#chieftain saga

[joncronshawauthor]

Discover "Siren's Song" – Free Prequel to the Ravenglass Legends Series!

I am thrilled to announce that my latest story, “Siren’s Song”, a prequel to Ravenglass Legends series, is now available to read for FREE on Ream! In this gripping tale, a haunting melody lures ships to their doom on the treacherous Braun Sea. When Ragnar, the young heir to the chieftain, learns of the mysterious disappearances, he defies his father and sets sail with his loyal friend Kest to…

[i-have-no-enemies]

Bug eyes: How do ethical philosophers feel about murder?

Thorfinn: Well, it’s frowned upon.

Bug eyes: Okay, but what if the reason you want to murder someone is to make your life easier?

Bug eyes: That’s okay, right?

[broomsick]

Oath-making and heathen practice

Jólablót and the winter solstice are around the corner! You might have already planned your celebration, but I'm here to give you a last minute idea! I realized I'd never really tackled the topic of ritual oath-making in my posts before, despite it being part of my personal practice. In what circumstances would oaths be sworn, historically? Where does the arm-ring come in? What sorts of oaths would be made? Let's dive into this topic.

While the importance of oath-making was somewhat exaggerated by heroic literature, keeping one's word was most certainly regarded by the germanic peoples as a crucial element in the social order. The Cleasby & Vigfusson Old Norse dictionary refers to a such a practice as heitstrengingar (heit-strengja), meaning "to take a vow".

This ceremonial event would generally occur at larger gatherings, in communities with an already established religious order. In other words, in a setting where there was a religious leader to preside over the practice. Understandably, this element can be foregone in the context of modern practice. According to the sources that history has left us with, this practice of ritualized vow-taking would more often than not be performed on Yule, at weddings, at funerals or at banquets. But where does the arm ring come in?

It's stated in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that when peace was established between king Alfred the Great and the danish army which had invaded Wareham, the latter party swore on a "sacred bracelet" to respect the newfound peace. This so-called bracelet was later regarded as the very same ring, generally made of either copper, silver, or gold, and worn around the arm, which was bestowed by chieftains onto successful warriors as a symbol of their prowess.

It's also said that some temples were equipped with a ritual ring, which would be worn by the goði in between ceremonies.

"Therewithin was there a great frith-place. But off the inmost house was there another house, of that fashion whereof now is the choir of a church, and there stood a stall in the midst of the floor in the fashion of an altar, and thereon lay a ring without a join that weighed twenty ounces, and on that must men swear all oaths; and that ring must the chief have on his arm at all man-motes." Eyrbyggja Saga - The Saga of the Ere-Dwellers, chapter 4.

It's interesting to note that oath-making was often followed by ritual toasting. In this sense, a neo-pagan can choose to prepare a drink to go along with their oath! This is especially relevant if you're somebody who has chosen, as I have, to respect the three Jólablót toasts (one to Óðinn for success, one to Freyr and Njörðr for peace and prosperity, and one for your ancestors, in the name of memory). The order in which one carries out their Jól celebrations is theirs to decide, but I've always found it practical to let the oath be directly followed by the toasts!

So, it seems you might need an arm ring on which to swear your oath, right? Don't be so sure! There have been attestations of oaths being sworn on the ritual drink itself, which bears comparison with the wider practice called symbel.

In the texts where the practice appears, a bragarfull ("promise-cup") is used as a vessel for the toast. So what's the point of adding a drink to the mix? You can regard it as adding further spiritual meaning to the practice of oath-making. After all, it's believed that the symbel must have been greatly significant in early germanic religious practice. See the following passage from the Fagrskinna which describes the ceremony during which inheritance is bestowed.

"And when memorial feasts were held according to ancient custom, it was required to hold them in the year of the death of the man in whose memory the feast was being held. And he who had the feast prepared must not sit in the high seat of the man whose memory he was honoring before men had drunk the memorial toast. The first evening, when people came to the feast, many toasts had to be offered up in the same way as memorial toasts are now, and they dedicated those toasts to their most important kinsmen, or to Þórr, or to other of their gods, in heathen times, and finally they had to drink the bragafull, and then he who was holding the feast had to make a vow on the bragafull, as did all those attending the memorial feast, and then he had to mount into the seat of the man who was being honoured, and he then entered fully into possession of the inheritance and honour of the dead man, but not before." Fagrskinna, a catalogue of the Kings of Norway.

According to the Fagrskinna, the vow is to be made after having drunk from the bragarfull. Interestingly enough, drinking from the bragarfull also seems tied to the celebration of Jól. A passage from the Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar reads:

“Hedin was coming home alone from the forest one Yule-eve, and found a troll-woman; she rode on a wolf, and had snakes in place of a bridle. She asked Hedin for his company. ‘Nay,’ said he. She said, ‘Thou shalt pay for this at the bragarfull.’ That evening the great vows were taken; the sacred boar was brought in, the men laid their hands thereon, and took their vows at the bragarfull.” Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar, part 4.

It's also said that apart from ritual drink and arm rings, an oath could also be taken on a stone. If you're someone who enjoys crafts at all, a fun way to incorporate this practice into a Jól celebration would be to paint or decorate a stone, or to carve meaningful runes carrying your intent onto it, and to make your vows upon it on the longest night.

