Posted on 05/02/2014 5:29:10 PM PDT by Hugin
according to the Icelandic sagas
Every few years I re-read the Icelandic sagas in translation. This time, I kept a notepad handy and jotted down the more interesting nicknames. Here are a few of them. For those unfamiliar with the sagas, I should mention that they were regarded by the 12th- and 13th-century Icelanders for whom they were written as essentially factual works, albeit with some literary embellishments. In other words, the following names all belonged to ostensibly historical figures.
(Excerpt) Read more at vianegativa.us ...
Eysteinn Fart?
No way.
Ragnar Shaggy-Breeches and his posse did well, and he now holds The Sword of Kings.
Friegard The Herring Fondler
Dang, I love that show - I am going to miss it greatly, so any and all Viking games of this nature are duly appreciated ;)
Bump for Per the Plunderer
I love it!
I gave my lovely wife a Viking name.
Her name is Kitteh.
Thorstein Cod-Biter wins for me. Good ol’ Thorstein.
Great ending! But we have to wait until 2015!!!!
Very interesting. I did not realize that John Kerry had Viking ancestry. His ancestor’s name was not passed down to Kerry, but at least one of his physical attributes was:
Kerry’s Viking ancestor was named Thorir Long-Chin.
Real one: Ivar the Boneless.
Hagar the Horrible.
Not that the playing isn't very good and flashy at times, because it is, but this is a song-based album whose first three tracks all received significant. "Journey of the Longships" is the band's signature song and it still sounds great, and on a personal note it will always bring me back to my first real kiss because this song was playing in the background when I made a move on Gertrude, but that's another story altogether. Regardless, it's a damn good song, with strong riffs and vocals from Hymling (the band's primary songwriter along with Seinngut, who also supplies backing vocals which are a band strength as well), a memorably singable pop chorus, and suitably dramatic power ballad-y verses.
With famous keyboards a la Europe's "The Final Countdown" and airy harmonies, "Forests of Greenland" is another winner, and "Dream Worlds of Tolkien" is another easily singable, dramatic, and musician-ly tune. Aside from "Here Comes That Nordic Feeling," which was also released as a single but was less successful (though to my ears this catchy tune could've easily been another big hit), the rest of the songs aren't quite as memorable, but the majority of them are also good, even if the album on the whole suffers from a dated 1100s sound (particularly Seingutt's keyboards which also have their moments and which help provide the album with its symphonic sense of grandeur) and a cheese factor that can be rather high.
So call this overly slick album a "guilty pleasure" if you must, I won't deny that I enjoy listening to it even if it immediately puts me smack back in 1182, and I wish that the original group had stayed together longer, as this first album would be as good as it would get for The Kjars, both from a commercial and an artistic standpoint.
Check out the soaring guitar solos on "One Fathom Closer" and Grtettir's booming drums on "Wildest Viking Dames," to mention but two standout performances. But they all shine at various times on most of these tracks, and though perhaps the album might be a bit off putting to those expecting something more prog-rock, a perception that's only reinforced by the colorful Thor Bjork album cover, this direction wasn't all that different than what other progsters such as Genesis, King Crimson, and Yes (who the next millenium would have their biggest hit ever with the equally commercial 90125) were doing at the time. Bottom line is, though this album has its faults, for what it is, which is AOR pop rock with a dash of prog, it's quite good.
Adrian Peterson?
I can’t wait for the snakes.
:D
Question....were they nick names or real names?
well, everyone needs a hobby i guess.....
OK- Anyone remember this:
“You’re Thor”!? I’m tho thore I can hardly pith!”
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