recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Rouen

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## Summary

Rouen is a city in Normandy, seat of the Dukes of Normandy.

## History

Rouen was originally founded as the city of Rotomacus by a Gaulish tribe, and renamed Rotomagus by the Romans, under which it became a major city in Gaul. In 911 AD, the viking leader Rollo took control of Rouen, with it becoming capital of the Duchy of Normandy the next year.

In May 1042, a Hooligan delegation, led by Hiccup clan Haddock, arrived in Rouen to meet with Duke William and negotiate the construction of a Dragon Mail station. While there, Heather and several other Hooligans made contact with the Jewish community there, the first Jews they had ever met. They told them about Dror ben Ezra and offered them freedom and sanctuary in Berk's territories.

In July 1043, in the wake of Sir Henry the Sinister's massacre of the Jews of Caen, the First Shieldbearers of Berk, led by Spitelout Clodgallsson, mounted a massive evacuation of Francia's Jewish population, with their base of operations in the friendly city of Rouen.

## Notable Inhabitants

* William of Normandy
* William FitzOsbern
* Bishop Mauger
* Dovid ben Eliezer (formerly)
* Esther bat Rivkah clan Haddock (formerly)
* Nittai ben Bethuel (formerly)
* Roger de Montgomery
* House Grimborn
	+ Viggo Grimborn (formerly)
	+ Ryker Grimborn (formerly)

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 63: Gambits
2. ↑ Chapter 139: Legacy
Chapter 4: The Scottish Play

*The political landscape that Haddock and his tribe found themselves thrust into was one marked by extensive conflict and political fragmentation. The most significant power in Europa, beyond that of the Catholic Church, was the Holy Roman Empire, under Henry III, and it was undergoing a period of consolidation, and the Byzantine Roman Empire, which was likewise experiencing an era of decay in the aftermath of the death of the Emperor Basil the Younger in 1025 CE. Otherwise, there were few extensive centralized powers; even those rulers who could claim significant domains, such as the Kievan Rus', consisted of tribal or feudal confederations that were not politically unified beyond the person of their sovereign.*

*—Corpus Historiae Berkiae, 1396*

## Chapter Overview

Stormfly recovers from her injuries while Hiccup experiments with more inventions. One of these is an improvement to Astrid's parents' millstones.

While having a snowball fight with Astrid, Hiccup slips and falls into the pond of ice water. She dives in after him and both of them go to the bathhouse to warm up.

Snotlout tries flirting with Ruffnut only to be firmly rejected.

Donald Mac Bethad hears of Hiccup's feats.

## Trivia

* The title of the chapter is a reference to the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, tying in to the fact this chapter is the introduction of King Donald Mac Bethad and his court.

## Characters

### Humans

* Astrid Hákonsdóttir
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Gobber the Belch
* Ruffnut Thicknutsdóttir
* Tuffnut Thicknutsson
* Snotlout clan Jorgenson
* Hákon Mortensson (first appearance)
* Stoick the Vast
* Gunvor Dugaldsdóttir (first appearance)
* Braun clan Thorston (first appearance)
* Hilda clan Thorston (first appearance)
* Fritjof Hrodwulfsson (first appearance)
* Mac Bethad (first appearance)
* Unnamed bard
* Gruoch (first appearance)

### Dragons

* Stormfly
* Toothless
* Barf & Belch
* Hookfang
* Cloudfox (first appearance)

## Analysis

### Foreshadowing

#### Setup:

* "When you've had three, no, *five* creations in a row work without them falling apart or flying apart, you can ask that question again, okay?" This bet continues for more than a hundred chapters.

#### Payoff:

* Setup from Chapter 1: Several of the Green Death's massive scales survived its destruction. One of these scales is obtained by the bard shown in this chapter who told the story of Hiccup's taming of dragons to King Mac Bethad, resulting in Mac Bethad taking actions that impact heavily on the story.

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph talks about the status of the political landscape of Berk's surrounding areas around the time they domesticated the dragons. King Mac Bethad hears of Berk and their dragons and his court discuss what to do about the news.
Gunvor Dugaldsdóttir

*CHARACTER QUOTE HERE*

**Gunvor Dugaldsdóttir clan Hofferson** is the mother of Astrid Hákonsdóttir clan Haddock and Lady Chieftess of Vedrarfjord.

## Biography

### Book I

Gunvor rescues Hiccup and Astrid from the icy pond Hiccup falls into and Astrid tries to save him from, and then sends them both to the bathhouse to warm up.

After the Hooligans capture Vedrarfjord from Adalwin ua Imair, Hiccup gives it to Hákon and Gunvor as part of the bride-price for Astrid's hand in marriage, making them lords of the city.
Chapter 110: A Unity Of View

***Bewilderbeast:** Tidal-Class dragon*

***Overview:** Amphibious-aquatic infrastructural/industrial dragon. In modern economies, they are helpful with construction of aquatic and submersible infrastructure and mining, as well as offering chemical and traditional refrigeration services. Militarily useful primarily in naval defense, as their speed is too slow to keep pace with a modern fleet, but are extremely useful for securing harbors and amphibious landing zones when called for.*

***Breath Type:** Flash-Frozen water mixed with Ammonium Nitrate.*

***Identification:** Medium to Gargantuan size. White, gray or black scales and hide, studded with large blunt spines along the back, neck, and tail, holding up a vestigial pair of wings along the lateral sides of the thorax. Four pillar-like legs. Two large tusks jut forward from the temples, aiding in water streamlining during swimming. Long tail with wide fin at terminal end, supported by more spikes. Overall teardrop body profile.*

