Midsommar: The History of The May Queen and the Hårga | Horror History

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LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN. The May Queen, a symbol of fertility and growth, becomes the center of a disturbing pagan ritual in the isolated Swedish community of Hårga. When protagonist Dani (Florence Pugh) finds herself crowned as the May Queen in Ari Aster's chilling horror film Midsommar, she is unwittingly thrust into a world of unsettling ceremonies and bizarre traditions.
The May Queen and the Hårgans bring a sense of eerie fascination to the horror landscape dominated by violence and fear. Their rituals, while deeply unsettling, also highlight the captivating power of cultural and religious beliefs in shaping human behavior and the lengths people will go to maintain their customs.
In this video, we'll delve into the enigmatic May Queen and the Hårga, exploring the rituals, beliefs, and symbolism that form the backbone of the Midsommar narrative. We'll examine the role of the May Queen as both a figure of hope and an unwitting participant in the cult's twisted practices.
I'll be going over the entire known history of The May Queen, compare and contrast the real life Hårga culture with the what we see in the movie, talk about parallels with Ari Aster's first film, Hereditary, and analyze the meaning behind the insanity that is Midsommar. Furthermore, I'll discuss the Hårgans' influence on the film's characters, Dani, Christian, Josh and Mark - shedding light on the darker side of human nature and the terrifying allure of ancient traditions.
Join us as we dissect the chilling world of Midsommar and unravel the intricate web of beliefs that surround the May Queen and the Hårga, providing a unique perspective on this modern horror masterpiece.
#midsommar #mayqueen #swedishfolklore
Chapters
0:00 History of Midsummer in Sweden
1:49 Intro
2:33 Who Is The Black One?
3:44 Traditions of the Hårgan Cult
6:23 Raycon
7:29 Lifespan of a Cult Member
9:29 Hårgan Economy
9:59 The May Queen
12:57 The Birth of Dani Ardor
14:11 Relationship with Christian Hughes
15:08 Terri's Illness
15:45 Meaning of The Color Yellow
16:36 Dealing With Tragedy
18:20 The Secret Nazi Language of The Uthark
20:11 Travel To Sweden
20:49 Magic Mushrooms
22:56 Arrival in Hårga
25:32 Meaning of Scissors Under Pillow
26:22 The Ättestupa Ritual
28:41 Pelle Makes His Move
29:55 Sleeping In Through Chaos
30:42 Disappearance of Friends
32:41 The Hårgalåten Dance
34:29 Crowning of The May Queen
37:08 Heartbreak
38:17 The Fire Ritual
39:30 Catharsis
About Horror History
Horror History is a series that analyses specific characters, monsters, places or events in the fictional worlds of your favorite horror franchises.
About Midsommar
From writer/director Ari Aster (Hereditary) and starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, William Jackson Harper, and Will Poulter. Midsommar follows a group of friends who travel to Sweden for a festival that occurs once every 90 years, only to find themselves in the clutches of a pagan cult.
Other
🔀 Horror History - Playlist: • ↔️ Horror History | Ch...
📺 Hereditary: The Complete History of King Paimon | Horror History: • Hereditary: The Comple...
📺 34 Things You Missed In Midsommar (2019): • 34 Things You Missed I...
🎵 Original CZsWorld Music by Jimmy Roman (© CZsWorld)
🎵 Blank Slate - YVEN (CC0)
🎵 Cucumber Halling KNEP - Emelie Waldken (CC BY 4.0)
🎵 Hårgalåten - In Flames (Fair Use)
🎵 Hårgalåten - Traditional (CC0)
🎵 Maypole Dance Midsommar - Carlos M (CC BY 4.0)
🎵 Swedish polska & Norwegian pols - Nyckelharpa - Emelie Waldken (CC BY 4.0)
🎵 The Gentlemen - DivKid (CC0)
CZsWorld is a horror film channel by writer-director Zac Morris. New horror videos every week. Remember to turn on deathbell notifications so you don't miss a video!
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[@madeleinemei-ling5625]

I don’t think it’s fair to say that Christian cheated on Danny because he was literally drugged. If anything I’d say he was assaulted. He’s a bad boyfriend but tbh that whole drugged scene wasn’t his fault

[@lilianag7092]

Exactly. If the roles were reversed and Dani was drugged and put in a room of naked men and made to have sex with one of them, it would be phrased very differently but apparently it’s okay to say “cheating” when it’s a dude in that position.

[@KuromiDarklord]

Agree

[@Undrconst]

@@lilianag7092 it’s not ok which is why some comments pointed it out.

[@MonkehBuns]

Exactly. He was raped.

[@herladyshipofexpletives]

Well yes he was drugged, he was flirting and obviously into the chick before then. So probably would have f*cked her anyway without being drugged if given the chance

[@crimsonclover9871]

Christian was drugged and, in my opinion, assaulted by the cult. The look of horror on his face after finishing says it all. His mind had cleared and he was clearly traumatized. Christian wasn't a good supportive boyfriend and had checked out of the relationship but he didn't cheat on Dani.

[@Visplight]

I'd say both. He agreed to be part of the fertility ritual (cheating) but didn't agree to how weird it got (assault).

[@alexschlotterstein118]

Thank you for pointing it out. Nobody would ever think about having a discussion about the topic, if christian would have been a woman. Creepy double standards

[@Ghoulishxcvi]

I totally agree Christian wasn't a great guy, but he was for sure r*ped, he wasn't in the right mind to consent

[@NekoKuro-il8rz]

But we know he was ok with participating in the fertility ritual even though he was in a relationship. He didn't tell his friend to make sure the village girl didn't court him. He was actively watching the girl at various points leading up to being drugged.

[@crimsonclover9871]

@@NekoKuro-il8rz Yes, he was attracted to her and he difinitely eyed her up more than once but he was drugged and raped. He was in no way able to give consent. They drugged him while Dani was dancing in the May Queen competition and he looked physically sick and in pain at the celebration dinner. He even asked the dude beside him, "What's happening?" . I don't recall Christian agreeing to shag the red haired girl. All I can remember is him sitting with the cult leader and being told that he has permission to have a one off experience with her. Christian's only answer was, "I think that I ate one of her pubic hairs,". It has been a while since I've seen the film though. Christian was a fairly shitty boyfriend but I still feel that he was assaulted by the cult...nobody deserves that.

[@undeadladybug7723]

Honestly, I like the idea that Dani just completely mentally snaps at the end, and that's why she starts smiling. She already had a history of mental/emotional instability, but even without that, I think most people would lose it if they went through all that in such a short amount of time.

[@frcdstcr]

I'm pretty sure the last bit of the script describes it as "a joy known only by the insane", which basically insinuates that Dani snapped at that moment.

[@undeadladybug7723]

@@frcdstcr I've heard the actress who played Dani said there's a scene in the director's cut that makes it more obvious Dani has lost it, and that she does in fact mentally snap.

[@JediJuniper92]

It also makes the most sense for a horror film, ending it in a horrific way of her suddenly “snapping” due to so much trauma and emotional manipulation that she would suddenly be onboard with watching people die

[@CodeeXD]

Considering she tossed her boyfriend into a bonfire while still alive and paralyzed it's safe to say she snapped

[@sophieseijomesa8148]

​@@frcdstcr J

[@amandasutton3717]

I think an important part is that, with Christian having had all the drugs, from the tea to inhaling the smoke, I don't think we can count him as entirely able of consent. Dani likely sees it as cheating because she doesn't know how drugged he is. Nonetheless, it's hurtful.

