Barbarians Wiki
Advertisement

The Battle is the sixth and final episode of the first season of the Netflix original series Barbarians, and the sixth episode of the series overall.

Synopsis[]

Ari leads Varus and three Roman legions into the Teutoburg Forest — and into history. Thusnelda makes a bloody sacrifice to preserve the alliance.

Plot[]

SPOILERS AHEAD


Segestes accuses Arminius of attempting to lead Rome into an ambush. Furthermore, he reveals that the rotting head isn’t the head of Folkwin Wolfspeer. Varus is in disbelief but Quintus and Pelagios don’t need much convincing. Arminius denies Segestes’ outrageous accusations, reasoning that the warring tribes would never be able to take down three legions and that it would be foolish of anyone to try. Varus is pleased to hear none of these allegations are true and laughs hysterically. He threatens to kill Segestes should he ever make such accusations again and kicks him out. With that said, Varus decides to move forward with Arminius’ plan to burn down Marsi. Varus then apologizes for ever doubting Arminius, even for a moment.

Arminius discovers that Folkwin is still alive. He stands near the cage and tells Folkwin that they thought he was dead. Folkwin doesn’t care. He just wants out, and he’s bringing Raskild with him. Arminius urges him to remain patient as they’re planning the attack.

Arminius informs Talio that the summer campaign is over and that the time has come to enact their plan.

Rurik returns to camp from scouting. He informs Thusnelda that there's too many to count. Romans up to the horizon, like a river of steel.

Thusnelda prays to the Woman of the Woods for help: "Mother of Blood… Mother of Fire... Sister of Wrath... please give me certainty... and grant me the gift... to perceive what’s to come. Are you on my side? I’ll sacrifice anything." Her prayer is interrupted by Hadgan, who still desires her. She’s the only reason he agreed to the battle. He’s sending his men into battle for her, and when it’s over, she’s coming back to Chatti with him. When Thusnelda shows her disinterest, Hadgan tries to rape her. Thusnelda manages to reach her blade and holds it to Hadgan’s throat.

Arminius, Varus, and Quintus lead the three legions to Vetera. They part ways throughout the forest as planned. Varus sends Arminius and Talio ahead to secure the path. Arminius recalls the first time he touched a Roman knight’s sword and how Varus explained it was a sign of power and strength.

Barbarians-Promo-S1E06-The-Battle-02-Thusnelda

Thusnelda sacrifices her eye

Hadgan announces his plan of retreat. He claims that he’s a good reik, and he refuses to allow his men to die for nothing. When the other tribes begin to reconsider their allegiance, Thusnelda reminds them all of what Arminius is risking. The father of the gods, Woden, has seen what’s coming because he sacrificed his eye. So Thusnelda follows in his footsteps and sacrifices her right eye, granting her the gift. She sees a long battle with men covered in blood and raging fires. She tells Rurik that those who come after won’t forget his part in the battle. Aldarich’s prize will be Roman gold. And Golmad’s courageous feat will make Donar smile. She then tells them how she hears a song and it will forever be sung aloud.

As the Roman army travels through the forest, trees begin to fall all around them, separating the large force into smaller fleets. They suddenly find themselves surrounded by barbarians, who Thusnelda leaves into battle. Many die on both sides of this attack, though the tribes appear to have the upper hand. Arminius follows suit, leading his men into battle revealing the barbaric war paint under his helmet.

As Hadgan is returning to Chatti, he crosses paths with Segestes, who proposes an alliance that will ultimately take down Arminius.

Varus and Quintus get word that the vanguard has been attacked. Quintus believes that they were lured into a trap and that they should turn back. Varus agrees they should turn around, but he doesn’t believe that they were set up by Arminius.

Arminius finds Thusnelda amidst the battle. He sees her eye, though she insists that she’s alright and tells him that today they will avenge Folkwin’s death.