***Strategic Role:** Naval auxiliaries, submersible ship protection, mine-sweeping, submarine hunters, logistical support, construction support, amphibious assault support.*

***Known Weaknesses:** Slow speed, semi-obligate aquatic, with larger individuals able to spend increasingly less time out of water without risk of harm. Modern mines and torpedoes can easily penetrate their hide in the absence of armor or countermeasures. Needs to breathe.*

***Phenotype Cluster:** B5F3+SØSØSØT7+T5!*

***Populations:** Moderate, but restricted to coastal and riverine regions, for obvious reasons.*

## Major Events

* Astrid coins Thengill as the term to call the ruling dragon of a nest.
* Eret meets Merida and Camilla.
* Taskill reports to Mac Bethad that he's certain Berk doesn't know they were Mildew's patron. He also reports that their merchant-spies have negotiated a lease on the Isle of Eigg.
* Fraser mails Mildew's contingency letter to Adhamh in Dubh Linn.
* Camilla and Merida give the Bog Burglars their formal proposal to join Berk.
* A monument to Fearless is placed outside a church in Vedrarfjord and Christians and Pagans alike give offerings.
* Bladewit sends a message to Thuggory and the Meatheads with a copy of the Bog Burglar's proposals.
* Bladewit proposes amending Berk's laws so any oath that requires swearing on the Norse Gods can instead be done with any god of the person's choosing.

## Characters

### Humans

* Astrid Hákonsdóttir clan Haddock
* Valka Zephyr Hiccupsdóttir
* Asta Rhonda Hiccupsdóttir
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Eret Eretsson
* Cami Berthasdóttir
* Merida Dunbroch
* Mac Bethad
* Taskill Thaddeusson
* Gruoch ingen Boite
* Fraser
* Dragon Mail clerk
* Stoick the Vast
* Fintan mac Ionatan
* Esther bat Rivkah
* Bladewit Drorsdóttir
* Valka clan Haddock

### Dragons

* Toothless
* Skuggi
* Galloway
* Cloudjumper

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph is about the Bewilderbeast breed of dragons. The chapter shows Valka reflecting on the improvements she made to the nest of a member of that breed.
Chapter 18: Leavetakings

*On the topic of Snotlout Jorgenson, Astrid Haddock's journals frequently refer to the man in epithets, at turns variously angry, vulgar, or frustrated, rather than by name. However, given their own tangled history, this is hardly unsurprising. Jorgenson had a long history of clumsy attempts at seducing her in their youth, despite her repeated efforts at emphasizing that such interest was both unwanted and unrequited. These culminated in a confrontation at the court of Magnus the Good—an event that Jorgenson himself later wrote as being one of the definitional moments of his life. This shared history and established dynamic became the foundation for their infamous interactions as adults.*

*Interestingly, until her attention was brought to the significance of the moment years later, Astrid's own journals gave little mention of the incident that prompted Jorgenson's departure, beyond a few notations on having to explain matters to Spitelout Jorgenson, Snotlout's father and the marshal of Berk at that time. Once the significance became clear, however, her journal entries on the topic essentially summarized to the points that she was not responsible for his choices or desires, that it was his own responsibility to control himself, and that her only regret was that she hadn't hit him harder that day. This is, of course, excluding a significant portion of extremely creative vulgarity in regards to Jorgenson, to the point where it is suspected by historians that her friend and lifelong associate Ruffnut Fairhair I had some input into the layered kennings in the later journal entries, built upon earlier epithets (Fairhair having had her own negative adolescent experiences with Jorgenson and his attentions).*

*—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd.*

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph talks about the incident that led to Snotlout leaving for the Varangians. The chapter shows Snotlout leaving.
Kingdom of Norway

Norway is a kingdom on the western coast of the Scandinavian peninsula. It is currently ruled by King Magnus the Good. The capital is Nidaros. Most of the population has been converted to Christianity by 1040.

## Notable people

* Eindride Einarsson—court marshal, son of Einar
* Einar Eindridesson—Regent of Norway, father of Eindride. A.K.A. Einar Thambarskelfir. DOB 980
* Helga Vragisdoittor—tailor
* Jørgen Osvaldsson—healer
* Ketil Órirsson—thane, formerly of the Varangian Guard; owns several instruments, including a Roman Lyra
* Magnus Olafsson Fairhair—King of Norway, aka Magnus the Good, half-brother to Wulfhild. DOB 1024
* Mark Leosson—court steward, brother to Roald
* Michael Henriksson—court priest
* Mikael Úlfrsson—former trader turned thane, came back from the Roman Empire in 1041
* Oddmund Hemingrsson—thane, formerly of the Varangian guard
* Orvar Arlaksson—regent of Rygjarylki, brother to Yngvarr, far
* Roald Leosson—Magnus’s head thane and hustler at hnefatafl (King’s Fist), brother to Mark
* Sigvatr Þórðarson—Icelandic court skald, Magnus’s godfather. DOB 995
* Vlademar Gunniovich—thane, originally of the Rus’, protected Magnus as a child
* Wulfhild Olafsdoittor—Princess of Norway, half-sister of Magnus. DOB 1020
* Yngvarr Arlaksson the Merry—court herald, chief of Rygjafylki
Chapter 59: New Pieces In Play

*Despite the conflicts that marked its inception, Berk's Dragon Mail service transformed European society and shortly the world within Hiccup Haddock's lifetime, with regular mail and trade routes that extended to China, India, Madagascar and the northern reaches of the Vestrilands by AD 1100.*

*The effects this had on social norms, commerce, and the sciences can only be seen by comparing the state of the world in AD 1000 with that of AD 1200. In 1000, the world's human population was approximately 275 million people (+/- 20 million), the majority of whom were living in feudal or tribal societies, and approximately 2-3 million dragons, living either in nomadic bands or in the few remaining nests. By AD 1200, the human population had doubled to a minimum of 550 million people, and possibly as high as 600 million, while dragons had reached a population of over 50 million, and social structures…*

*—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd.*

## Chapter Overview

Phlegma approaches Hiccup and expresses her distrust of outsiders. She also asks him to invent something to make textile production easier. Fintan speaks with Hiccup, Astrid, and Wulfhild about his former master and how to free the thralls still on his lands.

