Blood, mead and memory

This thesis explores how history is used and given meaning in Swedish Viking rock music, with a specific focus on the bands Ultima Thule, Hel, and Enhärjarna. The study takes a history-didactic interest in popular culture and analyzes how historical themes, mythology, and figures are employed to construct cultural identity and ideological messages. The aim is to examine how historical narratives in Viking rock lyrics function as expressions of cultural memory. Two central research questions guide the analysis: Which historical periods, events, or figures are most frequently referenced in Swedish Viking rock? How are these references portrayed and for what purpose? The theoretical framework is based on Jan Assmann’s concept of cultural memory and is complemented by Christopher Thompson’s research on Norwegian black metal. Methodologically, the study uses a qualitative thematic text analysis, coding and interpreting lyrics around three core themes: Norse mythology, the Swedish Age of Greatness, and historical individuals. The results show that the bands repeatedly return to motifs such as Vikings, King Charles XII, and national myths—not to present factual history, but to express contemporary values, identity, and ideology. History serves as a symbolic language for emotional cohesion and national distinctiveness. The study also highlights how Viking rock operates in the space between cultural heritage and political narrative, contributing to the formation of collective historical consciousness.