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‘The rage of the Northmen’: Extreme metal and North-motivated violence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

Nikolas P. Sellheim Open the ORCID record for Nikolas P. Sellheim [Opens in a new window]
Nikolas P. Sellheim*
Affiliation:
Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The Vikings have for generations yielded significant output in different cultural venues. Also the music scene has utilised perceptions of the North and the Northmen to generate a stereotypical image of medieval Scandinavian society. Extreme metal, most notably black and Viking metal, have applied narratives pertaining to the Viking Age for its own purposes. This paper examines one particular aspect of the black and Viking metal music scene: violence. It examines how the North and its inhabitants are utilised to justify violent behaviour. Drawing from pinpointed examples of extreme metal, this paper shows that stereotypical assumptions of violent Viking expansion as well as fear of subjugation motivate the ‘rage of the Northmen.’

Keywords

Extreme metalIndigeneityNorthernnessVikingsViolence
Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 54 , Issue 5-6 , September 2018 , pp. 339 - 348
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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