Settling the Score with Blades and Bears
The people of the old Norse society (Vikings) are often thought of as being wild, reckless, and lawless. To the contrary old Nordic society had many rules for preventing and punishing wrong doings among the citizens. Killing someone during the day wasn't murder, telling someone who had killed your family member or service was justice, and taking advantage of someone who was on a mission for the king was punishable by death. The man had to earn and maintain his honor. To blight one’s honor by breaking the social contracts placed on all men was as shameful as losing in battle. Whether it was to amend a wrong that had been committed or repaying one for a gift they had given, completing a social
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They traveled the world conquering lands and slaughtering villages in order to gain wealth and supplies. Therefore, it is not so unreasonable to think that they solved most of their problems and offenses during combat. “Thorstein the Staff-Struck” is a prime example of how men were expected it to literally fight for their reputation. In the story, the first time Thorstein kills a man it is because he has been humiliated and the culprit, Thord, did not even have the decency to own up to it. Thorstein had not committed a murder so much as he had stolen a laborer from Thord’s master, Bjarni. In this situation Thorstein has offended Bjarni while seeking compensation for an offense done to him. In accordance with Nordic traditions, Thorstein now owes a debt to Bjarni; it is not until he kills two more of Bjarni’s men that Bjarni finally takes action. Bjarni has no wish to hurt Thorstein for he knew that Thorstein had good reasons for killing his men, but Bjarni has no choice and he must take from Thorstein what he is due. In the end, Thorstein agrees to work for Bjarni to make up for the labor that was …show more content…
Audun was a humble farmworker who saw it fit to purchase a polar bear and presented as a gift to King Svein of Denmark during his pilgrimage to Rome. Though the bear was expensive it proved to be a worthy investment. Old Nordic kings enjoyed receiving gifts so much that they would bestow great honors and riches upon those responsible. Ritually rewarding people built up the kings’ reputation and proved how wealthy they were. After presenting the King of Denmark with a polar bear Audun was granted not only transportation and supplies for his pilgrimage but was also made a royal guest and cup bearer. Even after such an honor Audun was still provided with transportation back to Norway and the King’s own bracelet to prove that he had done King Svein a great service. The King of Denmark had finally repaid Audun for the bear once he had done
The most important aspect of the chivalric code is honor. Without honor a man is
In The Saga of the Volsungs, a paradoxical notion of the value of life emerges from almost every action that the characters perform. One’s corporeal death is almost of no concern in the sometimes harsh and cruel society of the saga. The importance of honor over almost anything else can explain many of the seemingly contradictory and nonsensical actions of characters in the saga. This obsession with honor constitutes the basis for an honor society—a culture where pain, death, and other earthly concerns fall short in significance to one’s good name and honor. Many of the actions inspired by this fixation with honor seem foolish, but considered within the context of how the culture in the saga views reputations and honor make perfect sense.
...process to maintain honor then it would not be a major determinate on that person character and family. The preservation of honor is similar to recent corruption scandals in Providence, Rhode Island. The mayor of Providence Buddy Cianci focused and pursued his life on the attainment of power in the city. He cheated and lied his way through the office as governor doing anything he could to remain in power. Like in the pursuit of honor he made many business relationships and also fired anyone who would ruin his chances at remaining in office. Similarly to what happens in the pursuit of honor he devoted his entire life to his campaign. His struggle for power in Providence is similar to the way Garcia-Marquez shows complexity involved in the pursuit of honor.
The central idea is that man is responsible for defining his own sense of honor. A clear choice between right and wrong does not always exist. The safest decision is not always the easiest to live with. What Dubus seems to be commenting on is the transformation of man as he grows older. At an older age, you learn to accept things you cannot change.
?What is left when honor is lost?? Publilius Syrus' quote, though dating from 100 B.C., still seems pertinent to our era (Quotations). Many people still feel that once integrity is lost they are nothing and many are willing to stand up to keep their integrity. Without integrity, we are nothing. During the time that Arthur Miller wrote his most famous play, The Crucible, innocent men and women are accused of having Communist leanings. Their whole lives are ruined in a short amount of time because they refuse to compromise themselves by selling out their friends. Miller tries to make a statement about these unfair trials by comparing them to the Salem witch-hunts and trials of 1692. The main protagonist of his play is a man named John Proctor who is accused of witchcraft but stands up to maintain his name and his honor, even though he is hanged for it. During the H.U.A.C. trials some took stands for their beliefs with the knowledge of possibly being shunned by society. Knowing this, instead of taking the cowards' way and giving the names of their friends, they refuse to tell the committee anything in the same way that John Proctor stands up against a court that is ruining the lives of innocent people.