Fearghus demonstrates glassmaking, and Hiccup makes plans to travel to Francia with the merchants who are still on Berk.

In Francia, Dogsbreath, Inga, and Redsnout hide out in Calais. Pushed by Redsnout, the two humans talk things out and reconcile. They decide to head northeast to the Norselands.

In Uppsala, Tuffnut meets Vidkunn, who invites him to dinner at his house. The next morning, a hungover Tuffnut is surprised by a commotion of Norse priests outside, who declare him as chosen by the gods. Yngvarr manages to extricate him.

While brushing scales from a shedding Nadder, Astrid and Fishlegs discuss relationships.

As thanks for apprehending an attempted thief, Hiccup gives Dagur a dragon ride. Wulfhild follows along on Mistletoe. During the ride, Hiccup sends both himself and Dagur into a skydive.

## Characters

### Humans

* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Astrid Hákonsdóttir clan Haddock
* Phlegma the Fierce
* Gobber the Belch
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Fintan mac Ionatan
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Fearghas mac Flann
* Cecelio the Younger
* Heather nic Oswald
* Dogsbreath Rolfsson
* Inga Roswynnsdóttir
* Tuffnut Thicknutsson
* Vladimir Yaroslavich (mentioned)
* Yaroslav the Wise (mentioned)
* Anund Jacob (mentioned)
* Vidkunn Guthhersson
* Balli Vidkunnsson
* Vidkunn's mother
* Alfvin Vidkunsson
* Hayfa
* Several unnamed priests
* Yngvarr the Merry
* Dagur mac Oswald

### Dragons

* Redsnout
* Swift
* Stormfly
* Meatlug
* Toothless
* Mistletoe

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph is about the Dragon Mail. The chapter shows Hiccup discussing some of the logistics of setting up the Dragon Mail with their merchant partners.
Plot Overview

A Thing Of Vikings Plot Overview:

Starting small, the story begins with the arrival of Sailor Johann to the Isle of Berk, who discovers that things have changed since his last visit. Dragons are found everywhere, and are tame.

## Section heading

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Harald Sigurdsson

*CHARACTER QUOTE HERE*

**Harald Sigurdsson** is commander of the Varangian Guard.

## Biography

### Background

Harald is the 20-years-younger half-brother of King Olaf Fairhair, making him Magnus and Wulfhild's uncle. After fighting alongside Olaf at the Battle of Stiklestad (1030), in which Olaf was killed, Harald was forced into exile in Kievan Rus'. He spent some time in the service of Yaroslav the Wise, before traveling to Constantinople around 1034 and joining the Varangian Guard. For much of that time, he steadfastly resisted the attempts by Empress Zoe Porphyrogenita to seduce him.

### Book II

Emperor Michael V Kalaphates has Harald arrested on trumped-up charges. He is imprisoned until the civil war against Michael, during which Sigurd frees him.

### Book III

Alexios Makris approached Harald with the idea of backing him and Sigurd to the thrones of Norway and Berk.

Harald receives mail from Yaroslav implying that he would have to get the Rus' prince dragons if he wants the gold that Harald entrusted to him for safekeeping.

### Book IV

Harald receives a letter from Magnus asking him to serve under his nephew in Norway.

## Personality And Traits

Harald agrees with the Romans' draconian punishments for homosexuality, horrifying Sigurd, who had a latent crush on him.

## Trivia

The faceclaim for Harald is Chris Hemsworth.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 43: ...Is Mightier...
2. ↑ Chapter 50: The Center Cannot Hold...
3. ↑ Chapter 96: Foundations Of Power
4. ↑ Chapter 118: Something Wicked This Way Comes
5. ↑ Chapter 136: Jammed Machinations
6. ↑ https://athingofvikings.tumblr.com/post/174985248875/i-sometimes-forget-what-wulfhild-loks-like-so-i
Epigraphs - Sidestories

The epigraphs of various side stories. Click here to return to the index page.

## Epigraphs by Sidestory

### Una Nueva Espada Para Una Nueva Era

An additional factor in Berk’s meteoric rise was the combined facts that they had a rapid means of transportation and transit across Europe, and an extremely attractive environment for skilled and trained individuals.  It was fairly common for scholars, artists, and craftsmen of all types to emigrate specifically to take advantage of the basic living welfare while they focused on their crafts and studies, and do additional work to gain the supplies and materials they needed in their pursuits.  And while some certainly fixated on their own pursuits with dogged narrowmindedness to the exclusion of all else, others leapt at the chance to put their skills to use in order to serve their new home.  Many became teachers, passing on knowledge of their crafts, while others used their disciplines more directly in the service of their new state.  The resulting human capital flight strengthened Berk and the North Sea Empire significantly, with noted contributions to production, culture, economics, and other areas all coming from people who had made the deliberate choice to emigrate.

