When authors refer to other great works, people, and events, it’s usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- "The Lay of Hakon" (6.4.31): Leif Longfoot's song celebrating the victories of the Viking ships is based on this Old Norse poem. (Source.)
- "The Unquiet Grave" (5.7.22, 5.8.11): Merle recites one half of this poem about a lost lover and Erik(a) finishes it from beyond the grave. (Source.)
- "Hans Carvel" by Matthew Prior (1.7.21): Merle quotes from this 18th-century English poem when she sees Tor—"Forthwith the devil did appear for name him and he's always near." (Source.)
- Genesis 3:1-6 (4.12.20-13)
Historical References
- Domalde (7.4.4): King Eirikr's sacrifice is based on the old Norse legend of Domalde, the Swedish king who allowed himself to be killed to save his people after three years of famine.
- Vikings (6.2.27)
- Midvinterblot by Carl Larsson (4.8.30-47): The painting that Eric Carlsson creates is based on a real-life painting that hangs in the Swedish National Museum to this day.
- Supermarine Spitfire (3.1.4): David's shot-down plane was an actual single-seat fighter aircraft used during WWII.
Pop Culture References
- Six Degrees of Separation (1.1.16): The OneDegree app is named for a simplified version of the theory of six degrees of separation.
- "Pink Moon" by Nick Drake (1.3.63)
- "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin (7.5.42): Eric Seven gives a little shout-out to this song as he's about to die on the stone table—"Merle. My spirit is crying for leaving."
- The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky: The chapter titles in Part 7 happen to correspond to some of the dances from this 1913 ballet. It's fitting since this orchestral work is also about sacrifice.