u/JoyIsABitOverRated

I find it so odd, how a setting that bases a lot of its elements of folklore (which the Catholic Church and several other denominations tried to hamper or get rid of) so vehemently insist on the idea that several figures or elements from the Bible are real. God is real (and she's a woman), Jesus was a superpowerful Magi and is a curbstomper in the Umbra, Caine is a vampire, and the list goes on. I'm sorry, how is a religion born very recently in history the pillar of an entire setting? Why are other folkloric/religious figures treated with the same sort of grandiose importance as Christianity?

Freyr and Freya's name translates to "Lord" and "Lady". Doesn't that imply these are titled you use to refer to them? So, if I were to talk formally to Odin, would I have to say "Freyr Odin"?

I know for a fact that Freyr's oldest name is Yngvi. Why wasn't this name more commonly used in the Eddas? And if that's Freyr's "real' name, what is Freya's? Supposing she's not a syncretic mutation of Frigga.

I once remembered the original creator of GoW or one of the writers saying that the original plan of the series was to open other series based on different mythologies with characters going on a similar path as Kratos. So that made me think...

If Kratos wasn't the main protagonist of the Norse games, who do you think would've fit the bill instead?

With my knowledge of mythology, literature and syncretism... I think a good candidate would've been Beowulf. And my only argument for him is that his own story is uniquely Christian and it opens with the narrator stating the Old Gods aren't doing anything to help the characters. If you want a Norse character going against the Norse Gods, Beowulf is the way to go.

But chances are, it would've been someone from the Volsunga saga, bad luck and bad omens from gods are their bread and butter.

Currently working on an "alternative" take on Norse Myth for a TTRPG project I have. Had it fused to some aspects of later European folklore, some Celtic mythologies and cycles, and a bit of both Slavic/Wendish/Kievan Rus myth. Usually tried to tie it to cultures that were adjacent to Scandinavian/European ones. I also used archeological evidence and finds to polish some details regarding the world and the gods. That includes lore/characters not even mentioned in the Eddas.

I also tried to aim to have at least Nine "main" pantheons of Gods, because of the sacredness of the number nine. So you can imagine I have the Aesir, the Vanir, and some other gods from neighbouring cultures.

Also completely refurbished the Nine Realms. Since we don't have a list of them, I can do as I please with them. There's a lot of overlapping possible with what I got.

Anyway, if you guys have any ideas of similar mythologies I could incorporate, I'd be happy to hear! My research is getting very tedious.

While I was overall satisfied and entertained by the episode, I felt as though the introduction of the werewolves was sort of rushed. Sure, they presented a lot of information fast and it's all "pause it or else miss it" levels of subtle expositions that require you dissect the animation on 4k just to catch the crucial details. But still; I think they could've gone with another Audiolog BEFORE Episode 6.

Matilda has a way different aspect of her personality showcased here that would make you think she's a different character now.

Stig is a stranger to anyone who didn't read the original W:TA Splatbooks.

All I know now about Jambles is that he's a gambling addict.

And the Caern's spirit is a Pike who for some reason is on it with the gambling.

And Susu is a character who probably exists.

Also, Marckus sounds like he just left the Arcanum and barely had time to process what happened between him being dragged into the Umbra and into the cave. He seems oddly stable to crack jokes and caustic remarks at the wolves who are screaming at him.

I feel like if we've had an audiolog that explained what happened to Marckus between Episode 5 and 6. We could've been introduced to the wolves and why are they doing any of this. Maybe even have a scene of Marckus pointing out that Wernon was an advocate for Werewolves.

I've always been curious as to what could be the reason you're required to evacuate any of the rides. Sometimes it looks like they're working just fine so I'm not always sure what the fuss is about. It's probably very technical I assume but, is there any insight regarding that?

I was curious about any of the attractions, so if you happen to know why one specific ride shuts down, I'd be all ears.

I'm really getting into old languages and linguistics, but one thing that bugs me out is how are we sure that people back in the day didn't do spelling errors? Especially for languages like Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Latin, Old Norse or any other language of the sort? Especially if the sources are sparse?

Norse Myth is one of those great works that I find profoundly interesting because of how much we have to work with, and how much you can extrapolate from the linguistics, the traditions of the Norse and their habits, and the names of places and epithets of characters. It kind of opens up doors to lesser known characters and deities that people don't necessarily talk about.

To me, it's characters like Ullr or the "Mightest Aesir" mentioned exactly once in a stanza. I find them interesting, the two in different ways, because of how little we know about them. We can only speculate or work with what we know of them.

Do you guys have any favourites like that? Or lesser known details about the gods?

I'm not really trying to bait or just make a pity out of me. I'm just not feeling well and not really in the right mood to read the type of fantasy I usually read. Does anyone have recommendations that could cheer me up, or give me a new outlook on life?

After going through the first three Conan novels as part of my Howardian enrichment routine, I was thinking of drawing him. And from what I know of the character, and how he's always been depicted I realised...

Well, Conan is a celt. Or a proto-celt. And in every single depiction of him, he hardly ever looks like one. At best he looks like a strange amalgamation of Greek and Phoenician, or he is Norse-Ish. His clothes (or lack thereof), his equipment, fashion... Nothing really rings Celt to me! Everybody just took Frazetta's art for granted and ran with it. Even if his art is iconic and great, even he himself admitted that he never read any Conan novels.

So, if I were to make art of Conan— how should we do it from now on? How does he dress? What does he really look like? What weapons should he use?

I've found those very interesting videos on linguistics which discuss how some historical figures would've sounded like if they learned modern English. So they go deep into the details, the phonetics and the subtleties of *their* language before tackling what they would legit sound like. This usually covers difficulty to speak certain sounds, misnomers, or even verbal ticks. Like the sort of mistakes they'd make trying to translate their language in a literal manner into English.

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So far they've mostly tackled Old English figures or Roman emperors. Not sure if they'll do Old Norse people eventually. But I wonder, if a Jarl or a viking were to attempt to speak English, what would they sound like? What sorts of grammatical or orthographic mistakes would they do? With what sounds would they struggle the most?

The question might sound weird, but this is something that fascinates me. Today, our idea of what a god is has been largely influenced by the major monotheistic religions of today and the cultures they've shaped, with some slight Asian influences here and there. You know, Omnipotent, omniscient, sovereign, immutable, Yadda Yadda.

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However, that description doesn't really apply to the Greek gods of myth. No? Some of them get caught in fishing nets, some humans can be more talented than them, some can even get hurt! Others were nymphs on Tuesdays and goddesses on Fridays.

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So, what I'm asking is; how did the Ancient Greeks define godhood? What was a god? How did the idea of divinity change over time?

As a heads up, I am not a Neo-Pagan. I am not interested in promoting ideas related to it, or to get gotcha-moments against Christians, be they modern or historical. Neither am I a Christian trying to "own" the pagans by reminding them that the Norse converted.

What I am interested in is the discussion as to *why* people converted in the first place. And more specifically; what could've made Norse religion more if not just as appealing as Christianity at the time? As in, what did it need to garner more support from local kings and chieftains?

I've been told that most Norse people didn't really complain about changing gods— some historians even talk about a crisis of faith among the pagans. But other times, I hear that some pagan traditions lasted til way after the Iron Age.

But also, I'm writing a novel which focuses on characters converting to a new religion. I'd love to know what would've made this choice more Cornelian if it was an historical setting.