Chapter 137: Cascading Effects

### Story Date

Thursday, 7 July, AD 1043/6551 ε.Κ/26 Dhu'l-Qa’da 434 AH/26 He-Yue Huangyou Era Year 1/26 Sólmánuður ÅrO -1

## Appearances

### Locations

Berk
Constantinople

*Judaism most assuredly affected the Norse revival at its very roots. However, while certain cultural aspects made the leap between the two, such as the emphasis on scholarship, there are a number of distinct cultural and theological differences. While both religions have an emphasis on the importance of personal actions and on how it is mankind’s right and duty to interpret their divine mandates, the theological relationships with the divine differ strongly. In Judaism, Jews have always had an argumentative relationship with their G-d, starting with the earliest patriarchs, who routinely argued with their divine figure even as they worked to interpret and fulfill His directives. However, by contrast, in the Reformed Norse, mankind are explicitly the allies of their gods, working together to stave off the coming of Ragnarok and the end of the world.*

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

## Chapter Overview

* Stoick moderates an argument that sprung up over taxes. Lachlann proposed there being no taxes and having Stoick fund everything with his wealth while Fishswill is firmly against there being no taxes, citing several different reasons why that's a horrible idea.
* Stoick meets a group of Albans who mistakenly believe one of their own who was taken as a thrall is Stoick's mother.
* At Stoick's request, Dovid explains that the original Christians were in fact Jews before the followers of Jesus, in their attempts to make more people accept him, started preaching to non-Jews and removed so many of the original Jewish tenets.
* While delivering Jyette's baby, Mwenda teaches Berk's healers about the C-Section technique for helping women give birth, with the exact procedure he was trained in modified for the availability of dragon-derived materials.
* Sigurd and Tuffnut meet and Tuffnut introduces Mor to him.
* Sigurd learns from Tuffnut about Fishlegs making a lot of money using the sand excreted by the dragons to make glass and wonders about copying that.
* Gunnar proposes to Sigurd about having the Byzantines do dragon racing. Sigurd tables that for another day since they are presently stretched.
* As Sigurd walks through the marketplace with his friends, he reflects on his earlier dreams of having a saga for himself and considers it childish due to how every verse is written in blood.
* Picknose, Mairwen and Signy are caught having intimate relations. Clodgall yells at Rolf over his kids being intimate and demands Picknose marry Mairwen and Signy. He relents only because of Bladewit's intervention. Later, Bladewit proposes to the three that Mairwen and Signy become Picknose's concubines to salvage all their reputations.
* Camilla is chafing under the responsibilities of the position of Treasurer but Merida and Eret encourage her to stay the course until the next harvest.
* The Byzantines debate how to house Night-Glow as it has become apparent that letting her stay in the Hippodrome is unsustainable.
* The Byzantines' Dragon hatchlings escape into the city are both in danger and a danger to others. The dragon tagma, the general army, and several others try to get them back to their nursery before any accidents can happen. During the recoveries, it is discovered the infant dragons love cheese.

## Characters

### Humans

* Stoick the Vast
* Fishswill clan Ingerman
* Lachlann (first appearance)
* Hoark Clodgallsson
* Unnamed Albans
* Dovid ben Eliezer
* Gothi Hiccupsdóttir
* Nanna clan Hofferson
* Mwenda
* Jyette Markusdóttir
* Thuggory Mogadonsson
* Heike Eretsson
* Sorcha clan Hofferson
* Sigurd Trondsson
* Tuffnut Thicknutsson
* Mór nic Echmarcach
* Sophia Makris
* Inga Roswynnsdóttir
* Gunnar Bræsisson
* Gudmund Hallvarsson
* Unnr Dogsbreathsdóttir
* Taskill Thaddeusson
* Mairwen Roswynnsdóttir
* Signy Roswynnsdóttir
* Picknose Rolfsson
* Teasag clan Hofferson (first appearance)
* Cami Berthasdóttir
* Eret Eretsson
* Clodgall Oxwitsson
* Catthumbs Axwitsdóttir
* Bladewit Drorsdóttir
* Roswynn
* Rolf Snideloutsson
* Thorred Folkmarsson

### Dragons

* Hookfang
* Barf & Belch
* Swift
* Bluehorn (first appearance)

## Analysis

### Epigraph Tie-In

* The epigraph mentions that some cultural aspects made the leap from Judaism to Berkian Norse. The chapter shows Stoick mentioning that the Hooligans were taught to have respect for their teachers equal to what Jews showed to theirs.