Famous Warriors of the Vikings

 1: Rollo Ragnvaldsson. Rollo, like many Vikings, raided western Europe. He laid siege to Paris in 885 to 886. The siege ended when the army of France lead by Charles the Fat (what a name, right?) forced the Vikings to continue up the Seine river and raid elsewhere. Charles, seeing the potential usefulness of having a Viking ally, offered land for Rollo at the mouth of the Seine river in an area that came to be known as Normandy (which pretty much translates to Northman-land). Now Duke of Normandy, Rollo would defend the lands he so recently was raiding (while also extorting money from the French monarchy). (Left: statue of Rollo in modern day Paris). Bonus fact: I am possibly related to Rollo as one of my ancestors was a companion of William the Conqueror, his descendant.

 2: 

 The ancient Vikings were feared fighters that raided and fought from the Byzantine Empire in Turkey to the coast of Canada in the Americas. Obviously, as this class discusses, their culture was far more complex but the fact remains that they had a long held military tradition. With warriors featuring heavily in the sagas, such as Grettir, it's worth exploring a few that stand out.

Lagertha doing what she does best, fighting.

Lagertha. The real story of beloved Vikings character Lagertha is a little harder to detail. The chronicler Saxo Grammaticus wrote down most of what we know about her life, and Saxo was known for his... creative liberties with accounts. What we know about her from him is this: Fro, King of Sweden, invaded Norway and killed Siward the Norwegian King. Ragnar Lodbrok, the famous Viking hero (who also might have had an exaggerated life) came to avenge his grandfather Siward and fought alongside Lagertha as they killed Fro in revenge. The two married and had several children, though Ragnar later divorced her both for political reasons and because she did kind of sic a bear and dog on him to test his courage. She retained her feelings for him however, and came to his aid during a civil war and rescued both Ragnar and his son also named Siward. While the real Lagertha might not have been sole Queen of Norway or lead an armada of 120 ships to save her old love, like many tales there is no doubt an ounce of truth at the heart of the story about this fearsome shield-maiden.

















3: Harald Hardrada. With a last name that literally means "hard ruler" one can kind of guess how Harald was a bit of an intense fellow. Early on in his life, Harald was forced into exile and sent to Russia where he became a military leader of the Kievian Rus (think Russians with Viking influence). But Harald wanted more in life and joined the famous Varangian Guard of the Byzantine Empire. The Varangians were the personal bodyguards and military commanders of the Emperor, and Harald proved his talents leading forces in Anatolia, Sicily, and Bulgaria. Harald, sensing he kind of liked this whole leadership thing, Harald returned to Scandinavia and began raiding Denmark. His nephew, Magnus, was king of Denmark (long story) and he granted Harald Norway and co-ruled alongside him. Until Magnus died. So Harald became king of Norway AND Denmark. Sensing that he was on a roll, Harald tried invading England and claiming the throne there (while it was also being invaded by William the Conqueror, descendant of Rollo). Harald died at the battle of Stamford Bridge, thus ending the Viking Age by many accounts, but his legend and exploits lived on.

The man at Stamford Bridge

I am a history major and I love reading historical accounts of warriors doing crazy badass things, and just about one of the craziest I have ever heard occurred at Stamford bridge in England.

The Norse had come in force in an attempt to conquer England, and in a feat of courage, the King of England, Harold Godwinson, agreed to capitulate and yield soil- "Seven feet of English ground, as (They) are taller than other men." This set the stage for the battle, as the message was delivered by a single rider that Tostig, an Earl, claimed to recognize as the King from earlier talks.

The Norse formed into a half circle, and were quickly routed and forced to flee eastwards over the Stamford bridge, a narrow stone construct spanning the Derwent. The majority of their forces were across, and followed in hot pursuit by the English, when possibly the single coolest thing in history occurred.

A single, giant viking with a five foot long dane axe blocked the crossing, and held off the ENTIRE ENGLISH ARMY FOR HOURS. He killed forty men, and gave the Norse time to reform their shield wall and continue the battle on the eastern bank. Now, thats just a last stand. Unusual, still cool, but not total, sylvester stallone-esque badassery. It is then important to remember that the entire norse army had abandoned their armor in order to move more quickly, and that the troops sent to beat the viking weren't peasants or conscripts, but actual, full blooded knights, reknowned for their prowess and with the best weapons and armor available during the age, and furthermore, the vikings had finished celebrating harvest end the night before the battle.

