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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 22 days ago

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Are the Hamishes Based on Book Characters? (HTTYD)

(Special shout-out to @yv-sketches and the link to this particular fanart here. I'll never stop looking at their book drawings, they're so good!)

Well met, my fellow Dragonmarkers! Here's another article for Character Comparison series, where I try to find a plausible, even possible, comparison between show and book characters of HTTYD.

Today, we'll be diving into the Hamishes. Very well-timed, considering what I had found recently.

Shout-out to @noctusfury and his article on the Hamishes and the Mystery of the Missing Portrait(s). Very good read.

Now, for those of you who haven't watched DreamWorks Dragons, or have forgotten who these two are, they are two of several Chieftains of Berk that is seen in the Riders of Berk episode "Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Man".

The portrait below is supposed to be that of the two Hamishes.

It must be said, of course, that there is some debate about that due to an apparent error that was made during production and that the portrait of the 1st chieftain and his son (the top left in beginning picture) was the real Hamishes, design-wise.

You'll have to read the post in the link above, since that gets into greater detail.

However, we're not here for that. We're here for who the Hamishes are and who are their closest comparison, in MY opinion.

Hamish the First was Berk's most successful and wealthiest chieftain, having been a raider and pirate and accumulated for himself a massive hoard of treasure. We can assume that his rule was a successful one based on the only description we have of this historic figure.

His son, Hamish the Second, was a Hiccup, in reality, and, after his father's death, and, presumedly after he was coronated as the new chief, he built a labyrinth of traps and riddles to protect his father's treasure, hoping that his successor, a future Hiccup, would be able to find it.

It must be noted that this young man was a rather masterful riddler and engineer — to the point that NOBODY was able to even FIND the labyrinth, much less REACH the treasure. He was also assumed to have been a friend of dragons, since it would've been impossible to build it without their help. Plus, he also knew dragon characteristics and intentionally built the labyrinth to be impossible to navigate without a dragon (you most certainly wouldn't have survived the fall without one).

Now, it is my belief that the two Hamishes — and this is rather obvious given their backstories — are based on Grimbeard the Ghastly and his son, Hiccup the Second.

Like Father, Like Son

When you think of it, everything fits — albeit, with SOME differences.

For instance, they were kings (Hiccup a prince), while the Hamishes were just chieftains — that we know of, anyway, from their VERY SPARCE backstory (come on, DreamWorks, get it together!). Hamish the First died before his son, while Grimbeard lived sometime after Hiccup (for certain - ahem! - reasons). Hamish the First had a successful reign as Chief while Grimbeard's rule as King ended literally in flames due to his crappy parenting. Hamish the Second was the one who hid his father's treasure, when in the books, Grimbeard hid his own treasure for his future Heir to find. Hamish the Second was also a genius engineer/architect, while Hiccup the Second was not, though both were excellent riddlers and writers.

And, while not proven, it is assumed that Hamish the Second wasn't your typical Viking, while Hiccup the Second, despite being a Runt, was your Viking's Viking, but with brains, beauty, and brawn (if yv-sketches' sketches are to be believed lol 😂).

That being said, there were several similarities.

1) Both Hamish the First and Grimbeard had successful reigns for the most part and were best known for their pirating and attaining massive wealth.

2) Both fathers had Runts for sons, but loved them dearly (probably at the expense of their thrones).

3) Both leaders had treasures that Vikings, greedy to acquire the hoard for themselves, tried to find but failed and even lost their lives over it. In fact, in both instances, the true locations of the hoards were hard to find in hard-to-reach places, were booby-trapped, and had dragon guardians watching over it.

4) Both Hamish the Second and Grimbeard had a LOVE for booby traps and hard riddles.

5) In both the show and in the books, it's shown how both Stoicks were greedy for the treasure, but later realize that their greatest treasure was their sons (Hiccup the Third).

6) Both pairs were Berkians and Hooligans.

7) Both Grimbeard and Hamish the First felt confined on Berk and preferred going to other places.