Barbarians-Promo-S1E06-The-Battle-06-Golmad-Arminius-Talio

The tribes attack

Varus and Quintus return to the legions in the open field. A single Roman soldier comes fleeing from the woods covered in flames. The Romans suddenly find themselves surrounded by the tribes, led by Arminius and Thusnelda. The field has been parted with an accelerant, which is then ignited, dividing the Roman legions, allowing them tribes to attack from all sides as they’re trapped within the flames.

With the Romans under attack, Folkwin manages to kill one of the guards, allowing for him and Raskild to escape their shackles.

Standing in the middle of the battlefield is Ansgar. Arminius and Thusnelda simultaneously look over and see Folkwin guiding him to safety. Arminius rushes to Folkwin’s aid as he is under attack, but he is disarmed in the battle. Suddenly, it starts to rain and Folkwin retrieves the standard.

Varus gets down from his horse and orders Pelagios to remove his armor. He then tells Pelagios that he’s a free man and that he should leave while he still can. Varus then picks a sword up off the ground and drives it through his chest as Arminius watches.

Hadgan and Segestes arrive just as the tribes have the upper hand, claiming that they have to stick together, when in reality they simply chose the winning side. Segestes, being the opportunist that he is, finds Varus’ body on the battlefield and beheads him.

The battle has ended and the tribes have won. It proves to be a bittersweet victory for Arminius, who is now without either of his fathers. Thusnelda encourages him not to mourn Varus as he never truly cared for Arminius. She can relate to longing for a father’s love. She informs Arminius that he not only won the battle but the heart of his warriors. He can rule as their king and Thusnelda as his queen.

The barbarians celebrate their victory over the Romans. Aldarich has collected a pair of Roman testicles. He intends to train his dog to go after them. However, Rurik eats them instead.

Thusnelda reunites with Folkwin after believing he was dead for so long. She tells him things are different now. She’s with Arminius and intends to rule with him.

Arminius asks Folkwin to share in the spoils as he deserves it more than anyone. Folkwin is the only person he can trust, so if he does become king, he wants Folkwin to be his first lord. Folkwin retorts that he’ll be the first to kill Arminius if he rules.

Runa warns Thusnelda that her path is dangerous. She detects that Thusnelda is pregnant. To make matters worse, the child belongs to Folkwin. Runa remarks that the gods have their own special way of punishing them.

Arminius joins Talio around the fire and drinks to their victory. He then notices a wolf not far off into the woods.

The battlefield is ridden with the bodies of Roman soldiers, though the tribes have dispersed. A lone rider passes through the battlefield with Varus’ head in hand, travelling elsewhere.

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

  • Matthias Weidenhöfer as Golmad
  • Sergei Onopko as Hadgan
  • Florian Schmidtke as Talio
  • Soma Danhauser as Centurion Maximus
  • Denis Schmidt as Rurik
  • Arved Birnbaum as Aldarich
  • Gergo Kun as Vala - Legate
  • Dániel Hernádi as Eggius - Legate
  • Sinha Melina Gierke as Raskild
  • Finn Reiter as Young Arminius
  • Zsolt Zágoni as Wounded Legionary

Death Toll[]

  • Varus — Varus was lured into Teutoburg Forest by Arminius, where the neighboring tribes arranged an ambush, which ultimately resulted in the down fall of Rome. However, Varus wasn't killed by an enemy, rather himself. Realizing that he had lost, he took a sword and drove it through his chest as Ari watched.
  • Golmad — Despite fighting with such ferocity, Golmad fell in battle and was killed by the Romans.
  • Germanic Warriors — Many members from various tribes were killed during the battle.
  • Roman Soldiers — All three legions of the Roman Empire were wiped out by the tribes during the battle.

Trivia[]

  • This episode is the season finale.
  • The battle that took place is historically known as the "Battle of the Teutoburg Forest."

Gallery[]

Episode Guide[]

Season 1
SE1E01: Wolf and Eagle SE1E04: A New Reik
SE1E02: Vengeance SE1E05: Treason
SE1E03: On the Edge SE1E06: The Battle

References[]

Advertisement