When all that comes together, you have a single man that held off an army bare chested while hung over, fighting against the best warriors of a class of warriors that trained for combat since the age of 5.

They managed to kill him in the end, with typical English shenanigans. They put a peasant in a half barrel with a spear, floated him under the bridge, and he stabbed the viking in the anus. The Norsemen lost the battle and were nearly killed to a man, which means that this guy was so cool he was recorded for his badassery in the annals of a country that absolutely hated his entire people to the point of war.

➼The Man’s Bow and Arrow: How Hallgerd and Merida Challenge Gunnar, Legolas, and Hawkeye➻

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id you know that the bow and arrow is a symbol of masculine strength?

              This isn’t a crazy suggestion. Well, at least, not according to scholarly research based on several different cultures (http://www.atarn.org/chinese/seligman/seligman.htm).

              In southern India, the Assam state in northeastern India, and China, the bow and arrow is used for fertility rites in which it is associated with masculinity. In southern India, a husband physically gives his pregnant wife an arrow, thereby tangibly representing his role as a father in relation to the mother in the partnership. In northeastern India, a bow and arrow is put up next to the door of a house to publically declare the birth of a boy in the family. And in certain parts of China, a celebration ceremony for a royal prince requires a bow and arrow. However, having kids is just the beginning. The bow and arrow is also related to political transfers of power.

              In areas of Africa and the Far East, a bow and arrow signifies ownership. An African king ascribing to such traditions shoots arrows in the cardinal directions of land that he has recently acquired in order to emphasize his possession. Inhabitants of the Far East have been known to connect the bow and arrow with male death: arrows are fired to call back the souls of departed men, or miniatures of them are sacrificed to ancestors to protect the arrival of a newborn son.

              What does this mean? Why does it matter that the bow and arrow is all about boys as children, or about boys getting the throne and either being summoned home or allowed to stay on Earth?

              It matters because real-world evidence consequently says that the bow and arrow is widely seen as an indicator of manhood. And that changes how we read.

              For example: Gunnar in Njal’s Saga. Do you remember the weapon that his life depends on? Yep—his bow and arrow. His exact words, my friends, are, “[My attackers will] never be able to get me as long as I can use my bow” (128).

              Substitute the concept of “manhood” for “bow.” The sentence now becomes, “My attackers will never be able to defeat me as long as I am still a man—still have authority, still wield the symbolic embodiment of my fighting prowess, still am mastering my defined gender role in our medieval Icelandic society.”

              It’s a mouthful. Anyway, the picture of Gunnar’s request has been altered. As soon as he turns to Hallgerd, he is actually, surprisingly, asking—from a literary perspective—for his spouse to not only provide him with the locks of hair that will enable him to create a new bowstring and save his life from his pursuers, but also, in essence, his manhood. The loss of control of his bow and arrow is the figurative loss of his manhood.

              Hallgerd, of course, refuses to grant him the hair he needs. As a result, she defies his manhood. She flips the script; she turns the tables. The reason is simple—once she is in charge of the usage of the bow and arrow, she is the man. She is the person who decides the rules, and she is no longer merely a housewife (albeit a shockingly spiteful and underhanded one). Does she deny him the hair due to a slap she received many years earlier? Yes. Is she murdering her well-renowned partner, who has always been true to her, over a trivial slight? Yes. Her choice is unjustifiable, morally speaking.

              Even so, she is doing something few women in her time frame do: seizing a chance to call the shots and metaphorically oppose sexist standards. She’s not a child-bearing housecleaner. She’s a powerful female prepared to step into traditionally male shoes—and she does it the second she first objects to the marriage that her father arranges for her, as well as continues to do so with every nuptial agreement thereafter, being present and negotiating her own terms (19-20, 27-28, 52-53).

              Thus Hallgerd, in addition to being evil, is a boss.

“Nope.”

              Along the same lines, Disney’s animated movie Brave, featuring the fiery Scottish Merida as the lead, contradicts stereotypes both openly and subtly. Merida voraciously objects to her kingdom’s age-old custom of marrying princesses off to neighboring princes to afford for state interests and fights her mother, the queen, on the practice over and over again. She likewise engages in a brilliant shooting contest wherein she illegally vies for her own hand and, in an emblematic sense, outperforms her princely suitors with a bow and arrow to illustrate that she can be a “man” as well as or better than they can. In terms of running a country, she’s as fit to wear a crown independently, and to make decisions, as any of her supposedly hardier competitors are.