So what sort of oath should you be making? In the context of neo-paganism, and especially for those of us interested in reconstructing historical practice, oath-making doesn't need to have a spiritual dimension at all. Historically, it served a rather down-to-earth, even political purpose. See this exerpt from the Landnámabók:

“A ring weighing two ounces or more should lie on the stall in every chief Temple, and this ring should every chief or godi have upon his arm at all public law-motes [...]. Every man who was there to transact any business, as by law provided by the Court, should first take an oath upon that ring and name for the purpose two or more witnesses and repeat the following words : ‘I call to witness in evidence, he was to say, that I take oath upon the ring, a lawful one (lögeid) so help me Frey and Niord and the Almighty God, [...] that I will deal lawfully with all such matters in law as I have to deal with while I am at this Thing.’” Landnámabók - The Book of the Settlement of Iceland, part 4, chapter 7.

You'll note here another fascinating tidbit of information regarding ritual oath-making: the presence of one or more witnesses! This element of the ritual is also attested in other such sources. If you're comfortable involving a loved one or more into your Yule celebrations, it's possible for you to do so, as they will bear witness to your vow.

If you regard oaths as sacred at all, I would advise not throwing them around lightheartedly, especially if they involve a deity in any way. Personally, I prefer to make oaths that: 1, I know I'll be able to keep for sure; and 2, I know I'll have control over. For example, changing a certain habit, working on an aspect of myself that I want to improve... Even from a historical standpoint, these ritualized oaths didn't have much to do with the Gods, but were rather centered around the human experience. In a way, this is reminiscent of new year resolutions. Since the time or year coincides, a lone practitioner who must stay discreet with their pagan practice can still take an oath in the guise of making such a resolution.

As usual, I feel the need to specify that not much is known about this practice at all, especially not when looking at it through the lens of history. This is a practice that you can take or leave, depending on your preference. What matters most in my opinion, meaning from a reconstructionist perspective, is to treat oath-making with due respect, regardless of the ceremonial elements or lack-thereof that one chooses to surround it with.

[whencyclopedia]

Wealth & Power in Medieval Iceland

Early medieval Iceland, the Viking colony, was a democratic and egalitarian society, but the scarcity of resources and the rough environment created competition, where local chieftains resorted to different tactics to acquire wealth and money, from using their advantage as men of the law and representatives of the people to the often complex social relationships they had with their followers.

Economic Challenges

To understand the economic challenges, we need to keep in mind that the short growing season in the north especially, was variable and mostly meant moss and lichens. Birch, Iceland's only tree, suffered from the changing temperatures and then the settlers' woodcutting. The settlers were probably pleased initially since the land was easy to clear for farming, but very soon the island started showing its boundaries. Overgrazing caused erosion, the cooling of the climate affected productivity, no new farming technologies were developed. In the south, it was possible to grow small crops of cereals, but the farmer (bændr) usually turned to sheep and cattle. Hay was vital, thus fertile meadows as well, turning land into the most desired commodity and the source of many disputes in the sagas.

On this tiny island, one viable solution to increase one's wealth was to simply steal someone else's property. The income a chieftain, a local leader (goði), could legally acquire by fulfilling his legal duties was simply too low and unsteady to support followers, offer gifts, and hold feasts. According to the Sturlunga Saga, a collection of stories about the powerful clan of the Sturlungs in the mid-12th century, there does appear to have been a tax of support for local leaders, the so-called 'sheep-tax' (sauðatollr). It seems to have been forcibly collected at the end of the free state, that is before Iceland was brought under the control of the Norwegian crown, by local leaders in need of funding. The more aggressive stance against farmers and merchants at this time was not limited to Iceland as Europe, in general, was dealing with inflation.

Moreover, there was never enough silver in Iceland, and so they had to figure out early on different substitutes: cloth, dairy products, livestock. Vaðmál (homespun cloth) became pretty common, replacing silver as a unit of exchange. Prices were set in standardized ounces and discussed at local assemblies. The value of cows was also set at these assemblies, which meant prices could be different from region to region.

Continue reading...

[loustica-lucia]

Dragon Age Theory: The Maker was a Titan? Elgar'nan?

READ WITH CAUTION, THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE MEDIAS UP TO DATE!!

Just some thoughts I wanted to put down:

The Maker is a Titan lying under Orlais?

"Weep not for me, child. Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And thus shall I endure 'til the Maker returns to light their fires again." — Eleni Zinovia during the Mage Origin (Dragon Age Origins)

The Chant of Light could be an attempt to re transcribe the Song of the Stone — which actually comes from Titans.

“Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow. In their blood the Maker's will is written. — Benedictions 4:11

There’s this constant mention of voice and songs shaping the world for or by The Maker. It’s a common theme between Elves, Humans and Dwarves:

The Maker created the world with his voice.

Andraste made the Canticle hymns to praise the Maker.

Leliana is nicknamed the Nightingale, a song bird.

Isatunoll = Dwarven (Isana → Lyrium but Isatunoll is, according to Lace Harding:

"Isatunoll is an affirmation. A statement of existence. Of… being. Isatunoll is the eternal hymn that encompasses all time. All spaces. I am. We are. This. And that. Here. There. Now. And forever.”, like a hive mind)

Ir sa tel'nal = Elven (I am empty, full of nothing)

Asala = Qunlat (Soul) Referred to as “The voice of the Maker”, the song of the Lyrium, Titan’s blood.

"It's singing. A they that's an it that's asleep, but still making music.” — Cole, Dragon Age Inquisition

The Golden City is sometimes called the Wellspring of Creation in the Chant of Light. In The Descent DLC, the inner sanctum is also called the Wellspring.

Andraste’s Sacred Ashes temple is underground, maybe where the Maker/Titan rests? For something unravelled for decades/centuries, it’s still in perfect shape. Maybe they weren’t “magical” but the place they remained in made them so? Pure Lyrium mixed to her ashes? That’s why Leliana turns into a Red Lyrium ghost if you defile the Urn and fight her in DAO?

The amount of Dwarven statues in the Hissing Wastes (Orlais) and the rest of Thedas.