8) Both sons had a great love and loyalty for their fathers, and both, respectively, have shown that through their actions.

9) Both sons have had an ambiguous imprint on history that can't immediately be seen at first glance.

10) Both sons loved dragons very much.

11) Both likely met fatal ends due to schemes for the throne and the treasure. (There is no portrait of Hamish the Second and his son, so it's possible that, like Hiccup the Second, Hamish the Second could've either lost his life or was exiled because of the dragons he was friends with or simply due to the schemes of those who wanted the treasure and throne of Berk.)

12) While the TV show would've never had this in their content for viewer reasons, it would be interesting if both Hamish II and Hiccup II shared similar childhoods of being abandoned and then taken care of by dragons, only to be reunited by their fathers later.

13) Both pairs were likely succeeded after their deaths-cum-disappearances by their respective Chuckleheads as Chieftains of Berk, respectively.

The Viking portrait on the right kinda looks like Chucklehead, doesn't it? 👀

Okey-dokey, I think that's everything. Interesting how I had a point for every Wilderwest King in the books. There are 13 points for 13 kings.

Anywho, that's all for this article.

What do you guys think? Let me know if you have anything to add that I missed or needs correction.

Thank you so much for reading and for your support. It's been VERY fun writing these posts for you guys! 😁

Have a wonderful week!

Long Live the Wilderwest!

— Companion of the Dragonmark

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 22 days ago

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Is Heather Based on a Book Character? (HTTYD)

Hello, my fellow Dragonmarkers! Today, we'll be talking about another character from the movie/TV franchise and the Books:

Could Heather be loosely based on a character from the books?

(Warning: Spoiler Alert to those who haven't read the books at all, but consider this an opportunity to see if the books are worth reading, eh? ;-) )

Now, I might be 100% wrong on my theory, but I'm still going to present it, and leave to you, my audience, to determine whether or not this is plausible.

Unlike other characters in the movie/t.v. show whom many fans think are similar to certain book characters (cough, cough, Astrid, cough), Heather might possibly have more in common with her other half, Barbara the Barbarian: a minor character that we see only in the last book of the series, How to Fight a Dragon's Fury.

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My Theory | How Heather and Barbara Are Similar:

What makes me think that Heather and Barbara are connected, if somewhat loosely?

Well, let me give you a few reasons:

1) She's a daughter of a Chieftain.

Both girls are daughters (or Princesses, as they're called in the books) of Chieftains — albeit Heather's the daughter of the late Chieftain of the Berserker Tribe, while Barbara is the daughter of the Chieftain of the Barbarian Tribe. They both have a level head on their shoulders and their equipment and even their dragons look somewhat similar, if loosely so.

They are also good leaders who lead their warriors well, and both of their fathers dote on them.

Both are superb fighters, being daughters of Chieftains. They are also intelligent, fierce, brave, kind, compassionate, and love their dragons dearly.

2) Both seem to be brunettes (though Barbara's hair and eye color is never mentioned).

3) Barbara, like Heather, seems to not have a mother, though it's unclear whether the mother died or if she was just not mentioned. The HTTYD books only have a few mothers who are mentioned and shown: Bertha (Camicazi's mother), Valhallarama (Hiccup's mother), Termagant (Fishlegs' mother), Excellinor the Witch (Alvin the Treacherous's mother), and Chin-hilda (Hiccup the Second's mother). Oddly, women are sorely lacking in the books. Maybe it's just because of the Viking culture in her books. In Viking culture, women weren't often mentioned except in folklore and sagas.

4) Both are staunch supporters and allies of their respective Hiccup the Thirds. Heather is a trustworthy ally who's often shown alongside Hiccup and the Dragon Riders in Race to the Edge along with Dagur.

She's always seen with the others around the Hearth giving suggestions and advice. Before she reconciled with Dagur, and when she lived with the Dragon Riders, she often flew with Hiccup and/or Astrid, and was usually the one to go with Hiccup and Astrid when he left to talk to someone — whether a villain or one of their allies.

