Every nine years, we travel to the temple at Uppsala
to give thanks to the gods and to offer
them sacrifices for all they do for...
For protecting us, for the success in battle,
for the rains that they bring that grow our crops
and, of course,
for our children.
This year I was not going to go,
for there is too much to do around here.
Then my unborn son
was cruelly taken from me,
and it made me wonder what I had done to anger the gods.
What do Christians do about such pain?
In the Bible, it says that all sorrows will pass.
In any case,
I've decided to go.
I'm going to take the children for the first time,
for it's important that they go.
What about you?
Me?
What about me?
Will you come with us?
Or perhaps you would prefer to stay here
and worship your own god?
No, I'll gladly come with you.
Good.
I would have taken you anyway.
A gift for the gods, for the children.
I pray for my daughter's recovery.
A gift for the gods.
Pray for health and prosperity.
My gift for the gods.
I ask their blessings for my son.
Gyda, you take the offerings.
For the gods in thanks for my new baby.
Thank you.
Ragnar,
are you not happy that we're going to Uppsala?
Of course I'm happy.
Why should I not be happy?
When we reach Uppsala,
we shall ask the gods why they give with one hand,
but take away with the other?
Why did they make me Earl, yet kill my son?
We can have more sons.
Have we not tried?
Arne.
Gyda, step up.
Careful. Ragnar.
Uppsala!
Floki!
Ah!
Here's the sacred grove.
Go and hang all the people's offerings from the spouse.
Does he know?
No.
Hail to the Aesir and the Vanir.
Hail to the gods and goddesses.
Hail to Odin, Thor and Freyr.
Hail to Vali, Sif and Heimdall.
Hail to Balder, Bragi and Eir.
Hail to Freyr, Loki and Frigg.
Hail to Hlín and Mimir.
Hail to Njord, Ran and Tyr.
Hail to Odin's spear, Thor's hammer.
Hail to the mighty fecund earth.
All...
All hail.
You know who that is, don't you?
Of course.
This is Thor holding his hammer, Mjollnir.
Who hasn't heard him beating his anvil in the storm?
Who doesn't believe in mighty Thor, slayer of frost and fire?
Freyr, Loki and Frigg.
Hail to Hlín and Mimir.
Hail to Njord, Ran and Tyr.
Hail to Odin...
Freyr, Lord,
fill me with seed and give me a son.
Do as you will with me,
make me blind or deaf if you want to,
but give me a son.
Accept the sacrifices of blood we make to you,
the honor we offer you.
My lord,
make me conceive again
before it's too late.
Hail to...
All hail.
Hail to Freyr, Loki and Frigg.
Odin, Father. I have come to ask for your love.
I want to grow and to prosper, to be quicken and to be wise. Hear me, Lord.
All hail.
Hail to the Aesir and the Vanir.
Hail to the gods and goddesses.
Lord of lords,
Father,
hear my prayer.
Let me understand your will.
Is it true that I shall have more sons
like the Seer says?
Accept the sacrifice I plan to offer you,
and then answer me.
Hail to the Aesir and the Vanir.
Hail to the gods and goddesses.
Hail to Odin, Thor...
Who will bear me my son?
PRIEST:...Sif and Heimdall.
Hail to Balder...
Hail to Freyr, Loki and Frigg.
How good is this, Rollo?
Especially because we're here together.
Yes,
while we're here in Uppsala, let us enjoy and revel in every moment.
Have you been here before, Helga?
No.
Do you know what happens here?
I've heard some stories.
And they're all true.
But they still don't prepare you for what really happens here.
I can't wait to find out.
When is the food ready, Helga?
I'm hungry.
You're always hungry.
Of course I am,
but not always for food.
Can you feel it, Gyda?
Can you sense the presence of the gods gathering here?
They have left their bright halls to see us.
They are here for sure.
They walk among us.
And make their judgments on us.
So when do we offer our sacrifices?
At the end of the festival.
And in the meantime, we celebrate the gods
and enjoy their presence in any way we can.
Give Athelstan a drink.
Priest, your cup.
Mother, you came here before?
Once.
And did you ask the gods for anything?
Yes.
And they granted my every desire.
What is this?
These will all be killed as sacrifices.
Six, seven, eight, nine.
Seven, eight, nine.
And nine goats and nine pigs.
There's nine of everything!
Yes,
nine of every kind.
And this?
It's for all the humans that have been chosen.
Come join us, priest.
Drink.
Drink to the nights and to the gods.
And
eat these.
I heard a rumor today that King Horik himself may attend the festival.
It is not a rumor.
I desire to meet him.
There are great stories and legends told about him.
Thank you.
You want to go out there, don't you?
Please stay.
Why can't you stay?
Priest...
You are surely not tired, Athelstan.
Not on this great journey you have begun
and must finish.
Leif,
if you let me go, I will fall again.
No, the gods will hold you.
Priest,
I have been waiting for you.
Gyda, what is it, child?
