Evoking the realm of Norse Gods
By Tuppence Stone, series producer for Wild Scandinavia
magnificent wildlife and some remarkable people
Wild Scandinavia is a series celebrating Scandinavia’s spectacular landscapes, it’s magnificent wildlife and some remarkable people, who immerse themselves in this natural world.
As we filmed, we were keen to evoke the realm of Norse Gods - of Odin and Thor, and were able to weave in links between Norse mythology and the nature. The sacred tree Yggdrasil was said to be the centre of the cosmos, and reflects the continuing importance of forests in Scandinavia’s Heartlands. Legend says ravens were Odin’s messengers, while wolves were his warriors and he himself transformed into an eagle, so it was fun to pull in these ideas and find examples of their behaviours which showed these traits. We filmed ravens’ calls which alerted golden eagles to the presence of a winter meal, and wolves who worked together to drive a bear from a feast.
Wild Scandinavia explores three worlds – the coastline, the interior and extremes, giving each film a different cast of characters and tone.
Life on the Edge reveals a rich but unpredictable wild frontier from the Baltic and iconic fjords to the arctic coast, where orca and otter, sea eagles and base-jumpers take on the challenges of survival.
In the Heartlands, great forests wrap around a labyrinth of waterways, still home to bears and wolves, lynx and beaver.
While at its extremes, in the kingdoms of Ice and Fire, polar bears and arctic fox survive the long polar night, illuminated only by the dancing colours of Aurora Borealis and erupting volcanoes. This dramatic seasonal world melts into a rush of life under the midnight sun.
Alongside the cinematic stories of wildlife we also wanted to capture the modern Scandinavia relationship with the outdoors. We did our best to keep up with Sami reindeer herders as they moved their herds to find the best winter grazing, and stayed on our feet in turbulent Atlantic seas to capture the daily grind of Icelandic trawlermen.
Then there is Frilutzliv, literally ‘open air living’ - a Norwegian word which certainly opened my eyes to the pure beauty and adventure of Nordic Ice Skating on the frozen lakes, back-country ski touring which leads you to your own steaming Icelandic hot-spring, and the breath-taking moment when base-jumper Hege Ringard jumps from the 1000m fjord cliffs.
Wild Scandinavia trailer
Discover a land of beautiful coasts, magical forests, and volcanic and arctic extremes.
We couldn’t have made this series without countless people, including amazing talent from across the Nordic countries. From local guides like Jostein Hellevik who know their forests, and Ole Martin Dahle - the Eagleman, to skilled and resilient camera operators – Christina Karliczek-Skoglund who was happy to be left on a small granite skerrie with a thousand grey seals in the Baltic, Kjetil Astrup freediving with Orca in winter arctic seas off northern Norway and Jokki Sommer who filmed as he jumped alongside Hege to film her wingsuited descent.
As we put the films together it was important to me that we had an authentic Scandinavian sound for the series, and we worked with Icelandic composer Biggi Hilmars. I was attracted by this sparse, icy music, which lent itself so well to the series, and Biggi worked intensively to deliver a great soundtrack for the series, including recording with string players from the Reykjavik Recording Orchestra (RRO) at Kaldalón Orchestral Hall in Harpa, Reykjavik.
Finally the narrator is always a significant decision for any series, but we were thrilled to work with Rebecca Ferguson – best known from Mission:Impossible Rogue Nation and Dune. Her voice has strength and softness, while her Anglo-Swedish roots gives the narration an essential authenticity, as she was able to effortlessly pronounce most Scandinavia phrases. Although even Rebecca needed help from a native Icelandic speaker to deliver ancient poetic Norse!
It's been a creative and inspirational journey for the team, and we hope you will enjoy being drawn into the realm of Wild Scandinavia.