She and Barbara have the utmost respect for their respective Hiccups and would gladly die for them if need be.

Barbara only nominated Alvin the Treacherous to be King of the Wilderwest, despite knowing the kind of person he was and having fought against him, and being Hiccup's follower, out of practical sense and battle fatigue, for the Vikings of the Wilderwest were close to extinction under the claws of the Dragons' Red-Rage Rebellion led by Furious, and she and everyone else had been fighting the dragons for two years at this point and were war-weary (even Vikings need a break from war once and a while). Only when evidence began to pop up that Hiccup is the Rightful Heir did she have hope again.

She was also one of the Vikings who knelt before Hiccup to swear their swords for his service as their King. And when Hiccup was going to duel Furious, Barbara offered to lend him her cat to take into battle — whether as a weapon, a lucky charm, or both.

And when Hiccup was in danger — and when Alvin incited the battle once again by breaking the Rules of Single Combat by entering the Ring when Hiccup and Furious were engaged so that he could steal the Dragon Jewel and kill Hiccup the Third for good — she flew on her dragon along with her comrades to enter the fray and showed great courage and bravery.

5) Both Heather and Barbara own battle horns.

Heather was given her horn as a gift from Hiccup's father Stoick when she was born. Perhaps Barbara did likewise, or her own father had given her it when she was older. As I've said, she's a minor character so not much is known about her at all; she's only shown in one book — the last one, and only in the middle of the last one.

Heather uses her own to call Windshear to her if they ever get separated. It's also possible that she uses it to call to any allies that are close to her. Barbara seems to use her horn similarly.

In fact, in How to Fight a Dragon's Fury, it says in Page 241 that: "...She brought out her foghorn and blew on it several times, making such a loud noise that the cat's fur stood up like the quills on a sea urchin and she immediately bounced back onto Barbara's shoulder."

So she seems to use it for her pet cat (I believe it was mentioned that the Barbarian Tribe used cats into battle. No clue why, but they do).

Another reference in Page 450 — well after this point, close to the end of the story — when the Second Dragon-Human War was ended and the Vikings were celebrating the new peace and the return of the Kingdom of the Wilderwest. Unfortunately, being Vikings, their celebrating eventually moved into fighting and arguing, and Hiccup eventually asks Barbara for her horn in order to break it up.

Hiccup says: " 'In the meantime, I know what will stop them from arguing... Barbara," said Hiccup now, 'could I borrow your foghorn?' King Hiccup stood up on his Stone, and blew the foghorn as hard as he could. The thrilling sound of the foghorn, when blown at full blast, was so magnetically loud that it hit the ears like an electric shock..."

We actually see this when Heather blows her horn to call Windshear to her in Edge of Disaster Part 2 in Season 2 of RTTE. The sound is high-pitched and loud.

Yet another — and final — reference is in Page 455-456, where, as the Vikings are singing songs during the Feast, Hiccup asks Barbara if she'd like her horn back, to which she replied that "he'd better keep it, as she thought that he was going to need it." (Vikings being Vikings, after all). Heather doesn't do this, but I was basically showing where the horn came from.

Now, it could be that this is just a coincidence, and that this doesn't make Heather loosely based on Barbara the Barbarian. It could be that the horn is just a little reference from the books like the eyepiece (telescope) you see Hiccup and other characters use throughout the Dragons series.

6) Both girls are love interests of their respective Fishlegs characters.

That's right. I'm getting to the JUICY stuff now! lol 😎🍿

Now Fishlegs in the movie franchise is vastly (pun not intended) different from Fishlegs in the books. Fishlegs in the books is small and skinny like Hiccup and has asthma, eczema, a squint, a limp, and numerous allergies, including one to reptiles. He wears glasses. And has red hair. And his dragon is a Deadly Shadow, a dragon not unsimilar to the Snaptrapper dragon — much cooler than a Gronkle, as the Deadly Shadow is a faster flyer, deadlier, and is a Stealth Dragon.

