1/7/20 Diego Coello PD 7

1/8/20 :)

Diego Coello    Period 7

Group 3 (Apple Friggers) Norse Mythology Presentation 

Gaiman’s Norse Mythology Pages 127-151

Aim: What can we learn from studying Norse Mythology?

Do Now: Has the purpose of poetry changed from the past compared to now? Prepare to share out.

Hello! I am in Group 6 (Valhallelujah) and we talked about poetry in the past usually being center around storytelling, most commonly to preserve culture for future generations. In the modern-day, we said even though poetry still tells stories, it is more used for entertainment. Mrs. Fusaro entered our conversation and said that poetry is more popular today in the form of music, which indicated how large of an impact it has since mostly everyone listens to some type of music.

The discussion was opened to the class and Allan was the first to add. He described poetry as a tool of expression used in the past, a “way to share emotions”. Many different types of messages are conveyed through the use of poetry.

Billy took the conch and said that in the past, poetry was used to tell stories and agreed with Allan’s view of poetry being a form of expression.

Steven mentioned poetry’s use for “cultural self-preservation” and how in the modern-day, this has poetry’s purpose has shifted more towards individual expression.

“I disagree,” said Kelly, and she took us back to the beginning of the semester when Mrs. Fusaro said that most forms of media, including our Internet memes, serve as our own mythology for our own culture, and said that the songs we listen to serve as mythology, telling the story of a whole culture or generation.

After this discussion, Group 3 proceeded with the lesson and reviewed the important details from the reading:

Creation of the Mead:

Kvasir, wisest of the gods, was created by the Venir and Aesir gods’ spit in their war treaty. Kvasir came down to Midgard to answer people’s questions with his wisdom and ran into two dwarves that led him to their house where they killed Kvasir. From his blood, they made mead that would gift the drinker with Kvasir’s poetic skill and wisdom.

Odin and the Mead:

Odin hears about the mead and disguises himself to search for it. The giant Suttungr hid the special drink in a mountain guarded by his daughter Gunnlod. Using his shape-shifting ability, Odin transformed into a charming giant and tricked Gunnlod into letting him drink the mead. He drank MUCH more that he should (he drank the whole thing), and ran off, or should I say, flew off by changing into an eagle, dropping drops of mead along the way. Those who drank the mead would be talented poets unless the mead came from an unpleasant side of the eagle Odin…

Independent Work

Answer these questions by yourself and prepare to share out.

Does Kvasir’s journey remind you of anything else?

Despite being frowned upon, Odin uses lots of trickery to get the mead. How does this represent Norse values?

In answering the first question, I connected Kvasir to Jesus Christ. Kvasir, who was a God, came down to answer the questions of the people and teach them, and Jesus, who is the Son of God, was delivered to the world to teach people the way to heaven. Also, near each personality’s death, they both knew it was coming and potentially had the ability to stop it, but they didn’t and just let it happen.

Shannon added on to the similarities by talking about how both Kvasir and Jesus, were both expected to be resurrected.

Putting the second question into play, Waren sheds light on the fact that Odin in this story resembled Loki, with his shape-shifting and trickery. Kelly thought it was interesting how characters that are portrayed to be almost opposite of each other use the same abilities. The all-father of the gods being a shape-shifter and tricking others perhaps suggests that the Norse paid attention to what trickery is used for: they did not think it should be used for bad, but that doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be used at all.

Ryan took the conversation back and emphasized the similarities between Kvasir and Jesus. From each of their deaths came something good for humans, like the mead that spread Kvasir’s wisdom or the Holy Spirit and teachings of Jesus.

Following this, the presenters talked about the Havamal, which is accredited to Odin and teaches people how to live their life. We analyzed two stanzas of poetry and tried to take the message from them.

The miserable man and evil minded

makes of all things mockery,

and knows not that which he best should know    (First stanza)

that he is not free from faults.

Best have a son though he be late born

and before him the father be dead:

seldom are stones on the wayside raised        (Second stanza)   

save by kinsmen to kinsmen.

What do these excerpts from the Havamal tell you about the Norse?

Iandra responded to this question with the fact that every man has faults, even if they don’t realize it, and that the Norse didn’t put much emphasis on faults.

