her and stabs her in the heart. She thanks him before she dies.

### Post-Mortem

*"Slain by iron, we shall all meet again in the stronghold of the All-father."*
―Amleth[src]

Immediately after Gudrún is killed, Gunnar attempts to avenge her by leaping onto Amleth's back and stabbing him several times, but Amleth kills him with a single swing of his sword. Fjölnir arrives and takes their bodies and he and Amleth agree to meet at the Gates of Hel. Fjölnir then rides to Mount Hekla and performs the funeral rite for his wife and son by decapitating his horse. Amleth later finds their bodies and expresses hope that they will all meet again in the stronghold of Óðinn the All-Father. At the peak, Fjölnir avenges Gudrún and Gunnar's deaths by killing Amleth, but dies himself in the process.

## Personality

*"None but me knows who you are. And you are so hot for revenge, child born of savagery. If you kill Fjölnir, if you kill Thórir...and if you are so untamed as to kill my Gunnar...you would be my new king, Amleth, and together we will rule."*
―Gudrún to Amleth[src]
Gudrún is a woman of great cunning. Growing up a slave, she becomes a queen when Aurvandil is forced to marry her after he rapes and impregnates her. He views her as unfit to be his wife and endures her, with Gudrún telling their son Amleth that she came to Aurvandil as a noble bride from Brittany. She later falls for Aurvandil's brother Fjölnir, who is looked down upon due to his status as a bastard and loves her despite knowing of her past. Together, they conspire to kill Aurvandil and Amleth. Gudrún stays with Fjölnir after he is overthrown by Haraldr Fine-Hair and sets up a farmstead at Freysdalur. Gudrún later gives birth to a son, Gunnar, whom she adores. Her relationship with Fjölnir is loving, though she stresses the importance of appearing strong in front of his inferiors. Amleth later returns and reveals himself to Gudrún. Knowing that he intends to kill Fjölnir, she attempts to seduce him, promising to be his queen, much to his horror. Having spent her entire life struggling to survive in a world ruled by men, Gudrún thanks Amleth when he fatally stabs her.

## Religion

*"When the warriors feast in the mountain hall, Freyja my death goddess will welcome me as a sister."
"Are you no warrior?"
"I am a queen."
"May she embrace you as one."*
―Gudrún and Áshildur[src]
Gudrún worships the death goddess Freyja, believing that she will welcome her as a sister once she enters the afterlife. She also preys to Hel, the ruler of the underworld, to spare her family.

## Trivia

* In Saxo Grammaticus' legend, Amleth's mother is named Gurutha. She is the daughter of Rørik Slyngebond, the king of Denmark. Horwendill marries her upon returning from an expedition in which he kills Koll, the king of Norway. Horwendill's brother Feng murders him out of jealousy and takes Gurutha to wife, falsely claiming that Horwendill abused her to justify the murder. Amleth later shames her for marrying her husband's killer and goads her into weaving and hanging a tapestry that he later uses to set the palace ablaze. She is later stripped of her royal wealth by Wiglek, who succeeds her father as king of Denmark. She is the basis for Queen Gertrude from William Shakespeare's *Hamlet*.

## Behind the Scenes

* Anna Stephenson was a stunt double for Nicole Kidman in the role of Gudrún.

## References

1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman*, Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022
2. ↑ Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman* Deleted Scene: "Yule Mummer Dance and Aurvandil's Speech", Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022
3. ↑ Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman* Deleted Scene: "Fjölnir's Dream", Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022
4. ↑ Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman* Deleted Scene: "Fjölnir and Gudrún", Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022
5. ↑ Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman* Deleted Scene: "Gudrún Tucks Gunnar In", Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022
6. ↑ Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman* Deleted Scene: "Hel's Gate Open", Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022