[ SECRET POST #2660 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2660 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 048 secrets from Secret Submission Post #380.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

08. http://i.imgur.com/TU1PIui.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

Why?

OP

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know! It just...bugs me. I think it's probably the way some people feel when a movie is based off of a book, but a bunch of people don't know and just think the screenwriter made it up out of whole cloth. Or the way an historian feels when a movie gets things totally wrong, but everyone around them seems to think that it's completely accurate.

[iceyred]

Look at it this way: the series introduces people to the saga. It's a gateway to Viking myths and legends. You can use it to get people excited.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, that's probably the best/more reasonable response. I have mentioned it to some people and it's seemed to pique their interest, so yay for that!

[(Anonymous)]

you mean when people think it's actual history, or when they think it's being made up by Michael Hirst alone?

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Both!

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Most people aren't into reading stuff like that, so I guess it's to be expected. A pity, really -- there's some amazing stories to be had; my personal favorite is the one about Gunnlaug and Hrafn. Do you have a favorite, OP (or anyone else!)?

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, it really shouldn't surprise me, but it still hits this weird "OH NOES" button for me.

I really enjoy The Sage of Burnt Njal. I actually haven't read the one you're referencing; I'll have to check it out!

Re: OP

[(Anonymous)]

SA

*Saga, not Sage. D'oh.

Re: OP

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

I totally understand. I've gotten so jaded when it comes to stuff like this, but there are certain things that will set me aflame (Disney's version of The Jungle Book, for example).

Oh yes, that's a great one! I'm excited that you haven't read about Gunnlaug and Hrafn yet -- I really hope you'll like it! I've only read it in Swedish but I googled it real fast and it seems like it's known as Saga Of Gunnlaugr Serpent-Tongue in English.

[(Anonymous)]

Not OP, but for people who might hesitate to get into a story as long and dense as Njal, I think The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's-Godi encapsulates a lot of saga themes in small compass.

[sootyowl]

Tbh, I don't think a lot of people know Viking sagas/myths/lore. Most people still believe Vikings wore horn hats.

[crunchysunrises]

I'd wear a horn hat...

OP

[(Anonymous)]

I want to say something to you because I've replied to everyone else and I don't want to leave you out but I don't know what to say, ha.

So, I will just say that...yes. You are right. There is not much knowledge.

And oh, the horn hats. Damn you, Wagner (...or the costumers for his operas, as it were). Damn you.

same here OP

[tyger66]

My mom kept asking me why I was upset when Aslaug showed up, and I was like "I KNOW HOW THIS ENDS FOR LAGERTHA AUGHH"

I always get irrationally angry when people don't know that something is based on something else. It's one thing to not read the book, it's a completely different thing to not know the book exists. Ugh.

Re: same here OP

[(Anonymous)]

Seeing as Ragnar had 3 wives in the legend, I wonder if the show will go that route...

OP

[(Anonymous)]

Yay! High five, fellow irrationally angry person! :D

(If only we didn't have a reason to be irrationally angry... :( )

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know, I get the same kick out of people not knowing what's coming in Vikings as I do with people who haven't read the ASOIAF books not knowing what's gonna happen in Game of Thrones. Like knowing exactly what was going to happen to Aella the moment he was introduced.

I can understand your frustration, though, just because the Icelandic sagas are so cool, and I wish more people had read them, but like another anon said, maybe the show will interest people in reading them.

Sometimes I hope that writers and show runners might latch on to some of the other sagas since they really deserve to be re-told. Then I remember the Beowulf movie and figure it's better they remain obscure.

That said, Orkneyinga Saga would make one hell of a mini-series.

[(Anonymous)]

Not OP, but I think the main difference is that no one thinks Game of Thrones is actual-facts history (I hope. No one can actually be that stupid, right?), which isn't the case for Vikings - I've heard multiple people insist that since it's shown on the History channel, it must be historical fact. And even those who do know Vikings isn't based on factual historical accounts don't necessarily know it's from the sagas, whereas most casual GoT fans are at least aware that there are books.

Not all, though. Working in a bookstore has left me without hope that there will ever be a series for which someone, somewhere doesn't assume the books inspiring it are tie-ins.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

It's so strange, because my reaction to people not knowing what's coming always seems to be, "you could know!" In contrast, when it comes to screen adaptations of books that I've read, I feel similar to you: it's fun to watch people react to events that I already knew were coming. Perhaps it has something to do with what the other anon who replied to you mentioned, with the fact that people are taking this show as gospel historical truth.

Otherwise. You know, as wonky as the Beowulf movie was, perhaps this show will set a precedent for how it should be done? I would love for other sagas to make it to the screen, myself, and I...still want to hold out hope that they would turn out all right, heh.

Really late but I have a question.

[colonel_panic]

Where do I find these sagas? I knew the show was based on one but I've never seen them in my local bookstore and I doubt that my local library would have them.

I'm a big fan of the show and I would like to learn more about Viking lore. Would my best bet be a used bookstore or something along those lines? Also, what would you recommend for someone who is just "sticking their toe in the water" so to speak?

Re: Really late but I have a question.

[(Anonymous)]

This website has a lot of sagas translated into English http://northvegr.org/
If you want actual books, then amazon is usually the safest bet.

OP

[(Anonymous)]

A lot of the time, you do have to buy online if you want to own them (like the other anon said, Amazon has quite a bit available). But there's quite a bit of stuff that's been posted online, too.

An anon upthread mentioned "The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi" as a good starting point, and I'm inclined to agree. It's short and sweet and a good introduction to the way sagas "work." There's a translation online here: http://sagadb.org/hrafnkels_saga_freysgoda.en

The Poetic Edda is always a good bet, and the website other anon posted has a few translations up. If you ever decide to buy, Holland is very good if you're looking for a flowery, as-close-as-possible-to-old-poetic-forms translation; Larrington is good if you're looking for the easiest-to-read translation.

There's also the Saga of the Volsungs, which is what Wagner's Ring Cycle was based off of, and which takes place before Ragnar's Saga. It's a good one to read early because there are so many aspects of it that have influenced our own culture (you'll recognize some themes that show up in the Hobbit and LotR, for example), and Aslaug does mention in the show that Sigurd and Brynhild are her parents. That's here:
http://sacred-texts.com/neu/vlsng/index.htm

And then, of course...here's Ragnar's Saga :D :
http://www.turbidwater.com/portfolio/downloads/RagnarsSaga.pdf

[(Anonymous)]

You might want to play Crusader Kings II sometime. In "The Old Gods" expansion, you get to play Bjorn Ironside, Hvitserk, Sigurdr Snake-in-the-Eye, Ubbe, etc., as characters with their own countries. Ragnar Lodbrok even gets a shout-out.