Ryan explained how the Norse were aware that everyone has flaws, but that they actually did give them importance. The Norse thought it was better to be humble and not judge others (similar to the Greek’s idea of hubris).

Taking it to the second stanza, what Kelly took from it is that it is better to have a son, even if it is late, and that it would be ideal to have its father die before the son.

Ryan again further clarified the ideas of the discussion, mentioning the idea of legacy and having a son to be remembered and pass on traditions, to not bet forgotten on the side of the road like a lonely stone.

Student Reflection:

I think Norse mythology is my favorite type of mythology, so this was yet again another interesting lesson for me, well-taught by Group 3. We were able to further dig into the culture of the Norse by analyzing their myths and the ideas ingrained within those stories. Today we were able to practice comparing different cultures and their similarities and discuss the importance of mythology and how it is still prevalent today, keeping our culture alive for generations to come. From this lesson, I have learned how important it is to maintain a legacy, to keep a culture alive because it gives us clues to how many of our morals today came to be and continues to demonstrate how different cultures really have so much in common.

1/7/2020 Stanley Kong Period 8

1/7/2020

Stanley Kong

Period 8

Blogger # 11

(My team taught the lesson for the day so here is the lesson plan) 

Short Reading Check Quiz

Aim: What do the characters and their actions tell us about the culture surrounding Norse mythology?

Do Now: Pair share 

Hypothetically, if you could go back in time and kill Hitler as a baby, would you? Why? 

• There are two scenarios, one being to kill baby Hitler and prevent millions from dying but the con is killing an innocent child. The other being to let fate play out, not kill an innocent child but then would lead to deaths of millions. At the same time making each choice will weigh on the person’s conscience. 

Do you believe there is a better way? (nature vs. nurture)

This discussion is to instantly start off question evil/intent and relating it to Odin and Loki’s children. It gets the class warmed up and the responses were a majority NO.

Video: Overview of Loki and Angrboda

Jormungandr: The Midgard Serpent

• Jormungandr means “earth necklace” in old Norse.
• Often characterized as Thor’s nemesis
• *Associated with Ouroboros- serpent biting its own tail and forming a circle; destructive but essential for nature regenerative process*
• Triggers Ragnarok 
• In Ragnarok- Battles and is slain by Thor
• Thor dies after walking nine steps (covered with too much of Jörmungandr’s venom
• Poisons the nine worlds in Norse cosmos

Fenrir Wolf

• Chains were unable to overcome Fenrir’s strength: ask the Dwarves for assistance 
• Raised under the supervision of the Gods
• Only Tyr, the God of law and justice, was brave enough to feed Fenrir
• Bound to a rock and a sword thrust in his mouth. until Ragnarok due to its rapid growth and destructive nature 
• Speculation that Fenrir will eat Odin
• In Ragnarok

• Consumes Odin
• Vidar avenges his father- tears Fenrir jaw

Hel: Queen of Helheim

• Her name, which means “hidden” in Old Norse
• Described as half black and half white (half dead/half alive)
• Ruled over the underworld, the souls that were unable to die from battle (reach Valhalla)
• Represents finality and frailty of life

Discussion: How does the story of Loki’s children relate back to do now?

• In Norse mythology, Odin finds out that Loki’s children take part in the destruction of Asgard. He tries to prevent this by abandoning and getting rid of them. Even though they were considered monsters, they were still young children and had not done any wrong. Going back to the do now, killing Hitler before he commits evil acts might seem like the right thing to do but at the same time it is considered a sin to some cultures. For example in Greek mythology, the king of Thebes tried to kill his son after hearing about his future. Even in today’s culture, films/movies aren’t allowed to show children being murdered/killed. 

Discuss with your groups: 

When Fenrir, Loki, and Jörmungandr, went into battle with the Gods, it resulted in the death of the Gods and themselves. What does this tell about the Gods themselves? How do the attempts of preventing Ragnarok connect to other cultures?

• Gods being vulnerable like humans. Comparable to humans. In other civilizations and mythology, such as Greek mythology, Gods can also not defy fate. 

Group Discussion: How does the idea of Ragnarok influence the Vikings’ lives and culture?

