The Vikings' disparate armor can be explained by the Norse tradition of taking the armor of a vanquished foe. It was also a display of status in Norse society; the nicer the armor the higher the position. Halga appears to have a Roman gladiator's helmet.
The historic Ahmed Ibn Fadlan traveled as an emissary to the land of the Volga Bulgars to convert them to Islam. On his way he encountered Turks in Central Asia and Russian and Varangians (Volga Vikings). He returned in 923, and no record after this date refers to him.
Graeme Revell had composed a complete original score when the movie was slated to be released as "Eaters of the Dead" in 1998. After the film was deemed unwatchable during test screenings, Michael Crichton took over the project, rejected Revell's original score, and brought in Jerry Goldsmith to rescore the film, renamed "The 13th Warrior."
Although rumors persist that this was one of the most expensive movie flops ever, with a budget of $160 million, the producers claimed it cost $90 million before marketing. The movie grossed $32,698,900 in the U.S., and $61,702,600 worldwide.
Dennis Storhøi almost drowned during the underwater section. Antonio Banderas jumped into the water and pulled him out of the water and saved his life.