In his translation of The Saga of the Volsungs: the Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, Jesse L. Byock compiles many versions of this famous Norse epic and creates a very important scholarly work. Of special importance is the introduction, which provides a central working background to base readings upon. There are several themes echoed throughout the translation that reflect accurately on this portion of history. Byock does a superb job of illustrating these important aspects in his work. While the tale Byock tells is a fairy-tale handed down by generations of families, within the reader can find tell-tale signs of important aspects of Norse culture. For instance, important aspects of family life and the role of men and women surface. Likewise, the importance of wealth and material possessions on the power and prestige of a king is also evident.
In the warrior society, there are two forms of retribution, quiet vengeance and the wergild or the "man price" (Norton, 23.). A killer is responsible for paying for the death of a warrior, by paying a member of his family: "Each rank of society is evaluated at a definite price, which has to be paid to the dead man's kinsmen by the killer who wishes to avoid their vengeance - even if the killing has been accidental." (Norton, 23.)
The Danish people always had struggles, but they were always loyal to their great nation. They showed their loyalty by declaring to save their beloved king, by having resistance meetings, and by saving the Jews from being relocated. In the book the families have to work together to save their fellow citizens and save the great country of Denmark.
After, Hrothgar became king of the Danes, their kingdom enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. Hrothgar had a mead-hall, Heorot, constructed as a monument to the kingdom’s success, there the men gather with their lord to drink. But one night, a demon, Grendel, descends upon the hall and slaughters the men inside because of their celebrations,
Two human relationships were deeply significant to the Germanic society. The most important, the relationship between the warrior and his lord was based on a common trust and respect. The warrior vows loyalty to his lord and serves and defends him and in turn the lord takes care of the warrior and rewards him lavishly for his valour. The second human relationship was between kinsmen. As Baker and Ogilvy suggest, a special form of loyalty was involved in the blood feud. (P.107) If one of his kinsmen had been slain, a man had an ethical obligation either to kill the slayer or to exact the payment of wergild in compensation. The price was determined upon the rank or social status of the victim...
"So,” begins poem. “The Spear-Danes in days gone by/ and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness./ We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns” (1-3). What follows is a brief history lesson, the story of “Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,/ a ...
154, 956). This indicates two main points. Firstly, it speaks to the dangers of a conventional wisdom that is unwise in so far as it lacks the ability to sort out its own contradictions and to truly consider how the relationship between conventional laws and justice is a very complex relationship that needs to be articulated and sorted out for all its contradictions. Secondly, it points to the emergence of a discourse of hazardous individualism that emerges largely as a direct consequence of a collectivized political virtue that emphasizes the importance of restrain and justice, yet is unable to show the benefits the individual may incur from such virtues. Perhaps, this second point is made better evident towards the latter end of the interchange between the speeches. Consider, for example, how the unjust speech is able to promise those who follow its teachings positive and immediate pleasures, namely “boys, women, wine, relishes…” (p. 156, line 1001). Now consider how the just speech, speaking two lines before, simply celebrates the “ancient education” for the ways in which it “pitches [the singing of the sons] to the harmony of the fathers” and for “beating and trashing” those who seek to make any “modulations” (p. 154, lines 967-970). Finally, all the just speech is able to promise those
...pics we can get at least a partial picture of how the ancient civilizations regarded the concept of honour and come to a few conclusions about what it is and how it functions. At times it seems like a commodity that is traded around, and it is certainly attached to material goods. One’s birth and fate, and more importantly how they act and what they do with their fate, adds to one’s honour, but it is most important to be courageous and show excellence through great deeds, especially military victory.
In Stephen L Carter's "The Insufficiency of Honesty", he attempts to dissect exactly what it means to be honest and to have integrity in the worlds view. We soon realize as a reader that it takes a greater deal of effort to participate in
The Norsemen were feared for hundreds of years. They came from Scandinavia and raided both the known and unknown world. They were great warriors, raiders, shipbuilders and leaders. The Norsemen were pagan, their obedience to the gods and their leader Odin. Religion was an important part of their life and death. In life, the Vikings strived for is Valhalla (the great mead hall of the gods and fallen warriors) in Asgard. Only the most honorable warriors, who dies in battle or if executed by the way of blood eagle (the victims will be on his knees and held up by two hooks and they take an ax to his back to break away the ribs, then take his lungs and place them on his shoulders) without making a sound, will go to Valhalla. Their social behavior was based on an unwritten system of honor or code of ethics. Their moral code was determined by the gods but rather honor. Honor went a long way in Viking culture, it was the most defining attribute a man could have. A man of honor was a principled man, he gave moderation, was generous and hospitable, he would offer a helping hand to a friend in need. This included allying himself with his friends against his friend’s enemies. A man of honor also never forgot to be a foe to his enemy. A Viking never wanted to be a man of disgrace. This is the opposite of a man of honor, and because every man lived his life as a member of an extended family-circle, he could easily bring disgrace to his entire family - including his forefathers. Therefore, it was intolerable for a free man to live in such a fallen state. If he was disgraced, he could only restore balance in his social system by confronting the source of his fall from an honorable status. Thus, revenge was a key component of this social system, ...