Where was The Northman filmed? Guide to ALL the Locations
Posted by Ra Moon
I will avenge you, father! - This historical epic film with supernatural elements is a brutal but beautiful trip to the 10th-century Viking lands.
Set in a world of magic, Norse mythology, and superstitions, The Northman was filmed primarily in Northern Ireland.
Set in a world of magic, Norse mythology, and superstitions, The Northman was filmed primarily in Northern Ireland.
Most of the locations are situated within an hour’s drive of Belfast, although the movie also features several stunning Icelandic landscapes.
Robert Eggers, the acclaimed director of The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), delivers a raw, but visceral, film featuring great cinematography and tracking shot scenes.
The result is visually overwhelming, combining ruthless fights lensed in big, detailed set pieces with quiet, intimate scenes with the characters.
The extraordinary cast is headed by Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood, Succession) as Viking warrior prince Amleth. Nicole Kidman plays Amleth's mother Queen Gudrún.
Do you remember Danish actor Claes Bang, from the brilliant 2020 BBC series Dracula? Bang plays Fjölnir the Brotherless. The Queen's Gambit' Anya Taylor-Joy appears as Olga, de sorceress of the Birch Forest.
Welcome to our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of The Northman.
The Northman Filming Locations
The island kingdom of King Aurvandil (played by Ethan Hawke, who recently starred in Moon Knight), was one of the big sets built on location for the movie.
The local press on the wooden village that the filmmakers built in Torr Head, a dramatic headland located just outside Ballycastle in Northern Ireland.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
The Viking hall with the wood carvings and the temple interiors were recreated at Belfast Harbour Studios.
The filmmakers took advice from several historical consultants and archaeologists. They wanted to get all the details right, to the point that actor Claes Bang said that the sets could be transformed into an accurate period living museum.
When Amleth and Olga arrive in Iceland, the landing scene was filmed at Five Fingers Strand in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland.
This is a white sand beach, but the color was turned back and some sea stacks were added via CGI to make it look like the famous Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach near Vik in Iceland.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures and Map
The scenes with the Viking longships, especially built for this production, were filmed at River Bann near Portglenone Marina.
Alexander Skarsgård went on a strict diet and fitness regime to gain weight, so after several months he looked like a big, vengeful bear.
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
As Ivar the Boneless in the Vikings series, Amleth travels to the land of the Kievan Rus kingdom during his nomadic life as a berserker warrior.
The second settlement built by the crew was erected on the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate, containing 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of lush woodlands.
Did you recognize Björk playing the Seeress Slav witch?
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
The scene where Amleth joins the slave boat was filmed at River Maine and Lough Neagh near Shane’s Castle.
In the series True Blood, Skarsgård played a 10th-century vampire called Eric Northman whose royal family was slaughtered, so he was also seeking vengeance.
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
The Northman in Iceland
During the walk to the Fjölnir's farm, there is an establishing shot filmed at the Svínafellsjökull glacier, part of the Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland.
Located near the ring road in the south of the island, this jaw-dropping glacier is a popular spot for tourists, as it is possible to hike it on a tour with a guide.
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
The set of the slaves' farm was erected in the Knock Dhu Antrim hills near Larne in Northern Ireland.
The tale of Amleth is based on a story written by the 12th-century Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus, the source material for Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
Production designer Craig Lathrop said that they built the dwellings in Knock Dhu just before the pandemic shut down in 2020.
When the team returned nine months later, the grass had grown wild, settling perfectly into the landscape.
The lethal Viking kind of rugby game was filmed in the middle of the Mourne Mountains, in a place called Sandy Brae.
Far away from any modern structure, the filmmakers were able to shoot 360 degrees in every direction.
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
The natural hot pool scene was filmed under the remote Gleniff Horseshoe and the Cliffs of Annacuna in County Sligo, near the Atlantic coast.
There are thousands of small, hot springs scattered all around Iceland like the one featured in the movie. However, the film crew built this one for the scene, so don't expect to find it if you are visiting the area.
This former glacial valley was the second location filmed in the Republic of Ireland after the Five Fingers beach.
Image courtesy of Joseph Mischyshyn - Map
The quiet, flat beach that appears in one of the last scenes of the movie is the gorgeous Tyrella Beach in County Down.
This two-mile long sandy beach is located near the luxury resort Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle where most of the cast stayed during the shoot.
The stars were brought to the set each day by helicopter.
Image courtesy of Focus Features - Map
Northern Ireland Screen revealed that the last scene, on the slopes of an active volcano named Gates of Hell, was filmed at Hightown Quarry in northwest Belfast.
The lava flows were digitally added with the help of some CGI magic.
Eggers described the film as Andrei Tarkovsky's masterpiece Andrei Rublev (1966) meets Conan the Barbarian (1982).
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures - Map
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Ra Moon
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