Resources: Skáld's Guides | Norse RP 101

Roleplaying is storytelling. In Scandinavian and Icelandic history, Skálds were court poets and storytellers. They were pretty much the equivalent of bards. This was a very important position, especially before the 1100's when Scandinavia was primarily an oral culture. Histories, tales and poems were passed down from generation to generation with skilled tongues and captivating language. In making these guides I am hoping to answer questions about Norse mythology/culture, provide resources for writing about it and for interacting with the Norse pantheon in RP. I will also be writing about Marvel's use and interpretation of the lore.

To begin, this article will give five golden rules for Norse/Viking Age roleplay. Some of the advice can be applied to all historical roleplay.



It is very easy when telling a story set in an unfamiliar time or place to apply your own modern biases and experiences. But, keep in mind that ancient people did not have the same conveniences or influences as you. There are a lot of misconceptions about medieval society being very insular and simple, but it was just as complex as the world we know now, just in different ways.

It is a good and fun thought exercise to put yourself in your character's shoes.



Norse literature: http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/literature/text/literature.htm
Viking trade and travel: http://www.viking.no/e/travels/etrade.htm

There is a popular anecdote that is very illustrative of the fine line between sarcastic law-abiding and barbarism that was walked by the Norse/Scandinavians.





While Marvel's character designs have taken a few positive steps forward in allowing their Asgardian lady-warriors to wear trousers and protective plate on more parts of their body than their chests, a cursory Google image search for "valkyries" will pull up more harem art, Wagner S&M and other pictures that could easily be airbrushed on the side of a van. Freewomen were very respected in Viking society. They did not have as many rights as the men, but pretty close. I say "freewomen" because there were women taken as slaves and concubines during raids and they were not afforded the same respect or rights until they earned their freedom/paid their debt. Freewomen could own land, run households, manage finances, declare a divorce, file charges for sexual assault. And not just file them. Such accusations were taken very seriously and had punishments ranging from a fine to exile to a gorey death depending on the severity of the contact.

Valkyries were revered, as they were the shieldmaidens who served Odin that would carry you from the battlefield to the afterlife. If you died with honour in battle, you got the privilege of being taken to Valhalla. Tales about them have complex romances, fierce battles and magic. They may fetch mead, but they are still 3-dimensional characters. Skimpy armour is impractical in battle and a waste of resources.

This article is great. It replaces the words "woman" and "women" with "llama" to challenge misconceptions about female warriors and the lazy damsel tropes. Great read.
http://aidanmoher.com/blog/featured-article/2013/05/we-have-always-fought-challenging-the-women-cattle-and-slaves-narrative-by-kameron-hurley/

Equal opportunity raiding: http://www.tor.com/2014/09/02/female-viking-warriors-proof-swords/
List of Valkyries in myth/sagas: https://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/valkyries.html
Women in Viking Society: http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/society/text/women.htm



I will be covering the Gods and Goddesses more in depth later, but they are not a shy bunch. They have influence over every aspect of life. Celestial bodies, animals, hunting, the weather etc. Some meddle more than others in the affairs of humans, especially there's been a proper or forgotten sacrifice.




This could be a whole article on its own, but I will stick to the basics.

Seiðr-shamanic arts, "black" magic, illusions, poison, seances

Names for practitioners:
vǫlva
völva
seiðkona
*seiðmaðr
seið-kona
fjölkunnigr-kona
seiðwitch

*This one is less of a formal title in the lore. It is being reclaimed by modern practitioners, but in Viking Age context, it is a grave insult or accusation and not really seen much. This article: http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/gayvik.shtml and this paper: http://vsnrweb-publications.org.uk/Nid,%20ergi%20and%20Old%20Norse%20moral%20attitudes.pdf goes into more depth, but to be a man who practiced divination, spell craft, magic or anything like that was deemed "ergi", which was a way of saying cowardly, unmanly, passive and giving a lot of other nasty implications. Homosexuality itself was not condemned, but being the one on the bottom could be. If that makes sense. It is a very complex thing that goes back to the first rule and is subject to linguistic debates. Procreation was not a matter of romance, but necessity for a long time in human history and marriage was more about property and alliances than romance. So there were many people who had beards, literally and figuratively. (Haha, pun.) And the pantheon is full of debauchery, but most are willing to "take one for team" to help the community. As I said, it is very complex for such a short post.

Óðinn had the skill which gives great power and which he practiced himself. It is called seiðr, and by means of it he could know the ørlög of men and predict events that had not yet come to pass; and by it he could also inflict bane on men, or loss of soul (hamingja) or waning health, or also take wit or power from some men, and give them to others. But this sorcery is attended by such ergi that manly men considered it shameful to practice it, and so it was taught to priestesses.
-- Ynglingasaga, ch 7

spá-healing magic, amulets, more "reputable" divination that uses foresight and no assistance from spirits

Names for practitioners:
spá-kona
spae-wife
völva

These are practices found in descriptions of both.
Galdr-chanting/singing
Runecraft

http://www.northernshamanism.org/ergi-the-way-of-the-third.html
http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/seidhr.shtml
http://seidh.org/articles/seidh/
http://www.runemaker.com/history3.shtml
http://www.bartleby.com/196/13.html (Weather Control)
http://karitauring.com/what-is-a-volva/
http://www.wyrdwords.vispa.com/heathenry/whatwyrd.html

Raid and shade.

A man's tongue should be as sharp as his sword. Brute strength can fell trees, but won't keep you company during a long, cooped up winter. Insult-battles are a very old tradition that Vikings loved. There's examples in the Hrimgerdamal, Harbardsljod, Lokasenna, Beowulf and so many others. These battles are known as "flytings" and they are like ye olde freestyle battles. They have important places in mythology and politics.

One of the most common suggestions made for RP is "research". I know I mention it a lot, but I would like to add on to it. I would like to suggest research and critical thinking. Research gives you materials to work with. Critical thinking lets you connect them and use them to create something new with insights. This is very important for flytings. Anyone can use an insult generator, or change one or two words from an exchange they read or watched. But being able to make your own creative verses and references is another skill entirely. So, don't just read banters or things directly relevant to your plot idea. Read whatever you can. Your vocabulary will expand and so will your idea bank.

If anyone has a questions about Marvel's Asgardians or the Norse, you can leave them below in the comments, or in the inbox.

Contributed by Loki "Þökk" Laufeyjarson