http://www.facebook.com/norsemythology/posts/744700912226246

OPEN LETTER TO THE MAKERS OF "VIKINGDOM"

Dear KRU Studios,

I have a few questions about your new film, Vikingdom. The IMDb website features a description of the movie by your company's director, Dr. Shireen M. Hashim. Her words are reflected in the promotional materials for the film on your website. I'm a bit puzzled by the way the movie is being presented to the public.

The film is about "a forgotten king" of the Vikings, who must return from death to defeat Thor. Thor himself is portrayed as an evil figure who wants to enslave humanity. I'd like to ask about some specific items from Dr. Hashim's statement.

1. "In the midst of time comes the clanging of steel against steel, a collision of myth and history.... "Vikingdom"."

Could tell me what "myth and history" the film is based on? You can't be referring to tales of Norse Mythology, because they clearly portray Thor as the protector of humanity. By "history," do you mean the sagas of Christian rulers like Olaf Tryggvason, who violently persecuted, tortured & murdered anyone who would not convert to the New Way of Christianity?

2. "Based on Viking legends and the epic poems they left as record, "Vikingdom" is a fantasy, action adventure about a forgotten king, Eirick, who was tasked with the impossible odds to defeat Thor, the God of Thunder."

The legends & poetry of the Vikings themselves consistently show Thor as a god who is almost single-mindedly dedicated to protection of the worlds of gods and men. I'm a bit confused how something can be both "based on" written sources and about "a forgotten king." Unless, again, you are basing your film on the relentless persecution of followers of the Old Way by the violent Christian kings who sought to destroy the ancient religion.

3. Thor is on a mission to gather the key ancient relics - "Mjolnir" - his hammer from Valhalla, "Necklace of Mary Magdalene" from Mitgard and the "Horn" from Helheim.

This is a very strange idea. Mjölnir is not simply the weapon of Thor that he uses to protect humanity from the destructive giants, but it is also the most meaningful symbol of the ancient faith. You can read about its history (which spans thousands of years) at http://www.norsemyth.org/2013/07/the-meani...ors-hammer.html. Why did you decide that the Hammer of the Gods is something Thor has to "gather"? Why did you invert its meaning from protection of humanity to the opposite?

I'm not sure why the "Necklace of Mary Magdalene" would appear in a story about Thor. Brísingamen (the necklace of the Norse goddess Freya) appears in "Þrymskviða," the Eddic poem about Thor recovering his hammer from the giant who stole it. Again, the actual myth is about Thor protecting us all from destructive forces. Are you connecting the goddess Freya of the Norse religion with the troubled woman who joins Jesus Christ in the New Testament?

The ""Horn" from Helheim" is also puzzling. The important horn of Norse myth is the Gjallarhorn of the god Heimdall. This mystic horn is associated with the Well of Wisdom, a sacred space in the old religion. Heimdall will blow it to announce the coming of Ragnarök (the Doom of the Gods), when the giants come to destroy gods and men. Why are you portraying another symbol of the gods' protection of humanity as a symbol of anti-human destruction? Why are you switching a positive symbol of life (the Well of Wisdom) to a symbol of death & decay (Helheim)?

4. "This needs to be accomplished before the Blood Eclipse, which happens once every 800 years, failing which, the pagan Viking Gods will never be able to rule and conquer mankind ever again."

Leaving aside the fact that the entire Viking Age lasted less than 300 years (approximately 793-1066), this is a troubling statement. As I've mentioned repeatedly above, Thor's sacred role in the Old Way is as the protector of humanity. He is strongly associated with the common man, with the peasant, with the farmer. He is fanatically devoted to keeping humanity free from the grasping might of the giants.

In the Eddic poem "Hárbarðsljóð," Thor says:

I was in the east, and I fought against giants,
Malicious women, who roamed in the mountains;
Great would be the giant race if they all lived,
Mankind would be as nothing on the earth.

Likewise, ancient inscriptions call upon Thor's protection & blessing with the phrase "þórr vigi." Why did you choose to make Thor's role the exact opposite of what it is shown in all the records we have of pre-Christian belief & practice? Was your goal to portray Thor as he was seen by the Christian missionaries who sought to destroy the Old Way?

5. "Only one man can stop him... Eirick, the undead."

In Norse myth, the god Odin gathers battle-slain heroes in Valhalla, his hall in Asgard. He is bringing them together to build an army that will fight the giants at the end of time. The only dead humans who fight against the gods are the inglorious and unheroic dead of Hel. These shamed corpses will fight on the side of the destructive giants & destroy the world. Why did you decide to portray this (one of the central and most important concepts in Norse myth) completely backwards?