—The Second Flowering Of Yggdrasil: An Analysis Of The Norse Resurgence, 1710

To sidestory article

### Sic Transit Mundus

It was during the Bronze and Iron Ages, however, that the draconic species truly began to lose ground to the burgeoning human population. Advances in weaponry and armor meant that human hunting parties could truly go toe-to-claw with dragons, and their increasing population numbers and density put them into direct and increasing resource conflict with many dragon nests as time went on. While it is believed that the Mycenaean Greeks were the first culture to engage in region-wide organized hunts of dragons, pooling resources across multiple Mycenaean kingdoms in order to do so, later European and West Asian societies continued this practice. And their reasons for doing so are stated clearly in primary sources and folklore from the period, including defense against raiding of human food stocks, the acquisition of rare resources in the form of draconic body parts, and, arguably most importantly for some, the prestige associated with dragon-slaying, which would have those successful hunters preserved in story and song.

—The Life Of Dragons, Ánslo Academic Publications, 1563

To sidestory article
Chapter 57: Let The Games Begin

*…the machinations surrounding the Alban Red King, Mac Bethad mac Findlaích (~AD 1005—18 April, AD 1043), were complex. Despite the efforts of apologists who wish to paint the king as an innocent dupe of Jarl Mildew the Vicious' manipulations in his efforts to trigger war between Alba and Berk, the fact remains that Mac Bethad's hands were hardly clean. He became the Mormaer of Moray in AD 1032 after the previous Mormaer, Gille Coemgáin, was burned to death along with 50 of his men, and there is little question that Mac Bethad either participated in or organized the atrocity, although the question of his sense of guilt is open, due to his marriage to Gille Coemgáin's wife, Gruoch, and adoption of his son, Lulach, as Mac Bethad's own heir. He also killed his own cousin, the previous king of Alba, Donnchadh mac Crìonain, on the field of battle in August of AD 1040, and took the throne. While Donnchadh mac Crìonain had initiated the battle that resulted in his death, there is evidence of provocation on the part of Mac Bethad specifically to spur his cousin into invading and allow Mac Bethad to fight with the moral upper hand and on his own territory. Similarly, Mac Bethad's efforts with regard to Berk included various attempts to cripple the nascent power…*

*—Corpus Historiae Berkiae, 1396*
Chapter 28: Ties That Bind

*The decisive defeat of the Danish-English navy by Berk in late 1041, in particular, resulted in a tremendous shock to the political status quo of the era. While most of the nobility and royalty had heard of the story of the defeat of the Green Death in the year since the event, that had been an incident from which there was a limited number of primary witnesses, and only second-hand evidence was available (even if that evidence was compelling). In contrast, there were thousands of survivors from the English fleet, all of whom were terrified first-hand witnesses to one of the most one-sided naval battles in recorded history. The rumors and news would be much harder to dismiss as exaggeration or invention as many had done previously. While it might be hyperbole to state that an air of hysteria began to descend on the monarchs of Europe, many did react to the news with varying degrees of fear, placation, aggression, or all three at the new power that had just made itself known.*

*—Corpus Historiae Berkiae, 1396*

## Analysis

### Foreshadowing

#### Payoff:

* Setup in Chapter 2: Mildew and Johann are witnessed by Ruffnut arguing. It is revealed in this chapter that Mildew is upset that his usual order of a deadly poison was unavailable.

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions that the aristocrats of Europe were shocked by the decisive defeat of Harthacnut's navy and reacted to Berk with varying degrees of fear, placation, aggression, or all three. The chapter shows that even Magnus' vassals were affected with them demanding he ties Berk more strongly to Norway by giving Wulfhild to Hiccup.
Chapter 13: Wakeup Calls

*While she tends to be somewhat overshadowed in the stories by Hiccup Haddock's intellectual and political accomplishments, his partner, Astrid Hákonsdoittor, is frequently and explicitly credited in both the popular tales and in Haddock's own journals as his closest friend and intellectual associate. While Ingerman was responsible for much of the educational and archival infrastructure that resulted in the retention of Haddock's innovations, their primary partnerships were in the area of recreations of Roman mechanisms and methods. In contrast, Haddock's journals specifically state that, without her guidance, discipline, and partnership, the vast number of his original creations would have remained as undeveloped ideas, to the point that many are credited primarily to her.*

*This is in addition to her own independent innovations in the area of draconic military applications, to the point where her own authored text, The Wing And The Ax, on the uses of dragons in martial settings, was the standard primary text on the subject for nearly two centuries, and is still used and viewed as one of the foundational texts in the field.*

*—A History Of The Isles, Oxford, England, 1591*

## Chapter Overview

Stoick is swamped with petitions from lords seeking to hire his people as mercenaries, as well as marriage offers for him and Hiccup. Hiccup and Astrid wake up together for the first time, and Snotlout gets warned off from starting another war. Religious differences start to make their first waves, and formal negotiations begin.

Back on Berk, Ragnell comes back with tribute in apology, including thralls (slaves). Stoick makes his opinion on *that* quite clear. In Rome, news of Berk's taming of dragons is dismissed as wild rumour.

