The Midgardsblot festival, taking place each August in Borre, just south of Oslo, Norway, has slowly but surely become ubiquitous among Viking nerds, Norse Pagans, and metalheads alike. With its unique blend of extreme Metal and nordic folk acts (among others), alongside numerous artistic and academic entertainment acts, it was only a matter of time that I checked it out for myself.
I finally got my chance this year when I submitted a proposal for a talk at the Midgard Talks program, managed by the Midgard Viking Center Museum, where the festival takes place. Thanks to the good old coronavirus, all my conference appearances since 2020 had to be digital only, so I got excited to get back in the ring and participate in a real-life event a couple of colleagues of mine, with free access to the concerts to boot!
After working hard on my talk, which summarized some aspects of my 2016 MA thesis on supernatural saga narratives, I flew down to Oslo. Less than two hours later, I was taking the train to Moss, on the south-east of the fjords. I left my things at a friend’s place (where I would come crash down in the evenings) and promptly took the ferry to Horten, on the West side of the fjord, just three kilometers (two miles) from the festival site.
Viking reenactors enjoying Lumsk’s performance (photo: L. Perabo)
The moment I got there and into the queue to get my wristband, I stumbled upon three colleagues of mine from the Tromsø Museum back home, Viggo, Thoralf, and Pål-Cato. All of them had attended the festival previously and were one reason I was very much looking forward to joining: even though I was on the other side of the country, at least I would not be completely lost.
With my buddies’ help, I was able to discover the festival site, which had gotten bigger since last year. Upon entering, just a hundred yards from the museum, I spotted the massive new main stage, twice as large as the previous one, overlooking the fjord. A little bit up the glade, beyond the field of porta-potties, my friends took me to the longhouse, where smaller gigs are played, with a second, larger stage being setup outside. On the other side of the hall, there was a large area filled with traders and food-stands. At the edge of this plaza of sorts, we also found the reenactors’ camp, where a number of craftsmen and craftswomen selling some exquisite pieces.
Although this was but the first day, the place was already teeming with folks when we heard the first chords of the opening act, Uada from Portland, Oregon. All dressed in black with hoods covering their entire faces (a fashion style very much in vogue in the scene), they blasted their melodious and groovy Black Metal for an enthusiastic crowd that only grew throughout the band’s 40 minute set.
Reenactors enjoying Ereb Altor’s show (photo: L. Perabo)
As I meandered the festival grounds, taking pictures for this very article, I quickly became intrigued just looking at people. You might imagine that a Viking-branded Metal festival would only attract burly men wearing denim and leather but although this crowd was heavily represented, you really could see people from all walks of life enjoying the show.
Old greying metalheads in Motörhead shirts were peacefully sharing space with teenagers dressed in neo-Y2K fashion, Viking reenactors, barefooted hippies, folks donned in the most random costumes (a Teletubbies outfit), total normies, and tons and tons of goths. I was also (positively) surprised to see not only lots of women, but also kids and entire families.
As under 12 year olds could attend the festival for free (given that the day tickets had not been sold out and that they were accompanied by an adult), it must have been quite attractive for some parents to avoid paying a babysitter and instead bring their small ones to bang their heads. As far as I could tell, most kids seemed to be having a blast and it really made me want to bring mine next time. Even if she does not like the music, the funny people in odd garbs and the face-paint stand would be entertaining enough for her.
Metalheads being jolly (photo: L. Perabo)
Once Uada was done, and the Swedish Heavy Metal band Grand Magus started serenading the crowd, me and the boys went on an inspection tour of the various merchandise and craft booths. As is often the case in this kind of festivals, bands don’t have their own sellers at Midgardsblot, and their products are sold solely through the official festival booth. However, as Thoralf told me, because Norway recently hiked import fees on foreign products, most bands, including headliners, just don’t have anything to sell, and what was sold was indeed quite steep. Besides this limited selection of goods, Nordic Mission, a Norwegian Christian Metal label (the only one in fact) was selling records, including some very satanic and Pagan ones for the cheap, but this was basically it. That there was so little band merch and music on sale was rather disappointing, I am not going to lie.
As far as other sellers are concerned, you had, as expected, peddlers of witchy clothes, goldsmiths, and woodcarvers, but also an instrument maker, a local chocolatier, the Old Norse clothing brand established by Kai Uwe Faust of Heilung, a hairdresser, and even a cigar lounge! Essentially, plenty of various stuff for just about everybody who was not primarily looking for band merch and music.