I am bleeding.
Then you are no longer a child. Forgive me.
You are a woman.
But let me cradle you in my arms a last time,
as I always used to do.
It is hard for me to let go of you.
Why do you do this, Thyri?
Don't you understand?
I have to.
Priests, stir yourselves!
You ignorant peasant! Wake up!
How dare you disturb us! Wake up!
Get out! Get out of the temple!
Priests! If you value your lives, stop this at once.
Fools! This is King Horik.
Athelstan, I want you to meet someone.
You must be Ragnar Lothbrok!
I must tell you it is my privilege and pleasure to clap eyes on you.
Your reputation goes ahead of you, Ragnar Lothbrok.
I know this because so many have told me how you killed Earl Haraldson,
and then built a new kind of ship,
were the first to sail west, and defeated a king of England!
In fact, I can hardly believe my eyes
that you are standing right here in front of me.
Please, please.
Travelers and storytellers have described how you came to your throne
by defeating, one by one,
the six uncles that killed your father.
And my mother,
and all my sisters and brothers.
I also know how you favor the poets at your court,
and your people respect your law making, your justice and your rule.
And as a consequence, here,
on this site,
in the living presence of the gods,
I offer you my fealty
and my service.
I accept your pledge with a glad heart.
What can I do for you in return?
Hmm.
You could join forces with me.
I am not satisfied with what I have achieved so far.
I want to send bigger raiding parties to the west.
Yes, to plunder, but also to explore new lands.
There are other lands to the west?
There is a kingdom called Francia.
A kingdom far larger, far richer
and far more powerful than England.
Athelstan, come.
Come.
This man has seen it.
I was a Christian monk in England.
I traveled to other lands as a missionary.
I have heard of Christians and of their god.
And are you still a Christian?
No.
Of course not!
How could you be a Christian and walk among our gods?
I share your appetite for new adventure, Ragnar Lothbrok,
and I will gladly join forces with you,
since, as king, I am naturally not in favor of individual enterprise
by my earls or anyone else.
But, believe me, I will be happy enough just to have my name linked with yours
when the poets tell the story of how we Norsemen sailed west
and discovered new worlds.
Please, come. Eat, eat.
Why did you bother to come back?
I was hungry.
How many women have you been with?
I don't suppose you know. I do what I want here.
I thought we came here together.
We came here with Earl Ragnar.
I thought we came here together, but...
We did come here together.
We are together.
Why do you keep pestering me?
I am who I am
and I won't change,
not for you, not for my brother, not for anyone.
So leave if you want to.
But one day I will be a great man
and you'll regret leaving me just because I sleep with other women.
If you really want to be a great man,
should you not be meeting with King Horik now?
What do you mean?
Well, that's where your brother is now,
and no doubt he's already boasting about how he sailed west, alone,
and all he has achieved alone.
If you weren't so stubborn and so drunk,
you would be there, too, but you weren't invited.
You didn't even know about it.
I could have told you.
You see, Rollo,
you need me as much as I need you.
That is, if you really want to be something.
Ragnar Lothbrok, I drink to your good fortune.
May the gods continue to favor you and increase your fame.
May they do the same to you, King Horik.
You have done me the honor of pledging your fealty as earl to me.
Forgive me, then, if I seem anxious
to make use of your skills and reputation
as soon as possible.
To do what?
There is a Jarl in Götland, Jarl Borg.
He is an important fellow, but he continues to claim he has legal rights
over some of my land.
He threatens me.
He nearly invaded my territory a year ago,
but at the last moment, he drew back.
And now, once again,
he is making threatening noises.
And how can I be of help in such a matter?
Would you be prepared to travel to Götland as my emissary?
I can think of no one who I would rather represent my case,
for your fame is widespread.
If the issue is settled,
I shall be forever in your debt.
What do you say?
Come.
Have you come here of your own free will?
Yes.
At first, I was suspicious of you.
I sensed something,
so I spoke to Lord Ragnar.
He told me your story.
That you were a priest,
that you were a Christian
and worshipped a god called Jesus Christ.
Is that true?
Yes.
And do you still worship this god?
Are you still, in your heart, a Christian?
No.
Say again.
No.
And a third time,
say it.
No.
You know why you're here, don't you?
You have been brought here as a sacrifice to the gods.
I have come to tell you that the sacrifice of this man will not please the gods.
He is neither willing nor is his faith acceptable to Odin.
His heart is corrupt.
He has not renounced his false god.
Looks like your god finally came through for you.
Instead, one amongst you must agree
to take his place tomorrow at the sacrifice.
If not, then all shall fail.
The gods, in their anger, will punish everyone
and withdraw their protection from all of us.
No, not you.
Before anyone else can claim this honor,
I desire to be sacrificed.
For the sake of my family,
for the sake of all of you,
my friends.
But even more, for the sake of all humans in Midgard.
I trust that the gods will find my sacrifice acceptable.
In which case, I look forward to it joyfully.