“Seven times seventy men of stone immense Rose up from the earth like sleepers waking at the dawn, Crossing the land with strides immeasurable, And in the hollows of their footprints Paradise was stamped, indelible.” — Canticle of Exaltations

The Avvar — one of the Allamari tribes — and Dwarves stories are intertwined, with Tyrdda Bright-Axe, Avvar-Mother

Then did Tyrdda look to Hendir, dwarf-prince friend, children-giver, Took her freedom, Hendir glad, wished her what he could not give her. Chose her child to stand as chieftain, after all last wrongs were righted, Gifted goods of worldly want, left her tribe no more benighted. Skyward, one last trek she made, To her lover, dream-delivered, Raven-feathered, reunited, Hearts both whole, now neither aching. — Codex entry: Saga of Tyrdda Bright-Axe, Avvar-Mother, 8th stanza

Let’s not forget the Inquisition, allied with the Chantry the origin of the Seekers of Truth and Templar Order, believes in the Maker. Yet, their symbol was most likely created based on the Avvar’s symbol Visus, the eye of the Lady of the Skies.

Titans live beneath Orlais.

"The Stone lives beneath Orlais." "Mathas gar na fornen pa tot isatunoll" — The World of Thedas, Leliana’s letter “We Who Did Not Belong”

She translates it to "I regret the sacrifice of my kin, but it means we will find our way home", but now we know isatunoll doesn’t truly mean “home”.

The Occularum are made from Tranquil skulls. They’re reveal the location of hidden magical shards in Inquisition, and these are nicknamed the “Elfstones” by Avvar.

Tranquils got their connection to the Fade completely cut off, the same way the dagger severed the dreams of the Titans.

As far as I’m aware, only the Chantry performs Rites of Tranquility. Which is why I’m mentioning this here to support the links between the Maker and the Titans.

Random additional thought: what if the Void was the Maker’s titan heart? His got broken by Andraste’s murder in the Canticle, maybe a little too literally? The Void is the contrary of the Maker’s creation, right? An empty abyss where even spirits cannot dwell… Where Lyrium, magic and souls are gone :’)

My other theory is that The Maker was indeed Elgar’nan:

In Veilguard, upon fighting him, he says he’s the creator:

“Such arrogance, thinking you can hide from your creator. And I am this world’s creator.” In French, we call the Maker “the Creator”, so he uses the same exact words.

The Chantry symbol is a Sun, with a tinier “sun” making it hollow. Kinda like the eclipse, it could symbolize the moon and the Sun overlapping.

The Golden City was released to be Elven in Veilguard. The place supposed to be crafted by the Maker, his throne.

What does it mean for Mythal?

Andraste might be one of the first person who carried Mythal’s fragment.

Morrigan said her fragment of Mythal "fell in love with an alamarri leader" and I assume that's Maferath?

It wasn't the Mythal Solas knew back in the Elvhen days though, but a human carrying a fragment of Mythal, the same as Flemeth did ages later.

It also works for Conobar & Flemeth, since the story seems to be repeating through the ages.

Final thoughts:

The deities in Thedas are all inspired by each other, tales long lost and modified to fit a narrative. It’s not surprising to want to compare and figure out the truth behind all the lies and half-truths we find in those games. In the end, I think the Maker, as we imagine Him, was probably extremely different from how the Chantry pictures Him.

He might as well be the entire World of Thedas itself, the first Soul, a Spirit, something alive or dead. Who knows. It’s just interesting to think about all the cultures of Thedas, stealing things from each other across the Ages, slowly forgetting the true with their traditions, rewriting, censoring and modifications.

The Chantry edited and removed Canticles.

The Qun forgot most of its history on tablets only Adaari can read.

The Dalish forgot the origin of most of their traditions.

The Dwarves and their Shaperate edit and destroy ancient records that doesn’t fit what they like.

There’s no way to know what’s absolutely true. It depends on the point of view, the time, the people. And that’s why I love theorizing about this game so much.

What do yall think?

[companion-of-the-dragonmark]

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

[emisaaaa]

Viking Prayer

Y/N woke up in the early morning. She looked at her side and saw her little sisters sleeping next to her, the youngest sister Ragna and the middle one Saga were laying in Y/N legs. Mornings like that were so peaceful, for y/n seeing and knowing her younger sister were alright was a blessing. After a while Y/N decided to get up and eat something, she slowly got up from her bed trying not to wake up her sisters. Y/N wore a brown dress with green elements, it was the only pretty and not so worn out dress she had. Her father as a chieftain had to take care of a whole village and he was failing it totally, Y/N knew that soon the village would just fall and she couldn’t do anything… she felt terrible about it like every good daughter would. When Y/N walked out of her room she saw her father sitting in the center of the house and crying quietly.

-Father? Are you alright??- Y/N asked with a worried expression. Her father never cried, something was terribly off.

-Y/N? Why aren’t you sleeping birdy?- Y/N's father said, trying to hide his tears, he smiled softly and it made Y/N's heart ache.

-Father what happened? You never cried before…- Y/N got closer to her dad and sat next to him.

-Don’t sit on the floor in that dress birdy… it needs to be clean for today’s night.-

-What do you mean by that? Will we have guests over?- Y/N asked while slowly getting up, she never disappointed her father and she wanted to keep it that way.

-Yes birdy… but we need to talk about it, especially about one guest. Before you say something let me tell you everything, okay?- Y/N's father asked with a soft expression. Y/N only nodded her head, trying to show how much she loves her father and will listen to him, always. Y/N's father took a big breath.

