No, the Valkyrie from 'The Northman' isn't wearing braces

There is a scene in The Northman that shows a mythical figure screaming. It is frightening.

More than a few people have asked the question, "Wait, is she wearing modern braces?"

No one has asked you? Whenever anyone mentions The Northman, the question comes up multiple times for me. Maybe I need to get out more. If you haven't seen the film, this is the moment in the trailer.

Robert Eggers film is based on historical accuracy, down to the correct type of grass. Is modern dentistry related to gods of war or Earthly human warriors?

They are a form of teeth tattoo.

Neil Price, who has written several books on the subject and consulted on The Northman, knows that some Vikings modified their teeth. Sometimes one, sometimes several. There are a few that are V-shapes, but mostly they are horizontal lines.

The practice of Vikings coming at their own teeth with a file and grinding away was discovered about 15 years ago. It doesn't stop there. They were probably filled with a kind of resin, most likely from trees, that was a dark red or black colour, and were only worn by certain members of society.

They are only found on men, so Robert decided to put them on her teeth. She is a servant of the war god.

Via Giphy

There are skaldic poems that feature a figure from the mythology of the Vikings. They are warrior figures who serve the god of war and decide who gets a spot in the heavenly realm of Valh. They are referred to with terrifying names that you might want to steal for your next bowling night.

If you do a search on the internet, you will see that the general image of the Valkyrie is one style in artistic representations. The Valkyries are frightening. They are demons. We have an idea that they are beautiful women and so on, and they kind of turn into that in the later poetry where it gets a bit Christianized, but originally, these things are unleashed on a battlefield, they represent what war is.

The helmet with the chain on her lower teeth in The Northman links to other important aspects of Norse mythology. Some of them have cloaks made of swan feathers. There is a cloak of trailing white feathers in the film.

The split second in "The Northman" trailer when you can spy the Valkyrie's swan cloak. Credit: Screenshot: YouTube / Focus Features

Robert said he needed a Valkyrie that looked as if it was capable of throwing Alexander Skarsg across a horse.

You have an explanation, but now you have it. Skål!

The Northman is being shown in cinemas.