## Characters

### Humans

* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Astrid Hákonsdoitter clan Haddock
* Snotlout Spiteloutsson
* Stoick the Vast
* Gobber the Belch
* Fishlegs Hensteethsson clan Ingerman
* Heather (first appearance)
* Ragnell

## Analysis

### Foreshadowing

<spoiler> When Stoick and Gobber discuss what Hiccup will pay for Astrid's bride price, they joke it'll be a king's ransom, literally. They're right, but just don't know it yet. </spoiler>

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions Hiccup and Astrid were inseparable partners for the rest of their lives. The chapter shows the aftermath of them losing their virginities to each other.
Chapter 1: On Approach

***Dragon War, The**—Popular name for the low-level raiding conflict between the Green Death Nest and the Viking settlements of the Hebrides islands; specifically in reference to Berk, in the Inner Hebrides, ranging from circa 750 Common Era until 16 September, 1040 Common Era (Julian reckoning).  While just one of many human-dragon conflicts in recorded history, The Dragon War is commonly referred to as the singular and eponymous conflict due to its resolution—specifically, the taming and subsequent domestication of dragons by the Norse of Berk, with the resulting impact on history.*

*Cross-references: Berk (Island); Green Death (Dragon); Haddock, Astrid, I; Haddock, Hiccup Horrendous, III; Haddock, Stoick, I…*

*—Encyclopedia Norlandia, 7th Edition, 1642, Edinburgh, Scotland*

## Chapter Overview

Trader Johann and his crew travel to Berk to trade for dragon-parts, and discover things have changed a lot from their last visit.

## Synopsis

Trader Johann and his crew were making their way to Berk. Sailor Beorn explains to a new salt that they travel to Berk to trade for dragon-parts and make a huge profit selling those dragon-parts elsewhere. They suddenly see a massive horde of dragons and prepare their defences for an imminent attack, only to discover Hiccup riding one of the dragons and casually greet them, shocking them.

Upon landing on Berk proper, the crew discover that the Hooligan tribe has tamed dragons and are treating them as if they were ordinary pets and not dangerous beasts the way nearly everywhere else does. Sailor Beorn quickly realises the riches the tribe and Johann's crew could gain. In the Mead Hall, Stoick gives Johann the brief story of what happened.

Knowing that Johann will have upset customers due to the supply of dragon-parts getting skewed, Stoick gifts one of the Green Death's surviving scales as a gesture of goodwill to the redefined relationship between the Hooligans and Johann.

## Characters

### Humans

* Hiccup clan Haddock (First appearance)
* Sailor Johann (first appearance)
* Astrid clan Hofferson (First appearance)
* Snotlout clan Jorgenson (First appearance)
* Sailor Beorn (First appearance)
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman (First appearance)
* Stoick the Vast (First appearance)
* Gobber the Belch (First appearance)

### Dragons

* Toothless (First appearance)
* Stormfly (First appearance)
* Hookfang (First appearance)

## Analysis

### Foreshadowing

#### Setup:

* Several of the Green Death's massive scales survived its destruction. Payoff in Chapter 4.
* The epigraph mentions that the Berkian-Green Death Nest conflict was just one of many in recorded history. Payoff in Chapter 82.

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions that Berk's domestication of dragons resulted in a massive impact on history. The chapter shows the beginning of that impact with the first outsiders to to arrive since the domestication reacting to all the changes.
Chapter 44: ...Than The Sword

*Dragon eggs are laid in a single clutch of three to nine eggs between 24 and 32 days after fertilization. Counting from the time of fertilization, gestation for all breeds is approximately 220 days until hatching.*

*Laying eggs has numerous adaptational advantages for the mother, including allowing her to deal with the metabolic load during the time of year when food is the most plentiful, allowing her to fly without the additional weight of the eggs, and, perhaps most importantly, minimizing the risks associated with draconic embryonic development. From the evolutionary perspective of the mother, it is far better to lose some potential offspring to malformed hydrocarbon organ systems than to risk her own life by internally gestating the offspring. Indeed, while most eggs with malformed hydrocarbon systems are simply nonviable, a significant minority of the nonviable eggs will detonate in the course of the fourth and and fifth months of gestation. For obvious reasons, this would have negative effects on the health of the mother if gestated internally…*

*—An Introduction To Dragon Biology, 17th Edition, Oxford University Press, 1793*

## Characters

### Humans

* Astrid Hákonsdóttir clan Haddock
* Heather
* Cami Berthasdóttir
* Rikard clanhead Hofferson
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Jonna Asgersdóttir (first appearance)
* Gudbrand Karesson (first appearance)
* Picknose Rolfsson
* Harthacnut
* Edward of Wessex
* Emma of Normandy
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Wallnut clan Thorston

### Dragons

* Toothless

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions that a significant minority of dragon eggs explode because of developmental disorders. The chapter shows the Hooligans discovering that dragon eggs explode.
Chapter 36: Your Side...

*King Magnus's attempts to free himself from Einar Thambarskelfir's control were, at first, tentative and uncertain. Einar controlled the structures and systems of government, and had made himself into a bottleneck through which all correspondence and control had to be directed. Magnus also did not have access to the full text of many treaties and laws. Einar additionally had waged a specific campaign of corruption throughout Magnus's teen years in attempting to weaken Magnus's work ethic in order to make him easier to control, a campaign that is believed to have resulted in the birth of Magnus's bastard daughter, Ragnhild, when Magnus was in his mid-teens.*

*However, in the aftermath of Magnus's marriage to Ruffnut, Einar began to realize the depth of his miscalculations and reacted poorly. On the one hand, he now had dragons to help enforce his policies. On the other hand, he had to deal with Queen Ruffnut, which he was reported to have described later on as a challenge that would make the hardiest man quiver in his boots in trepidation, especially when combined with her brother. Furthermore, it was becoming obvious to him just how poorly he had understood Hiccup Haddock's basic personality…*

*—Corpus Historiae Berkiae, 1396*

## Synopsis

In Nidaros, Magnus discusses his status as a puppet king with Ruffnut, and she helps him plan how to shake off Einar's control.