              Hence, each time Merida ignores her mom’s demands that she abandon her love of the bow and arrow, she is taking their argument concerning her duties and purpose in life to a metaphorical level. She is yelling Éowyn’s line from the Lord of the Rings on the battlefield—“I am no man!”—and proving that the conventional understanding of manliness preventing her from reaching her full societal potential is a joke.

              In the moment that she is readying herself to land the bullseye on the last of the three targets lined up for her suitors, one per man—she gets all of them, not satisfied with simply acing one—her mother orders her not to loose another arrow.

              Merida draws a deep breath, focuses on the target, and, in slow motion, releases her final arrow. Neither she nor Hallgerd were born to conform. They were born to rebel.

              Step aside, Gunnar, Legolas, and Hawkeye. You have some girls to compete with.

              And they’re not taking no for an answer.

             

             

             

             

HBO’s Game of Thrones Mirroring Njal’s Saga

HBO took George R.R. Martin’s famous book series, Game of Thrones and made a television series. The show and book series have a ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ theme to the storyline and consists of various characters that can be compared to numerous ones in Njal’s Saga. Both consist of feuds that turn bloody, powerful women murderers, and honorable men that have their honor get them destroyed. It is interesting to see how the two follow similar paths in plot. Certain characters featured in Game of Thrones are the Starks (Ned Stark and Arya Stark), the Lannisters (Cersei Lannister), Daenerys, and Littlefinger. These mentioned characters unintentionally reflect the Njalssons, the Sigfussons, Hoskuld Thrainsson, the burning at Bergthoshvol, Hallgerd, and Bergthora. While some of these merely compare to conflicts and events, some characters follow a similar archetype to that of the other. These similarities are important to hold into consideration because they can provide a deeper understanding of the text and pop culture.  

The Starks and The Lannisters

The Starks are a prominent family within Game of Thrones. Throughout the series, the Starks act as the protagonists within the story. They have a hostile feud with the Lannisters that last throughout all seasons and books, much like the Njalssons and Sigfussons do in Njal’s Saga. The Lannisters are also a prestigious family within the series, and primarily act as antagonists. This strife between the two lead to great bloodshed and numerous conflicts.

Ned Stark

Ned Stark is a main character in the first book and season in GOT and his most noticeable character trait is his honor. He is known for being an honorable man, and always trying to do the right thing. No reader or viewer can deny that he is innocent of any bloodshed or any feud, and this innocence, this honor of his, is what led him to his unfortunate and undeserving death. This can be compared to the murder of Hoskuld Thrainsson, whom is also innocent and undeserving.

Arya Stark

Arya Stark is one of Ned Stark’s daughters who begins the show as a defenseless girl who refuses to be a damsel and later turns herself into a weapon of destruction. Her ruthlessness and gift of grudge-holding reminds us of Bergthora. Berthora arranges six killings in revenge while Arya kills for revenge as well. 

Littlefinger

Littlefinger is a character as well in GOT. His clever mind sets feuds and murder into motion through his persuading words and gossip. Mord Valgardsson spreads enough gossip to get Hoskuld Thrainsson killed just as Littlefinger gets Ned Stark executed.

Cersei Lannister

Cersei Lannister is introduced to readers and viewers as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms (the setting in GOT). Her first husband, King Robert Baratheon, was physically abusive to her. While Cersei is not a moral woman to begin with, she was still a victim of domestic abuse. Because of this, and many other plotlines, she murders her husband. This makes us recall Hallgerd and her reasoning for not giving her husband a hair for his bow, eventually leading to extreme bloodshed, all because he hit her. 

Daenerys

Daenerys is another powerful female figure in GOT. She acts as a born leader, survivor, and fighter. She is made to be a protagonist; however, in recent episodes she burns two innocent men alive, despite her advisor’s heeding. She does so irrationally and to demonstrate her power. This relates to the burning at Bergthorshvol because both were unjustifiable actions/events.

A Pop Culture Portrayal of Viking Myth & Saga in Samurai Jack Episode X: Jack and The Lava Monster

"At last, the gates of Valhalla open to me. 

Rise, warrior! Rise! Honorably I must be defeated. 

I cannot let up."