• Gods are comparable to humans from the last question. A common answer will be something about faith being lost because Vikings believed in an untimely demise and maybe they won’t care about life. But, the story of Ragnarok is to inspire them to always fight to the end and never give up like the Gods. All/Most people look up to the Gods. And since the Gods can die like humans, it gives a sense of relatability. The Norse Vikings/Warriors would be more motivated to fight till the end just like their “idols”.

Freya’s Unusual Wedding

When Thrym asked for the hand of Freya, the “most beautiful” among the Gods in exchange for the hammer (Mjollin) Loki and Thor asked Freya for her opinion. 

“Do you think I’m that foolish? That disposable? That I’m someone who would actually marry an ogre just to get you out of trouble? If you two think that I am going to the land of the giants, that I’ll put on a bridal crown and veil and submit to the touch and… the lust of that orge…”(Gaiman, 114).

Discuss: What does this say about women in Norse culture and how does this compare to other cultures?

• Women in Norse culture is given more respect and power compared to other cultures such as Greek mythology in which women were supposed to be subservient to men. In Freya’s unusual wedding, Freya was given a choice to decide whether to agree to be the bride of Thrym. 

Discuss with your groups: 

How do these stories reflect the Norse perspective on trickery and deception? (Think about duality)

• In the second story, Loki and Thor are deceiving Thrym and end up with a positive outcome by receiving Thor’s hammer back. But during the first story about Loki’s children, Fenrir was obviously tricked and deceived and that ended up causing Loki’s children becoming more and angrier at the Gods causing Ragnarok in the future.
• Relate it to how this shown in Norse culture and how Norse sees trickery and deception.

Think about both stories AND Ragnarok and how they relate to this question.

Kahoot!

Reflection: Although our team had run into technical issues, we were able to try our best to explain our points of the story across to the class. We weren’t able to touch a lot of connections between different cultures such as Ouroboros and women’s rights during our rush on time. This project was very helpful to get our team to get to know each other better and slowly bond over Norse mythology. The class was extremely thoughtful with their responses, even getting the exact answer that we were looking for. The day was a wonderful experience as we get to see the classroom from Ms. Fusaro’s point of view and tried our best to get every bit of analysis of the two stories to the class.

1/7/20 Terrance Chung PD7 Late

Terrance Chung 

PD7

1/7/2020

The process of creating the Norse Mythology Project in Ms. Fusaro’s class was very eye opening for me. The project allowed me to present my thoughts and ideas of the Norse mythology readings in the form of a lesson plan. Creating the lesson plan made me search and analyze the different aspects of the stories from different angles instead of searching for straightforward and mundane answers. For instance, the story Freya’s Unusual Wedding presented the theme of Norse gender roles within it. The Norse God, Thor, is described as a strong, built man who is physically powerful but lacks patience and craftiness. Freya on the other hand is described as a beautiful woman. The story explains how Thor’s initial plan to marry her off to Thrym, the king of giants, in order to reclaim his stolen hammer, mjolnir, deeply infuriated her. This shows that women were subject to “pick up after the men” or were usually given the burden of fixing the men’s problems.  

The whole project also allowed me to experience what it was like to teach a class about something I was more familiar with than anyone else.

Terrance Chung

PD7

1/7/2020

The process of creating the Norse Mythology Project in Ms. Fusaro’s class was very eye opening for me. The project allowed me to present my thoughts and ideas of the Norse mythology readings in the form of a lesson plan. Creating the lesson plan made me search and analyze the different aspects of the stories from different angles instead of searching for straightforward and mundane answers. For instance, the story Freya’s Unusual Wedding presented the theme of Norse gender roles within it. The Norse God, Thor, is described as a strong, built man who is physically powerful but lacks patience and craftiness. Freya on the other hand is described as a beautiful woman. The story explains how Thor’s initial plan to marry her off to Thrym, the king of giants, in order to reclaim his stolen hammer, mjolnir, deeply infuriated her. This shows that women were subject to “pick up after the men” or were usually given the burden of fixing the men’s problems.  

The whole project also allowed me to experience what it was like to teach a class about something I was more familiar with than anyone else.