[@takishaedwards273]

I agree. You cannot consent under the influence

[@amandasutton3717]

@@takishaedwards273 I have a feeling that the smoke he inhaled was possibly from nightshade or belladonna. It contains atropine and scopolamine. His pupils get huge and the scopolamine in particular makes someone extremely suggestible. In the room where he sees the drawing of the burning bear, there are also plants on the wall. One is mushrooms. I think another might be nightshade.

[@takishaedwards273]

@@amandasutton3717 I have never heard of belladonna but I know of nightshade. I think it has been used for centuries as a hallucinogen

[@dr-amethyst-77]

@@takishaedwards273Belladonna and deadly nightshade are the same thing

[@takishaedwards273]

@@dr-amethyst-77 ahhh ok

[@beyondthefilmfatale145]

Trauma dumping? She has a sister with a serious mood disorder, talking about that with your significant other and them supporting you emotionally is how a healthy relationship works.. If she was talking about her sister to the barista at the coffee shop, that would be inappropriate. Christian is emotionally immature and narcissistic, look at the way he treats Josh. This, however, does not make it ok for Dani to have him burnt alive and therapy would be a much better solution than joining a cult.

[@brandoncyoung]

Triggered

[@Topdoggie7]

Trauma dumping = ever showing any emotions to anyone who doesn't want to hear it. That's how society is. They're assholes about grief and suffering. I remember grieving over my mom and she'd been dead six months. People told me to get over her murder. They got mad if I expressed any negative emotions. I was expected to be happy and act "normal". Dani needed therapy, not a cult. But her boyfriend was aggravating everything and basically only humoring her during the worst time of her life.

[@LexaJ828]

Yeah I always considered trauma dumping as just unloading your issues onto strangers who may not be in the place mentally to help you. Seems weird to apply that to the boyfriend Edited for typos

[@unterdessen8822]

Exactly. That's a huge misinterpretation on CZ's behalf. Dani's modern world is cruel and cold and makes her swallow her emotions. You can hardly state that she's "inappropriately dumping her feelings onto someone", when 1. that someone is (allegedly) her soulmate and potential future husband (remember the Christian wedding vows - you're supposed to share the good *and* the bad) 2. those feelings are justified and very severe, because we're talking about the death of multiple close family members, who left her behind Christian doesn't show any interest in her as a human being, right from the start. He's completely detached from her needs, and disregards the most basic cries for help in a situation, that is not some made up teen drama, but one of the worst things someone can go through. Even worse, he reacts in a way that tells her, that she's wrong and annoying and overly dramatic and has no right to feel so deeply, no matter what the reason is. Dani keeps bottling up her feelings: You can tell, that she wants to let it all out, but doesn't feel safe to do so, because Christian rejects her for even having feelings. He has probably scolded her for being open and vulnerable with him before, and she has nobody else to turn to. So she has learned to keep it together, even though it's ripping her apart from the inside. What the cult gives her, is no less than human support. This is what functioning societies used to look like. People in small communities were close (and tbh, often loosely related), and they genuinely cared about each other. When Dani tries to hold back, because she sees her own feelings as something inappropriate and unwanted, they make her share and release her pain. She can finally be herself, feel accepted and validated, and gets what Christian refused to give her: Comfort.

[@Chuleta_9]

THANK YOU! I came here to say this, but I found your comment. Never a good sign when someone sides with a narcissist/abuse.

[@kittyythecat]

Nah, fam. Dani did not "trauma dump" (stupid term if you ask me) and see her boyfriend as an "emotional crutch" when she is going through the hardest times of her life. She wanted support and comfort from someone she trusts, loves. Instead this jerk doesn't want to be there for her by ignoring, being half-assed, and forgetting her birthday

[@AllenAbbadonia]

Thank you.. Wanted to like this video but this way of talking about her made it so i can't.

[@hellopoodles]

Lying about having a ticket for the trip already, lying about telling his friends he invited her, threatening to walk out on her to get her to stop questioning him about it- this had nothing to do with trauma. He treats everyone in his circle poorly, even trying to steal and take credit for the thesis, then lying and saying he’s “not associated” with his friend after the book disappears. The movie couldn’t try harder to establish him as an unsympathetic and uncaring narcissist across the board.

[@puririiin]

she absolutely was. they are allowed to both be in the wrong.

[@AllenAbbadonia]

@@puririiin trauma dumping is specifically in an inappropriate situation or when a clear boundary has been set by a person to NOT do so. As we have seen no such discussion, it is not trauma dumping. The default state of a relationship is to help each other and comfort each other through those situations. He is a TERRIBLE partner.

[@aanonymousamanda1711]

Christian clearly wanted out of the relationship but stayed too long and got stuck. It happens sometimes. Is he supposed to just stay with her? Dani isn't stupid and she knew that he was pulling away from her. I don't think that she is more of a victim than Christian, after all, nothing he did deserved a death sentence.

[@louthawriter]

I think horror flicks with a cult theme are my favorite movie genre now. I absolutely loved both Hereditary and Midsomar.

[@L77kaMagic817]

Because they're creepy AF

[@Lucy-bx7si]

have u watched rosemarys baby??

[@sh_arkii]

Personally I love it when it's done well (like in Midsommar and Hereditary like you mentioned.) However, when its done badly it feels cheap and anticlimactic. Sooo I guess I'm saying that I have a complicated relationship with cult themed horror movies.

[@kidlitfanful]

Check out the original Wicker Man (NOT the Nicolas Cage remake!) It's been compared to Midsommar, some have said Midsommar ripped it off, I don't think that's fair, the only overlap is an outsider brought in for a sacrifice and pagan cult/fertility rituals. But they are very different and very good movies!

[@v4mpirehead]

any good horror cult theme movie recommendations?

[@awetistic5295]

Dani's behavior is the opposite of trauma dumping. She retreats to the bathroom or another secluded area almost every time before she breaks down. Even after the ättestupa ritual that must be highly traumatizing after what happened to her family, Christian routinely leaves her alone to tell his friend he's going to copy his thesis topic. This dynamic even is an important plot point - the Harga expressing and sharing their pain is so meaningful to Dani because it allows her to finally grieve in front of others, making her the perfect victim for the cult. I'm pretty sure the Harga wanted Dani to see what Christian did, knowing perfectly well that it would look like cheating to her. Which it wasn't, but it's no surprise she thought that way after Christian's previous behavior. Not only with Dani, but also with his friends, Christian constantly avoids conflicts with lies and last minute revelations, twists other people's words to shift the blame and doesn't show empathy for anyone but himself. He didn't deserve his ultimate fate, but he should have listened to Dani when she begged him to leave.

[@local_therapist8637]

Thats alot of words, to bad im not reading them. Nerd

[@awetistic5295]

@@local_therapist8637 If you think these are a lot of words, never open a book. You might be in for a terrifying surprise.

[@katefimov4022]

@local_therapist8637 lol why are 9 year Olds watch this stuff

[@local_therapist8637]

@@katefimov4022 dont know, they really shouldn't

[@valdir7426]

"making her the perfect victim for the cult" the way people frame the Hagras unambiguously as an evil cult and Dani as a victim to me is a bit of a simplistic conclusion to draw from the movie; and removed from the director's intentions I feel. It's certaintly more nuanced than this.

[@VVESSEL88]

I think the most interesting part about the nature imagery while Dani is tripping is that she always sees grass connecting her to the ground. She's slowly being 'rooted' into the cult.

[@Posit_Zero_Blue]

Eh...that's a pretty common thing to experience during a trip. Been there myself a few times. I remember my last trip, seeing the clover grow up around me and then on me, and I understood that the mountains were talking but so slowly that it may take them centuries to finish a thought lol.