Taking into account all the above points, it seems like your film is wholeheartedly accepting the darkest propaganda of the Christian missionaries and their allies who violently persecuted followers of the Old Way. More than anything, the tone of your movie reminds me of "Innocence of Muslims," the horrible anti-Muslim film trailer that caused an international scandal when it appeared on YouTube. That awful video turned the message of Muhammad upside down and gravely insulted Muslims the world over. Likewise, your film turns the ancient role of Thor exactly upside down.

I hope that you have not set out to insult the memory of the many, many followers of the Old Way who were tortured & murdered for their refusal to abandon their ancient faith. I hope that you have not set out to insult the international community of followers of Ásatrú, the living religion that venerates the Norse gods & takes Thor's hammer as its holy symbol.

I understand that this is simply "a fantasy, action adventure" aimed at a mass market. However, pop culture can make a serious statement, as well. What statement are you making with this movie?

I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
http://www.norsemyth.org/

not anti christian lah pro chritian

Tldr

damn, Norse mythology is some serious shit..

KRU nnt kena panah petir oleh Thor

u buka thread u butthur... owai...

dia tulis surat dia butthurt...

it is a movie la.. fiction...

Probably the doctor has never watched Avengers...

Incoming reply.

"Filem ini adalah rekaan semata-mata dan tiada kaitan dengan yang hidup atau mati. Sebarang kaitan adalah kebetulan sahaja"

i'm jelly that our Indonesian & Thai directors could produce a better story with only half the budget of Vikingdom..

It sets Christianity against the Norse mythology.


Basically it's a shit-stirring movie. Now the norse mythology followers thought this movie is done by Christians.

Its a movie , get over it. same as tanda putera.

oh ya, ironman are real too.

i dun watch movies with stupid titles like "vikingdom".

try la watch 'Vikings' tv series..got Vikings attacking christians in church lagik

Tunggu channel History tayang Vikings plak...

thor worshipper butthurt. well, this is new... lulz...

Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried

dr wasting time debating on myth

not real dr i hope

tu lah.....local films oso like shiat...ada hati mau bikin filem sejarah org barat....tau skit mcm sudah terer....."tarak ini besar mia kepala jgn pakai topi yg itu besar"

already watched the 1st season

good series to watch actually, coz its nearly as accurate as it can be, seeing its a collaboration with the History Channel..

myth? right lets call islam a myth too.

many have tried and failed, be my guess anyway

funny sum pipul in this tered says that such mythology and classical folklore should be taken lightly,
but butthurt to the max when someone claimed hang tuah to be a cainis.

ahh, the usual hypocrites

movie from hollywood close one eye, buat tak tahu saja.

see movie from asian, furthermore from malaysia, so must judge and critics furiously.

sempat lagi divert a thread about Vikingdom to a thread to bash Islam

Iron man tak gaduh dengan Thor ke dalam Vikingdom?

Doctor butthurt

I'm more amazed at why did he even watch this.

Mythology is part of a race culture and believe, Vikingdom just piss on the whole Irish (not sure) community and every single professor specialize in Celtic culture and mythology.

its a myth oh i did it

this movie gonna bomb anyway.

i'll bet its gonna get laughed out of US cinemas on its opening day.

and please don't put this movie's villian one the same level as Marvel's Thor. Stan Lee would be greatly insulted.

This post has been edited by xenogearz88: Sep 19 2013, 05:51 PM

meanwhile, my kampung minded officemate was so bangga with this vikingdom.. a b-rated movie.

limited international screening.

probably 40-50 pawagam only in usa out of thousands

 

I know rempit cant read. Since u like the movie tanda oku,
Let me quote u this tldr.

And to those saying its a movie, get over it. I wait for someone to insult your mother, then let see if u will say, 'he is just talking to himself, just louder. '

========
I understand that this is simply "a fantasy, action adventure" aimed at a mass market. However, pop culture can make a serious statement, as well. What statement are you making with this movie?

so he's going to protest in front of Malaysian embassy and burn Malaysian flag?

myth worshipping people laughing at other people's myth....this is fun....

I see what you did there.

those days ppl really worship thor as their god and they really believe it kao kao 1

nope

it shud be

"JANGAN PERSOAL"

In a thousand years or two, people might say the same thing about us today

This post has been edited by khelben: Sep 19 2013, 06:00 PM

The Viking are all paganistic. What do they expecting anyway?

dear ts,

after i read imdb description/sypnosis a while ago...i knew the sheet is going to hit the storm...

well...so much for Asian messing with and messing up nordic mythology like it were the comicbooks...maybe the Nords might make a movie about Scandinavian hang tuah, that will show 'em..owai..

edit: oh i forgot to laugh...i laugh now: whahahahahahahahahah..hahaha..

