#love Sigurd

[faeriegirl]

🦢🩷

[ifindus]

Human names for HWS Norway

I’ve seen several posts about human names for the nations going around lately and I wanted to offer my own opinion on Norway’s name, as a Norwegian person. This is not meant as critique of other people’s headcanons, it’s just my personal opinion and meant to offer some insight into the cultural and historical background of certain Norwegian names. I’ve made several posts about this topic, but I realize that it’s been years since last time and I think it’s about time to make a new one.

First; some background on naming traditions in Norway. In Norway surnames especially are very diverse and carries a lot of history and meaning behind them as they often are names of farmsteads or places where the families lived in the 1920s. This is when it became mandatory to inherit surnames from your parents. Before this, people often changed names when they migrated and took the name of the place they moved to, as a sort of “nickname” when people needed to distinguish you from other people with the same name. “Oh yes, that’s XXXX from this farm, not XXXX from that farm” etc. The patronyms had a similar function to this and prior to 1920 everyone was named in official documents in this fashion: “First name, Name of father -daughter/-son, Name of place/farmstead”. This explains the origin of the modern surnames ending with “-sen”, where “sen” means “son”. These surnames were inherited by people who did not have a connection to a farm or a place, perhaps because they lived in the cities and were working class.

Next; a critique on the more widely used name in the fandom: Lukas Bondevik. Neither of these names are good picks for Norway in my opinion. Starting with the surname; Bondevik. As its own name, it is fine, it means “farmer’s bay”. The problem with it is due to its close association with a conservative politician who at one point was prime minister in Norway. The Bondevik-government is not uncommon to talk about and when I just google the name “Bondevik”, every single result on the first page is of this politician. Again, because Norwegian surnames are so personal and geographically locked, you end up giving Norway a history relating to this specific family. There are only 201 people in Norway with this surname, most of them are related to each other, and the name will be associated with this conservative politician. It would be similar to England being named Arthur Thatcher or Arthur Churchill, or America being named Alfred F. Kennedy or Alfred F. Reagan. There is no avoiding this.

Continuing with the critique on Lukas. There is no way around this name as it has been the go-to choice for the fandom for several years now, picked out of a list of names Hima suggested. Personally I do not think this name fits Norway as a character due to both cultural and historical Norwegian associations. Lukas is not a name that was used in Norway before the 1990s and it did not become a popular name until 2008. Lukas is not a name with Norse origin, its origins are biblical, and is a new trendy name that has entered the Norwegian society with the globalisation and Americanisation of our media. It is a very young name and you will not find people over 35 with this name still today. If you talk about hws Norway where he exists before 1990, he would not have this name. It is both culturally and historically inaccurate. It is also, in my opinion, a bit of a fuck-boy name – it gives modern, upper-class or city boy vibes. Not a name that I think fits hws Norway.

Lastly; my own suggestions of names for Norway. I will never stop advocating for Sigurd as the best name for Norway. It is a name of Norse origin and has been relatively popular through all time periods, never going out of fashion, a solid Norwegian name. Because of its history you can find this name in any social class (though perhaps not upper-class today?), and it does not betray any age nor will it ever become outdated. Its meaning is “victory” and “guardian”. I must admit it does not sound very good when pronounced in English, but it is a very pretty name in Norwegian (the "d" is silent). The name has a long history, but is not closely associated with one specific person. There is a famous myth/story with origins to before the Viking Age about “Sigurd Fåvnesbane, the dragon slayer”, and I like the parallel between hws Norway and this myth, and hws England and the story of King Arthur. Sigurd is a good Norwegian name and its connotations fits the character of Norway very well.

My suggestions of surnames for Norway are Nordvik and Ødegård. I still cannot choose between these two as I love them both. Nordvik means “northern bay” and it is such a generic surname you can find it everywhere in Norway where there’s water. I like it because it ties in with the original meaning of the name “Norway”, the way to the north, and associates with the sea, which has been of huge importance to Norway through history. Ødegård means “desolate farm” and only became used as a surname/nickname after the Black Plague, which saw many farms abandoned. Ødegård was the name these farms got and people who moved there took it as a surname in the process previously explained. I like this name because it is not tied to any specific region either, so the geographical origin becomes more intangible and creates an air of mystery.

This is my personal take on the names for hws Norway, and again; is not meant to be a critique against anyone using the popular fandom names. I know habits are hard to change and at this point is probably very integrated when talking about the character. Anyone is free to use any name they want of course, I am just offering some cultural and historical background and insight on them as “Norwegian names”. If anyone has other name suggestions for Norway they are unsure about or wish to know more about, I’ll gladly make an input if Norwegian advise is wanted.

[sphenodontia]

sigurd and deirdre... [busts into tears]

[darkwood-sleddog]

Recently got some fur scrap faces from a local oddities shop that specializes in ethically sourced oddities/furs/bones/wet specimens and Sigurd is very sus.