[@cheeling794]

​J A well mountains do probably get really bored so talking slow is like a guessing game to them😂

[@champigranja1179]

@@Posit_Zero_Blue That's beautiful

[@mattsen4297]

This is such a reach.. "she's standing on ground! It fits thematically!!" Like c'mon man

[@cookiecutter017]

i find this movie so interesting with the amount of double-meanings found with each symbol!! to me, it could also represent how she feels the cult ‘grounds’ her; gives her stability, comfort for the extremely traumatic events in her life when christian cannot. god i love this movie so much!!!

[@MaddyLockman]

Trauma dumping is not the same thing as wanting emotional support from your boyfriend after your entire family has died. Also, her trauma isn't suddenly more valid because of the murder suicide.

[@cmen6895]

This movie really spits its viewers down the middle of who is a misogynist and who is a good person.

[@sillystring2121]

Yeah, those parts really bothered me. It's very clear she's in a relationship where her needs aren't met, and they are both choosing to not end the relationship out of the fear OF ending it (which is common!). You could make an argument that pre-her family's death she often relied too much on Christian's approval, but that's still not trauma dumping. And especially not after the death of her family, where she's struggling to find normalcy again with a man who says he loves her but hasn't wanted to be with her in months.

[@deluca4750]

@@cmen6895 "Agree with my opinion, for I am the arbiter of truth, and you shall be a good person. Disagree with me, and you're a misogynist." 🤡

[@local_therapist8637]

Shut up

[@arionthedeer7372]

Well, Dani was worried sick about her sister. I think the movie basically would not have been relevant plotwise if Dani got real help. Instead, she received the shit Christian told her. His own friends did not help either.

[@skunke2290]

As a guy who loves Swedish folklore, this was super interesting to watch! I gotta say tho that the reason people put scissors under a child’s pillow in classic Swedish folklore is so the trolls won’t take the kid. Trolls are according to Swedish folklore afraid of steel and scissors are often made of steel, thus protecting the child.

[@ulvegutten2056]

Yeah thats rigth! Totaly forgot, In Norway we would gather spesific Items to lay under the pillow for midsommers nigth . iron for protection(an iron pin or scissor), 7 different types of wild flowers picked with love intent (to dream about your futer husband/wife) and some spices to keep the devil away. Fun reminder!

[@Nerdbookworm]

I’m learning Swedish in honor of a friend, and now you make me wanna learn folklore too!

[@justinabakugou5813]

Really?! I didn't know that....that's very interesting

[@s_shaddows.4939]

My dad had a very very very old steel sword above my crib and a Steel hammer thing under my pillow. The sword was in a protective thing and was laid on velvet and was bolted to it so it couldn't have come loose or hurt me plus my crib wasn't against the wall so it could fall behind it. The steel hammer thing was sewn in a little pouch with battin or whatever you call that stuff stuff put inside blankets. So you are right. Also had dream catchers every where we are almost full blooded Cherokee Indian and also Scandinavian from my beautiful great grandmother. I Tool after her with the blue eyes and blonde hair and I tan super easily and get extremely dark. My mom is also almost full blooded Cherokee and some German and Irish. The sword was some protection and strength and the hammer. And the dream catchers are of course obvious some are over 200 years old. He also has a real chief head dress most was buried with the chief (in our family lines) and it's beautiful i wish I could show a picture. The sword come from my great great grand father passed down for many generations. Still in good condition its well taken care of

[@Rawker101]

it always comes back to trolls with the swedes and norwegians. haha

[@original_demonic]

In my opinion, Dani was more of a bonus to Pelle and the cult. She wasn’t meant to be going, and without her, the sacrifices would still be the same. Each one of the people chosen are bad people to the cult in some way, some more deserving than others. Mark and Josh are disrespectful to the cult in different ways. Simon and Connie refuse to see their way of life as a different view, and instead see them as wrong. Christian is a bad partner, as well as being generally apathetic and uninterested, even after he says he wants to start his Thesis on the festivities. Dani however never showed any disrespect towards the cult. Yes, she was physically upset at the atterstupa, and has been slowly breaking down, but that’s due to her own emotions. For example, Connie and Simon call the cult insane, while Dani never says anything disrespectful, and instead focuses on her own emotions towards death. She also listens to everyone when they talk about the cults view on life, instead of rejecting it outright. In this way, she could have theoretically either gone home alive, joined the cult, or been killed if she was disrespectful, outside of the temple. However Pelle has a good character judgement and managed to pick people close to someone needing a new family.

[@SydalaTristan]

Love this

[@costcofreezers]

it’s kind of funny how i never realized that pelle was actually recruiting people as sacrifices to the cult until after i finished the movie. in retrospect, i think it was so hard for me to grasp the fact that he would be willing to bring his “close friends” to his village (cult) knowing that they would be murdered. i almost couldn’t understand that he was a literal member of the cult, not some innocent guy who didn’t know what the cult was capable of.

[@mysteriiis]

Every research bro treated the Harga the same way white 'explorers' traditionally treat 'primitive native'. Even after being shown a literal billboard of how shit was gonna go down. Following another edumacated colonialist tradition of ignoring the warnings of native populations. They played stupid games; and won, well deserved, stupid prizes.

[@heatherL4834]

They would've been sacrificed even if they had been respectful.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

​@@heatherL4834 I think you're right and the community were just looking for any reason to sacrifice them. The cult already had it in their minds that they were going to sacrifice them so every time one of them did something perceived as disrespectful it validated their preconceived belief that the gods wanted them sacrificed. Like they were fated to be the sacrifices in the communities mind no matter what they did or didn't do. And Dani doing nothing disrespectful and participating with an open mind and winning the dance was the gods way of saying she was a worthy member and not a sacrifice.

[@kag427]

I assumed Dani is 26 at the beginning of the film and turns 27 in Sweden, the midpoint of her “summer” period in life from age 18 to 36.

[@briansullivan5908]

Why is she still in college? She could of graduated medical school by then.

[@Thersyl]

@@briansullivan5908 Maybe she decided to do another major (psychology) when her sister's mental health went south.

[@myujmes]

@@briansullivan5908 she had taken time off after her family's death. also, she could have taken gap year/s before even starting college.

[@shaylataylor9525]

She could also be in grad school as well, which could explain how she met Christian.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

@@briansullivan5908 You can start college at any age so it doesn't really matter how old you are by time you are finishing up your degree. Heck you can even go back and work for another degree after earning your first degree. You can be in your 40s and be working on your thesis before graduating.

[@aries2242]

No, bruh. This is definitely a horror movie and that ending where she smiles does not mean it's a good one. Her smile is practically manic. She's forever lost to the cult. They took advantage of her in her most vulnerable moment. She's not free from her trauma. The cult has just burried it all with their love bombing. The worst part of it all is that either she has no idea what she's really gotten herself into or that she actually does know (I reckon it's the latter as she seems to be quite sensitive to these things) but she's just given herself up to the cult anyways.

[@stevendeen4391]

She knew what was going on.

[@riaglitta]

Dani is turning 27. She is literally at her own midsummer.

[@marinabrodova2881]

This movie didn't feel like a movie. It felt like art. Like a picture you see at a museum, so full of symbolism and picturesque shots. Absolutely my favourite

[@Mizaun74]

Could not agree more. Absolutely beautiful piece of art/film.

[@HeyitsBri_]

“I’d assume The Black One isn’t talking about Josh…” I choked on my lemonade 😂

[@RayValdezPhotography]

First thing I thought of.