1/6/20 Wayne Koh PD1

1/6/2020
Modern Mythology 2020
Wayne Koh
PD 1
Aim: How does Norse mythology demonstrate lessons of promises and consequence through
Loki’s character?
Group 1: Zuting Chen, Junhong Li, Serena Low, Belinda Zhang, Benjamin Zhu, Andrew Ou
We began the lesson by starting off with a pair-and-share, which asked:
1) What is the role of the antagonist in a story? Why are they important?
 Most of the class answered that the antagonist acts almost like a plot device and progressed the
story further. In the case of myths, the antagonist/villain shapes the story and teaches the
protagonist a lesson.
2) To you, what excuses deception?
Our group believed that deception can be excused if it was well-intended. For example, a
surprise party requires deception of some sort in order for it to be a surprise. In this case, the
intention can be excused, as it has good intentions.
The discussion transitioned onto the topic of Loki, which asked us:
1) What do you know about Loki? Why is he a “foreigner,” in a way, among the gods?
Loki is the most conspicuous out of all the Norse gods. He is a child of giants and was supposed
to be a frost giant, but was too weak to become one. As a result, his father left him and Odin felt
pity for him and took him in, despite being a child of giants. However, Loki does not cooperate
well with the other gods, often playing pranks on them. Although being very mischevious, Loki
is also known for being clever and wise, where even the gods would ask him for advice.
Labeling Loki as a “foreigner” is appropriate for his problematic and beneficial demeanor.
Following this discussion, we were presented with a slide of facts about Loki.
● Germanic root for his name “luk” - “one who causes knots”
● Related by blood oath to all-father Odin
● Prophesied to side with giants during the war (Ragnorok)
The Treasures of the Gods is a Norse myth that explained the origins of the many tools the gods
used. The myth goes as follows:
● Thor woke up to find Sif, his wife, with her hair missing. Knowing it was Loki, he
confronts him about it. Loki tells Thor that the dwarves would be able to make golden
hair for Sif.
● Loki convinces two families of dwarves (Brokk and Eltri, 3 Sons of Ivaldi) to take on
each other in a test of skill to make three treasures for the gods.
○ Brokk demanded Loki’s head if he won, to which he reluctantly agrees.
● During the process of forging, Loki tries his best to distract Brokk and Eltri by
transforming into a fly and sabotaging them.
○ Brokk is able to resist until he flinches for a split second; the hammer that he
makes is then too short from this mishap.
● Gifts of Brook and Eltri
○ Draupnir
■ Gold ring capable of multiplying itself
○ Gullinbursti
■ Huge boar with bristles of gold, capable of racing over the sky and sea
○ Mjollnir
■ Lighting maker, will always be undamaged, will always return to the
thrower, can change in size
■ Defect: the handle is too short
● Gifts from 3 Sons of Ivaldi
○ Gugnir
■ Spear capable of penetrating anything, always hits target
○ Golden Hair
■ Made of real gold, intended for Sif
○ Skíðblaðnir
■ Silk scarf that unfolded into a full-sized ship, will always have fair wind
● Gods decide that the gift of Brokk and Eltri are superior and as Brokk attempts to collect
his prize, Loki points out that Brokk has only won his head, but not his neck, saving
himself through clever loopholes.
The second myth that was discussed in class was The Master Builder. A video was shown
explaining the myth.
Summary:
Thor left Asgard and left it unprotected. Somone mysterious offers to build a wall for
them in about a year in exchange for the hand of the god Freyja. This offer is then brought up to
the gods. Originally, they decline, but Loki convinces them otherwise, saying they could make
the deed impossible by shortening the time limit and to finish building the wall that the
mysterious man started. The new time frame was now one season and the builder agrees. As he
works, the time deadline approaches, but so was the completion of the wall. In an attempt tosabotage the master builder, Loki transforms into a beautiful mare and lures the builder’s stallion
away, causing the builder to miss the deadline.
The lessons that were explained to us for each myth was:
● Do not make promises you can’t keep
○ Loki being unable to deliver his head to Brokk
○ Loki promising to the other gods that the builder would not be able to finish
● Thing are not always what they seem
○ Dwarves determined to work through Loki’s attempts of sabotage
○ Builder was revealed to be a giant
● Treat all with respect
○ Asgardians think of giants and other beings to be inferior. In their attempt to find
protection, they invited a giant (the builder) onto their land.

