In AD 895, King Aurvandill returns to the island of Hrafnsey, reuniting with his wife, Queen Gudrún, and his heir, Prince Amleth. To prepare Amleth for his eventual ascension, the father and son participate in a ceremony overseen by Aurvandill’s jester, Heimir. Heimir tells Amleth that his destiny is fixed and cannot be escaped, and Amleth vows to avenge his father if Aurvandill is ever slain, rather than live his life in shame. The next morning, Amleth’s bastard uncle Fjölnir stages a palace coup, personally beheads Aurvandill, sacks the hillfort and carries away Gudrún. Amleth narrowly escapes Fjölnir’s assassins and flees by boat, swearing vengeance.
Years later, an adult Amleth is a berserker within a band of Vikings. After attacking a village in Gardariki, Amleth encounters a Seeress in the temple of Svetovit; the Seeress orders Amleth to remember his oath of vengeance and tells him that his fate is intertwined with that of a Maiden-King. Soon after, Amleth learns that “Fjölnir the Brotherless” has lost his throne to Harald of Norway and now lives as a sheep farmer in Iceland. Posing as a slave, Amleth sneaks aboard a ship. He encounters an enslaved Slavic woman named Olga, who claims to be a sorceress. They are taken to Fjölnir’s farm, where Amleth learns his mother has married Fjölnir and borne him a son named Gunnar.
One night, Amleth follows a vixen and encounters a he-witch, who facilitates a spiritual dialogue between Amleth and the skull of Heimir, whom Fjölnir has also murdered. Heimir tells Amleth about Draugr, a magical sword that can only be drawn at the Gates of Hel. Amleth enters a mound and obtains the blade after fighting its owner, the undead Mound Dweller. He hides the sword upon his return to the farm. The next day, Amleth is selected to compete in a game of knattleikr against another farm. The game turns violent and Gunnar is almost killed, but Amleth saves him. As a reward, Fjölnir’s adult son, Thorir, grants him overseer duties and allows him to choose a woman.
During the evening celebrations, Amleth and Olga make love; they promise to overcome Fjölnir together. Over several nights Amleth kills prominent members of Fjölnir’s estate, and Olga mixes the food supply with fly agaric, a potent hallucinogen. The ensuing chaos allows Amleth to enter Fjölnir’s house. Amleth reveals his identity to Gudrún, who replies that she was Aurvandil’s slave and that Amleth was conceived by rape. Gudrún also reveals that she masterminded Fjölnir’s coup because she wanted both Aurvandill and Amleth dead; she then tries to seduce Amleth, who, after a moment, rejects her. Enraged, Amleth kills Thorir, and cuts out his heart.
Gudrún reveals Amleth’s true identity to Fjölnir and calls for the death of her eldest son. Fjölnir decides to kill Olga, but Amleth offers to trade Olga’s life for Thorir’s heart. Unable to draw Draugr, Amleth is captured. After a severe beating, Amleth is released from his restraints by a flock of ravens sent by Odin and Olga rescues him. Amleth decides to abandon his quest for revenge, and the two decide to escape by boat to his kinsmen in the Orkney Islands. But aboard the vessel Amleth discovers that Olga is pregnant with twins, one of whom will be the Maiden-King prophesied by the Seeress. Realizing that Olga and their children will never be safe while Fjölnir lives, Amleth, despite Olga’s pleas, jumps overboard and swims ashore reasoning that he cannot escape his fate.
Back at the farm, Amleth kills Fjölnir’s remaining men and frees the slaves. While searching for Fjölnir, Amleth is attacked by Gudrún and Gunnar and kills them in self-defense after being severely wounded. Fjölnir, discovering his wife and son dead, coldly tells Amleth to meet him at the Gates of Hel: the crater of the volcano Hekla. Amleth and Fjölnir engage in a fierce Holmgang naked until Fjölnir is beheaded and Amleth is fatally stabbed simultaneously. As he lies dying, Amleth has a vision of Olga embracing their two children, whom she tells him are safe, before urging him to let go. A valkyrie carries Amleth through the gates of Valhöll (Valhalla).
Cast :
- Ethan Hawke as King Aurvandill War-Raven
- Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún
- Alexander Skarsgård as Amleth
- Claes Bang as Fjölnir
- Willem Dafoe as Heimir
- Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga
- Björk as the Seeress
- Elliott Rose as Gunnar
- Ian Whyte as the Mound Dweller
- Gustav Lindh as Thorir
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