[@ChevailerNoir]

😂😂😂

[@KitsuneRokaku]

Hopefully it wasn't special pink lemonade 😉

[@HeyitsBri_]

@@KitsuneRokaku 🤣

[@theblackbaron4119]

Was it yellow? Your lemonade almost spelled death D:

[@shainewhite2781]

This movie was crazy AF! Florence Pugh had a stellar performance in this film.

[@sketchtheparadigmyork1217]

She really gave grumpy cat sad starbucks girl

[@AA-cf4es]

​@@sketchtheparadigmyork1217ok incel

[@corriedebeer799]

If you like this check out the similarly great folk horror movie The Wicker Man

[@cormacjoy6916]

The take on Christian here is not great. I don’t think he “cheated” on Dani when he was drugged. And he doesn’t deserve to be murdered. But he wasn’t a GOOD boyfriend trying his best. he was a deeply unsupportive, cowardly, and selfish partner - Dani reaching out to her partner for emotional support didn’t become “more legitimate” after the death of her family. Right off the bat, Christian doesn’t really care about her - even her legitimate hope for affection or care feels like an imposition. He forgets her birthday ffs

[@roxirock5455]

I mean most of the sacrifices were assholes and they still didn't deserve to die the way they did.

[@AnthonyJMurph]

@@roxirock5455 Interesting point. However, all of their asshole actions were done by their own free mind. Christian was murdered for what he did under the influence of drugs given to him unknowingly

[@spede1]

Dani seemed controlling, needy and pushy, not a good way to keep a guy.

[@megi7250]

In this case... how many men and women would be boiling in a bear suit 😅

[@valdir7426]

@@AnthonyJMurph he was murdered because Dani chose him to be. She did not only because of the cheating but because of everything that led to it.

[@liamnehren1054]

I hate that people call it "trauma dumping" when someone is trying to get through their trauma by looking for the support of their loved ones. Honestly just shows how shallow the person is and that they should definitely be cut loose if they need support later.

[@lt0518]

Agree. “Trauma dumping” is giving intimate details of trauma to inappropriate people! Not loved ones!

[@Dojafish]

@@lt0518 Trauma dumping, isn't just venting to inappropriate people ,is also at the inappropriate time and place . Just because they are a loved ones ,while yes they should ,no must be there for you . That doesn't they are your therapist ,or that you need to constantly vent on them . It's not healthy for both parties ,and it just causes burden.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

Honestly if Dani had not take part in the Mayqueen event she might have been chosen as one of the sacrifices. I think Pele pulled some strings as one of the returning villagers to have Dani participate in Mayqueen festival

[@dominickrouser8124]

Imagine if Jordan Peele wrote produced and directed the film and Ari Aster wrote and directed Nope.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

I'm not saying Pele was responsible for all the events that happened to Dani, just her part in the Mayqueen Festival.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

And of course help nudge the wedge between Christian and Dani to break them up, but lets face it, he didn't need to make Dani Mayqueen to do that.

[@sierrajohnson717]

I totally believe Pele wanted Dani before they even left America, and after they arrived I’m positive he wants to marry her. I also think he spoke up for her in private so they wouldn’t sacrifice her

[@LaFlor718]

If you watch closely it was all planned. She was speaking gibberish thinking it was actual Swedish and they went with it and the other girls dancing were purposely knocking each other out of the competition to ensure Dani would be the may queen.

[@BlackFox0911]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention how that the female attestupa elder looked like an older version of Dani

[@ogyawa]

omg so i wasnt the only one who thought that!

[@aroha9090]

I usually love your videos but the language used when talking about Dani's trauma was pretty alienating. Calling it trauma dumping, dumping her emotional baggage, saying she was only with Christian because she needed someone to emotionally support her etc. Seemed a bit... harsh.

[@goawayleavemealone2880]

Why? They both seem to know the relationship is over at that point, Kristian remains with her as a courtesy and as way to stave off the guilt he might feel if something bad happens to her. He has stopped treating her as a girlfriend, due to her field of study Dani most likely recognises all of this and she doesn't necessarily threat him as a boyfriend... but she treats him as a emotional confidante 100% of the time. It would actually be fair to say she has an emotional affair... cheating with Kristian with Pelle.

[@aroha9090]

@@goawayleavemealone2880 Oof, that's unhealthy. At no point does Dani have an 'emotional affair' with Pelle.

[@goawayleavemealone2880]

@@aroha9090 - The entire movie is Dani's emotional affair with Pelle.

[@aroha9090]

@@goawayleavemealone2880 Jesus Christ

[@goawayleavemealone2880]

@@aroha9090 - Jesus Christ what? She's expecting Kristian to remain emotionally invested enough to tolerate her basically being an emotional leech and she turns around and gives the same parts of herself to Pelle that she is giving to Kristian.

[@crimsonffire]

There's an old saying, it takes a village to raise a child. Heard it growing up a lot in Ireland. Saint John's wart , is a natural antidepressants. So maybe was a little Easter egg because of her sisters bipolar condition?

[@vanchella1]

I interpreted the scissors as a twist on an old British superstition. Iron items, most notably shears, were sometimes placed around cradles to protect the babies from fairies. But I also like the interpretation of "cutting" away parent-child relations in favor of the cult, that makes a lot of sense!

[@humor86]

Pretty much right, scissors have a double protection. One protection is that it is iron, the other is that it is a cross. Both these protect from fairy folks, or more common from trolls. Trolls can kidnap unbaptised children, so they need this extra protection until they can get the child to a priest.

[@DanaToony]

SAME!! In Mexico is meant to protect babies from Witches, Nahuales and/or goblins, because since they so young and pure, creatures would want to eat them to keep themselves young and strong.

[@AW-xc1xc]

It's actually an old Swedish superstition as well! Except they protected from trolls and not fairies. Children would be given them because steel was a certified troll-repellant.

[@SoupSpot]

Iron is a fungi’s nightmare, and fae are often associated with mushrooms so I kinda get it.

[@Eleniare]

One thing that confuses me is the fact that Pelle says that his parents died in a fire, implying that they were once sacrificed during one of the previous May Day celebrations, but one of the elders says that this kind of celebration happens every 90 years. I'm assuming that the festival happens every year but the sacrifices happen every 90 years. So, is that a script oversight? Or did Pelle's parents died in an accidental fire?

[@solar6284]

Perhaps it could be he's just referring to the mythos of the cult rather than actual parents? Nice catch, that's an interesting detail.

[@quentinconklejr.5711]

Good catch

[@emilyperrett6648]

Cults are more likely to start an accidental fire and rebuild after since they use a lot of primitive manual labour and have a bad understanding of modern fire precautions. Fires can happen to anyone

[@its-beady-eyes5120]

Glad you mentioned this because other comments were saying the cult killed multiple outsiders every year but that would never go unnoticed for so long. Every 90 years could be hidden, but not a yearly event. Maybe Pelle's parents died because of a different sacrifice or just by a regular fire.

[@valdir7426]

it doesn't mean there are no smaller celebrations in between where sacrifices may happen as well.

[@geeloxoxo2574]

He was literally SA'd was completely unaware of what's happening yess he was an a$$ but that scene was grape

[@smarti1144]

Totally

[@heddelinpralin1481]

Yeah, this and the trauma dumping were both s-t takes

[@Officialboss3000]

It's only considered assault if a drug reasonably impairs someone's ability to consent to the point where they would make a decision they wouldn't have otherwise made. This isn't something portrayed in the movie, it was specifically implied Christian had an attraction to Maya.

[@geeloxoxo2574]

@@Officialboss3000 he was literally given a drink that took his rational part bfr

[@alexbennet4195]

I mean, he “literally” wasn’t. You can totally interpret it that way (even though I don’t think the director intended that reading) but don’t act like that’s what “objectively happened”, with 0 room for ambiguity.

