Northwind

Gary Paulsen’s grandmother instilled in him a love of Norse storytelling at a young age, and Paulsen incorporates this tradition into the novel. Paulsen first uses Norse culture in establishing the setting and worldbuilding. The opening draws on the saga tradition, with Paulsen using the prose narrative to explain Leif’s backstory. The author enriches the setting through vivid descriptions of the landscape inspired by the stunning vistas of Scandinavian inlets called fjords. Paulsen also incorporates Norse mythology and its conceptualization of the afterlife into the story. For example, Leif’s father is said to have gone to Valhalla, the hall In Asgard where the chief deity, Odin, resides. Valhalla is a type of paradise, a reward for warriors’ bravery after death.

Mimicking Norse poetry, Paulsen adopts a lyrical style of writing that incorporates repetition and alliteration, hallmarks of other ancient narratives such as Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. He incorporates kennings, which are two-word combinations that add to the poetical voice of the story. Though he uses the prose form, some of Paulsen’s paragraphs end with short one- or two-word phrases that repeat an idea or reinforce a theme. For example, when Leif observes the birds gorging on the fish scraps, he resolves to never descend into that type of mindless, primal scavenging. The passage ends as such:

Go north, be north, but see and be more than just what I shove in my stomach.

See past the hunger.

See past.

See… (108).

This poetic device resembles the bob-and-wheel technique employed by ancient poets where a stanza ends in a repeated phrase that echoes the theme or idea of the passage and serves as a link to the next section just as the bob on a sewing machine moves the wheel. Here, Paulsen uses the repetition of the word “see” to underpin the concept of vision in the passage, emphasizing that Leif seeks a higher kind of sight than just sensory perception.

Paulsen also weaves Norse tradition into the characterization of his protagonist, Leif. The name Leif is of Scandinavian origin and means “heir” or “descendant.” The name, which is reminiscent of the famous Norse explorer Leif Erikson, seems ironic at first, given that Leif is an orphan. Through his quest and the creation of his storyboard, however, Leif creates an inheritance and bequeaths his story to those who come after him. Leif references Odin and sometimes wrestles with the Norse and Germanic concept of wyrd, or fate, though he also recognizes his agency in shaping his fate. In line with the Norse recognition of the interconnectedness of all creation, Leif also comes to respect the interdependence of humanity and nature. Odin, the chief god in Norse mythology, is particularly associated with the pursuit of knowledge, reflective of Leif’s character as he makes erudition his primary aspiration over survival.

Finally, Norse culture is present thematically in the novel particularly when Leif composes his chant songs, a nod to the oral tradition of the culture. Leif’s plight mirrors the Norse mythological belief in the Ragnarök cataclysm, a future apocalyptic event in which the gods destroy the human world and the cosmos and rebuild it from the ashes. As the sole survivor of the cholera outbreak, Leif is functionally the last man on his known earth, and he must rebuild his life and start anew. Norse belief systems center around this idea of death and rebirth, and during his journey north, Leif encounters this cycle of life through his interactions with the natural world. By infusing his survivalist tale with Nordic culture and mythology, Paulsen creates a strong sense of place and time and evokes a spirit of ancient wisdom. These elements enrich the story and add historical and cultural resonance to Leif’s experiences.