-Y/N… you know how much trouble I have with keeping my village in one piece and how we need help and protection from other villages? Unfortunately one of the chieftain’s wants to get paid back from all the help he gives us… he came up with an idea of an arranged marriage with my eldest daughter, you…- Y/N’s heart broke in a thousand of pieces, she knew that a day like that could come but it felt so surreal and scary at the same time… Y/N’s father saw her expression which was a mix of sadness and shock, he tried to make Y/N feel better.

-Birdy I know that it’s scary but… it’s a chance for you to get a better life…-

-No… I can’t. I won’t leave my home!- Y/N yelled, she didn’t care if everyone in the village could hear her, she never wanted to get married and now she was being treated like a cow to simply get breeded…

-Birdy I know you don’t want it… but please do it for me, for your mother and sisters. They need it to live through the winter… please birdy.- Y/N felt how her knees got weak, her mind going black. Before she realized she was lying on the floor crying and shaking violently, her father and mother who woke were trying to help Y/N but she couldn’t just calm down. Y/N’s was treated like a payment for an unknown man, she hated it and everything, it was the end of her life.

Or maybe a new beginning?

Btw it's one of my stories I published on ao3 :3 here's the link https://archiveofourown.org/works/55469335

[soapieanxiety]

Strulung rant?

Ok, so before I start this ramble I want to preface two things. 1) I’m not gonna be able to talk about everything that happened in this era, we’d be here forever and 2) I’m gonna have to simplify some things to make this as concise as humanly possible.

Civil War in Iceland

During this time, Iceland was primarily ruled by chieftains and these chieftains and their families became the most powerful people in the region. The most prominent of these chieftain families was the Sturlungar, hence the name of this era: they have a saga about them. They mainly controlled the west of Iceland. There were other families as well but for this rant's purposes, I'm only going to talk about the Sturlangars.

The battles fought in this era of the civil war were between these chieftain families. To add more fuel to the fire, Norway was also getting involved and Norway wanted to expand its influence in Iceland. That's one of the main reasons the conflict kept going on for as long as it did.

There was a lot of fighting between these clans and it’s considered Iceland's bloodiest century. Some prominent examples include the Battle of Haugsnes, which is the bloodiest battle in Icelandic history, as well as the Battle of the Gulf, the first naval battle in Iceland, something I find very interesting. In the end, Iceland ended up under the Norwegian crown and the rest is history.

Snorri Sturluson: Absolute Menace

He’s the catalyst for a lot of the violence that happened in this era of Icelandic history. He did do some good for Icelandic history keeping as he wrote the Prose Edda which is pretty important. Anyone who knows anything about Norse Mythology knows that the Prose Edda is very significant. It’s considered the most detailed source of knowledge for Norse mythology.

This era primarily started when Snorri was invited to Norway by King Haakon IV. At the time, Snorri was a law speaker of the Icelandic high court and a chieftain of the Sturlungar family clan. When he went to Norway, he became involved with Norwegian politics, and the king asked that Snorri help him bring Iceland under Norwegian rule.

Snorri went back to Iceland, but his loyalty to the Norwegian king was…faulty. That’s the best way to put it. He really didn’t do anything to enforce the king's will. He wasn’t the only chieftain to be a vassal for the Norwegian king, but he was a prominent one.

Snorri eventually fell out of favor with the king and even attempted a coup against him. This coup was unsuccessful and another vassal for the Norwegian king was ordered to kill Snorri. Snorri was killed in his home on September 23rd, 1241z Snorri Sturluson is an interesting guy. I would totally look more into him if you have the free time. He was very important to the era and Icelandic history as a whole.

How is this affecting our boy?

I’ve stated before that I don’t think Iceland officially met Norway until after this era in his history. However, because Norway was involved in this conflict I can see someone believing that Norway had already met Iceland. I choose to go with the former because…angst. Let Iceland go through this alone >:)

This definitely had an impact on Iceland though, this was the first time he saw violence to that degree. Look, the population may have been small, but a civil war is a civil war. He couldn’t have done much. I believe Iceland was mostly a bystander to a lot of the violence. From what we know about Hetalia's civil wars and how those work, he was still heavily affected by the violence.

I do imagine Iceland doesn’t think about this period in life often. He doesn’t like to think about it, if he’s thinking about this century then he’s thinking about meeting Norway. You could even go ahead and say he blocked this time of his life out of his head. Personally, I believe he remembers but he chooses not to think about it. Though it definitely affects him. He was really young when this all happened.

Anyway, so so sorry this took so long. I got this ask December 1st, I’m so sorry anon ;-;

Researching for this was difficult, I had sources contradicting themselves so I had to scrap a lot of further in detail analysis. If there are sturlung era experts out there who wanna help me make a way more in depth analysis then my DMs are open.

[notasapleasure]

Just a limitless bit of árlo from cassian's perspective?

Ok ok, set during this bit of the saga au, following on from other pre-saga lore.

Cassian/Cahuan does not like chieftains :')

--

In the years since he'd left Tollan behind, Cahuan had seen many kinds of chieftain.

He sat on the freshly mown grass with the smell of hay on the air, and he glared at Árló the local chief. Brasso - who was too clever to believe half of what he was saying - was making some half-hearted argument about how chieftains were different to kings, but to Cahuan they sounded very much the same, even here.

As a young boy he had been proud of their king in Tollan, and it made him angry at his past self to think of it. He had been raised to believe that Ce Atl Topiltzil was the voice of Quetzalcoatl's will on earth, and was as untouchable and powerful as the great feathered serpent himself. He had loved his king, and his family had done well from his rule.

By the king's deeds, Quetzalcoatl had been shown to be a merciful, just god, who accepted sacrifices only from those whose blood he needed. The excesses demanded by the god's brother, Tezcatlipoca, had seemed vulgar by comparison - imprecise and almost shameful in their desperate efforts at appeasement by bloodshed.

