The 13th Warrior

            The idea of the "Hero's Code" is one that has been a part of most great heroes of ancient legend and lore. In the film "The 13th Warrior" a group of northmen, accompanied by an Arab scribe named Ahmed, wage war against a group of beast people for control of their land. One of the greatest of the north warriors is Buliwyf, a strong but silent stoic through the journey. Paralleling the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, this warrior is fearless, self-reliant and indifferent to danger, but one contrast is their belief in a higher code or honor system. Like all great Norse warriors, Buliwyf believes in Valhalla, the Viking afterlife, and his duty to earn his way into paradise through battle and glory against all enemies. Beowulf also believes in honor and glory but lacks the social faith system that Buliwyf shows at the film's end in prayer before stepping onto the battle field an inch from death and ready to die fighting. "Lo, I see my father and I see the way.." is the chant of Buliwyf and his men as they fight the beast hoard down. Other ancient cultures like the Spartans believed in a glorious death for the state, as did the Greeks and Trojans in the Odyssey, personified by characters like Aeneas and Odysseus, who believed in "Ananke" or fate and social duty. The idea of immortality is held by Buliwyf, but rejected by the Greek hero Achilles in the Iliad, which is another distinction that the characters in the film hold above others. I believe that the need to prove oneself to a greater cause is paramount to a code of conduct and the hero Buliwyf is a good demonstration of this sacrifice.