Hrafninn flýgur
Encyclopedia
When the Raven Flies is the title of a 1984 film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson
, set in Viking age
Iceland
.
When the Raven Flies is the first film of the Raven Trilogy (also known as the Viking Trilogy) that consists of three 'viking' films:
raid, but is spared in spite of the command of Thord, the Vikings' leader, to kill him. His sister is kidnapped by the Vikings. Twenty years later, the boy has become a man and travels to Iceland to seek revenge against the perpetrators and find his sister. His name is never revealed, and he is only known as "Gestur" by the characters in the film since he is a stranger to them. "Gestur" simply means "guest" but is also not an uncommon given name.
Gestur coldly plays two of the Viking raiders' (now living in exile from Norway
) gangs against each other to get his revenge. He stays out of sight, only revealing himself through his killings and to Erik, Thord's rival. He slays several of Thord's men and then frames Erik's gang for it. Thord is led to believe that Erik is plotting against him and is lying about the Gestur character. Thord's younger brother encourages this - it's later revealed that he is the one plotting to overthrow Thord and take his position. Thord is eventually driven to attack Erik and his men, killing them all.
Gestur discovers that Thord is married to the now adult sister and they have a young son.
Gestur reveals himself to his long lost sister, but she is still a Christian like their father raised them and does not help Gestur's plans to assassinate Thord.
Thord is a devout Norse paganist. Gestur secretly manipulates Thord's altar, leading Thord to believe that the gods demand his son as a sacrifice. In her desperation, Gestur's sister reveals her brother was the one who manipulated the altar and leads Thor and his gang to capture Gestur. He refuses to reveal who he is, even under brutal torture. The guilt-stricken sister frees him in secret, and the badly wounded Gestur escapes to Erik's grave.
Thord still goes ahead and arranges the sacrificial ceremony of his son, but believes that it will be enough for the gods if his son shows true Viking bravery and takes his "death" like a man, with the blade stopping only inches from this throat.
Thord's treacherous younger brother is tasked with wielding the blade, but in the middle of the ceremony, Gestur suddenly reveals himself. Thord's brother swings the blade to kill Thord's son, but the child is pushed away the last second. The brother's plan to kill Thord's heir and supplant him is revealed. Gestur uses his disguise to get close to Thord and his brother, revealing his true identity and killing them both.
Gestur buries his weapons and asks his sister and her son to come with him back to Ireland. He claims that he will now abandon violence and live a Christian life. His sister refuses and says that her son is "old enough to have seen too much", using the same words that Thord used twenty years ago when he ordered the killing of Gestur. In the final scene of the film, Thord's son looks after Gestur in anger and digs up Gestur's buried weapons, presumably to avenge his father and continue the cycle of violence.
, used dialogue from the film in their song "Í Víking" which can be found on their album "Í Blóði og Anda
".
Hrafn Gunnlaugsson
Hrafn Gunnlaugsson is an Icelandic moviemaker. He is the brother of the actress Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir. He is mostly known for his series of Viking movies, sometimes called "Cod Westerns"...
, set in Viking age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.
When the Raven Flies is the first film of the Raven Trilogy (also known as the Viking Trilogy) that consists of three 'viking' films:
- 1) When the Raven Flies (1984) - (original Icelandic title: Hrafninn flýgur) - usually known as simply The Raven or Revenge of the Barbarians.
- 2) In The Shadow of the Raven (1987) - (original Icelandic title: Í skugga hrafnsinsÍ skugga hrafnsinsIn the Shadow of the Raven is the title of a 1988 film by Hrafn Gunnlaugsson, set in Viking Age Iceland....
). - 3) Embla (1991) - (original Icelandic title: Hvíti víkingurinnWhite VikingThe White Viking is a 1991 film set in Norway and Iceland during the reign of Olaf I of Norway....
) - the directors cut of The White Viking .
Plot summary
In the opening scene on Ireland, a young boy loses his parents in a VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
raid, but is spared in spite of the command of Thord, the Vikings' leader, to kill him. His sister is kidnapped by the Vikings. Twenty years later, the boy has become a man and travels to Iceland to seek revenge against the perpetrators and find his sister. His name is never revealed, and he is only known as "Gestur" by the characters in the film since he is a stranger to them. "Gestur" simply means "guest" but is also not an uncommon given name.
Gestur coldly plays two of the Viking raiders' (now living in exile from Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) gangs against each other to get his revenge. He stays out of sight, only revealing himself through his killings and to Erik, Thord's rival. He slays several of Thord's men and then frames Erik's gang for it. Thord is led to believe that Erik is plotting against him and is lying about the Gestur character. Thord's younger brother encourages this - it's later revealed that he is the one plotting to overthrow Thord and take his position. Thord is eventually driven to attack Erik and his men, killing them all.
Gestur discovers that Thord is married to the now adult sister and they have a young son.
Gestur reveals himself to his long lost sister, but she is still a Christian like their father raised them and does not help Gestur's plans to assassinate Thord.
Thord is a devout Norse paganist. Gestur secretly manipulates Thord's altar, leading Thord to believe that the gods demand his son as a sacrifice. In her desperation, Gestur's sister reveals her brother was the one who manipulated the altar and leads Thor and his gang to capture Gestur. He refuses to reveal who he is, even under brutal torture. The guilt-stricken sister frees him in secret, and the badly wounded Gestur escapes to Erik's grave.
Thord still goes ahead and arranges the sacrificial ceremony of his son, but believes that it will be enough for the gods if his son shows true Viking bravery and takes his "death" like a man, with the blade stopping only inches from this throat.
Thord's treacherous younger brother is tasked with wielding the blade, but in the middle of the ceremony, Gestur suddenly reveals himself. Thord's brother swings the blade to kill Thord's son, but the child is pushed away the last second. The brother's plan to kill Thord's heir and supplant him is revealed. Gestur uses his disguise to get close to Thord and his brother, revealing his true identity and killing them both.
Gestur buries his weapons and asks his sister and her son to come with him back to Ireland. He claims that he will now abandon violence and live a Christian life. His sister refuses and says that her son is "old enough to have seen too much", using the same words that Thord used twenty years ago when he ordered the killing of Gestur. In the final scene of the film, Thord's son looks after Gestur in anger and digs up Gestur's buried weapons, presumably to avenge his father and continue the cycle of violence.
Cast list
- Jakob Þór Einarsson as Gestur
- Edda Björgvinsdóttir as Gestur's Sister
- Egill Ólafsson as Thor's Brother
- Flosi Ólafsson as Erik
- Gotti Sigurdarson (as Gottskálk D. Sigurdarson) as Einar
- Helgi Skúlason as Thor
- Sveinn M. Eiðsson as Guard
- Guðrún Kristín Magnúsdóttir
Awards
- Hrafn Gunnlaugsson won the 1985 Guldbagge AwardGuldbagge AwardThe Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
for Best Direction. - Hrafn Gunnlaugsson was nominated for the 1986 International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film.
In popular culture
Icelandic black metal band SólstafirSólstafir
Sólstafir is an Icelandic metal band, formed in 1995. The band's name is the Icelandic word for crepuscular rays.-History:The band was formed by 3 friends, Aðalbjörn Tryggvason, Halldór Einarsson and Guðmundur Óli Pálmason in January 1995...
, used dialogue from the film in their song "Í Víking" which can be found on their album "Í Blóði og Anda
Í Blóði og Anda
Í Blóði og Anda was the first full length album by Sólstafir. Shortly after its release Ars Metalli went under and the album became a rarity just a few months after its release.-Track listing:#Undir Jökli - 4:36...
".