Samurai Jack confronting the Lava Monster; Samurai Jack Episode X: Jack and The Lava Monster, Photo courtesy of www.sidereel.com

For those who don't know Samurai Jack was a Cartoon Network show that aired in the early 2000s that detailed the adventures of a 'foolish' Samurai warrior wielding a magical sword who was sent into the twisted future by a shape shifting master of darkness named Aku. This episode was written by Michael Manley, and directed by Robert Alvarez & Genndy Tartakovsky. In this strange new time ruled by Aku, the Samurai journeys and quests for 6 seasons of action packed adventure to find a way to return to his own time. Throughout the course of the series Jack encounters a variety of different people. A significant amount of the people Jack encounters have a rich cultural background that is rooted in historical and modern cultures. More often then not these people are victims of Aku's evil, treachery, and corruption.
In this particular episode Jack is walking through a desolate land, and through the wind hears a voice carried on the wind calling him. "come." after ignoring the voice for some time the voice begins to overwhelm his curiosity and he follows it until he arrives at the edge of a scorched blackened earth, and in the distance he sees a large mound of rock. He moves through it, and when he arrives he goes through several arduous ideals, overcomes terrifying obstacles, and throughout the gauntlet we are shown the corpses of those who failed to brave the trials. At last Jack arrives on a circular platform surrounded by lava. A giant man of Rock, rubble and molten lava rises from the ground in front of him and says, 
"Welcome to your doom." They clash in battle for a brief moment and Jack, horrified by what he has seen asks, "Many warriors have been lured here to their end.Why have you done this?" and the monster answers him very simply, "My purpose is to battle."
They continue to battle, and the monster expresses joy in having a battle after so long, and it seems that none before have made it through the gauntlet to get to him.  After an equal matched skirmish Jack stops and refuses to battle any longer. He sits down, and the monster begs him to continue. Jack suggests that he just strike him down, but the monster refuses and states that he cannot strike the defenseless, and implores jack to continue fighting. the monster answers him:

"For freedom.

The master of this kingdom of rock is just a man.

A cursed man trapped in a rock body.

It happened long ago.

So long ago now.

'Twas once a time where I, too, was a man.

A mighty warrior like thee."

A flashback ensues as the monster explains how he came to be this way. He explains that Aku threatened his people, and he the leader of his people waged war against him, and instead of striking him down when they were defeated, Aku imprisoned him deep withing the earth, robbing him of joining his companions in Valhalla for all eternity. Overtime he learns to manipulate the rock around him, and formed a body for himself and the kingdom of rock to lure the greatest warriors in the hope that he will be slain in battle and get access to Valhalla.

Jack agrees to fight him, and the battle is great. After a well matched fight Jack defeats him, and the rock is cast away to reveal a handsome looking warrior who matches the stereotypical appearance of a viking. The man ages rapidly before his eyes and falls to the ground. Jack runs to his side, and he asks for his sword, and tells jack not to be sad. The man dies with his sword in his hand the skies part and two giant glowing golden haired Valkyries descend from the sky to carry the warrior away with them to Valhalla. Jack carves a note indicating his freedom in the pillar in which the monster's saga is carved, and continues on his journey leaving behind him a newly green land.

This story has many mythic elements that directly a line with Viking myth and saga. The belief that a warrior must die in battle to be received in Valhalla, the miserable fate that he is cursed to by Aku, the nobility reveals by insisting that he not battle the defenseless, and the saga like magical beckoning that lures Jack to him are all very reminiscent of both viking myth tales like those told in the Poetic Edda, and the overwhelming sense of dread, yet compulsion to destiny that is present in the sagas. Jack is drawn there against his wishes yet he is compelled there by something magical, a destiny of sorts. In this way Samurai Jack tells a tale that represents the myths and sagas of Viking literature in an unique but respectful and accurate way.

Heroism in the Saga of Grettir the Strong

Even though the ideals of heroism are very prevalent throughout human history, how humanity has defined them have not always been the same. A great example of how our definition of heroism has changed through time can be seen in The Saga of Grettir the Strong. Grettir, the main character of the episodic story, is violent, strong, brave, war-like, and has a rage to match Achilles. 

Pretty creepy picture right? I didn't know Grettir looked so much like a murderous Peter Pan. Anyways, I mention Achilles here because the heroes of the Pre-Christian Vikings, like Beowulf, are very similar in their ideologies to the ancient Greek and Roman heroes of myth, like Achilles. Even though the medieval Viking culture and the ancient Greek culture are very different, their definitions of heroism are very similar. Killing, plundering, and honor in battle are all what matters to these iconic figures, and they were hailed as the great heroes of the time. Grettir the Strong fits right in with this crowd, as he is very passionate about fighting and quick to jump into a battle and kill as he pleases. But what is so unique about The Saga of Grettir the Strong is how it frames Grettir in the context of the story. 