At least that was how it had seemed to him once upon a time. Cahuan's family had worshipped Quetzalcoatl above the ferocious shadow god, and in Cahuan's childhood he had believed that made him and his family - and their king in Tollan - better than the savage Chichimecha who worshipped Tezcatlipoca.

He hadn't stopped believing it immediately when the Chichimecha attacked them and sold him into slavery with his mother and sister. He had spent months - years? - longing to return home, to see the pyramids on a festival day, with the king adorned in feathers and gold speaking to them of Quetzalcoatl's benevolence and strength. He had thought little of the petty chief he'd been sold to, with his palace of mud and wood, his drab headdress and primitive gods.

But that chief had seen off attacks from his rivals. His trade networks were maintained across distances Cahuan hadn't even known the world stretched to. When he'd tried to escape, the chief had spoken to him directly, making sure he understood each word: Ce Atl Topiltzil had abandoned his people and fled the city of Tollan. The Chichimecha intended to destroy Tollan if they could not subdue it, and install their own king in the name of Tezcatlipoca. Cahuan would have nothing to return to so he'd better get used to answering to a different lord.

Cahuan still hadn't stopped believing.

He and his sister travelled in the chief's retinue, northwards up the river, deeper into the forest. The chief wished to lead the destruction of his rivals personally, and when chaos broke out - wooden buildings burning in a clearing, arrows darkening the sky, screams and the smell of festival days at the pyramids on the air - Cahuan had grabbed his sister by the hand and fled into the trees.

The people who picked them up when they found themselves trapped between vast, uncrossable rivers spoke a strange language and had their own chieftain. Again, Cahuan and his sister had been presented to this petty king as a gift, again they had been taught to serve and to please.

Chieftains, Cahuan began to learn, were not the mouthpieces of the gods. They were men, as weak and as simple as any other men. Sometimes they held their power in a tight grip and their people feared them and grew to resent them; sometimes they were generous and naive and their advisors and brothers and wives manoeuvred against them. As Cahuan served a succession of these men, he saw them in their private chambers, he saw them speak as though he wasn't present, and he became familiar with their arrogance and their frailty. He saw enough of them fail to doubt that Ce Atl Topiltzil had really been any different. He began to doubt that Quetzalcoatl had been any different.

His sister had held on to her faith - she was younger and she served the wives, not the chiefs. Cahuan kept his doubts to himself for her sake, but when he guessed correctly that one particular chief's brother was planning to oust him, he decided that things had likely not been any different in the palace-temple atop the stone pyramids of Tollan. He finally believed that his king had fled and his father had been killed by the invading Chichimecha. His god was just another among a pantheon of liars and chancers, all of whom seemed to be invested in keeping mediocre men on thrones.

Thus Árló appeared to Cahuan to be another chieftain ripe for overthrowing.

Even before he'd opened his mouth, Árló's disdain for his people oozed from him, from his fine clothes - that were evidently not sullied by grass seed or the dust of labour. When he'd laid his gaze on Brasso, the boy who'd shown Cahuan more respect than he'd known in years, and curled his lip like he was cleaning muck from his shoe, Cahuan felt a purity of rage he'd not experienced since arriving in Iceland.

When he'd spoken of Brasso's lack of potential, Cahuan had imagined driving a blunt wooden cheese knife into Árló's belly.

But he knew that would make trouble for Clem, and he remembered the fear that had driven Clem and Maarva when they'd left Greenland with him - because of him. Whatever Clem and Maarva were to him, they didn't seek to make him their slave, nor to rule over him like kings.

So he listened carefully to what Brasso told him about chieftains in Iceland. He wondered whether berserks were like royal advisors, or jaguar warriors - a thought that still made him tense with horror. He wondered whether it really was as impossible as Brasso said it was to kill a man who had so little care for his neighbours.

He wondered what god Árló claimed to speak for, and what stave of doubt could be wedged between Árló, his people, and their god. He took in Brasso's reddened neck and cheeks, his scowling brows and resigned tone of voice, and he vowed that vengeance would come for Árló one day.

[cozywriter]

🥮 ~ EPIC the Musical: A Rant ~ 🥮

🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮

This isn’t really an important post, I’m just here to let my bainrot loose onto the world since the Wisdom Saga is out (🥳). So now, please enjoy my dwindling mental health and ever decreasing emotional state (or not, whichever you prefer is okay with me…)

1.) Something I’ve noticed is that whenever a god plays a role in any saga, one of three things happen. Either Odysseus confirms their true identity to us, the audience, by saying their name (I.e. Athena and Hermes), a chorus introduces them to us (I.e. Poseidon and Apollo), or they themselves introduce them to us (I.e. Calypso). However, this is not the case in the Thunder Saga. In the song “Mutiny” Odysseus says:

“These cows were immortal, they were the Sun God’s friends!”

“And now that we’ve pissed them off, who do you think they’ll send?!”

Odysseus doesn’t explicitly confirm who but in the next song, ”Thunder Bringer”, it doesn’t open with Odysseus mumbling his name under his breath in fear or a dramatic chorus announcing his arrival. Instead, it was just a few thunder claps and then Zeus already singing away. This is because, he needs no introduction, being Chieftain of the Gods and all.

The first incident this happens is during the Troy Saga during the song “The Horse and the Infant” when Zeus sends Odysseus a vision about his older self about his final moments, and then proceeds to command him to kill Hector’s infant son. The only confirmation we get that he is Zeus is the thunderclap and flash in the sky, which seems to be the only thing that precedes his arrival.