Fishlegs in the movies is... beefier than Fishlegs in the books. He also doesn't really have any allergies aside from Gobber's earwax (which they only did for comedy effect and the episode actually referenced Fishlegs' allergy to reptiles in the books, though Fishlegs seems to have gotten over that allergy as the books wore on). He doesn't have glasses, having perfect vision. He doesn't limp, he's strong, and doesn't squint. And he doesn't have asthma. And it seems like he can swim just fine, whereas in the books Fishlegs was a terrible swimmer and was only able to swim when he saw that Hiccup was in danger. He also has blond hair, not red. And he's a nerd when it comes to dragons, whereas Fishlegs in the books is an up-and-coming poet and bard with only the general knowledge of dragons.

Basically, he's a WIMP.

Fishlegs in the books is also an orphan, unlike in the movie, and also, unlike Movie Fishlegs, Fishlegs in the books also turns out to be royalty, being the son of Termagant, daughter of a Murderous Chieftain, and Alvin the Treacherous, making him the third cousin (according to the HTTYD wiki) of Hiccup and Snotlout. In the movie, Alvin is of no relation to Stoick, Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs at all, and Fishlegs is of no relation, in turn, to Hiccup. In the books, Fishlegs is also part Berserker on his mother's side, whereas Fishlegs has no such lineage.

One last thing: Fishlegs in the books was love-struck whenever Barbara was around, and couldn't form a coherent sentence together nor could think straight, often fainting. Fishlegs in the films and series never show any of that when with Heather. However, Fishlegs's secret letters to Heather could actually be a reference from the books where Fishlegs writes a secret love letter to Barbara the Barbarian against Hiccup's wishes.

In other words, he's a SIMP. 😂

(Heathlegs by NightOwl374 on Tumblr — though the account isn't around anymore and you can only find these on Pinterest)

Now, there are those who hope that someday Fishlegs and Barbara get together (personally, I don't) like how Fishlegs and Heather do in RTTE.

Another thing that the girls have in common is that both are older than their male counterparts — she is about a year or so (give or take a few months) older than Fishlegs, while Barbara is said, according to Camicazi, to be at least three years older than Fishlegs.

Two noticeable differences are, however, that 1) Fishlegs and Heather were a couple at one point, whereas with Fishlegs and Barbara, it was a one-sided attraction on Fishlegs' part and probably wouldn't be a thing regardless; and 2) both Barbara and Fishlegs were royalty, whereas only Heather is royalty and Fishlegs is just your average Joe (or IS HE? 😏).

But Fishlegs and Heather's relationship could've been a very loose reference to the possibility — and hope — of Fishlegs' infatuation with Barbara the Barbarian in the end of How to Fight a Dragon's Fury (come on, Cressida! Make us a sequel series!), and wanting Fishlegs to at least GET THE GIRL for once! lol 😂

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Conclusion:

Anyway, this is all that I have for you concerning this. What do you guys think? Do you think that Heather could be loosely inspired by Barbara from the books? Or do you think that I'm making mountains out of ant-hills and that these are just a bunch of coincidences! Tell me what you guys think! 😏

Thank you everyone for reading this article! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it! Until next time, my fellow Dragonmarkers! Have a great weekend!

Long Live the Wilderwest!

— Companion of the Dragonmark

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 22 days ago

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It's strange though, because I think Cressida Cowell had forgotten about this bit. Or maybe not.

In Book 2, Alvin says that he lost his hand due to the trap in the coffin when he found it, while in Book 10, he obviously lost his hand AND found the coffin with the necklace before Fishlegs was born — about roughly 14 years prior.

Of course, that's what happened, but it happened many years ago, as opposed to being a recent event. However, it's obvious that he still treats it like it's recent. That's how much of a grudge he had against Grimbeard for being SLY.

Of course, when you think about it, Alvin was lying the whole time in Book 2, including being a potato-growing farmer from the Peaceable Tribe, so he could've lied about his hand. Honestly, that would explain the lack of description of blood throughout that scene.

