Uhtred of Bebbanburg’s accent is surely one thing that has caught the attention of fans of The Last Kingdom. How his accent differs from everyone else is made clear during the narrations of The Last Kingdom, especially when he says his iconic line, “Destiny is all”.
So, what’s the story behind Uhtred’s accent? Why does Uhtred have a different accent in The Last Kingdom? Here's what we know.
RELATED: Who Does Uhtred End Up With in The Last Kingdom?
Uhtred’s Accent in The Last Kingdom, Explained
Uhtred of Bebbanburg (or Uhtred Ragnarsson) was born a Saxon, but raised by Danes.
Uhtred was born to a Saxon nobleman. He was later captured by the Danes and raised as one of their own. After Ragnar (the Dane who took him in) was killed, he journeys to avenge his death and reclaim his birthright at Bebbanburg.
Uhtred's different accent shows that he is neither pure Saxon nor Dane. The producers for the show wanted the character to speak differently from both the Saxons and the Danes to highlight the fact that he belongs to neither world.
Alexander Dreymon, the actor who plays Uhtred, told Vogue:
"The accent was a long debate. The producers of the show took great care in casting British actors to play all the Saxons and Scandinavian actors to play the Danes. And they wanted Uhtred to speak differently from both factions to kind of highlight the fact that he belongs to neither world.
And so I worked with a dialect coach and we came up with an accent that has this British base, but with a Scandinavian twist to it, which gave it that little quality of otherness. It was also really the rhythm of his voice on top of just the pronunciation that we developed and became his trademark."
Dreymon also shared with Nordic Mythology Podcast:
“We wanted Uhtred to have a different accent to everybody else because he was kind of between two camps and the idea was to use like a British base and then with a Scandinavian twist to it.
It’s a totally made-up accent and I think a lot of the intonations and the kind of melody of it is something that evolved organically… But it’s a made-up accent."
READ MORE: The Last Kingdom: Alexander Dreymon Discusses Uhtred's Fate in Seven Kings Must Die
Where to Watch The Last Kingdom
The five seasons of The Last Kingdom are available to stream on Netflix. Seven Kings Must Die, the film that concludes the series is also available to stream on Netflix.
READ NEXT: Who Dies in The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die?
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