{"id":773,"date":"2026-02-23T20:09:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/?p=773"},"modified":"2026-03-23T00:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T00:13:18","slug":"jorvik-viking-festival-nordicness-metal-and-politics-of-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/2026\/02\/23\/jorvik-viking-festival-nordicness-metal-and-politics-of-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"Jorvik Viking Festival: Nordicness, Metal and Politics of the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Musicians performing beofre the Jorvik Viking March (21\/2\/2026)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Act I: The March<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

I finally made it to the Jorvik Viking march this year. Four years of living in York and somehow I\u2019d always managed to miss it. Work, weather, other plans\u2026 There was always an excuse. So, when my day off lined up with the finale of the Festival it felt like I\u2019d accidentally timed things pretty perfectly.<\/p>\n

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What struck me most wasn\u2019t just the history, but the theatre of it all.<\/p>\n

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The march wound its way through the city with helmets catching what little sun there was, spears at the ready, and the steady thud of drums bouncing off buildings that have seen more than a few centuries themselves. It was unapologetically dramatic. The battle re-enactment near Clifford\u2019s Tower leaned fully into spectacle: choreographed combat, shouted commands, the clash of metal on metal. It was immersive in the best way (beyond the walls of my beloved Dungeon of course\u2026).<\/p>\n

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And in all honestly!? Viking history is perfect for that kind of theatricality.<\/p>\n

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Act II: Myth and Metal<\/h2>\n

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When you think about power metal in particular, it makes sense. Grand narratives. Mythic battles. Gods, fate, glory, apocalypse. There\u2019s LOADS of research into the use of historic narratives in metal and why they work so well with a variety of audiences (La Rocca, 2017; Ashby & Schofield, 2015; Sellheim, 2018). The whole genre thrives on scale and ritual. There\u2019s a reason so many bands lean into faux-medieval fonts, armour-adjacent stage wear, and quasi-mythological storytelling. The Viking march felt like stepping into an album cover (Amon Amarth I\u2019m looking at you).<\/p>\n

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But what makes it work is that the theatricality doesn\u2019t feel forced. Norse history and mythology are already ritualistic. Processions, oaths, sacrifices, cosmology, runes \u2013 they come pre-loaded with symbolic weight. Somehow when a group of musicians leads a mass of shield-carrying re-enactors through York\u2019s streets, it doesn\u2019t feel like an awkward grafting of performance onto the past. It feels like the re-imagining of a ritual.<\/p>\n

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That sense of ritual is something metal has always been good at tapping into. Extreme metal especially has a knack for creating atmosphere that borders on ceremonial: corpse paint, stage lighting and a sometimes uncomfortable sonic intensity. When you think of it like this, I honestly don\u2019t see much of a difference between theatre kids and true kvlt elitists\u2026 but that\u2019s a different debate for another day.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a communal element there that goes beyond simply \u201cwatching a gig\u201d. It\u2019s participatory, immersive, embodied. Standing at the march, with the percussion reverberating through the crowd, I was reminded how naturally these aesthetics translate across contexts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It also made me reflect, as I usually do, on how and why certain pasts get revived, stylised and circulated within alternative subcultures.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Act III: Aesthetics and Ideology<\/h2>\n

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The \u201cNorth\u201d in metal has never been neutral. Scholars have long pointed out that \u201cNordicness\u201d functions in multiple, sometimes contradictory ways within extreme metal scenes: as a brand of authenticity and extremity; as a marker of ethnic belonging; and as a symbol tied to contemporary liberal democratic identity (see Lucas, Deeks, & Spracklen, 2011). In other words, it\u2019s not just about liking Vikings. It\u2019s about what Vikings are made to mean.<\/p>\n

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On one level, Nordic imagery has become shorthand for authenticity and otherness. Since the rise of Norwegian black metal in the early 1990s, the region has been marketed \u2013 both internally and externally \u2013 as a bleak, frozen edge of Europe, geographically and culturally distant from commercial metal\u2019s supposed centre (Kahn-Harris, 2007). \u201cNordic metal\u201d becomes a trademark, a guarantee of extremity, isolation and sincerity. That branding still circulates today.<\/p>\n

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Used in this context, shields and runes aren\u2019t just historical props; they\u2019re aesthetic cues loaded with connotations of rawness, masculinity, pre-Christian \u201cpurity\u201d and resistance to the mainstream. They look authentic. They feel ancient. They suggest roots.<\/p>\n