[@cabbagenut]

St. John's wort is also an anti-depressant. The scissors under the pillow likely has to do with an old belief that iron protects against fairies and changelings.

[@harrietalice7783]

It's possible that the cult members names were picked for their specific meanings: . Both Inga and Ingemar reference a fertility deity . Ulf means 'wolf' and it's possible he was the one who killed Josh, whilst dressed as Mark . Dani is greeted by Dagny, which means 'new day' . Pelle means 'stone', which could be a nod to his role as Dani's support, or a link to Saint Peter who was responsible for spreading Christianity- the name 'Pelle' being a Scandinavian version of 'Peter' . Ruben is an odd one, as it could be a reference to the painter Reuben or his ability to "see" . Maja possibly means 'mother', a nod to her role in birthing the next generation Pure conjecture on my part ofc. ☺

[@Nosliw837]

So he was an "Ulf" in sheep's clothing? harhar ^_^'

[@kiddopunktse]

I'm told Pelle is a nickname for Per

[@InaEsin]

I am liking your conjecture.

[@aspannas]

As a swede there's a lot of misinformation and made up stuff thrown around in this comment.

[@Mizaun74]

Why can't anyone responding to this video understand and separate bloody christian religions from Pegan ones as depicted in this film? It's a Pagan group, so they would not associate with christian views or beliefs such as "saints"

[@elietahari7290]

Imagine going thru the most devastating time in your life and being referred to as a person looking at their BOYFRIEND as an "emotional crutch". Dudes really go out of their way to not be likable humans.

[@honestyisadyingvirtue]

Imagine not being able to see that people can go through devastating times without the need to cling on to others, hold them back and make it all about you. Other people's lives do go on you know. He clearly wanted to go on that trip without her which is okay but she glommed into him not caring about what he wanted because of her emotional needs. That partnership goes both ways.

[@kleefairy]

@@honestyisadyingvirtue Thank you! It's so tiresome to see people only put the blame on Christian. Granted he could've handled things better but I wouldn't vilify him immediately since it's just a very complicated situation and Dani might have overwhelmed him.

[@TSmeowMeow]

@@honestyisadyingvirtue WTF? She was under the impression he was her partner. That's what partners do for each other. Otherwise, they're just FWB. She was hurt to find out he was hiding things and he tried to smoothit over with a lie because he didn't want to be honest about his feelings. He invited her not because she was "glomming" onto him, but because he wanted to hide his true feelings. Christian is 100% the problem here.

[@e.t.2914]

Dude was tired of her shit looong before her family took a huff and still was polite enough to stand by her through hardship even though he'd already checked out. He's supposed to be all chipper about having to take care of a person he's not even married to when even before the hardship she was too pent up in her own constant emotional turmoil to treat him as a PARTNER? God forbid a man want an equal and not a traumatized rescue dog he has to constantly keep from shitting on the carpet and chewing off its own legs. Ladies need to be growing some resolve...

[@Undrconst]

@@e.t.2914 you are delusional and probably just bitter that’s for sure. Also if he was such a man or mature person he should have told her his feelings if he so called “checked out” before she went through something dramatic. Any excuse to be a terrible human. You men need to learn some communication skills.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

I must admit Dani seem to be holding it together with her first mushroom experience since her family's death until Mark said 'family'.

[@princesscaroline198]

I love rewatching this and only paying attention to the Hargans. Just a master class in normalizing strange behaviors & their reactions are so priceless. The fact that not a single Hargan even flinches at Connie’s screams is kind of amazing

[@cobaltprime9467]

The inbred Oracle is actually a brilliant move for this movie. In Cosmic Horror, like Cthulhu, the entities encountered thrive on the mental break of their followers and victims. They drive people insane and are able to manipulate them completely once the mind breaks. We saw a similar thing in Hereditary but with more conventional demons as opposed to a bunch of squid and fish demons. But an alternative to breaking the mind to get the messages of the Eldritch beings or demons is to have someone that already has a mental defect. Their mind isn’t just open and receptive, it’s like giving these beings a summer condo to hang out in.

[@brimstonefondue]

I've noticed Siv's headdress grows a coil every day of the festival.

[@StandAsYouAre]

I seriously don’t think this was only done every 100 years. Maybe all the activities are combined together every 100 years. But it feels like with every activity that happened, everyone has experienced previously at some stage in their lives so they knew exactly what needed to happen. And to ensure the knowledge of their cult is passed down correctly.

[@heatherL4834]

I think they do all those rituals every year except for the sacrifice of outsiders. If they sacrificed outsiders every year, then they would have someone investigating why people are disappearing whenever somebody goes near their area. They probably sacrifice people from the community more often. Pelle said his parents died in a fire. Maybe they were sacrificed.

[@deannamarie3258]

It's also possible they're other sacrificial practices throughout the year not just Midsommar, like say Yule or Samhain.

[@Mizaun74]

It's every 90 years.

[@TSmeowMeow]

Lots of yikes comments in this vid. I get CZ is trying to be humorous, but I feel like they're mishandled here. Christian did not cheat. Dani did not trauma dump. For example :/

[@genkureshima9834]

Half wrong and FUCKING wrong. Regardless of what the legion of softies said here, yes, Christian WAS pushed into this shit through many ways, and YES, you can rely on your loved ones for emotional support but... SURPRISE! They're also human beings, with problems and pain of their own, they don't exist for the sole purporse of being a fucking life support to you.

[@maddiemiserable4659]

I love how your tie design is the carpet pattern layout of the overlook hotel.

[@Derricksings4u]

The two elders who fell from the cliff were never in the yellow building at the end. Those two were seen being cremated a couple scenes later. I understood the last two people in the yellow building, who were shown being preserved with branches and flowers coming out of their hollowed torsos, were another couple of elders who died before age 72 of natural causes, etc. Prior to this season's festivities.

[@valdir7426]

absolutely

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

I find it interesting in the mushroom scene before they reach the village, Danni who was suffering from severe Depression and wasn't right in mind handled the Mushrooms better than Mark and Christian until Mark brought up the word 'Family'. Christian was rocking back and forth and Mark was freaking out at anything new to him where as Danni was watching plants breath and move and didn't seem even bothered. I didn't bring up Josh since he was sitting there at a near laying position not talking. If he was having a bad trip he wasn't saying anything.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

To make clear I never done drugs so I never had what you call a ‘bad trip’ but I’m pretty sure Panicking and rocking back and forth isn’t a good sign compare to Pele who we know from his behavior was calm and collective and Dani was reacting more similar to Pele than Mark and Christain prior to Mark saying ‘family’

[@totallynotimari]

@@ashleighstratmann7783There are peaks during a psychedelic trip so it’s possible. There are other factors though.

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

@@totallynotimari I think Astor was going for Mark and Christian having a bad trip in that scene to foreshadow how the drugs will be used against Christian later

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

@@totallynotimari I will have to take your word for it anyways. Like I said, I don’t do drugs so I never had a bad trip or any trip on drugs. I just know this movie involves drug trips from KZbin channels. And the fact Mark and Christian was rocking and paranoid compare to Pele who was calm gives me comparisons for Danny who wasn’t right in mind prior to taking the mushrooms

[@Le_Pete]

The scissors under the pillow is actually not uncommon among elderly. I'm from Germany and I think that this is known in Sweden and other european countries too. The open scissors are meant to protect against dark magic and Albs or the Nachtmahr (where the english word nightmare comes from - it is a creature that causes bad dreams and sucks your life energy, sometimes sucks other things like Incubi and Succubi). The scissors thing is folklore and superstition which is mostly left to be known by the elderly generation nowadays.