This post has been edited by beelzebob13: Sep 19 2013, 06:04 PM

Vikingdom..hahahhahaha

viking got own viking god

Give em valkyrie profile for introduction.

its a myth because nobody believe in it now, but once upon a time, long long time ago, pipul believe in it, it was "real" and the history is real.
so yes islam, christian, buddha, all religion can turn into a myth. its posibble, but will it happen? i dont know.

about this vikingdom, the Dr said about how the film based from the history but then stir up with the myth.
how about avengers and thor?? well that is pure fantasy based on the myth but does not have anything to do with history.

your loss. it's actually quite good.

This guy is doktor.

Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried
Chicago, Illinois
A Norse mythologist & musician in Chicago, Karl is Norse Religion Faculty at Carthage College (where he founded the Tolkien Society) & teaches Norse mythology classes at Loyola University & Newberry Library.

Featured as a writer & lecturer at Joseph Campbell Foundation & Wagner Society of America, he wrote all Ásatrú definitions in Religion Newswriters Association's Religion Stylebook.

A member of Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, Tolkien Society (UK), Viking Society for Northern Research (UK) & Religion Newswriters Association, he's Official Norse Mythologist of the Stephanie Miller Show.

related tered

https://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2965308/+0&#entry63297953

you mean like certain countries in the mid-east of a certain continent?

i'd rather watch the raid
dari tengok cerita vi-kondom CGI phailed ptuii

biasa la tu...filem buatan kroni bertongkat.

Are you for real or troll?

My brain basically just devolve after I watch it.

why dont you try the 13th warrior first?

They should have had a Durex product tie-in. "Vikingdom- ribbed with twisty turns for her pleasure."

Oh thats GOOD!!!!!

actually the only problem i got with the movie is the guy with red hair

unknown warrior

Adui, movie je pon.

Promosi ni

fixed

As a movie distributed to a global scale, KRU would have expected to receive such inquiries and criticism on Vikingdom. I hope KRU responds accordingly to the proffesors inquiry and would it suffice.

Entah ape bende kena dgn Christianity pulak.

Viking myth = myth. Totally unrelated.

But for once would like to see how KRU answer this doctor who knows his stuff.

I like this movie

norse myth is serious business

inb4 only the undead sang kancil can return mykingdom to former glory days...

Later Scandinavian countries make a B-grade historical movie about Hang Tuah. But depicts him as Cainis. And proceed to make 10 times more $$$ than Vikondom and Tandas Putera combined.

Wait~ Vikingdom is sejarah? Not fiction like Tanda Putera meh?

But...but I thought Hang Tuah was an Indian.

I heard he is japenese

He needs boots of grounding lol

or butthurt over a cartoon.

or photography.

KRU should do kedah tua movie...

For teh lulz.

# Use chain and lock for one cell, and another with just plain cloths.
# A nearly dead woman will not get suck into a hole, while 2 gods fighting their arse off not to get suck in.
# Random mandarin coming out of nowhere unexpectedly.
#
#
#

Aaah maybe you confused him with Hang Thambi, the Indian hero sent by Parameswara to save the Malacca sultanate from the lions which Sang Nila Utama had driven out from Singapoda.

(Hey, if those film makers can take poetic license with myths and history, so can I!)

There's a rumor circulating in the Interwebz that Vaseline was originally designed for and aimed at a certain market.

This post has been edited by Big_Bad_Wolfgang: Sep 19 2013, 08:58 PM

dafuqq....this scenes from the movie?

No lah, it was Reshmonu.

quite sure it was pooh-pooh license...

Go watch lar, your mind will kena fucuk up down left and right.

Sounds like such a license would have been issued by Indah Water Konsortium

or ashes, packets, heads, and not to forget the letter "I".

that shit from vikingdom? got mandrin song somemore? woa

Not mandarin song, its one of the lead actor is a chinese in that movie, and he will speak mandarin like how banana speak mandarin. Very funny lar, he basically steal the spot light from the other lead actor.

haha cant wait to watch it online streaming

overall, how u rate the movie?

just imagining it is enough to send shivers up my spine........

could be part of promotional tactic. who knows kru paid the dr to comment on the movie so that lotsa ppl watch it.

Banana that try very hard.

my friend pergi tgk

he said damn funny, so he gave 7/10

lol

1/10

First time trying to sleep in cinema.

what rotten tomato rating?

already reached US shores and getting laughed out by the audience?

Malaysia will be famous even more

HAHAHAHHAHAA

No one's gonna watch this piece of crap. Don't worry about affectiing people's opinion.

let say 2000 years later ppl make today's mainstream religion and twist it 360.

a gov funded movie can twist local history

what do u expect when they do movie on myth/history of others

I personally asked them, why such a fuss when a lot of other media (comics, movies, games) portrayed Thor wrongly too (HINT: Marvel), and it has been like this for a long time.

They said it was because in numerous interviews KRU used the term 'research' so they expect this to be some sort of accurate documentary of their poems and lores.

Well guess they are right. Or maybe some promotional stuff LOL.