Looks like I, too, got pulled in by Alvin's narrative. Whoops. 😅

N2O is laughing gas but that didn't fit so I abbreviated it.

No, you don't get to fall into a nice, cool lake while Beserk burns up, that's far too easy.

#httyd #httyd books #httyd book discussion #alvin the treacherous #how to be a pirate #book 2 #book 2 spoilers #book 10 #book 10 spoilers #common-or-garden-blog #companion-of-the-dragonmark #reblog #alvin's history

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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Title: How to Lose Your Entire Fleet in Five Minutes

FFN | AO3

Summary:

Two Hooligans take advantage of a beautiful early morning to check on the ships after a severe storm the evening before and then enjoy a nice morning relaxation and soaking in the sun (and enjoy some burgled morning snacks). What they did NOT expect was to have a massive green fireball blown from a certain Green Dragon come barrelling towards them and spoil their fun.

Warnings: None

Rating: G

Chapter(s): 1

Words: 1,100

Status: Complete

Characters: Barnacle (OC), Mussel (OC), Green Death | Merciless (Cameo), Stoick the Vast (Cameo), Mogadon the Meathead (Cameo), Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Cameo).

Relationship(s): Barnacle (OC) & Mussel (OC), Green Death | Merciless & Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Barnacle & Mussel & Ships, Stoick the Vast & Mogadon the Meathead, Barnacle & Mussel & Food

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Thank you for your support. I hope you enjoy my fanfic in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day!

Long Live the Wilderwest!

— Companion of the Dragonmark

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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Title: The Quest For the Bird-That-Does-Not-Exist || Chapter 1

FFN | AO3

Summary:

This is an unknown story in the reign and Saga of King Hiccup the Third, 13th King of the Renewed Wilderwest. One of Hiccup's Companions, Thuggory the Steadfast, Heir to the Meathead Tribe, upon hearing of Camicazi's boast of having gone to the Land-That-Does-Not-Exist, begs Hiccup to take him to that land and search for the rumoured Bird-That-Does-Not-Exist: the Gobblefeather, an elusive yet supposedly easy-to-hunt bird that only exists in the Land-That-Does-Not-Exist.

Will Hiccup and Thuggory be able to find this legendary bird, or will they be gobbled up by unseen horrors yet to be discovered?

Warnings: None

Rating: G

Chapter(s): 1 / ?

Words: 1,635

Status: In-Progress

Characters: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Thuggory, Camicazi, Fishlegs No-Name, Toothless, Windwalker, Wodensfang, Gobblefeather (OC), The Doomfang, Old Wrinkly, Druid Guardian.

Relationship(s): Hiccup & Thuggory, Hiccup & Thuggory & Gobblefeather (OC), Hiccup & Thuggory & Camicazi & Fishlegs No-Name, Hiccup & Old Wrinkly & Druid Guardian, Hiccup & Toothless, Hiccup & Toothless & Windwalker & Wodensfang

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Thank you for your support and for your patience. My apologies for being absent for so long, but here's one of the promised Thuggory fics I had planned on doing this year. I plan on posting some more fics throughout this month. Be ready!

Long Live the Wilderwest!

— Companion of the Dragonmark

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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I never forgot.

To be fair, though, to Alvin, he's never mentioned that he ate anyone. He only said that he wanted to get rid of it since it was out-of-fashion, but since he would've lost respect if he got rid of ALL the traditions, he kept the cannibal sacrifice tradition on. As much of a dandy as he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he ate normal meat while he had the others eat the human sacrifices. 🌚💀

I mean, we're talking about the same Alvin who got kicked out of the Outcast Tribe simply for being BALD and HAIRLESS!!! That was just the final straw! 🤣

Isn't it rather difficult being a villain in this series? It's literally like playing on hell mode without any autosave function. 🌚💀

Something that I feel like HTTYD book fans sleep on is the fact that Alvin is a cannibal. Slavery this and murder that.

Why are his policies on eating people never discussed?