While I am talking about the market, I should also mention that in the middle of it stood a small tent, where mainly acoustic acts were performing throughout the festival. Pål-Cato and Thoralf even persuaded me to go watch the Norwegian band Friggs døtre the following day under the pouring rain. Thankfully, these ladies’ music was quite alright, and the red deer sausage I bought at the nearby food stand made the humidity much more tolerable.
Margrethe Hagvar talking about the Oseberg tapestry motifs under this year’s Midgard talks (photo: L. Perabo)
Besides feasting, watching concerts, and buying Viking memorabilia, there was another thing I had to do at the festival: taking part in the academic talk sessions. This was the reason why I was able to attend to start with, so I made an effort to not just show up for my talk and sprint out right away, and I was able to hear almost all the talks on the third and fourth days.
These talks are actually rather peculiar when you think about it. Here you are, at a Metal festival, with tons of bands playing, beer flowing by the ton, but each morning and early afternoon, you have five hours of nonstop academic talks for however feels like attending (and has purchased a ticket).
When I showed up on Friday morning at 9:30 AM, I was convinced that there would be at best a dozen half asleep hungover fellas who would meet up, but actually, more like 70 came! I was flabbergasted. Not only did the attendees react very positively to my tales of ancient Norse witchcraft, man-eating trolls and were-whales (yes it is a thing), but quite a few came to me afterwards to question me further, tell me about their own creative projects, and just hang out and socialize. The experience was truly uplifting – I could almost feel the inspiration in the air, and this grandiose feeling went on for the rest of the day when I joined a panel alongside, among others, my old schoolmate Josh Rood.
Although I truly enjoyed the Midgard talks, my mind was still craving for more academic experiences, so my friends and I drove over to Tønsberg, half an hour south of Borre, to check the Slottsfjellmuseum, the Norwegian museum of the Middle Ages. Located on the slope of a once encastled hill, it houses exhibits about Norwegian medieval fortresses, the Viking Age, but also whale hunting (an erstwhile big local business), and more. We also meandered out to see the neo-medieval tower that was erected on the site in 1871, to commemorate the 1000 year anniversary of the city, and the open air museum showcasing old timber houses.
The tower at Slottsfjell museum (photo: L. Perabo)
On our way back to Borre, Viggo stopped the car at a small parking place amidst large, rolling fields. “We are going to say hello to the Oseberg queen,” blurted Thoralf. Vestfold, the region surrounding Horten, Tønsberg and Borre, is indeed one of the richest in Norway in terms of Viking Age finds, as I already discovered two years back. This is also where the large ship burial mounds of Gokstad and Oseberg are located, and as the Viking ship museum in Oslo is closed for the moment, the nearest one can get from those finds for the moment is the site where they were excavated.
As we walked the gravel path taking us to the mound, reading information panels on the way, Thoralf reminisced about a previous visit: “Last time we were there we were snacking on beer and sausages, and we offered some of it to the Oseberg lady.” Being completely empty-handed, I felt a slight sense of shame, but just a second later, I spotted some beautiful golden flowers stretching out from the wayside and I decided to gather a bouquet of flowers as a makeshift offering. Helped by Pål-Cato, we quickly gathered a bundle of colorful plants, and when we finally reached the grassy dome of Oseberg, we placed it all atop. I did not expect I would do a pilgrimage on this trip, but I guess this has become something of a second nature with me, and as me and the boys rolled down the mound, I felt a sense of peace I had not experienced in a while.
The rest of the festival went on as gleefully as the previous days: amazing music, happy people drinking and chatting, cute kids in facepaint running around and plenty of memorable meetings and exchanges. I will not talk about all the music acts me and my buddies saw, because even though this was only a small fraction of all the concerts that took place, it would still take way too long. Instead, I will just share some general thoughts about the concert experience in general and pick up a few of my favorite shows.
An offering atop the Oseberg queen’s mound Kalandra performing (photo: L. Perabo)
In general, the concerts in Midgardsblot went well. Bands started on time, the public was receptive, it was mostly easy to get a good spot to see the shows, and the sound was good, but there were some exceptions. Some bands did still have sound issues, especially on the main stage, which might be because this was, as mentioned earlier, the first time this one was used. Most of the time, it was no big deal, like having to suffer through too much bass or drums for a few songs (most notably during Emperor’s show), but in other cases it led to long breaks in between songs, like with Kalandra, which had to play fewer tracks than expected.
