‘Vikings’ season 5: Heahmund's origin, purpose and ‘ananyzapata’ sword
Heahmund and his sword are going to be very prominent on “Vikings” season 5. The warrior bishop created quite a stir with his short but memorable debut during the last part of the season 4 finale. Heahmund is no ordinary priest, and his is no ordinary sword.
Spoiler alert: This article contains plot details about “Vikings” season 5. An official announcement has yet to be made regarding the air date of the season premiere. Episodes from the series’ previous seasons are available for Australian viewers to watch on SBS.
Heahmund is based on a real-life historical figure with the same name that “Vikings” creator Michael Hirst stumbled upon while doing research. According to Hirst, the character is all about “deeply passionate commitments,” and his main resolve next season is to be a worthy adversary to Ivar.
Hirst calls Heahmund a number of things: crazed, religiously obsessed and a sinner. The warrior bishop isn’t held within the confines of ordinary men of God, as he clearly demonstrated during the closing scene of last season’s finale.
“He’s a passionate guy, drawn towards women,” Hirst told EW. “He sins, and then when he sins, he punishes himself.”
Although the warrior bishop intends to make Ivar’s life miserable once the show returns, it seems that he isn’t contented with torturing just one of Ragnar’s sons. In the “Vikings” season 5 preview, Heahmund can be seen striking a seemingly captured Ubbe with an unidentified object. It remains to be seen whether or not Margrethe’s husband is able to break free from the ruthless bishop’s clutches alive.
Another thing that makes Heahmund interesting is his sword, which was given its very own close-up after the bishop was done “consoling” that poor widow. Without going into too much detail, the word “ananyzapata” that is engraved on the hilt of the bishop’s sword reportedly means “Jesus Christ defeated death (the devil) by being baptised by John and by dying on the cross.”
The translation was published by a certain Dr Werner Karl in 1996. Considering that Heahmund is a deeply rooted defender of Christianity, it makes sense that he has “ananyzapata” etched on the sword he uses to kill all those who oppose his religious convictions.
Bishop Heahmund is an antecedent of the Knights Templar. Interestingly enough, the upcoming History series “Knightfall” is about the powerful military order. Here’s hoping that “Vikings” and “Knightfall” will be intertwined despite the overlapping broadcast timelines.
Ivar, Heahmund, Ubbe and the rest of the gang are set to return later this year. Stay connected with IBTimes Australia for more “Vikings” season 5 updates.
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