#common-or-garden-blog #httyd #httyd books #alvin the treacherous #cannibalism #how to train your dragon #how to be a pirate #book 2 #book 2 spoilers #outcast tribe #httyd outcast tribe #httyd book series #httyd book humor #forgotten fact #httyd book discussions

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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I think Old Wrinkly KNOWS but decided to be silent. We're talking about the same old man who advised NOT OPENING THE COFFIN, only for everyone to OPEN THE COFFIN!!!

Since the Hysterics would be the only Vikings NUTS enough to go to the New World and grow potatoes, the fact that Alvin, posing as a farmer from the Peaceable Tribe, said that he grew potatoes, I'm CERTAIN that Old Wrinkly grew suspicious of Alvin's backstory after that, but wanted to remain silent until he was certain of his intentions.

In fact, I'm sure that a proclaimed "poor-but-honest farmer" having no problems with sitting on Stoick's throne would've already rang alarm bells in his head.

Besides, even if he said anything, I doubt anybody would've listened to him. Even Hiccup was acting starry-eyed around Alvin.

Also, Alvin is arrogant and considers himself an enlightened individual in a barbaric and primitive society, and views them as stupid. So I'm sure he thought that, as isolated as they were, they'd be too ignorant and stupid to ask uncomfortable questions and point at the holes to his backstory.

plot hole OR room for theories

#httyd #httyd books #common-or-garden-blog #quiet-art-kid #httyd book discussions #alvin the treacherous #old wrinkly #book 2 #how to be a pirate #book 2 spoilers #the potato #potato farmer backstory sus #the vegetable that does not exist #httyd humor

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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I know. It's absolutely hilarious! Alvin is so entertaining in that regard. lol 🤣

One of the many great things in the HTTYD books is the existence of Fishlegs. Most of the boys are big, rough-and-tumble tough guys raised in a warrior society and you probably wouldn't meet many like them in real life. And of course there's Hiccup, maybe not someone of your usual Viking mold but he's a polyglot and a great sword fighter who is really great in a crisis, so he's exceptionally talented in ways you probably also don't encounter IRL.

But Fishlegs breaks the genre. He was born to be a band and choir nerd but he was born more than a millenia too soon. And so we see his suffering as a typical nerdy kid tries to survive Viking society. With modern medicine his asthma, knock knees, poor vision, etc. could be corrected and he could fit in with most of his peers and find a nerdy friend group, but since he's a viking, he's just painfully inadequate.

It's fortunate that he and Hiccup build a better society where not only the strong can belong.

#httyd #httyd books #alvin the treacherous #alvin the treacherous's biggest regrets #httyd book humor #irony #companion-of-the-dragonmark #common-or-garden-blog #reblog

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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Yeah, that's certainly possible. I agree.

Hahaha! It's fine, it happens. I plan on re-reading the books again after not having read them for 2 years. So I might find some interesting things that we missed.

But yeah, I suspect that Hiccup already had both halves of the heartstone, since he'd need that in order to be validated as the new King. So, and this is just my theory, that the stone was already halved but was set in gold to keep it together.

More httyd book conspiracy theories

Been thinking about the prophecy. It says MY Roman shield, Not A Roman shield but MY Roman shield. However as far as we know Hiccup was just given a random roman shield I think.

Grimbeard had a past with the Romans where he stole a shield and they got it back and kept it for a century. (I mean, stealing something back from one of the greatest pirates to ever live is impressive)

It's literally just a random Roman shield and since the guardian was just feeling it with his hands (like the jewel) he made a mistake, and somewhere out there, a lost thing is still lost.

but I would love to hear other theories

#httyd #httyd books #httyd book discussion #the king's lost things #heartstone #companion-of-the-dragonmark #common-or-garden-blog #reblog

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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@anhttydbookfan Blustering barnacles, HBF, this is so CATCHY, I swear!! 🤩😍

I can totally see Fishlegs No-Name composing this and singing/speaking this at Hiccup's Hall.

Makes me wanna do my own now. 😂

@common-or-garden-blog Agreed, Cowell's villains are certainly unique and entertaining. And certainly evil, but not thoughtlessly so. They're still rather complex for villains in a children's series.

