THE VIKING AGE IN THE COMIX!
With the year-end holidays coming up, the time seems appropriate to present articles on inaccurate romantic fantasies featuring guys with horned helmets. Even the most of the diligent efforts to be authentic are still dragged down by the stereotypes of Vikings from popular romantic fantasy. As with the most popular and accurate of the comic versions, Hal Foster’s “Prince Valiant,” full plate armor exists beside the furry breech clouts and horned helmets. In other word, these interpretations should not be even remotely considered documentation.
But they can sometimes be very fun!
Dark Worlds Quarterly, an ezine, mostly devoted to articles about Robert E. Howard and other heroic fantasy by G. W. Thomas. Most are related to pulps and other fiction, but I recently discovered a series on comics.
The Strangest Northerns: Vengean of the Vikings
The Strangest Northerns: Sword of the Vikings
“Prince Valiant” is only fleetingly mentioned, and my second favorite Viking funny book, “The Viking Prince” is not mentioned at all. But Fantagraphics has published reprints of the entire Foster series, going to to the John Cullen Murphy run. And reprints of the 1950s Joe Kubert-drawn episodes of “Viking Prince” has been collected into a hard-cover.
The Jack Kirby-Stan Lee super-hero interpretation of Mighty Thor should not even be mentioned, despite the early “Tales of Asgard” back-up feature where Lee tries to struggle into Snorri Sturlusson’s shoes // //, but it is amusing to see Kirby’s earlier interpretations of Thor in various comic version and compare it to what he came up with later!
ALLITERATIVE VERSE
Alliteration has a bad reputation today. I love alliterative verse and write it with three rules (there are many more, and there are books expounding how to write it). Snorri Sturlusson in his Háttatal gives rules for writing poetry.
My rules:
- A pleasant-sounding meter and stresses.
- Two distinct stanzas, six syllables in the first part and five in the second.
- Three alliterative syllables, at least one in each part of each stanza.
The rules are not strict and may be altered to make the poetry sound better. So sue me 🙂
I write a poem and then edit it to follow the rules. It makes me appreciate the period poets, who did their compositions extemporaneously and never as slowly and as painstakingly as I do (at least if we believe te sagas). I prefer to use words that were used in Old Norse or Old English, and I find the Online Etymological Dictionary very useful // https://www.etymonline.com/ // though there are also a number of print dictionaries available. However, if necessary and if it sounds better, that rule may be broken as well.
I recently wrote a poem to put in a large book. I wanted it to be an alliterative poem dealing with reenacting (which, unfortunately, does not have a period equivalent that pleased me, the word being invented in the eighteenth century, and historical reenactment became popular only much later), and the result satisfied my needs:
To times past I progress / My path does Bragi guide.
So give honor, he calls, / To cousin and kin.
Make certain what you say, / Strict in what you wear,
You stand for all your sort, / They are seen in you.
Know that what you now show / Draws note to them all.
Be true to what truth needs, / To good dress as well.
Lies are cheery and cheap, / And chased out must be.
J, all your pains must please / Or passed by might be.
Look at truths little known / Limning the common.
So dress not for comfort / Dress firstly to teach.
Proof what the public sees / Not the easy or cheap.
Portray men of the past. / Pray you honestly teach.
folo1
The Anglo-Scandinavian Chronicles 