1/7/20 Paulina Mastryukov PD1

1/7/20 Modern Mythology 2020 Period 1 Paulina Mastryukov 

Aim: How does Norse mythology illustrate the theme of vengeance?

Do Now: What is vengeance and do you think it is justified? For something on a smaller scale without long term consequences possibly, but generally, while it may be cathartic and understandable, all it does is cause a vicious cycle that is hard to break. People who seek vengeance usually are thinking with anger rather than logic and reason, so naturally they tend to make less than wise decisions.

Loki was originally husband of Sigyn, with whom he had two sons Narfi and Vali. However, he started spending time with Angrboda, with whom he had three children: Jormungandr, Fenrir, and Hel.

Jormungandr

Literary translating to “enormous monster,” he is the first child of Loki who is an enormous serpent that spits black venom. The gods tossed him into the ocean because he just wouldn't stop growing, and eventually grew large enough to encircle Midgard

Hel

She is the Goddess of the underworld and death. She controls the balance of life and death, ruling over the dead who died “inglorious” deaths such as old age, childbirth, etc. She is depicted with one side being that of a beautiful woman, but her other side looking like that of a rotting corpse. With a single touch, she can either kill, or bring the dead back to life.

We discussed about Hel’s duality, in which her literary split nature reflects how she is a true neutral, but still rules the realm of what the Norse viewed as the “inglorious dead”

Fenrir

The last thing Odin saw in his dreams of a dark future were Fenrir’s teeth and eyes. He was a wolf who grew larger and stronger with each day he lived. Out of all the gods, Tyr was the only one who didn't distrust Fenrir, taking care of him and playing with him. The gods decided to chain Fenrir, but he managed to break every chain. Soon, they asked the dwarves to create an unbreakable bond, which looked like a gossamer, silken ribbon called Gleipnir. Fenrir stated he would only be bound if one of the gods put their hand in his mouth, with Tyr being the only one willing to do so. When the binds wouldn't break, he bit Tyr's hand off, and to keep him bound the gods tied Gleipnir to a rock driven into the Earth and wedged his mouth open with a sword.

The Unusual Wedding of Freya

Thor woke up one day to find that his hammer Mjolnir had been stolen, prompting him to ask help of Loki. Loki, with the help of Freya, proceeded to search for the hammer, finding it in the possession of the chief of Giants Thrym. The giant said that he would return the hammer in exchange for Freya’s hand in marriage. The Goddess vehemently refused to this, thus Loki concocted a plan: Thor would disguise himself as Freya in a bridal costume, with Loki shapeshifting into a handmaiden. They traveled to Jotunheim for the wedding, in which Thor nearly blew their cover with his voracious appetite and horrible manners. When Thrym had placed Mjolnir in Thor-disguised-as-Freya's lap as an act of consecration, Thor proceeded to grab his hammer and laying waste to Thrym and all the wedding attendants.  

Both these stories have an underlying theme of vengeance, with the gods taking vengeance on Loki’s children for their future actions as prophesied by Odin in the first story, and in the second story Thor took vengeance on Thrym and the Giants. Arguably, Loki’s children were least deserving of their fates because they were essentially punished for things that they had not done yet, things that probably only occur due to the neglect and abuse of the Aesir    

• What did I learn? That Norse myths, some more subtly than others, all contain a theme of vengeance. Though like with most stories involving this theme, it is highly debatable from tale to tale how justifiable it was to gain it. 
• Why did I learn it? It was the main theme of the entire lesson, having several different discussions about it over the course of the lesson, at the end the class being upfront “do you think the vengeance sought was justified.” 

How will I use what I learned? I will be sure to apply it and keep this lesson in mind as we continue to read Norse myths, specifically to better understand the flow of the stories and make wiser speculations about the reasons for certain events.  

1/3/20 Anthony Cheng PD7 (Late)

1/5/20 Anthony Cheng PD 7

Aim: After studying Ragnarok and Book of Revelation, how does humanity’s perspective on the apocalypse reflect its feelings about the present and the future? 

Do Now: What are the characteristics of the apocalypse in different mythologies?

Steven started off the discussion by talking about how the apocalypse, in essence, is very paradoxical. He juxtaposes the death and dread of the apocalypse with the rebirth and necessity of it. 

