Cye Zhang, Period 6, 02/06/24

Cye Zhang, Period 6, 02/06/24
Literacy & Learning

Now with more than half the course over with, I have noticed how everything has fallen into place. Each lesson and culture we have covered has seamlessly transitioned into something more significant; In our Greek Mythology unit we read Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes and now at the end of our Norse unit, I am feeling the full circle effect greatly. Haynes rewrites Medusa’s story from a modern perspective, keeping the essential plot while still bringing a breath of fresh air to minor characters by fleshing their character out and shedding light on their perspective of the story. Just a month after finishing the book, we were introduced to the Norse Mythology Project challenging us to do what Haynes had done with Medusa’s story in our teams.

Upon our first read through of “The Mead of Poets,” we were immediately drawn to Gunnlod’s character and story. Similar to Medusa she was also a side character that was brushed over after being taken advantage of and we brought focus to her story, writing her journey of getting vengeance after Odin tricked her and stole the Mead of Poetry. In the original myth, Gunnlod’s only purpose was to guard the mead until she falls in love with Odin, disguised as a handsome giant who then takes the entirety of the mead when she allows him to take a single sip. He sweet talks her with compliments, promising to write songs and poems about her beauty if he could only have a sip of the mead. It seems like Gunnlod’s story ends before it even got the opportunity to start and we wanted to fix that. Writing with feminist critical theory in mind, we allowed Gunnlod to express her rage of being emotionally manipulated and taken advantage of by both Odin and her father as she comes to terms with the fact she was used as a mere pawn.

Using what we have learned about the Norse people, we tailored our story to fit their ideas ultimately shaping the plot in such a way she indirectly triggers Ragnarok. “The Mead of Poets” is the Norse’s way of explaining where creativity for literature and other forms of art come from and this further emphasizes how far from the modern “viking” stereotype Nordic people are, allowing for a better understanding of their history and culture. This idea is further reelected in “Mimir’s Head and Odin’s Eye,” here we see how the Norse value wisdom as much as brutalities. We discussed in class how the violent manner the Nordic people have been perceived is not reflective of their ideals, going on to explore how this is just a result of their environment. The harsh weather, isolation, and lack of resources of the Nordic countries in turn called for the survival of the fittest therefore making violence a necessity.

We can observe that despite this violence the Norse created things such as the Poetic and Prose Etta, the artistic engravings on their weapons, and the depiction of their gods. This is indicative of how despite their circumstances they are more than savage, war-craving giants with long beards and deadly weapons. Many societies throughout history are unfairly characterized based on limited or biased perspectives. The Norse example serves as a reminder that people and cultures often possess a wide range of qualities and values that go beyond stereotypes. Like all cultures, the Norse, too, share a rich cultural and artistic heritage and we should recognize that.