The Northman and the Link between Past and Present Masculinities

Summary

There has been a steadily rising interest in a particular form of medieval representation. This has followed what Umberto Eco called “The Middle Ages as a barbaric age” or simply as “Shaggy Medievalism,” that is, the enduring presence of the hyper-masculinized – and often visibly hairy – barbarian, whose brutal and violent disposition demonstrates the inefficiencies of civilization as a staple of many depictions of the Middle Ages. However, in the 1970s this trend was still nascent, and Eco's observations on medieval masculinity would not become a part of broader discussions for some time. In the decades since, however, there has been a veritable explosion of historically located, scantily clad, hirsute, and muscled brutes – and today, we are living in an age where the Middle Ages appear shaggier than ever. Yet it is not for nothing that Eco termed this form of distortion “shaggy,” for this image (like premodern notions of the “wild man”) builds on notions of masculinity and gender in ways that are not always apparent. Therefore, this barbaric figure can work as a Trojan horse, which, in its aspirations for authentic representation, ushers in a fantasy that caters to the psychological needs of its audience. The violently antisocial, nihilistic, misogynistic, and racial elements that so often plague representations of shaggy men in the Middle Ages, thus, cannot be separated from the fantasy itself, even seemingly against the wishes of its creators.

The rise in popularity of shaggy medievalism is both fed, and feeds into, a rising appeal found in savage males in today's world, especially among younger men. Unsurprisingly, the figure that seems to be most frequently at the center of this fascination is the Viking: almost certainly male, with clearly identifiable blond hair, rippling muscles seemingly unrestrainable by anything other than fur, and, of course, wielding impossibly large weapons. Moreover, such figures are only increasing in popularity, as, following in the footsteps of the 2013 History Channel program Vikings, there has been a surge of similar offerings, including The Last Kingdom, Vikings: Valhalla, Ragnarok, and the Vinland Saga. Similarly, in the video-game industry several attempts to follow up on the 2011 massive hit Elder Scrolls: Skyrim have seen franchises such as God of War and Assassin's Creed set their games in a Viking world.