11 - Nordic Giants: Using Left-Wing Post-Rock to Deepen Our Understandings of White Supremacist Interpretations of Vikings

Summary

There has been much scholarship on the way the concept of ‘Vikings’ has been interpreted in modern music movements, with much of this, necessarily, focusing on the genres of extreme metal, Viking metal, and black metal, and in turn their links with right-wing extremism and white supremacy. These are, of course, incredibly important topics: as scholars of the Viking Age, we must be acutely aware of the uses and abuses of our studies, and how this impacts perceptions beyond the academy. However, studies exploring the political implications of Viking medievalism do not often explore the imagery beyond these areas.

The band Nordic Giants first came to my attention when I was an undergraduate, when they played a show at my local music-centred pub. I was captured by the imagery on their poster: I remember seeing two feathered figures surrounded by dark colours and swirling shapes. The more I delved into their music, the more I was captured: the theatrical duo had a strong left-wing political focus to much of their music and focused on a humanitarian message of human kindness and connection for ourselves and for the planet. As my studies progressed, I became more aware of the ways in which the band drew on Norse imagery in their stylization and conceptualization. This stood in stark contrast to the other portrayals of Vikings I was so used to seeing: images of hairy, unkempt men professing violence and bloodlust, often in the name of white supremacy. I was fascinated by this contrast, and hence this chapter has been many years in the making.

By taking a comparative approach between Nordic Giants and a selection of other musicians who make use of Viking imagery, but with a right-wing stance, it is possible to delve beyond the discussion of what images are being presented, and to uncover what makes this distinction so stark. The central point of difference is ultimately masculinity: while right-wing musicians interpret Vikings as the epitome of a modern conception of masculinity, Nordic Giants break from this to explore interpretations of Vikings through an ungendered lens. As such, Nordic Giants employ a different discursive space that can carry a different political message from that of right-wing metal bands.