1/10/20 Nicholas Russo PD1

Nicholas Russo Pd 1 Blog#3 Do Now: What are some other representations of sacrifice in other mythologies? Frey: Brother of Freya, god of virility, prosperity, and fair weather Frey (also written as Freyr) is one of the Vanir gods Frey bestows peace and pleasure for mortals Described by old poems as the god with the best reputation among mortals Will die fighting Surtr in the events of Ragnarok due to the lack of a weapon Story Of Gerd and Frey: Frey owned a lot of valuable possessions, but to him, he could care less about them He went to Odin’s hall and sat at the Hlidskjalf, the observation point, and looked out across the worlds When he looked North, he found what he was missing in his life He went home and to his room without eating, drinking, or sleeping Skirnir asks him what has happened and Frey tells him about Gerd Frey asks Skirnir to go to Gerd and ask for her hand in marriage for him Skirnir requests the sword as payment for his duty Skirnir met Gerd and told her about Frey Was it reasonable for Frey to give up his sword in exchange for his marriage with Gerd? No because it causes him and many others to die in Ragnarok. Why did Gerd make Frey wait for nine days? Nine is a very important number in Norse mythology and she needed to make sure he wanted her enough to wait nine days. Hymir and Thor’s Fishing Expedition: Thor wants the giant, Aegir, to host a feast for the gods Aegir says that he would host the feast if they could retrieve a cauldron big enough to brew ale for all of the gods Thor asks Tyr about a cauldron big enough to fit their desires and he mentions his stepfather’s, Hymir, cauldron They travel to Hymir’s home and Thor consumes the food that was meant to last them for several days Thor suggests that him and Hymir go fishing for tomorrow’s dinner Hymir agrees and the next day, he and Thor go fishing Thor rows to an area where Jörmungandr lives. Thor manages to tire and almost defeat Jörmungandr, but Hymir cuts the fishing line Returning home, Hymir tells Thor he would only give up the cauldron if Thor could break his favorite mug Upon failing, he is told that Hymir has a hard head and puts that to the test Successfully shattering the mug, Thor and Tyr bring back the cauldron and are able to feast Is it okay to use deception as a means to the ends? Yes it is as long as it doesn't leave an everlasting effect of pain on those involved Lessons Learned: In life there are times when you must sacrifice something whether for personal gain or the greater good You never know the true value of something until you no longer have it What did I learn? That Norse myths all contain a theme of deception and greed, whether that greed be through bloodlust or through monetary gain, or even the need for a feast in THor’s case Why did I learn it? I learned it to help me understand how deceit can make or break how we think of a person. Learning about sacrifice helped me to understand that sometimes you need to think about others like how Frey should have thought more carefully about giving away his sword. How will I use what I learned? I will use it by understanding literature with a new scope as it attempts to tell me more lessons. I will also use what I have learned to shift how i see sacrifice, for now I know it isn't an absolute must have.