Blog #46 by Andrew Ou
January 13th, 2020
Aim: How did the norse view love, hospitality, and attention to detail?
Today in class we had a presentation on pages 231-265 of Gaiman's Norse Mythology.
Do Now: Have you ever been jealous of somebody else, and if you ever taken any actions against this person? Is taking action justified?
Many people answered the do now by saying that taking action against someone is not justified. They felt that you should not take actions against someone just because of jealously.
After the do now the group presenting began telling summaries of each of the characters involved in their story.
Frigg:
- Queen of Asgard and wife of Odin
- Mother of Balder and Hod
- A sorceress with a mysterious power of prophecy, she is associated with marriage, fertility, motherhood, and love
- Her name is old Norse for "beloved one"
- She is believed to be the origin of "Friday"
- Infamous trickster of Norse Mythology
- Despite living in Asgard and having sworn brotherhood to Odin, Loki is not a good but a Jotun (giant or devourer)
- Mischievous and cunning
- Ability to shape-shift
- Married to Sigyn, with two sons Narfi and Vali
- One of the Aesir gods, second son of Frigg and Odin, most beloved of all gods
- God of Light and Purity, having not only incredible beauty but also being wise, gracious, and fair
- Loyal husband to Nanna
The Death of Balder
- There were forces intent on harming Balder and that he would soon die from a dead seeress
- To ensure Balder's safety Frigg went around the world, having every plant, animal, element, and material pledge they would never harm Balder
- She did not get the pledge from the mistletoe
- Loki plots to kill Balder out of his jealousy
- He crafts a dart out of mistletoe, gives it to Hodr, then throws the dart which pierces Balder's Heart
How is Loki compared to a mistletoe?
A mistletoe is a parasitic plant. Within the gods, Loki is a parasite to them. Since he is a trouble maker and a trickster he causes many problems to the gods; acting like a parasite.
In the stories told in today's lesson there are important lessons to be learned that connects to modern day. One lesson learned is that people will go to extreme lengths to make sure some people don't have what they have. For example, Loki was jealous of Balder and in the end he plotted to kill him. In today's world, a lot of people could be jealous of what someone else has and might plan something that will go to extreme lengths to either get it or make sure that person doesn't have it.
Video Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXPj_XDtrkc
No comments:
Post a Comment