Review of The 13th Warrior

For part of my English seminar, I recently saw the 1999 movie The 13th Warrior, starring Antonio Banderas. It's set similarly to the saga, Beowulf. I'm going to review it in this post. The story is basically about a lone Muslim, Ahmad ibn Fadlan (played by Banderas,) who is unexpectedly thrown into the warrior culture of the North-men to defeat a vicious, mysterious race of men called the Wendil. He adapts to and learns from their culture, as they do to his.


The movie is set in the early days of civilisation, where the men of the North are trading using the waterways and seas. I think their society is portrayed very well in this film. Their community is centred around the hall, the place of warriors and feasting. Ahmad and twelve others travel to a community ravaged by enemies, and they are welcomed with honours for helping them. Community is a massive part of the culture.

The superstitions and the customs of the North-men are explored in this film. Near the beginning of the film, a child stays at the front of a visiting ship for a time to show that he is not a spirit come from the mists. The enemies of the North-men use mist as a cover and a tool of fear as mist was mysterious and obscuring.



Women are portrayed as silently strong in this film. They care for the wounded and give drink to the workers. At the Feast, they bring food around the table. As Banderas' character observes a funeral, women are sometimes killed to go with their masters into the next life. Old women are consulted as oracles or wise-women in times of strife and conflict. Through fortune-telling, like throwing the bones, a woman sees the path to victory for her people. In the case of the vicious Wendil, they are led by a matriarch-type figure symbolised by the statue of an earth-goddess. When the Wendil people are attacking a village, the women arm themselves with knives while protecting the children to kill them rather than let an enemy take them.


Ahmad is portrayed as physically smaller than the North-men, to accentuate their physical prowess and a society dominated by physicality and masculinity. A culture of war celebrates strength, virility and power, and doesn't much appreciate outsiders. He is called "Little Brother" by one of them to accentuate this statement. However, he proves himself just as capable as any other man during the course of the film.


In my opinion, the movie shows the earliest versions of basic human deception. The Wendil, the monstrous warrior people, clothe themselves in bear skin and paint to mask themselves and create a terrible image; to instill fear in their enemies. Eating human flesh is another scare tactic. The Fireworm is another trick, to create fear and hopelessness in the Wendil's enemies. It was believed to be a dragon by the Wendil's adversaries. To command something unexplained and indescribable is perfect for scaring and unnerving your enemies.


Ahmad slowly becomes paganised in this warrior society. He adapts to the society in his own way, forging his own sword from a regular North-man one. The Muslim integrates into the godless society. The leader, Buliwyf, also learns about God, or Allah in the Muslim faith, through writings on the ground by Ahmad. "There is only one God; Allah is his name, and Muhammed is his prophet."



I have to say that I found this film very enjoyable. I liked the fight scenes and the accurate references to warrior life and culture with the North-men. I would recommend it to anyone who is reading Beowulf at the moment, or any time you would like to see Antonio Banderas stab someone.