Ryan believed that its purpose was to cleanse the world of people who have sinned and through this cleansing, only the pure will survive and restart this purified Earth.

Fire was then brought up as a uniting factor across all apocalypses in mythologies. It was always used as a tool for purifying the evil, with the high death toll being proof of that. 

We then watched a video that detailed the events that would unfold during Ragnarok. First Baldr would be slain. Then, Fimbulwinter would occur, freezing the world with three successive Winters without any intervening Summers. Finally, there were would be three roosters that would warn the giants, the dead, and the gods that Ragnarok had begun. Several monsters such as Fenrir, Nidhogg, and Jörmungandr would break free from their chains and torment the world. Through battle, many of the major gods and monsters would slay each other. The most notable ones were Thor and Jörmungandr killing each other and Fenrir slaying Odin, who would be avenged by his son Vidar. Once the vast majority of the gods and giants had slain each other, the new world would resurface from the water green and new. A man and woman named Lif and Lifthrasir would survive Ragnarok by hiding in a tree and would later repopulate the world. 

After watching the video, we learned that Norse stories were not written down because the Norse did not have a written language. It was revealed that through music, these stories were able to survive through the ages. 

Reflection: I learned that across all mythologies, the apocalypse is depicted as a necessary event that will bring about a new age of prosperity for the world. In all cases, the apocalypse is seen as the purification of all that is evil in the world and the salvation of all that is good. The gods in Norse mythology are killed because they are willing to sacrifice themselves for the people that worship them. I related the abstract idea of the apocalypse with the very real problem of global warming today. Just like the apocalypse, global warming is brought about by humanity’s own doing and threatens to destroy us one day. By learning from a “fictional” event, we need to realize that it does not need to be the intervention of gods that destroys humanity, but humanity itself.

1/6/20 Justin Cohen PD 2

Norse Mythology

            Today in class, we listened to a presentation on Norse Mythology. Our target goal was to examine the morality of deception in Norse Mythology. The lesson started with an interesting dilemma; “You stealing a random man’s car results in the cops catching the murderer whose car you just stole. Does the fortuitous result of your wrongdoing justify your wrong doing?” On one hand, you didn’t know he was a murderer at the time you committed the crime, which shows you did in fact have malicious intent. On the other hand, you may have made society a better place as there is one less murderer on the streets.

    In the first story, we learn about “Sif’s Hair.” Loki cut off Sif’s hair and soon after realized that Thor would get very angry since Sif’s is married to Thor. In order to fix what he had done, he had the idea to go to the dwarves as they are the best craftsmen in the world. They were split into two groups, a gods’ team and Loki’s team. They were to compete against each other. Each group was ordered to make gifts for the gods. Loki’s group made Sif’s new hair out of gold, the other made Mjolliner (Thor’s Hammer). Loki turned himself into a flying insect and tried to bite one of the eyes of the dwarves making the hammer, causing him to mess up the creation, which is why it can only be wielded with one hand. This goes back to the original question in the introduction paragraph. Loki cut off Sif’s hair and seriously injured a dwarf. However, from these sins, came what was used to defend Asgard, the house of the Gods. Did the ends justify the means?

    The second story was called “The Master Builder.” Loki negotiates a bet in which he bets a man that he cannot build an extremely tall and wide wall in just one season. If the man can build it, he would receive Freya’s hand in marriage, the sun, and the moon. Loki made this bet without consulting any of the gods and without asking Freya permission to bet her. With the help of his horse, the betting man was on pace to finish the wall. In order to ensure the man loses the bet, Loki distracts the man’s horse while the gods killed him. Once they kill him, it is realized that the man is a “giant”. Without Loki’s reckless, and impulsive decision-making, this giant would still be alive and well, roaming the world. Does this make his behavior righteous?

    This moral question appears quite often throughout Norse mythology and other forms of mythology as well. In the Bible, before Eve ate the apple, there was no sickness or death, pain or betrayal, no sadness or depression. When she ate the apple, her and Adam gained knowledge of such things. Although these may be seen as “evil”, it is the fact that we go through these awful experiences, that we are able to appreciate their foils. This must be why people such as the Norse created an evil figure that is immortal. It is because they realized that good and evil balance each other out and sometimes good can come from evil and vise versa.