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The problem is that roots can be mobilised in different ways.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s no secret that strands of black metal have explicitly racialised those same symbols. The early Norwegian scene\u2019s self-mythologising frequently invoked an imagined pagan past as a rejection of Christianity and modernity, but it also intersected with explicitly exclusionary and racist ideas (Fischer, 2022). National Socialist Black Metal (NSBM) represents the most overt example of this, framing \u201cNordicness\u201d as synonymous with white, Aryan identity and treating Viking imagery as ancestral proof of ethnic belonging.<\/p>\n

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Asgardsrei festival (Norwegian: 'The Ride of Asgard', i.e \"The Wild Hunt\") is an annual National Socialist black metal (NSBM) festival in Kyiv, Ukraine. The 2019 event poster makes overt use of Norse imagery, showing a relatively modern NSBM interpretation of Viking aesthetics.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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That\u2019s where the discomfort creeps in for me…<\/p>\n

Watching the march, I loved the spectacle. I loved the craft, the noise, the commitment. But I\u2019m also aware that the same aesthetic vocabulary \u2013 runes, ravens, longships, the \u201cheathen\u201d North \u2013 has been reworked in ways that flatten complex histories into fantasies of homogenous whiteness. As Spraklen (2010) argues, \u201cNordicness\u201d in metal can slide from a branded marker of extremity into a narrative of exclusory ethnic belonging. The Viking becomes less a historical figure and more a genetic inheritance.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it\u2019s important not to collapse everything into black metal, or to pretend nationalist themes are exclusive to its most extreme fringes. Beyond metal entirely, nationalist appropriations of Viking imagery have been visible in far-right movements across Europe and North America. The aesthetic has a portability that makes it easy to detach from historical nuance and reattach to modern political projects (Khan-Harris, 2007). That portability is precisely why it\u2019s powerful.<\/p>\n

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Act IV: Reclaiming the Chorus<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

That isn\u2019t the whole story\u2026<\/p>\n

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The Nordic region also carries a contemporary reputation for liberal democracy, welfare infrastructure and cultural support \u2013 material conditions that have arguably enabled metal scenes to flourish in the first place (Kahn-Harris, 2007). There\u2019s a tension there: between the imagined North of pagan liberty and the real North of social democracy. Between individualist anti-modern posturing and state-funded music education. Hoad and Whiting (2017) suggest that \u201cNordicness\u201d in metal is fragmented, marked by paradox rather than purity. I find that framing useful.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also something worth saying about power metal more broadly.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If black metal often approaches the past as rupture \u2014 through lenses of destruction, rejection, purification \u2014 some strands of power metal approach it through preservation. A lot of it just loves history. It doesn\u2019t always handle it perfectly, and it certainly doesn\u2019t handle it quietly, but there\u2019s an obvious enthusiasm there. Battles, revolutions, last stands and lost kingdoms become tales amplified with double kicks and huge choruses.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And while that theatricality can absolutely romanticise conflict, it can also generate curiosity.<\/p>\n

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Bands like Eluveitie, T\u00fdr, Feuerschwanz and Gloryhammer have built entire careers on writing about historical battles and military events. You can debate their framing, their tone, their choices (and people often do!) but it\u2019s difficult to deny that they\u2019ve brought historical subjects to audiences who might never otherwise engage with them. More than that, they\u2019ve actively used that platform in constructive ways. When a British Tank Museum was facing financial difficulty, Swedish power metal heavyweights Sabaton donated funds from merchandise sales to help keep it open. That\u2019s not myth as exclusion, it\u2019s history-as-stewardship.<\/p>\n

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In 2019, Swedish metal band Sabaton saved the Heugh Battery Museum in Hartlepool, UK, from permanent closure by raising over \u00a34,000 through a charity T-shirt campaign.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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There\u2019s something interesting there. I\u2019m a big believer in using power for good, and while power metal might not be to everyone\u2019s taste, I think instances like this should be recognised as a genuine effort to contribute to historic preservation, especially in such a publicly accessible form.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Power metal\u2019s relationship to the past isn\u2019t usually framed around ethnic belonging in the same way as some strands of extreme metal, and is often international. One album might move from Sweden to Poland to the Pacific. The past becomes shared human drama rather than ancestral proof. It\u2019s still theatrical, but it isn\u2019t always insular.<\/p>\n

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I think a lot of power metal musicians recognise the responsibility that comes with handling history. They\u2019re aware that they\u2019re shaping perception. When that influence is directed toward education, preservation, or genuine commemoration rather than mythic purity, it shifts the tone entirely.<\/p>\n

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Which brings me back to York.<\/p>\n

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Encore: History Done Well<\/h2>\n\n

