Hrafn Gunnlaugsson still keeps Gudbrandur's statue of Freyr and Hallbera's image of Freyja in his house.
According to Johannes Brost, the scene where Embla kills his character with an axe, the axe was real.
The film is loosely based on Landnámabók and Heimskringla: in particular the Saga of Olaf Trygvasson and the Saga of Olaf the Holy.
Swedish actress Maria Bonnevie plays Embla. It was her first film role and one for which she was chosen when she was only fifteen years old. At the time of filming (July 1990 - October 1990 ) she was sixteen. Gotti Sigurdarson, who plays Askur, was seventeen.
The Norwegian town of Hellesylt was used as the location for Godbrandur's fjord domain. Hellesynt is also used to create the fjord backdrop of Kattegat in the TV-series Vikings (2013)