[milkahia]

Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War | Lewyn & Sylvia for “A Distant Melody: FE Music Zine”

[bilbotargaryen]

Ragnarssons and Friends Headcanons

Björn Ironside

1-2 Friends who are like brothers to him

would die for each other without second thought

they have known each other since their teens and kept Björn sane during his time with Jarl Sigvard

They went with Björn to retake Kattegat and stayed with him afterwards

They are not too attached at the hip but they always know where each other are

Ubbe Ragnarsson

a few close friends, maybe 3-4 who he hunts, fishes and plays games with

he enjoys Hvitserk's company and drags him everywhere (he feels responsible for him since childhood)

Is the Mom Friend who gives out advice a lot

at the same time, he's the guy who comes up with the most reckless shit to do

Hvitserk Ragnarsson

Kind of part of Ubbe's friend group, but he's more an appendage there, except for Ubbe (at least not consciously)

there is this one guy who genuinely wants to be his friend, but Hvitserk rather wants to hang with Ubbe's circle

he still enjoys to have philosophical talks with said person

he has some girl friends who he enjoys talking about clothes, hairstyles and the occasional gossip with

he would never admit that to anyone

Sigurd Snake-in-the-eye

he is never alone

he has one best friend, four close friends and a number of boys hanging around him to try and get in his inner circle

they are always up for mischief, play music and dance

they also retreat often to the mountain cabin to go hunt and be undisturbed

that's how Ivar gets to the conclusion he's into men

Ivar the Boneless

doesn't have a single friend to his name

He doesn't trust people that way (although he would really like to but he cannot even admit that to himself)

some are still afraid of him bc of what happened when he played with some town kids (his first kill...at 5...with 0 consequences (that we know of))

he prefers to lead the few who remain on and uses them to his own ends (Spies are always useful and he cannot crawl everywhere)

[thelirofnorthlands]

A little appreciation for the most lovely couple in Vikings 🥰

Helga and Floki ❤️

(photos or edits on them do not belong to me)

[lethalcrew]

SIGURDS CREW!

our funny lil fan designs for em 🤤 dunno why this what they look like, it jus felt right

[miss--soleil]

Fire Emblem Engage icons

Credits appreciated but not necessary! Free to use

[booberrybawls]

*gently takes the mic for the sixth time today*

*my hands are shaking like im on crack. it's all good.*

But the fact that they created each other as people kind of ruins any credibility the age gap argument might have against the Sigurd x Loki ship, you know?

I mean. Wizened Raisin Mad Dog Loki traveled back in time to the days when his dad was a baby and Sigurd was a mortal YA protagonist so that Loki could kill an otter so that the sword of truth could be made and fall in and out of Sigurd's hands so. he literally created Sigurd as an immortal and a hero. just as collateral damage. Loki made Sigurd's identity as a side gig. He shaped this person's perception of himself. He saw the effect and made the cause and in doing so made the first hero of Asgard and all of his inadequacies and his curse and his striving.

And in return when Loki is in his third (?) reincarnation and completely unable to understand what it means to be a hero or a good person or just a not-shitty person, Sigurd stands there and tells him that he's got it wrong. He tells him to his face that he doesn't understand what it means to be a hero, and he's absolutely correct. Loki has to keep searching. But like. Everyone else in that room throws a fit when Loki talks down to them in his ignorance and immaturity except for Sigurd. He hears the same selfish faux-heroic bullshit he used to say and just. he understands that and ADVISES the guy slandering him.

Loki guides Sigurd to become himself, Sigurd guides Loki to become himself. Yes these are such throwaway lines and subtle scenes. But they do. their relationship is a spiderweb of measly and accidental back and forths across lifetimes. i think that's. it's so neat. neaty. neato.

[artschoolglasses]

On the docks of Ravensthorpe...

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

[ninjasmudge]

been trying to do some more detailed stuff using only three colors 🧡🖤🤍

[memie-art-blog]

The Empress and her consort picking flowers based on Wilhelm Menzler's Picking Flowers. 1846-1926.

I participated in @InvincibleZine's post-game zine: Epilogue! I'm grateful for being able to take part in this zine as this was a great excuse to finally make post-fe4 designs for Julia as Empress of Grannvale!! Get the zine for FREE here.

a special thank you to @sophorabaptisia on twitter for helping me with outfit design!!! You're awesome bestie!!!

Check under the cut for art vs reference!

art vs reference! Once again it's Wilhelm Menzler's Picking Flowers. 1846-1926.

It was such a lovely piece to work on!!

[darkwood-sleddog]

Mud beasts

[lowstakesvampires]

shopping trip with a vampire

[lyonfe8]

fomortiis placed 4th and lyon placed 15th. and fomortiis placed higher than lyon ever has.