[@sarahthesarah2850]

My family still does it. Some things based on irrational beliefs need a solution based as such for it to be effective. We also use an egg to help remove fevers. These things are seen as supports, as opposed to cure alls.

[@CutiePieSweetz]

What I'm curious about is that once a May Queen is crowned, does that mean she is exempt from future sacrifices?

[@JediJuniper92]

Well she probably won’t live long enough to encounter that next 90 year celebration so I’d say she’s safe

[@totallynotimari]

@@JediJuniper92Didn’t answer her question. Lmfao.

[@indysswan]

@@totallynotimarishe did lmfao

[@luckas221a]

​@@JediJuniper92 Do the sacrifices only happen once every 90 years?

[@JediJuniper92]

@@luckas221a I believe so, yes. I think the elderly falling off the cliff is part of the annual traditions but the burnt sacrifices are the 90 year thing

[@victorix30]

This movie is phenomenal, the score, the atmosphere - everything just sends chills down your spine.

[@mikahong]

Bjorn Andersen was my highlight for this film. What he went through as a child broke my heart.

[@terrier-9544]

Same here, I loved his documentary, it's a must-see!

[@Stongna_Bologna]

The thing I appreciate the most about Midsommar is that it taught me how susceptible I was to cult indoctrination as an adult and to fix it.

[@hellothere1266]

The satchel of herbs mentioned at 30:58 is something that people use today, though I'm uncertain of how common it is. It's not for cult initiation unfortunately hahaha. I think they are called "ritual satchels." A family member made me one for my anxiety. It had a small stone and some different calming herbs like lavender in it. (lavender contains chemical compounds called terpenes, most notably linalool, that can make you feel relaxed) You hold the stone and sniff the satchl when you feel anxious or sad and it gives you a little boost of not-sad.

[@megansimplystitch]

I haven't heard of the sachets before. It's interesting that there's a "real" connection to the movie. Thanks for sharing. 💜

[@jadebeason7552]

They are called ritual sachets, spell sachets, and herb sachets, they are common in peganism and Wicca. In fact, there is quite a lot of pegan symbols and traditions in this movie. The director clearly has a lot of respect for pegans and Wiccans, both this movie and hereditary have very accurate, though clearly being used in a darker sense, depictions of magic.

[@beardedricotheold2640]

The amount of foreshadowing in the movie with background imagery and the like is insane. Well worth the re-watch to find them all.

[@hellopoodles]

Worried for CZ with this sunny reinterpretation of Christian’s calculating, narcissistic behavior towards his partner as a reaction to “trauma dumping,” and then characterizing his being drugged and graped by the cult as willingly “cheating.” Much more disturbing than any of the lore examined here.

[@TSmeowMeow]

Yeah, CZ's been making more comments in this vein lately. I'm close to unsubscribing over them, because they betray a certain mindset regarding women that I'm frankly just tired of people not calling out.

[@issac2939]

@@TSmeowMeow what mindset regarding women?

[@TSmeowMeow]

@@issac2939 The belief that women are overly emotional, weak, nagging, etc... Where women can't have any expectations in their relationship or they're "codependent", and where their anger and frustration at a careless or selfish partner is painted as over-the-top, out of the blue, and a sign of her inability to maintain composure despite the fact that it comes after maintaining against a constant occurence of being disregarded and needs going unmet. He also made several comments of the sort in his video about Tiffany Valentine, where he stated her motives were unclear or muddled for the sake of her "being crazy", since she was no longer as devoted to Chucky after nonstop abuse since her introduction.

[@heddelinpralin1481]

@@TSmeowMeow yeah this is so not it, I’m out of here. It’s such a damn shame, I remember liking another channel until the guy running it made just disgusting misogynistic remarks abt a bunch of female characters in A24 movies. Like come the f-k on

[@e.t.2914]

He is narrating how the CHARACTERS are experiencing each other's actions. Fuggin dork. Do you really think dani is such an idiot that she'd knowingly watch her boyfriend getting graped and not run in there and help him? Of course not, because DANI is the one who PERCIEVES the act to be "cheating" because SHE doesn't know the drugging part. And because Christian is a narcissist, of course he perceives Dani's real pain as "trauma dumping". Learn how narration of a third party works. Christ.

[@whitgreuber]

When I first saw Midsommar I thought someone from the village killed her parents and sister. I figured she grew up in the group and their parents pulled her and her sister out. Their parent's house has foreshadow for stuff like the bear. The hose was duct taped to her sister. Next the member at the school pushes for her to go with. Then at the group she seems to recognize stuff on the walls and then becomes fluent in their language way too fast after the drink.

[@_WESTSIDE_]

Also the welcome home part when Dani arrives 🤔🤔

[@EVO6-]

​@@_WESTSIDE_yeah metaphorical home. Don't take everything literally

[@EVO6-]

You take the metaphorical process of her being taken in and the foreshadowing way too literally. That also wouldn't make sense from a narrative standpoint, there's no way you'd be able to hide a background like that, stop the older sister from revealing anything or even the fact that both of you are Swedish. Nor would there even be reason to hide that, but if they were she would have mentioned at the very least. The parents and sisters' death has nothing to literally do with the cult.

[@Dee-Hendricks]

They were speaking gibberish bc they were both high on shrooms.

[@axellundell4807]

As a Swede, I'm so glad you took the time to learn how to pronounce letters such as Å. People usually don't care and just change the Å to an A when saying words with Å in them. Props to you!

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

Christian didn't just remember Dani's birthday during their second day at Sweden. Pele told him

[@ashleighstratmann7783]

There was even a brief scene showing Pele and Christian talking to each other about it.

[@ulvegutten2056]

Such a good video! Norwegian here, with Swedish family on dad side. I adore your videos and it is so fun to see your interest in all nordic on your channel!

[@myujmes]

I love the way you misspell, it adds so much flavor to this comment

[@katherinedonaldson7884]

the use of dani’s wailing in the background/soundtrack is a detail that once i noticed it i couldn’t think of ari astor as anything less than a genius

[@gryffinbro7242]

I am so surprised and disgusted by this take on partnership, grieving such a colossal and sudden loss should ABSOLUTELY be something you share with someone you're in a committed relationship with??? It makes my skin crawl thinking about how the ideological underpinnings of that whole perspective must creep into how non-fictional circumstances get interpreted...to let the man off the hook for his communication witholding and self centered, juvenile, indifferent disposition, while slandering Dani as if she's being an aggressor for...going to her partner for very normal support....when he has not come clean about his feelings and just broken it off so she doesn't even know something's wrong....what a rousing display of empathy and healthy relationship expectations 🥴 Also that man was clearly SA'd so really just a dumpster fire of hot takes all around

[@acurlyepiphany]

“Emotional Crutch”……. I think she just needed her boyfriend to be there for her since she just lost her whole family. But, sure she was definitely using him as an emotional crutch. Let me just exit the video now.

[@heddelinpralin1481]

Yeah I had enough right about there. That and the “cheating” just ain’t it

[@JediJuniper92]

I love the history he covers but yeah I’m like, how did you interpret her that way? I’ve seen another film reviewer call her as having “the emotional personality of a wet mop” And I’m like WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

[@rozwynn2349]

I think it's simply because the male in that relationship had already checked out. He basically didn't care anymore. If he was still engaged emotionally, then he would have been a supportive BF but it appears he was only still there because he would have felt guilty about completely abandoning her. Also, he probably was concerned how it would look to others. That is why, in my opinion, as soon as you are done emotionally with a relationship, leave. There never is a good time to end.