On Berk, Heather, Fishlegs, and Wulfhild bring Heather's sabotaged saddle to Hiccup and Astrid, and Heather finally tells them what's been going on. She makes them promise not to arrest anyone without proof.

In Vedrarfjord, Hákon stops former noblemen from beating a former thrall, and lays down Hooligan law. This intrigues one of the noblemen, Éimhín mac Naomh.

In Constantinople, Sigurd's Greek tutor is shocked to find out he is already literate in Norse, and interrogates him about Berk.

## Characters

### Humans

* Ruffnut Thicknutsdoittor
* Magnus the Good
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Astrid Hákonsdoitter clan Haddock
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Heather
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Hákon clan Hofferson
* Gunvor clan Hofferson
* Éimhín mac Naomh
* Niall mac Naomh
* Somehairle mac Naomh
* Ultán mac Vir
* Snotlout clan Jorgenson
* Father Metaxas
* Kristoffer

### Dragons

* Cloudfox
* Bumblebee

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph discusses Magnus' initial problems with trying to get out from under Einar's thumb. The chapter opens with Magnus discussing those problems with Ruffnut.
Chapter 74: It's Planting Seeds In A Garden...

North Sea Empire and Berkian Realms after the previous chapter and Hiccup's plan.

## Appearances

### Locations

Vedrarfjord
Thames

*He said to himself: Is there really a person who can sleep and dream for seventy years? How is it possible to compare the seventy-year exile in Babylonia to a dream? One day, he was walking along the road when he saw a certain man planting a carob tree. Honi said to him: This tree, after how many years will it bear fruit? The man said to him: It will not produce fruit until seventy years have passed. Honi said to him: Is it apparent to you that you will live seventy years, that you expect to benefit from this tree? He said to him: I found a world full of carob trees. Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants. Honi sat and ate bread. Sleep overcame him and he slept. A cliff formed around him, and he disappeared from sight and slept for seventy years. When he awoke, he saw a certain man gathering carobs from that tree. Honi said to him: Are you the one who planted this tree? The man said to him: I am his son's son.*

*-The Parable of Honi and the Carob Tree, The Talmud, Taanit 23a*

## Major Events

* Aoibhin tries to kill Heather and is herself killed.
* Hiccup makes the case for annexing the Eirish territories that no longer have leaders.
* Rabbi Dovid and the scouting party of the Rouen Jews arrive in Vedrarfjord.

## Trivia

* The epigraph for this chapter came from a real text. The story is a real parable from the Talmud.

## Characters

### Humans

* Astrid Hákonsdóttir clan Haddock
* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Heather
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Ímar mac Arailt
* Aoibhín (last appearance)
* Viggo Grimborn
* Fishwings clan Ingerman
* Spitelout Clodgallsson
* Stoick the Vast
* Hákon Mortensson
* Gunvor Dugaldsdóttir
* Bladewit Drorsdóttir
* Finn Steinnsson
* Gytha Steinsdóttir
* Dovid ben Eliezer
* Horsefeathers clan Ingerman
* Líle

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph is a Jewish parable themed around providing for future generations with the labour of those in the present. The chapter shows the Jews from Rouen benefitting from the groundwork done by Dror ben Ezra decades ago.
Fishwings clan Ingerman

*CHARACTER QUOTE HERE*

**Fishwings Hensteethsdóttir clan Ingerman** is the elder sister of Fishlegs clan Ingerman.

## Relationships

### Viggo Grimborn

During his time in Vedrarfjord and Berk, Viggo begins a relationship with Fishwings clan Ingerman. They have sex for the first time when Hiccup's Grand Tour stops in Rome.

### Lopsides Clodgallsdóttir

Fishwings and Lopsides used to be friends, and dared each other to seduce some of Sailor Johann's men when they were teenagers. Both of them got pregnant, but Fishwings used Nadder venom to cause an abortion, while Lopsides didn't, leading Lopsides to end their friendship.
Chapter 26: Aftermaths

*Hooligan Tribe of Berk*
*Kingdom of Norway*
*●   Kingdom of Denmark*
*Hiccup Haddock III*
*Astrid Haddock I*
*Magnus Fairhair I*
*Godwin of Wessex (POW)*
*~300 unmounted Monstrous Nightmares (Stoker-class dragon)*
*1 aerial gravity bomb platform, Gronckle-carried (Boulder-class)*
*2,000 heavy Norse infantry, armed with bows*
*3,000 men-at-arms (mixed English and Danish), armed with bows*
*23 dragon fatalities*
*24 humans wounded*
*35 dragons wounded*
*~700 wounded*
*~40 longships destroyed*
*~15 longships captured*
*Capture of King Harthacnut*
*Capture of Earl Godwin of Wessex*
*Capture of Sweyn Godwinson*
*Capture of 15 lesser nobles (List)*
*691 other prisoners (List)*

*The **Battle of the Sound of Berk** was a naval/aerial battle in the waters of the Sound of Berk, between the forces of the combined Danish and English fleets and army under the leadership of King Harthacnut, and the Hooligan tribe of Berk, under the leadership of Dragonlord Stoick The Vast and then-Herald Hiccup Haddock.*

*This battle was the only engagement of the undeclared First Berkian-English War, and featured multiple firsts in the history of warfare, including the first deployment of dragons against naval targets, the first use of dragons in a military setting by humans, and the development of dragon-dropped gravity bombs.  The results of the battle was a decisive Berkian victory, and heralded a new era of warfare.*

*—Battle of the Sound of Berk (n.d.) In Wikikenna.  Retrieved September 26, 1847*

## Major Events

* The Hooligans deal with the aftermath of the battle.
* Stoick and his council (Hiccup, Astrid, Spitelout, Gobber, Fishlegs, Fritjof) interrogate Heather.
* Heather drops a Trojan Horse of vikings into Adalwin's castle.