And certainly, Norbert is a good one. In fact, maybe I should do a ballad for him.

Consider.... Rasputin style song but about Alvin

Ithink it could work

I know Alvin was actively attempting Mass Dragon Extinction and Rasputin was, ya know

Not Doing That

But Alvin was a whore that wouldnt die and so i think for the song itself it could work

#httyd #httyd books #httyd book discussion #common-or-garden-blog #anhttydbookfan #alvin the treacherous #alvin's ballad #httyd song #httyd book characters #httyd book villains #httyd villains #httyd book villain characters #norbert the nutjob #book alvin #book norbert #httyd book story ideas

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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@quiet-art-kid

Correction: It's not a random Roman shield. It's a specific shield given to Hiccup by the Consul, which was a symbol of his authority.

In How to Speak Dragonese, it says here in Chapter 20, Page 189:

" 'We promise,' said the Consul. 'Here,' he sobbed, 'I offer you my shield, O Mighty One [Hiccup], as a sign of your protection from the Romans. Never again shall we come this far north.' "

" 'I WILL TAKE YOUR SHIELD AS A SIGN OF YOUR PROMISE,' cried Hiccup, "AND ALSO THE BOOK YOUR SERVANT [Alvin] STOLE FROM ME...' "

"...Still on his knees, the Consul offered him [Hiccup] the rectangular Roman shield..."

So your headcanon that this shield was most likely the same shield that, theoretically speaking, Grimbeard had taken from the Romans is a very plausible headcanon. In fact, I'm sure of it, since, if the Romans truly had taken it back, it would make sense if that shield was a symbol of the Consul's authority.

What's also an interesting cyclical plot point is that, in that same book (pages 214-215), in the end, as a reward for getting her daughter back, Bertha the Bog-Burglar Chieftess, returned Grimbeard's personal shield that had been stolen from him in battle by the Bog-Burglars many years before.

I'm sensing a pattern here... Isn't Grimbeard a rather easy customer to burgle from? 🤔👀🤣

@common-or-garden-blog The heartstone was considered valid by the Druid Guardian likely because Valhallarama had already given Hiccup both halves of the stone so that it would be considered legitimate. It's also possible that the stone had already been halved by Grimbeard so that he and Chin-hilda (his wife) or he and Hiccup the Second could each have one half. 🤔

More httyd book conspiracy theories

Been thinking about the prophecy. It says MY Roman shield, Not A Roman shield but MY Roman shield. However as far as we know Hiccup was just given a random roman shield I think.

It's literally just a random Roman shield and since the guardian was just feeling it with his hands (like the jewel) he made a mistake, and somewhere out there, a lost thing is still lost.

but I would love to hear other theories

#httyd #httyd books #httyd book discussion #httyd book series #cressida cowell #the king's lost things #hiccup the third #roman shield #httyd book headcanons #httyd book discussions #httyd book analysis #httyd book characters #alvin the treacherous #the romans #the consul #common-or-garden-blog #quiet-art-kid

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companion-of-the-dragonmark · 23 days ago

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Agreed, the amnesia plot was very well done and helped show Hiccup's resolve to become King. Especially since, after his amnesia, he could've leaned on that excuse to decline the kingship, if he felt like it. But he didn't. Once he regained his memories, instead of hesitating, it strengthened his resolve to become King and make his world a better place for everyone to live in.

How Forgetting Almost Everything can Help You Reach Tomorrow: The Importance of the "Amnesia Plot" of Book 12 (and how it might be Dissociative Amnesia)

The amnesia plot at the start of Book 12 is more than often seen as out of place, unnecessary, or even ridiculous. Sure, why have the main character lose his memory all of a sudden? To make the story more intriguing, perhaps, or to show his determination to become king and his willpower?

But as we all know, accidents happen for a reason.

The same applies to the amnesia of Book 12.

Suppose that Hiccup did not get amnesia, he will know that he had lost the Things, and the possibility of him becoming King has been severely reduced.