Standing there, watching a staged Viking battle unfold in front of Clifford\u2019s Tower, I was reminded that history is never just content. It\u2019s a resource. It can be mobilised for spectacle, for ideology, for branding, for education, for community. The difference lies in intent \u2014 and in the conversations we\u2019re willing to have around it.<\/p>\n\n

Metal, for all its noise and distortion, has always been a genre that takes the past seriously. Sometimes too seriously. Sometimes not seriously enough. But when it leans into theatricality with awareness \u2014 treating history as something to explore rather than weaponise \u2014 it can create something powerful, communal, and even constructive.<\/p>\n\n

And that\u2019s the version of ritual I\u2019m most interested in.<\/p>\n\n

Not purity. But shared, hands-on engagement with the past.<\/p>\n\n

What I saw in York this week certainly wasn\u2019t a political rally. It was families, tourists, locals, re-enactors and students \u2013 people enjoying a shared, theatrical engagement with times gone by. It was history as performance, not as manifesto. The past, temporarily animated for communal enjoyment (and a bit of extra tourist income for the city if I\u2019m feeling cynical).<\/p>\n\n

That didn\u2019t mean the symbols were empty though.<\/p>\n\n

For me, that\u2019s part of why events like this matter. They\u2019re a reminder that history doesn\u2019t sit still. It is constantly reinterpreted, commercialised, reclaimed and resisted. The same shield can be a museum replica, a stage prop, an album cover centrepiece or a hate symbol, depending on who\u2019s holding it and what story they\u2019re telling.<\/p>\n\n

Metal has been drawn to the dramatic since its inception. Viking history offers it a ready-made archive of gods, battles and apocalyptic horizons. It fulfils a need for ritual and spectacle in a way that feels almost intuitive. But as fans, scholars, or just observers, we also have to be wary of how those aesthetics travel \u2013 and what they\u2019re made to signify along the way.<\/p>\n

I think there’s definitely more to think and talk about when it comes to Vikings and Paganism in metal, and I’d be lying if I said living in York wasn’t the perfect springboard for this. Perhaps a little later down the line I’ll come back to this subject, but for now it goes without saying…<\/p>\n

\u16cb\u16b3\u16b1\u16c1\u16a0\u16aa \u16be\u16a9\u16b3\u16a2\u16cf!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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References:<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Ashby, S., & Schofield, J. (2015). Hold the heathen hammer high: Representation, re-enactment and the construction of Pagan heritage. International Journal of Heritage Studies<\/em>, 21(5), 1-16. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/13527258.2014.960441<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fischer, J. (2022). Pagan Metal Gods: The Use of Mythology and White Supremacy National Socialist Black Metal. react\/review: a responsive journal for art & architecture<\/em>, 2. http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.5070\/R52056635<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hoad, C., & Whiting, S. (2017). True Kvlt? The Cultural Capital of \u201cNordicness\u201d in Extreme Metal. M\/C Journal<\/em>, 20(6). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5204\/mcj.1319<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kahn-Harris, K. (2007). Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge<\/em>. Oxford: Berg.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

La Rocca, F. (2017). The Viking raids of England in metal music: From ideology to parody. Metal Music Studies<\/em>, 3(2), 219-229. https:\/\/link.gale.com\/apps\/doc\/A497099158\/AONE?u=anon~4b6c382e&sid=googleScholar&xid=9c7e2dc6<\/a><\/p>\n

Sellheim, N. P. (2018). \u2018The rage of the Northmen\u2019: Extreme metal and North-motivated violence. Polar Record<\/em>, 54(5-6), 339-348. Https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/S0032247419000020<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Spracklen, K. (2010). True Aryan black metal: The meaning of leisure, belonging and the construction of whiteness in black metal music. In N. Scott & I. von Helden (Eds.), The metal void: First gatherings<\/em> (pp. 81\u201393). Oxford: Inter-Disciplinary Press.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I finally made it to the Jorvik Viking march this year. Four years of living in York and somehow I\u2019d always managed to miss it. Work, weather, other plans\u2026 There was always an excuse. So, when my day off lined up with the finale of the Festival it felt like I\u2019d accidentally timed things pretty perfectly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png",453,352,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png",453,352,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png",453,352,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-300x233.png",300,233,true],"large":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png",453,352,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png",453,352,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image.png",453,352,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Izzy Grady","author_link":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/author\/izzytheadmin_6534540\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Blog<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"I finally made it to the Jorvik Viking march this year. Four years of living in York and somehow I\u2019d always managed to miss it. Work, weather, other plans\u2026 There was always an excuse. So, when my day off lined up with the finale of the Festival it felt like I\u2019d accidentally timed things pretty…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=773"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":968,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions\/968"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/775"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satansells.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}