2.) Another detail I found interesting (read as: absolutely earth shattering, I actually might need therapy after listening to this) is during the song “Love in Paradise”, when Athena says:

“Old friend, it’s been ten years since I last saw you..”

And the next line cuts to Odysseus’ reveal during the song “Remember Them” in the Cyclops Saga when he reveals his identity to Polyphemus. This is because, that moment was truly the moment she last saw him. Either this means that during their argument in the song “My Goodbye” — which mind you, is the song directly after “Remember Them” — she was blinded with rage because he didn’t follow her instructions, or that she was so blinded with the fact that he disobeyed her, she didn’t think to look past that and see why he disobeyed her.

The next few lines support this and truly show her guilt, seeing as after Athena says:

“Let’s see where you’ve been…”

The song cuts to Aeolus’ game, then to Poseidon’s encounter, Circe’s confrontation, Tiresias’ vision, the Siren’s massacre, Scylla’s cost and then Zeus’ retribution. Notice how every song that plays signified a major event that changed the course of Odysseus’ travels. However, these were all events that Athena wasn’t guiding Odysseus in any way. This either means that she was purely just going along the timeline of his journey to see where he went, or she also wanted to see just how far he went without her help, being that in the song “We’ll Be Fine” during the Wisdom Saga, she says:

“I had a friend before and he was a lot like you…” “I helped him fight through war but he had his demons too…” “And then we grew apart…” “Then his light went dark..”

“And so I thought, maybe, if I made a different call, maybe, if I hadn't missed it all, maybe he'd be fine… Maybe we'd unwind…” “Maybe, if I help another soul, maybe, if I helped you reach your goal, life could be that bright…! I could sleep at night…!”

During this, when she calls Odysseus her “friend”, either she means that she truly did see him as more than a student all that time she mentored him and didn’t want to tell Odysseus because she was afraid she’d look weak to him, or after she cut ties with him, she realized that she cared about Odysseus more than she let on.

3.) Lastly, during the song “Ruthlessness” in the Ocean Saga, when Poseidon was taking his revenge on Odysseus and his crew for making Polyphemus suffer, the rage and hatred towards them was genuine, to the point that were it not for Odysseus’ quick thinking, their journey would’ve ended there. Now, compare it to Zeus during the song “Thunder Bringer” in the Thunder Saga. Zeus was toying with them. Almost like he didn’t care about the situation and was only using it for entertainment. This parallel really tells you a lot about the brothers and how they’re like, Poseidon being unforgiving and ruthless hehehe get it? Because you know… it-it’s his song… when necessary but “chill with the waves” — his words, not mine — because that’s how the sea is. Calm but unforgiving. As for Zeus, he’s flamboyant and passive, not really caring about who or what he hurts as he makes a grand musical number before he strikes, much like how like thunder and lighting do.

🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮🧋🥮

[247reader]

Day 25: Gudrid vìðförla Thorbjarnardóttir!

Guðríðr Þorbjarnardóttir was born in the late 10th century, to a prominent Icelandic family. Her father, Thorbjorn, was chieftain of Laugarbrekka, and he took pride in his social status; when Gudrid fell in love with an unsuitably lowborn man, he opted to remove her from the temptation entirely, and brought her along when he voyages to Greenland with Erik the Red.

One saga reports that Gudrid made a (presumably more acceptable to her father) marriage at this time, to Thorir, a Norwegian trader, but she was quickly left a widow. It’s unclear what religion Thorbjorn practiced, but Gudrid was by this time a Christian; many Norse of the period, however, picked and chose which bits of new and traditional religion they liked. Gudrid’s second marriage was a politically advantageous one: to Erik the Red’s son, Thorsteinn, brother to the famous Leif Erikson - and a man determined to continue his brother’s efforts in Vinland.

It’s unclear whether Gudrid accompanied him on the ensuing voyage, but two things are clear: Thorsteinn died of illness en route, and while Gudrid, back in Greenland, married another prominent man, the idea of Vínland never left her. She soon convinced her new husband, Thorfinn, to finance an expedition with an eye to claiming the uncharted territory.

But North America, of course, was not uninhabited land. And while the settlement flourished for a brief period, long enough for Gudrid to give birth to a son, within a few years of Snorri’s birth conflicts with the indigenous inhabitants the Norsemen called “Skraelings” were constant. Gudrid, her husband, and their son returned to Iceland, the land of her birth - but Gudrid’s last great journey was still to come. After her husband’s death, she made a pilgrimage to Rome - truly earning her epithet: Vìðförla, the Well-travelled.

[synindoodles]

Okay so as promised here's the first section of my book; "Deeds" includes the story of Ragnar Lothbrok (as in, the legend according to the Norse Sagas), Reginherus (a danish chieftain that commanded King Horik's fleets into Frankia and besieged Paris) and Ragnall Ua Ìmair (a grandson of Ivarr The Boneless (the historically-accurate Ivar that was king of Dublin) that presumably ruled over York and was besties/related to another Irish-Danish king named Sihtric.

If you'd like to read more about this and/or can't understand my writing, I made a page >here< with basically everything I used to write the pages of my book (;

Also I didn't scan buzzcut Ragnar because I want to fix it, but once I like him enough to share him I'll add the pic to this post hehe

[misfitwashere]

The Shamans and the Chieftain

Timothy Snyder

Jun 12, 2024

            We have the rule of law so as not to have a culture of revenge.

            For much of human history, it was an eye for an eye, as we read in the Bible.  In a revenge culture, a chieftain decides who is to blame, and the shamans explain how the blood and chaos is just and necessary.