[@chickenpermission2122]

@@rozwynn2349 I agree with you 100%

[@Sky-tg5rt]

I believe that’s what emotional crutch means tho- I understand it may sound offensive but when we only turn to one person and one person alone for all of the emotional stuff and that person isn’t really supportive plus we don’t care…. It’s a crutch- anything to lean on. If that makes any dang sense lol

[@Misshimedere]

I'm having an existential moment with what the director had to say about it all feeling like a breakup and revolving around a break up because when I watched this for the first time I was watching it with my now ex bf of whom we were in the middle of a very turbulent break up... Needless to say, really fucked me up. ANYWAYS, great breakdown as usual CZ. :)

[@jonnowocky8179]

I would like to compliment how honestly this film shoots height difference between actors. So many films delete it for blocking convenience and it drives me mad

[@shyanneH2Opolo14]

Christian didn’t cheat on her he was drugged and assaulted. Like bruh

[@e.t.2914]

He is narrating how the characters are perceiving each others actions. That is how narration works.

[@shyanneH2Opolo14]

@@e.t.2914 Homie said When he cheats on her not "When Danni think he cheats on her". If he is going to play all knowing narrator then call it what it is. there has been plenty of times he added in that this character doesn't know this or that but did not here. Don't play stupid.

[@e.t.2914]

@@shyanneH2Opolo14 If you've got more than two brain cells you know you don't constantly keep the same sentence structure throughout a script. Most people are smart enough to realize that. You the kind a person who hears "let the steak rest for ten minutes before serving" and think your all clever when you proudly announce that steaks don't need to rest because dead animals aren't tired.

[@shyanneH2Opolo14]

@@e.t.2914 That makes not sense. Saying Christian cheated on her vs. Danni though Christian cheated on her and never clearly saying Christian was SA'ed throughout the entire video is a misstatement of the facts and doing a disservice as an narrator. You are giving off men can't be SA'ed vibes

[@e.t.2914]

@@shyanneH2Opolo14 You fuggin dork. HE CAN"T DIRECTLY SAY WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE HE WILL GET DEMONITIZED. The way he emphasizes the word cheating and how he looks at the camera is very obvious he is implying more is going on here. And also, homebody was roaming around a field but went and wandered into some pussy of his own volition. It still is cheating. In the weakest possible way, but yes. Its not like he was taken advantage of while fully passed out. If some chick got drunk at a party and starts blowin dudes other than her boyfriend, shes still a cheater.

[@CountDracul13]

I remember going into this movie completely blind. As I did this with hereditary and was terrified by the end. This movie made me literally feel just weird and uncomfortable lmaoo.

[@hunterphille1280]

When this one came out the only one's who dug it was myself and only a couple others and the rest hated it. I really liked how this was an actual horror movie that didn't need superhuman killers or anything supernatural.

[@Jobe-13]

If there’s been 30 May Queens each one selected each Midsommar festival, and the Midsommar festival is celebrated every 90 years, that means the Harga cult had already existed for 2,700 years by the time Dannie and everyone else shows up for that year’s Midsommar festival. Damn. Although the whole May Queen each year thing kind of confused me. So that probably isn’t true.

[@ErinJeanette]

And pictures wouldn't be possible

[@its-beady-eyes5120]

The maypole dance with a queen is every year, just the sacrifices are every 90 years.

[@BoO_Gimmi]

MidSommar celebration every year "The Great Feast" is every 90 years

[@alisterzarkar7163]

Great job man, you nailed it. I still have 3 questions. 1. Why did the old woman dive head first, but the old man jumped with his feet? 2. Why were the two volunteers both men? 3. What the funk was the significance of the bear?

[@lizzylouisewoo]

I wish we knew

[@junjian8822]

Hey Cz! The scisor thing also is a thing in the Peruvian communities that live on the "jungle" side. It's not only to cast away nightmares, is to protect yourself from entities like the tunche!

[@Mercurio2435]

You use a lot of negative language in regards to Dani sharing her emotions or needing emotional support, which she gets almost none of in the entire film. You called it "trauma dumping," "emotional crutch," and "dumping emotional baggage." I didn't see it this way at all, and I think that's kind of a poisonous mindset. Just because someone expects their partner to be emotionally available and supportive of their needs doesn't mean they're dumping on them. We're human, we're supposed to empathize with one another, especially when we're romantically involved, and this sort of language is generally reserved for women, playing in to the "women, they be hysterical, am I right guys??" when it's men that need to work on their own ability to be emotionally sharing. Great analysis, and that's my only criticism.

[@canaryjulia]

That’s western men to you They’re not taught empathy so to them it’s not normal for other than themselves to have valid feelings especially women

[@shellytacomedy]

Dani didn't even empathize with the biracial couple getting murdered. She felt justified when her partner died, even tho he was a victim of SA. At the end of the day, only her emotions mattered. Ppl lost their lives but at least she got to be the May Queen and finally the center of attention... when she could have stayed home and gone to therapy.

[@Serufi]

Thank you! I would probably watch this channel more if he wasn't constantly putting down people, especially women, for showing negative or insecure emotions. He has a really shallow and somewhat heartless view of emotion and struggle.

[@myppitches9951]

exactly! the whole point is that dani is trying her best to hide how she’s truly feeling because whenever she does lean on her partner(the death of her family), he’s disgusted

[@turok123453]

I mean just look at him he looks like an incel with emo hair he probably watches red pill podcasts for fun

[@parsatheengineer]

Good episode of horror history! This is one of my favourite horror films. The ättestupa is actually an old folk tale in the Nordic countries' history. The elderly either voluntarily jumped or were forced to jump off a cliff when they became too old and sick to be productive community members. This also applied to animals like cattle. The midsommar festival is held between 20th to 26th on June, so it's not always in the 25th.

[@Wolfbane382]

Well, my Tuesday evening just got a whole lot better. ^^ In Pegan tradition Beltane is similar to Harga. With a Maypole, a Fire festival, and Handfasting. Which is like a trial marriage of sorts. Where a couple gets together in front of a large bonfire and has their hands bound together with a ribbon. Then they pledge to stay together for one year and a day. After that year and day have come to pass, which is usually on the day of Baeltane, they deiced if they are going to stay together or if not then they simply part ways without any animosity towards each other. Also fun (if not kind of gross) fact! The ritual the red-haired girl does by putting her period blood in that one guy's drink and the pubic hair in the pie is in fact blood magick. Often used by girls or women who are looking to put a love spell on the person they want to be with.

[@sophiecroker5788]

Horror aside, it is genuinely such a beautiful movie

[@laotasurfs1110]

I get this vibe: Christian was too vain and too much of a coward to tell Dani the unflattering truth -- that he was just completely uninterested in being emotional support, to the point of it being a deal-breaker -- so he agreed to go on the trip to deliberately upset Dani. When she's understandably confused and worried by his behavior, (even under the best of circumstances, when your boyfriend of four years decides on a whim to ditch your aniversary and leave the hemisphere for a month without talking it over, that's pointedly, *insultingly* cold-blooded) it seems like he's trying to turn it into a fight. Anything short of just rolling with whatever he wants is treated like an unreasonable ultimatum so he can make their breakup about something *she* did. Christian's constant complaints and insults about Dani's sister kind of condition her on how to act around him, always running and hiding when she needs to cry, trying not to think about her grief, or accomodating him and his friends no matter what. She's willing to compromise anything and be completely uncomfortable to make him happy. He's counting the minutes until he can abandon her without looking like a heel.