It has always been one of Hiccup's deepest fears that the Lost Things he had found would fall into the wrong hands, enabling Alvin to become king, causing the destruction of dragons, and the suffering of the humans. Now, it seems that this fear is very close to becoming reality.

To add to all of it, Snotlout had just sacrificed himself so that Hiccup could live and become King. If Hiccup did not become King, then Snotlout’s death would be in vain, and he would be failing Snotlout's trust and faith in him. We see more than once in later parts of Book 12, where he repeatedly states that he is doing this because of Snotlout. (“The very least that Hiccup could do was to make absolutely sure that Snotlout's sacrifice was worth it./ He HAD to do this.”-Book 12, p188; “I take this Crown in honor of Snotlout.” -Book 12, p221) (Not to mention that he was probably traumatized by Snotlout's death -any thought about this must have been very painful.)

But how, exactly, was he going to do so in this situation? He had none of the Things, only about one day's time until the coronation, and the borders of Tomorrow will be closed, so he would not be able to enter. This really seemed hopeless now- He had been in seemingly hopeless situations before, but none as dark and with stakes as high as this one.

If Hiccup was to go on without amnesia, then he would be under great pressure to become King, while facing serious difficulties, and yet this burden of fear and grief and guilt would be so much heavier than anything he had ever experienced. He could easily fall into the “all my fault” loop of self-blame and despair. If so, then how hard would it be for him to gather all the remaining strength in him to make himself continue to go forward?

Even if he had all his memories, he might have to try to suppress some of them (“I’ll think about it tomorrow”-Book 11, p308), in order to prevent himself from sinking into the pain of them, and keep himself going.

So, ironically, the amnesia could be seen as the kindness of Fate, or a rare example of the remaining bits of kindness in Cressida.

So you see, the amnesia plot was necessary to the story.

But wait- there's more to this plot.

What if the amnesia was not, or not only, caused by a hit to the head?

What if Hiccup himself, consciously or unconsciously, induced that amnesia on himself, to block out the pain, so he could go on towards Tomorrow? Though this would imply that he already knew he lost the Things before he woke up. But it is possible that he had already realized it subconsciously.

(I know I'm going more into speculative grounds now, but since Cressida wrote it as so, then it is open to interpretations, as long as they are logical enough within the story.)

Searching on the Internet, I found this:

Dissociative amnesia.

You see how this could actually fit into the story?

(I am no expert about dissociative amnesia, if I get anything wrong feel free to correct me.)

Forgetting one’s identity; memory loss of everything within a long period; amnesia affecting events but not learnt skills (such as speaking Dragonese or tying a kind of knot)- these are all characteristics of dissociative amnesia.

Especially the part where Hiccup regains his memory with help from Toothless- all memories returned, suddenly and forcefully, like a door swinging open. This happens with dissociative amnesia, where the memories are intact but blocked from consciousness to protect the person, but not with organic amnesia, where the memories are damaged, and usually cannot be completely cured.

(A small detail: with this approach, the fact that his memories about Snotlout returned later than the rest, might suggest that this was part of the trauma that caused the amnesia.)

In addition, in his amnesia state, Hiccup still seems to know that he must get to Tomorrow. Even though he was exhausted, ragged, barely alive, and had no conscious idea of why he was doing this, "something within him" made him push on towards Tomorrow. This fits in with the dissociative amnesia hypothesis.

Of course, I'm not saying that this is the "correct" explanation, Cressida might or might not have intended it to be dissociative amnesia, but since she wrote it in such a way, then it is open to this kind of interpretation.

However, this approach, interpreting the amnesia plot as dissociative amnesia, would be logical and connected with the previous events and Hiccup's character. And of course, it brings forth much more pain and emotional angst.

#asphodeline-lutea #httyd #httyd books #cressida cowell #book 12 #how to fight a dragon's fury #book 12 spoilers #amnesia #amnesia plot #hiccup the third #httyd book analysis #httyd book discussions #plot development #plot points #plot devices

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