## Characters

### Humans

* Hiccup clan Haddock
* Astrid Hákonsdoitter clan Haddock
* Stoick the Vast
* Spitelout Jorgenson
* Heather
* Fishlegs clan Ingerman
* Fritjof Jorgenson
* Yngvarr the Merry
* Wulfhild of Norway
* Snotlout Spiteloutsson clan Jorgenson
* Adalwin ua Imair
* Griselda
* Murray

### Dragons

* Mistletoe
* Windshear

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions the outcome of the Battle of the Sound of Berk. The chapter shows its immediate aftermath.
Gothi Hiccupsdóttir

*CHARACTER QUOTE HERE*

**Gothi Hiccupsdóttir clan Haddock** is the priestess of the Hooligan Tribe.

## Biography

### Background

Gothi is the daughter of chief Hiccup II of Berk, and sister of Stoick's father Hamish. She lost her voice from the pox

### Book III

At the Thawfest of 1043, Gothi holds a ceremony for the Bog-Burglars and Meatheads to join the Hooligans, and another for Ruffnut to rededicate herself to Loki.

### Book IV

Gothi meets with pagan priests from the Bog-Burglars, Meatheads, and Sweden.

## Personality And Traits

Gothi is mute due to an illness in her youth, and often communicates by scratching runes in the dirt with her staff.

## Trivia

"Gothi" is a title in Old Norse for a pagan priest. In this case, it seems to have become her actual name. Indeed, she does not even remember her own original name.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 116: Game, Set, Match
2. ↑ Chapter 123: Matters Of Faith
Chapter 10: Whetstones

*Perhaps the second most mythologized human figure to come out of the Norse domestication of dragons is the Hero's father, Stoick the Vast, a.k.a. Stoick the Lawgiver, Stoick the Wise, Odin's Spear-carrier, and other such titles. Primary sources from his personal contemporaries are minimal, with most of the surviving sources being from the perspective of his son and others of his generation. While the legends generally agree on the broad strokes of his life, the details are shrouded in mutually exclusive legends and myth. This especially pertains to the periods of his life preceding the ascendance of his son; mythologized and mutually contradictory accounts of his childhood, young adulthood, and ancestry are common. Even specific points that many of these accounts agree on have an odor of myth. For example, it is unknown if he truly did 'pop a dragon's head clean off of its neck' as a toddler, as is claimed by legend. His later accomplishments are known with more certainty, but the blank slate of his life prior to the birth of his son has resulted in endless embellishments of his youth, which makes determining the truth a near impossibility.*

*This is not helped by the fact that the man had a literally larger-than-life stature; in an era in which the average height of an adult man was sixty-eight-and-one-quarter inches (173.4 cm), Stoick, from modern analysis of his remains and attested from numerous primary sources, is confirmed to have measured eighty-one-and-a-half inches (207 cm) in height, with a build to match.*

*Additionally, other romanticized aspects of his life are well-substantiated, rendering the sorting of truth from fiction to be more difficult. Perhaps the single most famous example of this is his famous devotion to his wife, Valka. As the cultural expectation of a high ranking Norseman of the era, even on Berk, was to be polygamous, Stoick's attested monogamy has been the subject of significant romanticization…*

*—The Dragon Millennium, Manna-hata University Press, Ltd.*

## Chapter Overview

MacBethad's spies return to report just how bizzare Berk is. Stoick reminises and laments all the dragons he's killed over his life. The Frankish king Henry learns of Berk, and fears the Normans allying them to conquer him. Hiccup and Astrid make up after their fight.

## Analysis

### Foreshadowing

<spoiler> The spies mention fighting and running from a shieldmaiden, later revealed to be Jonna Asgersdóttir, who recognizes one of them in Chapter 116. </spoiler>

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions Stoick's famous devotion to Valka, which is brought up by Mac Bethad's spies.
* Stoick's life and accomplishments are briefly discussed by the epigraph. Stoick himself reflects on both during the chapter.
Chapter 30: The Blood Of The Covenant Is Thicker...

*…Ingerman's contributions to Haddock's legacy, however, pale in comparison to that of Astrid Haddock I, Hiccup's wife. The only daughter of Chief Hákon Mortensson clan Hofferson and Chieftess Gunvor Dugalsdoittor clan Hofferson of Eire, married to Hiccup Haddock III on 27 November 1041 after a ~15 month courtship, the two were genuinely inseparable partners for the remainder of their lives. Popularly known by multiple titles, including The Skydancer, Freyja's Chosen, Sif's Blade, and others, she is generally credited as having been instrumental in channeling and directing the productivity of her husband's intellect into practical ends.*

*…in addition to acting as Hiccup's manager, or as his whetstone, the metaphor that she preferred, Astrid, in her position as her husband's marshal, was widely feared and respected across Europa as the foremost military mind of her era, a reputation inspired from her tactics used during the Second Battle of the Seine River…*

*—A History Of The Isles, Oxford, England, 1591*

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions that Hiccup and Astrid were inseparable partners for the rest of their lives. The chapter shows the official commemoration of that partnership with their wedding.
Esther bat Rivkah clan Haddock

*CHARACTER QUOTE HERE*

**Esther bat Rivkah** is a Jewish woman from Rouen who moves to Berk and becomes Stoick's aide, as well as William's tutor.

