The 13th Warrior
The 13th Warrior is a 1999 American historical fiction action film based on the novel Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton and is a loose retelling of the tale of Beowulf. It stars Antonio Banderas as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. It was directed by John McTiernan. Crichton directed some reshoots uncredited. The film was produced by McTiernan, Crichton, and Ned Dowd, with Andrew G. Vajna and Ethan Dubrow as executive producers.
The film was a massive financial failure. Production and marketing costs reputedly reached $160 million, but it only grossed $61 million at the box office worldwide, making it the biggest box office bomb in history adjusted for inflation (and third biggest unadjusted).
Plot
Ahmad ibn Fadlan is a court poet to the Caliph of Baghdad, until his amorous encounter with the wife of an influential noble gets him exiled as an "ambassador" to Northern Barbarians. Traveling with Melchisidek, his caravan is saved from Turkic raiders by the appearance of Norsemen (presumably Varangian). Taking refuge at their settlement on the Volga river, communications are established through Melchisidek and Herger, a Norseman who speaks Latin. Ahmad and Melchisidek are in time to witness a fight, which establishes Buliwyf as heir apparent, followed by the Viking funeral of their dead king, cremated together with a young woman who agreed to accompany him to Valhalla.
Podcasts:
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by Gothic Knights
The 13th Warrior
by: Gothic KnightsSailing on a sea of trouble, our backs are to the sun
The thickest fog we've ever seen fell without a sound
We're up against an ancient force that's never been brought down
A tired king, a desperate land, broken and burden bound
Forwarding into battle is when we come alive
Sharpened swords and eyes cold as ice
The fear we face we know we may not survive
Only death can stop the fire burning in our hearts
Stepping onto foreign sand
A naked child runs our way bringing blood upon his hands
An ancient evil that all men dread
We hope and pray for the angel of death
The night has come we lie in wait watching with all eyes
The silence of the midnight hour waiting for a sign
Shadows pass within the walls we never would have seen
If not for the chosen prince the man from the east
Caught out in the rain side by side we fight
Letting all the hate the fury rise
Driving hard as thunder cracks up in the sky
Only death can stop the fire burning in our hearts
Hunting down the enemy
Beyond the cliffs we find the lair, the home of the beasts
Walking in so silently
They had no clue we walked among them dead in their sleep
The light of day is here again
The curse is lifted, now we set our sails to the west
As we sail back home again
We see the king sitting on his throne with sword in his hand