Sound in the other stages were fine, though, but again, the second stage was not set up until Friday, which meant that the first two days, we only really had the option to see gigs on the main stage and in the longhall. The issue with the longhall stage is that it can only accommodate 250 people, so guests needed to wait in line long before the concert’s start if you wanted to even get a chance to get a spot. Pål-Cato and I, for instance, had to wait over 45 minutes to see the folk outfit Trio Oro perform one single song! In my opinion, it would be best to have most concerts on the second outdoor stage and keep the hall for lectures and workshops, it would make for an overall smoother experience.
Otherwise, I have no other specific criticisms to voice. I had a blast at the festival and I hope I can make it next year as well, and hopefully every year after that until I end up in a grassy mound of my own. The 2025 edition of Midgardsblot is scheduled to take place between August 13th and 16th and tickets are already on sale . If I were you, I would seriously consider opening my purse, because there is simply no other experience like this one I can think of. Hope you enjoyed this short review, and see you at the mounds in eleven months. Skål!
And now, as promised, here is a list of some of the most noteworthy concerts I had the privilege to attend at this year’s Midgardsblot, following by a short playlist to get into the mood:
Best showmanship: Amon Amarth
Amon Amarth performing at Midgardsblot 2024 (photo: L. Perabo)
I never really got into Amon Amarth, the Swedish melodic Death Metal band which heavily relies on Viking themes and Norse mythology in their lyrics and branding. However, once they set foot on stage, I was sold: showcasing a massive longship, flames, and even actors to pump up the audience, they got some of the best response from the public of the whole festival. Personal high-point: when they got half the audience to sit down and mimic a rowing motion for their song “Put your back into the oar.”
Biggest surprise: Lindy Fay-Hella og dei farne
Lindy Fay-Hella performing at Midgardsblot 2024 (photo: L. Perabo)
Before the festival, I only knew Lindy Fay-Hella from her singing in Wardruna, so I was merely curious to see what was her solo project was like. Taking the stage on Friday afternoon, she and her band spellbound the audience with a powerful mixture of electronic droning, bewitching singing, melodious accordion melodies, and completely possessed drumming. If you like Dead Can Dance but wish they were witchier and folksier, Lindy Fay-Hella og dei farne is the band for you. I, myself was completely sold and I hope I get to see her live again soon!
Heaviest performance: Unleashed/Deströyer 666
Moshpit under Unleashed’s performance at Midgardsblot 2024 (photo: L. Perabo)
There were quite a few very violent Extreme Metal bands booked for this year’s festival. In my opinion, those that best managed to blast their way through the public were Deströyer 666, a Britain-based Black-Thrash outfit and Unleashed, an old-school Swedish Heathen Viking Death Metal band. Both benefited from a great sound, and relentlessly played fast bangers after fast bangers – definitely a pure, unadulterated metal experience.
Most heartfelt: Eldrim
Eldrim performing at Midgardsblot 2024 (photo: L. Perabo)
Of all the folk bands that played at the festival, the one I felt managed to create the most powerful atmosphere was Norway’s Eldrim. Utilizing nothing but harps, drums, and powerful singing, they completely enchanted the crowd on Saturday night. The way several songs were introduced, giving context to the emotions and often difficult conditions they were birthed in made for an all the more remarkable show.
Poppiest performance: Kalandra
Kalandra performing at Midgardsblot 2024 (photo: L. Perabo)
Kalandra, a band with members from both Sweden and Norway, might have suffered from annoying sound issues, but they nevertheless managed to perform for a conquered crowd on the first day of the festival. Mixing Norwegian and English lyrics, the band showcased a sophisticated blend of Scandinavian Indie Rock, Pop, and traditional folk music which really had no counterparts in this year’s festival. For those who don’t really vibe with fast-paced, loud Metal, Kalandra was probably this year’s highlight.
Best concert overall: Emperor
Emperor performing at Midgardsblot 2024 (photo: L. Perabo)
Emperor. THE Emperor. One of the most famous and respected Norwegian Black Metal bands of all time, the band that introduced so many people to the genre, including me, 20 years back, was playing at Midgardsblot this year. Being a huge fan, I of course realize I am biased, but the concert was truly exquisite anyhow. Notwithstanding some small mixing issues at the beginning of the concert, the band performed admirably, focusing mostly on their classic first two albums. Being finally able to listen to “I am the Black Wizards,” “The Loss and Curse of Reverence,” and “Inno A Satana” was an almost spiritual experience in and of itself and I could not imagine a better way to close the festival. Had Emperor been the only band playing for the whole four days of Midgardsblot, it would have been worthy to attend just for them!
And finally: a playlist of bands mentioned in this article!
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