This saga is set during the Christianization of Iceland, and as the culture of the Icelanders begins to change, so do their ideals of heroism. The Christianization of the west brought about a new definition of heroism, the same one that is commonly accepted today. Violence, fury, and honor are no longer venerated as they used to be, instead being replaced by ideals of heroism that champion graciousness, kindness, and sacrifice. Grettir, not exactly keen on graciousness, soon finds himself outdated and an outcast from the rest of his society. He is even outlawed for his violence (although, ironically, that incident of violence was an accident) and forced to live in the wild. And, in the end, Grettir is killed by his enemies before his twenty years of outlawry can be served. He lives by the sword and he dies by the sword. In a way, Grettir’s story also tells us the story of the ideals of classical heroism and how it eventually was pushed out of society and died. And it's all thanks to Glaum. 

Grettir and Beowulf; a Comparative Review

           There is a common trend in literature involving heroes; conflicts, resolutions, struggles, triumphs. A hero really isn't a hero unless they've done something heroic. Story tellers have been coming up with different ways of putting characters through trials and issues since the beginning, many having wildly different approaches. One of the most classic examples of a hero's story comes from Beowulf, aka the oldest piece of surviving Old English literature found to date. His astounding deeds and total badassery make for a great hero story; he kills the bad guys, becomes king, gets loot, and dies after killing off a dragon at the very end. Great stuff, all be it a little rudimentary. However, certain key elements to his story point to connections to another hero's tale; the Saga of Grettir the Strong.


            Grettir's Saga takes a much different approach to the "hero" story, and the use of the word "hero" often comes into question throughout. The author of Grettir's Saga took the normal hero role, but makes the "hero" aspect begin to fade and blur as the story progresses, leading to an interesting and more debatable narrative to the main protagonist's actions. Grettir goes through the same elements of heroism as Beowulf does (killing baddies and such), but gets a little carried away in the stereotypical Viking sense, killing a few more in... "highly questionable" acts of "heroism". Overall, the key difference is that at Grettir's peak in strength and regarded heroism, an evil spirit curses him and begins his downfall. His life takes turn after turn for the worse, and at the end of the book, he dies an infamous outlaw.
          Overall, the key difference of the two is by far the approach to the "hero's journey," Grettir the Strong's leaving the reader with the point of "hero" much more debatable than the flatly stated "lived a hero, died a hero," type found in Beowulf. Getting into certain key elements of the story, some very large similarities do begin to arise however, and that has led many to believe that the two may have bridged from one another.
         
          The main corelation between these two stories are the key monsters they fight, Grettir's being the deformed corpse of a spirit possessed shepard (Glam), and Beowulf's being the notorious hulking troll like creature (Grendel). Both heroes come to fight these creatures in a similar way; a town needs help and enlists them to kill the beasts that have been wreaking havoc upon them. And again, both heroes pretend to be asleep and catch the monster off guard, and both even take on the monster unarmed! (Unarmed having a bit more context in Grendel's case, heheheh) Here we see yet more similarities where the monster's both try to escape, but end up being pinned by the heroes grasp. The differences begin to arise here when Beowulf one ups Grettir in straight up ripping Grendel's arm off at the shoulder, Grettir just dropping Glam on the floor exhausted after tackling him out the door. And while Grendel escapes (to just die shortly after), Glam is beheaded by Grettir's sword (which he probably should have used earlier come to think of it).

        The events stemming from this monster slaying also lead to complete polar opposites, a brief and partial connection technically being able to be made immediately afterwards. Grendel's mother comes and seeks revenge for her dead son and leading to more conflict, and Glam puts a curse on Grettir that makes him afraid of the dark, being alone, and also less heroic and strong from that day forth. While Grendel's mother is an issue, Beowulf takes her down too, pushing him to be the king of the Geats, while Grettir's story begins to turn downhill as everything starts to go wrong for him.

      In conclusion, I'd say it's neat that these two heroes wrestled evil monsters in the middle of the night and killed them, but the similarities end there. Both are great stories none the less, and reading Grettir the Strong has certainly made me more appreciative of ancient literature, as I've started even looking into other old stories to read after.