[@iansunders9108]

i think its important to note that Christian got raped, he was so drugged out that he couldn't have consented to doing anything. dani sees it as cheating because she doesn't know how drugged he is. Also when Christian said that they have been dating for 3 1/2 years its referring to when he because dissatisfied with the relationship so he doest count that last 6 months because he has been mentally not in a relationship for the last bit.

[@Mizaun74]

Last 6 months and 2 weeks. Being its been 4 years and 2 weeks for their relationship

[@iansunders9108]

yes i know but christian has been checked out mentally from the relationship so thats why he says 3 1/2 years @@Mizaun74

[@SatansOps]

I'm Swedish and the fact that I have had to seriously explain to people that we don't throw our old folk off cliffs during midsummer makes me hate this movie quite a bit.

[@hermanink]

same

[@witchingbrew3]

Serbians feel the same sentiment....

[@TearsWontDry]

Right??? I hate how this movie is depicting Sweden and Midsummer, which is a very dear tradition. I also hate the way they portrayed Hårga, which is basically hometown, and the fact that they didn't even shoot the film in Sweden. Ugh, this movie is getting on my nerves. It's just disrespectful.

[@Leonard_Wolf_2056]

I don't think the issue lies in the movie itself. The issue lies in people taking "art of entertainment" too seriously. Taking movies, TV shows and games seriously despite them being tv shows, movies and games.

[@annjepsen1621]

Nobody threw them off the cliff. This is sacrificing oneself for the good of the group as a whole. They walked off the cliff.

[@briealice1065]

As a Swede and a fan of yours, I’m so happy you made a video about this movie! 😊

[@cormacjoy6916]

“Dump her emotional baggage” - yiiiiiiiiikes

[@tuckermathews9625]

Watching this and the Hereditary video, I have come to the conclusion that Aster thinks of literally every tiny, minute detail of his films. Sensory overload!

[@Yumi_G]

I still can’t believe I convinced all my non horror fan friends to watch this at the theater😂. This movie prob the first time they even acknowledge an existence of a cult

[@misfitmultimediaflightcrew9216]

I love how Ari work has so many levels. I can watch many times and pick up something new on each play I previously missed or have better context to look for.

[@PollyW326]

CZ, I'm a subscriber because of your Horror History deep dives. They're so well done. I have been spending some time catching up. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@DaganRose]

I also noticed that your tie reminded me of the carpet in The Shining, but when I rewatched the movie after watching this, I saw that it is also the pattern in Dani's bedsheet when she dreams of her party leaving her behind. Also, you forgot to mention the connection that Ylva has with Dani when she's hyperventilating, looks at her, and then she "relaxes," and then seems to be calmer than her friends about what had just transpired.

[@mikahong]

I would like to thank Ari Aster for making me fall for wtf films again.

[@Alexz5040]

When they mourn with her I couldn’t help but find it a little funny kind of like when you mimic a crying baby and they stop and give you a look of confusion

[@Pisc3sv3nus]

So much infos I didn’t get from watching like 10 different videos. Amazing work thx !

[@queendsheena1]

You do such an amazing analysis of horror.

[@bea4790]

Yaya!! I'm so happy this video was made! This is my absolute favourite movie of all time

[@DefendInPlace]

Love your deep dives man. Thank you!

[@JaeAnderson348]

This was a great explanation. So much detail, great connection, and overall gave me a great understanding of the movie and its small details!

[@tricjoseph9879]

"I'm not Jon Solo, I'm not going to list them all" 😂 I wasn't expecting to hear his name here!

[@WeTHEPreordainedPeople...]

Excellent quality, my young Man! SUBSCRIBED!👍👍

[@KRAZED.WE.FEEL.]

I watched this movie tripping hard on ac id, I have never been more intrigued, confused, happy, scared and just lost. I have no idea if this movie was good or not, I'm not sure if alot of what I watched was true or not but it was a journey, a truly insane experience, especially whenever the characters tripped themselves which really added to the immersive feeling

[@HarlequinHeart16]

You're a different breed.

[@TheBayouBabe]

That sounds horrific but also cool and now I'm intrigued by the idea.😅

[@STAYSTIIIZY710]

@@TheBayouBabe Go for it! >.

[@briansullivan5908]

Did you spend $50 to go to the movies only to be so wasted you' were totally out of it?

[@JediJuniper92]

Hahahaha I cannot fathom that experience

[@BigHead69420p]

I hope you know that the effort you put in is appreciated.

[@kooldripz]

The horror history I’ve been waiting for, good stuff Cz ❤️

[@xXsharpiescarsXx]

I clicked on this SO FAST. One of my favorite channels and favorite movies? say less. 🙏🏻💙 the way you pronounced attestupa had me dying 😂

[@aprilperez8478]

I really enjoy the subjects u choose to do the history on!! Ty CZ

[@Austin53095]

Midsommar was an amazing movie and a must watch! So glad you dropped this video CZ ! It’s my favorite Ari aster film to this day

[@HotnHeretical]

I love horror history so much but, yeah, I don't think "Trauma dumping" was a great phrase to use even though he did imply he had distaste for the phrase. Don't get me wrong, i think Dani was implied to be overly emotionally reliant on Christian BEFORE the tragedy, but she didn't really dump it on him afterwards, more so looked for support. She didn't use him as an emotional crutch as much as she just held on to a toxic asshole because he was the only one she had left. I get not wanting to be the asshole who broke up with the girl who just lost her entire family in a murder-suicide. But if the alternative is gaslighting and emotionally abusing her because you resent being in a relationship YOU STAYED IN, suck it up and break up with her. You are not your partner's parent and you are not obligated to stay with them for any reason if you don't want to be in the relationship. Finally, Christian didn't cheat. He was assaulted. He was an asshole, but he was still a human who was drugged and assaulted. I get how Dani, not having the full context, would think it was cheating, but christian was still a victim

[@HotnHeretical]

Also, I'm 91% sure the nazi allusions in the film were trying to point out the underlying white supremacists views of the cult. The political signs, the nazi runes, the Arian look of nearly all the members. It's supposed to point out that the Harga are a capital 'C' CULT. Many cultures in white nations, especially those with Christian beliefs, are extremely white supremacist.

[@Mizaun74]

He may of been assaulted, but he showed interest in the other girl beforehand, as well as getting the elder woman's permission before too. So ya, there's that.

[@HotnHeretical]

@@Mizaun74 That, I would agree, is indicative of emotional cheating (Though, I believe the permission part happened while he was under the influence, if not by the roofies, than by the metric shit ton of shrooms he consumed in his time there), but my issue is more with how a lot of people are strictly referring to the assault scene when they refer to him finally cheating on Dani.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

Finally after ten years on KZbin i got a recommendation I actually wanted! Subscribed

[@Can_of_sprite]

This was the first horror movie that actually disturbed me deeply, before I had mostly been watched 80’s horrors and I wanted something spookier. I didn’t realize how scary it was until like an hour after watching it

[@GloriousRebecca]

The bear painting is an Art Nouveau mythology painting made by Swedish Painter John Bauer as part of his 'Among gnomes and trolls' series, which is an anthology of Swedish folktales-"She kissed the bear on the nose". 1907.

[@SnowBunni78]

This was so unbelievably well made!

[@Aymarichan]

You really helped me understand this movie lol. I loved it prior but now I’m just speechless 😅

[@miriguyunari]

I'm so glad they did a video on Midsommar. CZsworld should do a video on Sleepaway Camp!

[@franciscocota6440]

So, just random fact, "Ardor," Dani's last name, is Spanish for "burn." Mostly as in a feeling, or yeah, the literal fact of burning.

[@aureuzc.a.9000]

In some places iron scisors are used under a baby's pillow to prevent evil spirits or witches or whatever evil of the culture to harm or steal them.