Nangijala

joined 2 weeks ago
[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 4 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago) (1 children)

Had to look it up as I don't really play video games. Based purely on the designs I saw of Odin and Thor, I'm not particularly thrilled about that one either. Maybe the games themselves are super faithful to Norse mythology and the designs are just an oopsie. I dunno.

Generally it seems like Americans interpret Norse Mythology in a very materialistic way. It is always to polished and over the top when they depict Norse gods. To most Scandinavians, Norse mythology and folklore too, is completely and utterly intertwined with nature. It is gnarled, ugly and brutal as well as delicate, beautiful and poetic.

Odin can be a bombastic god adorned in armor and riding Sleipner into battle, sure. But most depictions of him in Scandinavia is the unassuming cloaked stranger with the staff and the hat or hood.

And that is kind of how most gods and jotuns are for us. Everyday people with everyday problems that are just a bit more extraordinary than ours. It is easier to relate to and it is more authentic. I haven't yet seen an American depiction of Norse mythology or culture that isn't just complete and utter nonsense that only cares about looking cool. I think one of the best depictions of Norse mythology, culture and folklore are the ones done by Erik Hjorth Nielsen. That man gets it. Probably because it is his culture too.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 2 points 10 hours ago

It has its moments for sure. I still don't know what mythology is more crazy, Norse or Greek. Probably Greek.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 1 points 13 hours ago

In Danish cancer is "kræft" while crab is "krabbe" so kræftedme refers to getting eaten by the sickness. Could potentially also refer to strength as kræft/kraft also refer to physical strength, but I'm pretty sure it refers to the sickness.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 8 points 16 hours ago

I get a similar tick when some people claim that The Little Mermaid takes place in Denmark because it was written by HC Andersen. No, it literally doesn't. We don't have palm trees and mountains like the ones in the movie. And even in the original fairytale from the 1800s, it is very heavily implied that the prince lives in a fairytale country that borrows from the Mediterranean, Middle East and India. Even in the original illustrations for the story, there are palm trees and a arab looking palace in the background of one of the illustrations.

HC wanted to put the reader in the mermaids place. Give them the same longing for another world that she had. If he had set thr story in Copenhagen it wouldn't have captured the imagination of 1800s Dane the same way. He managed to make these gorgeous descriptions of the strange and beautiful country the prince is from. There is a reason why Edmund Dulac designed the prince the way he did in his illustration work for the story in the early 1900s.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 26 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago) (10 children)

As a Dane, I have had many a non Scandinavian try and educate me on Norse mythology too and their knowledge is based on those godawful Marvel movies and comics.

They usually get very confused when they learn that Thor and Loki aren't brothers. That Loki and Odin are the ones who are blood brothers. It's like it doesn't compute in their heads. And for those who don't know, blood brothers in old scandinavian culture was two men slicing their hands and clasping their wounded hands together to mix blood. That was a way to forge an alliance and an oath of loyalty as strong as if you came out of the same womb. I'm pretty sure it was still practiced in more recent times as well. Probably died out when AIDS became the big scary thing, but I dunno. I just have vague memories of older people telling me about doing the blood oath when they were young.

In any case, it is just super fun to have your culture reduced to a cringe American comic book where Thor looks nothing like Thor and Valhalla looks like ass and literally none of the gods look right according to their descriptions in mythology. Couldn't even give Sif her golden hair, could they?

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 1 points 1 day ago

Maybe some of the people who move away from the US are also doing their part to help their country in ways you haven't thought of? They can still advocate for their values and beliefs even of they don't live in the country. You have a very limited scope on what people are doing and not doing in this situation. You might benefit from calming your ego a little bit and consider that your way isn't the only way to combat a facistic leader.

It's good that you try and do your part, I just dislike your superiority complex about it and how you blindly judge anyone who reacts differently than what you deem the right way to handle the situation.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 2 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I'm sure you will be in the front of the resistance and put action to your words.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 4 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Those who flee when things get bad are also going somewhere for a better life.

And my example of applying your logic still fits as many people who come to the US have fled countries that were going to shit.

Are you going to say that for example every Philippino who has moved away for a better life because the Philippines is pretty shite to live in if your aren't rich - are cowards?

You can think what I'm saying is annoying all you want, but you cannot just make a blanket statement for people who are leaving the US and calling them cowards without applying that logic to other people in other countries who have done the same. And I think most of us would get a bad taste in our mouths if we started saying that Philippinos are cowards for leaving their country instead of staying and fixing their country. It's not that simple. Especially not for those groups in society who are being persecuted.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 6 points 2 days ago (8 children)

I don't think that. I'm just applying your logic to the reality of the United States being a nation of immigrants who aren't native to the land they inhabit. Therefore it is a nation built by cowards. People still migrate to the US today, btw. And they marry the descendants of the cowards so the cowardly traits will never die out there.

Or maybe, just maybe, people who migrate to another country are just looking for ways to live a free and happy life? Maybe those to move some place else have better opportunities somewhere else and they prefer to live in peace with their family rather than being potentially thrown in concentration camps or killed by their government. It is so easy to sit there and say that people who move away from an area are cowards. Just like it is easy for me to make the conclusion that all of US is cowardly because all of them (except the natives) either migrated there or descend from generation upon generation of migrants. You are correct in objecting to that conclusion and calling it strange because that is indeed a strange thing to conclude. Just like it is strange of you to conclude that those who move away from the US currently are cowards. It is strange and a downright foolish statement to make.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 13 points 2 days ago (10 children)

It's relevant because if we go by your logic, then the entire country of USA is made by and for cowards since all of them, except for the native Americans, are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Ergo, the United States is inherently cowardly.

[–] Nangijala@feddit.dk 2 points 2 days ago

Those two heils were his most risky investment yet lol

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