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| “ | How easily we all become princesses again when the beasts take us for their wives. | „ |
| ~ Queen Gudrún. |
| “ | Know you this - it was I who begged upon my knees for Fjölnir to kill King Aurvandill. I pressed my lips upon his strong, sweet hand. I kissed it, and I begged. And so this day would never come, Fjölnir ordered your death with your own mother's blessing! | „ |
| ~ Gudrún revealing her true nature to Amleth |
Gudrún is the overarching antagonist of the 2022 epic action thriller film The Northman. She is the treacherous Queen of Hrafnsey and the unfaithful wife of King Aurvendill who plots with Aurvendill's brother Fjölnir to usurp the throne, and who years later schemes to kill her own son, Amleth, to maintain her hold on power.
She was portrayed by Nicole Kidman, who also portrayed Suzanne Stone in To Die For, Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass, Millicent Clyde in Paddington, and Evelyn Stoker in Stoker.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Gudrún was born into slavery and was taken by King Aurvendill of Hrafnsey as his concubine. Eventually, he fell in love with her and made her his Queen, but she never loved him back, seeing him only as a cowardly brute who forced her into his bed. She bore him a son, Amleth, but she felt nothing for the child because he was conceived when Aurvendill raped her.
She eventually fell in love with Aurvendill's illegitimate brother, Fjölnir, and persuaded him to kill his brother and their son and rule Hrafnsey with her as his queen.
The Northmam[]
Fjölnir murders Aurvendill and carries Gudrún away right in front of Amleth, but the boy manages to escape, and swears to avenge his father by killing Fjölnir and to free his mother, whom he believes Fjölnir has taken by force.
Years later, Amleth, who has grown up to be a berserker, learns that Fjölnir has been dethroned, but still lives in luxury as a wealthy, powerful farmer, and is still married to Gudrún. Disguising himself as a slave, Amleth allows himself to be sold to Fjölnir in order to get close enough to kill him. After Amleth saves Fjölnir and Gudrún's young son Gunnar's life, Fjölnir's adult son Thorir promotes him to overseer and allows him to pick a woman as his mate. Amleth chooses a young woman named Olga, who promises to help him kill Fjölnir.
One night, Amleth kills Fjölnir's guards while Olga drugs the other slaves, creating a distraction that allows Amleth to enter Fjölnir's chamber. There, he tells Gudrún that has come to avenge his father and rescue her from Fjölnir. She tells Amleth the truth about his father and his conception, and that she told Fjölnir to kill him and Aurvendill. Angry and heartbroken, Amleth pulls away from Gudrún, but she tries to seduce him, promising to make him king and bear him children if he kills Fjölnir. Amleth recoils from her in disgust and swears that he will kill her and destroy everything she holds dear. Later that night, he kills Thorir and cuts out his heart, and Gudrún uses Fjölnir's grief to manipulate him into ordering Amleth's death.
Fjölnir tries to take revenge against Amleth by executing Olga, but Amleth interrupts the execution and offers to trade her life for Thorir's heart. Fjölnir has Amleth tortured, but he is freed by a flock of ravens sent by Odin himself and sails with Olga to his kinsmen on the Orkney Islands. When he learns in a vision that Olga is pregnant with twins, however, he realizes that neither she nor their children will ever be safe as long as Fjölnir and Gudrún are alive, and swims back to Iceland to confront them.
Amleth invades Fjölnir's homestead, killing several of his men. Gudrún attacks him with a sword and stabs him in the arm; in response, Amleth stabs his mother in the chest. As she dies, she thanks him for stabbing her in the heart. Moments later. an enraged Gunner attacks and wounds him, forcing him to kill the boy in self-defense. As Amleth burns the homestead to the ground, Fjölnir carries away the bodies of his wife and son and leaves them on a mound outside the Gates of Hel. Amleth finds her body and kisses it on the forehead, promising to see her again in Valhalla, moments before engaging Fjölnir in a battle that ends with both their deaths.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Gudrún is based on the Germanic mythological figure of the same name.
External links[]
- Gudrún on the Robert Eggers Wiki