fjorn-wanders:

As much as I love Norse and Viking stuff, I do grow tired of the stereotypes that modern ‘Viking’ culture has built up and reinforced: excessive violence, heavy metal, dark imagery, intolerance, hyper-masculinity, etc, etc…

Sure that stuff lingers around today because certain historical records left them that reputation (which is an entire other point I could ramble on about), but it just feels overdone and limiting sometimes… It’s the primary reason (other than studying them for several years and having a Master’s in History) that I can’t enjoy most modern media inspired by the Vikings. And most people expect me to be more obsessed with Vikings in popular media because I’ve studied them, but I’m just…not. I feel somewhat ostracized because I’m not into that warrior culture that the Vikings have come to embody for most people.

I’m not saying that everyone has to change their ways, because there’s nothing wrong with liking that stuff (unless you’re a racist jerk who uses it to oppress others)…but gods, sometimes I’d like to talk about horns, halls, and adventures without things getting so damn dark and violent. Reading their sagas, the Norse were also into love, summertime, and preventing their bloody feuds from tearing families and lovers apart…we don’t talk enough about that side of things. Why don’t we glorify that stuff, too? Their crafts, stories, and ideals for a better, less violent world? Instead, we just tend to praise and reinforce the ‘hardcore’ bits…

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Tori | 17 This place is one very large gay mess. I made the capitals snapchat once and then I died.