Popular Pagans 39 I fantasise about the geographical reference as “bloodbased” descendants in a line of tradition understood as a community of descent shared with one’s ancestors. And, with the aim of updating one’s former enemies and counter-images at the same time in the positive identity designs for one’s own people (Volk). This kind of Volk, as an idealised and idealising concept, is always connected with origin, with the roots of tribes that inhabit particular areas – in contrast to the unspecified identities of “modern” life that are linked to urban living, mobility and multi-culturalism, plurality and hybridity. Volk opposes the centres of modern society by placing emphasis on the “periphery”, on rural areas – in both space and time. The contemporary world is juxtaposed with past periods in history: pre-mediaeval, mediaeval or (at the very least) the Romantic era. This premise means that Volk always describes an interrelationship between certain spaces, people and the cultural matrices inscribed in all of them. This triad is what constitutes a Volk and, in the aggressive notion of a völkisch conception, a complex of racism and antisemitism. Three main patterns can be discerned in the metal subcultures when one deals with Norse mythology and Germanic history. The naïve staging of – or as – Vikings for purely entertainment purposes that comes with the retelling of the old stories of gods and heroes and a politically unintentional use of these “cultural icons” can be interpreted under the heading of “Carnival” as understood by Mikhail Bakhtin.5 The more ambitious appropriations that care about authenticity and seek out historical lines of tradition can be understood as “neo-Romantic”. There are also bands and musicians who convey content that goes beyond the merely aesthetic and that voices political claims and demands with many elements in common with (neo-)Nazism. Metal is not the only domain where these modes of appropriation are part of the usual practices, however; they can be observed in literature or new-religious movements too.6 In all of these categorisations, falling back on one’s “own” history and a “true”, “un-alienated” culture has strong identity-forming powers, which always creates a positive self-image of the actors. Attributes of strength and health go hand in hand with a stereotypical imagery that consistently serves to elevate the “Siegfried type”, the blond beast, to the ideal (and certainly does not always intend or desire the implications). In combination with a diffuse sense of anti-modernism, hostility towards civilisation and praise of a rural, subsistence- based way of life, some foes are always implied and are portrayed as being close at hand. What, then, is the counterpart to the supposedly “Germanic” virtues, their healthy people and their martial spirit? Vikings and the Germanic peoples in the history of heavy metal It all starts with Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song (1970) from their album Led Zeppelin III.7 This song deals with the Norman invasion of Britain and enjoyed relative popularity throughout the history of heavy metal, even though the band made no claim to be Vikings themselves. But it was a start nonetheless and, a few years later, the Canadian Jon Mikl Thor appeared with his “carnivalesque” portrayals of the eponymous Norse god of thunder (from 1973 onwards). Thor is further proof that Northern European history and mythology were already points of reference during metal’s formative phase. Compared to later appropriations, their discussion remained superficial and was merely one theme amongst many. Moving into the 1980s, when the internationally established genre of heavy metal was entering a crucial process of differentiation into various subgenres and national scenes with their own structures and traditions, a whole host of bands were making reference to the Norse pantheon. Several bands named after Wotan, Odin, Thor or Asgard appeared. The first person to identify himself as a Viking was Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, who released the song I’m A Viking in 1985.8 This song features a Viking’s fantasies of looting and murder in a kind of role-playing poetry. The American band Manowar can be cited as a prime example of no less prominence, not least due to the lyrics of their songs Gates of Valhalla (1983), Blood of My Enemies (1984) and Thor (The Powerhead) (1984, from the album Sign of the Hammer, whose title also references the god Thor or, more accurately, the hammer Mjolnir that he wielded), which draw from the stock of Norse mythology. Unlike most of the other bands mentioned, Manowar’s prominence and influence on the entire metal culture gives it a relevance that surpasses that of the others. This can also be seen in the band’s martial aesthetic, which is expressed in its lyrics and on its album covers. This subtly varies constantly recurring motifs of massive battles and mighty warriors.
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