## Biography

### Background

Esther is the eldest child of Rabbi Dovid ben Eliezer of Rouen, and was previously in an arranged marriage to Dan, a man nine years her senior. They had one child, but their marriage was an unhappy one, and both Dan and their son died of the plague shortly before the events of the story.

### Book III

Esther, her mother, and her siblings immigrate to Berk to join their father once his expedition has determined it is safe. She quickly picks up the Norse language, causing Bladewit to nominate her as Duke William's tutor, since she already speaks his language as well.

Esther makes suggestions to Astrid when she is writing *The Wing and the Ax*, and to Stoick on legal matters. Stoick listens to her and begins incorporating Jewish legal principles into Berk's law code.

### Book IV

Stoick and Esther discuss the possibility of adopting her into Clan Haddock so that she will be able to join the Allied Clans, and later start her own clan for the Jews, sidestepping the pagan oaths normally required.

Dovid introduces her to Menachem ben Moshe, and pushes for her to remarry, but she avoids the issue. Eventually, Esther invokes the Bog Burglar sanctuary clause to get out of the marriage her father was arranging for her, ignoring her wishes to not marry at all. Stoick adopts her into his clan, making her legally Hiccup's sister. Since she's now a member of Clan Haddock, Esther is entitled to train a dragon. She bonds with a Changewing she names Keshet.

## Relationships

### Dovid ben Eliezer

Dovid loves his daughter, but doesn't understand her desire not to marry and have children. He attempts to pair her with his teacher's grandson, Menachem ben Moshe, who he invites to visit Berk.

### Stoick the Vast

Esther becomes Stoick's aide and confidant, sparking some rumors that like her namesake, she is planning to become, or already is, his concubine. Esther refutes this rumor, as neither of them have any interest in romance or a sexual relationship.

### Keshet

Keshet is a Changewing that Esther bonds with.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 98: Extended Family
2. ↑ Chapter 88: Systems Of Direction
3. ↑ Chapter 127: Bonds Of Many Forms
4. ↑ Chapter 134: Rank And Privilege
5. ↑ Chapter 122: The Politics Of Desire
6. ↑ Discord comment
Gunnar Bræsisson

*"And, oh, loud one,* he *is the rider.  I would be honored that you assumed that I am, but such an observation coming from one so lacking in wisdom is no compliment that I wish to have."*

**Gunnar Bræsisson** is a Swedish member of the Varangian Guard.

## Biography

### Background

Gunnar had to flee his old jarl's lands in Sweden after being caught in an intimate moment with the jarl's son.

### Book I

Snotlout, having just renamed himself Sigurd, meets Gunnar in Uppsala, where he wins a *glima* wrestling match against Sigurd. As a reward for beating him, Sigurd offers Gunnar a ride on Hookfang.

### Book II

Gunnar is one of the Varangians that Harald Sigurdsson assigns to protect Sigurd and Hookfang. He is also one of the first to become a dragon rider.

### Book III

Gunnar travels along with Gudmund, Benjamin, Thorred, and Ketilbjorn to accompany Sigurd on his first trip to his new estates, formerly owned by Maniakes. Late at night, he, Gudmund, and Sigurd have a talk, and Gunnar reveals the reason he left Sweden.

## Relationships

### Gudmund Hallvarsson

Gunnar is one of the only people to know Gudmund's true identity, having deduced it when they sparred shortly after meeting each other. They become lovers as part of the four-way relationship between them, Sigurd, and Sophia.

## Personality And Traits

Being older and more experienced than his friends, Gunnar often serves as the voice of reason among him, Gudmund, and Sigurd. He has a huge appetite, but never seems to put on any weight.

## Trivia

The faceclaim for Gunnar is Liam Hemsworth.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chapter 83: On The Shoulders Of Giants
2. ↑ https://athingofvikings.tumblr.com/post/174985248875/i-sometimes-forget-what-wulfhild-loks-like-so-i
Harthacnut

*CHARACTER QUOTE HERE*

Harthacnut the Dane is King of England and Denmark.

## Biography

### Background

Harthacnut is the son of Cnut the Great, who ruled Denmark, Norway, and England as the North Sea Empire. Following Cnut's death, he and Magnus the Good fought, but came to a peace agreement that whoever outlived the other would inherit his territory.

### Book I

After finding out that Magnus the Good has allied with the Hooligans, Harthacnut gathers his Thingmen and launches an invasion of Berk. In the Battle of the Sound of Berk, they at first have the upper hand, killing some dragons and riders, but the Hooligans are able to turn the tide and devastate the English forces. Hiccup himself snatches Harthacnut right off the deck of his own ship, and ransoms him for one hundred thousand pounds silver.

Following his defeat and signing a peace treaty with the Hooligans, Harthacnut sends word to the Papacy in Rome, asking for aid.
Nidaros

## Example

> *Relevant quote*
>
>

## **Summary**

**Nidaros** is the capital of the Kingdom of Norway. King Magnus the Good lives and holds court there, but the fortress (and the rest of the city) belong to Einar Thambarskelfir.

## **Notable Inhabitants**

* Magnus the Good
* Wulfhild of Norway (formerly)
* Einar Thambarskelfir
* Michael Henriksson
* Yngvarr the Merry
* Ruffnut Thicknutsdóttir
* Tuffnut Thicknutsson
* Sigvatr Þórðarson