In the Greek tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides, the grand problem is escaping from reciprocal violence within and among families.  In early discussions of European law, in Icelandic sagas or in the Primary Chronicle of Kyivan Rus, an incipient government regulates revenge, so that it does not continue indefintely. 

            The rule of law is a solution: if we are all equal subjects of law, then we plead our case before a court, rather than seek after blood.  A constitution, like ours, gives flesh to this conception. It might not be perfect: when it is not, we interpret it in the spirit of equality and non-violence rather than grievance and violence. No one can be above the law, and no one can be the judge in their own case. A constitutional order will depend upon judges who understands these fundamental ideas.

            The other day, Mrs. Alito gave us a good exhibition of revenge culture: “I’m German. I’m German.  My heritage is German.  You come after me, I’m going to give it back to you.  And there will be a way. It doesn’t have to be now. But there will be a way – they will know."  Those remarks about the delights of revenge related to her choice to fly an insurrectionist flag after Donald Trump's attempt to overthrow American constitutional order in January 2021.

            The political theory of Trump's coup attempt is that all that matters is the chieftain.  He does not have to win an election, because the chieftain has the right to rule simply because he is the chieftain.  Requiring Trump to win an election is thus a provocation.  The claim that he should leave office when he loses an election justifies revenge.  And of course retribution is Trump's platform.

            The legal theory of Trump's coup attempt, made explicit in argument before the Supreme Court, is that the chieftain is immune to law.  There is magic around the chieftain's person, such that he need respond only to himself.  The words "presidential immunity" are an incantation directed to directed to people in black robes, summoning them to act as the chieftain's shamans and confirm his magical status.

Some of the people in black robes, Supreme Court justices, like being shamans. Our shamans are allowed to take bribes from those who support the chieftain, and also allowed to claim that as magicians, people unlike others, they are unaffected by them. If there is any doubt, our shamans tell us, they can be trusted to be judges in their own case.

Shamans thus installed will protect their chieftain, and surround him with their magical aura. Unlike other courts, the Supreme Court can make things up as it goes along, and there has been a good deal of that lately, especially on the part of Mr. Alito. Its members can claim fidelity to the words of the Constitution, then cast all that aside when the chieftain is threatened.

            To contemplate "presidential immunity," as the shamans are now doing, is to cast aside the rule of law and summon up the ghost of revenge culture.  It is constitutionally ridiculous to say that the person whose responsibility is to execute the laws is above them. 

But the problem is deeper than that.  If any individual is untouched by law, that individual can be expected to shift the entire society back towards revenge.  Trump openly affirms this. His entire platform is retribution — retribution against others for the crime that he himself committed. Once we replace law with revenge, there will be no way to hold him back. And, as we know from experience, revenge culture quickly spreads. As we know from history, it takes on a certain political form.

            Mrs. Alito affirmed revenge culture as a German way of doing things. The context was America's Reichstag fire, Trump’s attempted coup of January 2021. She flew the insurrectionist flag, defending the chieftain’s Big Lie, and his magical claim to keep power regardless of reality and constitutional order.

The fascist attitude towards law was a modernization of the notion that the chieftain, the shamans, and the enemy who is to be attacked for our own crimes.  For the Nazis, this was the natural order to be restored. Because a constitutional order already existed, part of the restoration of revenge culture had to be carried out by the judges themselves.

Nazi legal theorists argued that politics was a matter of defining the enemy and choosing a side.  The rule of law was to yield to a special sort unrule, in which the chieftain defined politics by choosing an enemy to be blamed for his own crimes. Law would be whatever shielded the chieftain as he divided society, in what the Nazi legal theorists would then describe as a natural struggle for power.

Following the Nazi logic, sitting judges would reverse their previous role in a constitutional order, covering up the transformation with legalistic language. They would accept their role by warping law so that it served the chieftain, defining an us-and-them, rather than protecting everyone.

As a judge put it: "one side or the other is going to win."

            That was Mr. Alito.

[noctusfury]

Long Live the Chief! by Noctus Fury

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my final round of edits based on this scene. This time, it's Dagur the Deranged!

Normally, I'd start with him first, but since there were several edits, I couldn't get this done as quickly as I wanted, so I started with the others first. (Skrill, Heather, Funeral, and Osvald)

The first edit above is pretty much the same as the others. The only difference is that Dagur is there, along with Osvald's helmet and shield. There's also blood splatter on it.

Scenario: Wanting to prove that he killed his father (which he didn't, apparently) after it's discovered that he disappeared without notice, Dagur grabs his father's helmet and shield and paints it in sheep's blood before presenting it before the Elders of the Tribe, making up the story that he killed his father in a duel in accordance to Berserker Law near the cliffs when Osvald fell off the edge and drowned. A couple of his supporters stand up as "witnesses" of said duel. The Elders then have no choice but to name Dagur the New Chief, since it's impossible to find and confirm the body.

Above we see the helmet and shield close to Dagur and covering his left leg. The reason being is that his foot is missing, since in the original photo I took this pose of Dagur from, Stoick's massive shoulder was blocking it.

Scenario: Dagur poses and shows off and brags of his glorious (made-up) victory over his father and had no qualms about elaborating and exaggerating every detail down to its goriest syllable, causing excitement to ripple among the Berserkers, who've been cruelly and unjustifiably forced to avoid battles and raids by the weakling Osvald, and were hungry for blood!

Here, Dagur gloats over his "victory" with the Berserkers watching in silence, listening to his every word. I added cheering Berserkers in the background outside the door.

Scenario: Dagur laughs maniacally, his blood flaring up in excitement at the prospect of more bloodshed, more battle, more glory.

"Would any of you wish to challenge me on this?" demanded Dagur. "SPEAK UP!! If any of you object to my becoming the New Chief of this honorable and glorious Tribe, PLEASE, SPEAK UP!!! I am willing to duel whomever disagrees."

There was silence. The younger Berserkers, eager to do battle after many decades of peace, looked at Dagur as one would a Hero from bygone days of yore in the Sagas. Some of the older ones, who had followed Osvald for a long time, were skeptical and looked on disapprovingly, but said nothing after reading the atmosphere in the room and judged prudently to keep their counsel.

For this final edit, I removed the helmet and shield in favor of just adding Dagur. In addition to the cheering Berserkers outside the door, I also added cheering Berserkers inside as well. (I took these from the View to a Skrill episode.)

I actually really like the aesthetics of it. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. 🧐🍷

Scenario: It was silent, but soon chants of "Dagur! Dagur! Dagur!" and "Long Live the Chief!" and "All Hail Your Mighty Nuttership!!" began shaking the air with the thunder of scores of cheering Berserkers hailing their new lord.

Long live the All-Nutty Chieftain of the Berserker Tribe!

<><><><><>

What do you guys think? Did I do good or what? 😁 I hope you guys enjoyed my Berserker edits and my scenarios for these edits. Hope you have a lovely week! 🥰

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[whencyclopedia]

Medieval Icelandic Government

Early medieval Icelandic government, or Viking Iceland, has been termed an incipient form of democracy or democratic parliamentarism, however, the system was actually nothing like its European counterparts, be they medieval or contemporary. Historiography prefers the term 'free state'. As the name suggests, it refers to a freely organized political entity, with some elements of statehood but not quite a state. On the contrary, colonists in Iceland, the heroes of the saga literature, from many points of view created a stateless society. They had a well-defined judicial system and a council of lawmakers (lögrétta), but no king and no one to put judicial decisions into practice. There were differences between chieftains and commoners, but not as big as in many other places. Chieftains had little executive power, and at least in the 10th and 11th century they were not hierarchically organized. Settlers left Norway and other regions to start fresh and arrange their world as nowhere else in Europe.

Chieftains

The colonists (landnámnsmenn in Old Norse) came with political traditions from the continent, and many of them came from the same social class. Iceland gave up the aristocratic layer of continental Viking society and generally the hierarchy of warlords, earls, freemen, and partial freemen. Iceland came to be a society of landowning farmers who were not that enthusiastic about the elites and their roles. Indeed, it might have been what drove them away in the first place. They sought to avoid concentration of power in certain groups and to each have a share of control over the others. Chieftains (góðar in Old Norse) did benefit from some greater authority, but the role was temporary and not territorial. It depended on how many followers they had, if they offered support in disputes, if they could enforce the law, and if they had enough prestige. While in Scandinavia farmers lost rights to the growing authority of kings and other leaders, Icelanders rejected a centralized state. In the words of Jesse Byock, it represents "an example of a self-limiting pattern of state formation" (Viking Age Iceland, 66), meaning that they did not want to evolve but to come back to simpler forms of coexistence.

Local influential men can be seen as leaders but only small-scale ones. Some chieftains but also farmers (bændr in Old Norse) had more wealth and prestige than others, thus being similar to ranked societies. Chieftains could have slaves, tenants or labourers, however, slavery disappeared in the 11th century. Goðar typically competed not only for riches and status but also for followers (thingmenn in Old Norse), who were very important to assert dominance. They arbitrated in disputes, which was risky business that could get you killed, yet perhaps worth the risk, given the economic benefits. They transferred properties, gave loans to farmers, and increased their prestige by offering gifts, a practice that consolidated alliances. They held carefully planned feasts, especially at harvest time, where they displayed their generosity and importance.

It seems that chieftains acquired much less income than we would expect, due to the relatively simple economy and scarce resources. One main source of wealth, besides renting land or cattle, was intervening and settling a dispute. Technically, farmers could also do this, but chieftains were more qualified because they knew more of the law. Nevertheless, social barriers could be overcome, as farmers could become goðar, and rank depended on law and convention. Farmers could switch their loyalties from one chieftain to another, concentration of power was avoided, and authority was a pretty loose concept. This situation would change in the 13th century, once small groups gained more power, stimulated by the medieval Church among other factors.

Continue reading...

[quidell-fics]

Chapter 17 of my Vinland Saga fanfic "Sword and Spice" is up!

Askeladd x oc

Summary: Fiadh finds herself in a predicament that has arisen far sooner than she anticipated. Askeladd and Bjorn suspect that this sudden shift in circumstances might not be in their best interests.

Snippet: Askeladd's curiosity often led him down dangerous paths. He hadn't lied to Bjorn about the risks; the operation was indeed perilous. His men lacked the subtlety needed to deceive the English convincingly. Askeladd himself could probably manage it, but such a role was ill-fitting for a Viking chieftain.

The game of manipulation was one he played with a deft hand, but he was a god's damned Viking chieftain, not a mere performer in the eyes of his men. However, the thought of seeing her true mettle in action was too enticing to pass up.

She too was capable of manipulation, a talent he was keen to measure and dissect.

And, of course, exploit to his own advantage.

As long as Thorfinn remained his loyal dog, Fiadh would follow, her unpredictable nature tethered by some moral code Askeladd had every intent and purpose to take advantage of.

“So the woman changed your mind, Askeladd? Or is it because she's not a Dane?”

Bjorn's words made Askeladd pause, turning to scrutinize his comrade, his expression no doubt echoing the puzzlement he felt. Bjorn's question lacked malice or ill intent; it was a genuine query, one born of confusion significant enough for him to voice such an absurd notion.

Fiadh hadn't changed his mind; what sort of question was that? Whether she truly lacked Norse blood remained a matter of debate in his eyes, too.