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Rethinking Vikings
Listverse has a list of ten discoveries that cast the vikings in a new light. It’s quite interesting and worth a read.
Why mention vikings on Saint Patrick’s Day? Mainly because they were instrumental in the development of the city of Dublin:
The Vikings explored vast amounts of Europe and North America, but they eventually settled into the land that would eventually become Dublin. At the time, its relatively mild climate, thick tree cover, and river made it the perfect location for a winter home. There they repaired their ships and set up a trade network.
The number of Viking relics found in Dublin over the years has been staggering. Temple Lane was created by Viking settlers and has been called the oldest street in Dublin. Viking swords have been found in the area around Christchurch, and the earliest foundations of Dublin Castle are clay floors that were also dated to the Viking era. And just south of the River Liffey is a huge concentration of buildings that seem to indicate the center of the Viking settlement, including houses and buildings once used for metalworking and the production of other commodities like leathers, textiles, and jewelry. Also along the area of the Liffey was evidence of amber-working.
Sunday Inspiration: Feelings
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth.
—Benjamin Disraeli
Terry Pratchett
British fantasy writer Terry Pratchett has passed away today after a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Revealing his illness in 2007, the author — who had a strong following among fans of fantasy fiction — said he had been diagnosed with “a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer’s,” which he described as “an embuggerance.”
He said then, “Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there’s time for at least a few more books yet.”
I somehow forgot to mention that there is now an Into the Wonder Facebook page. So if you’re into that sort of thing, come on and join us!
Poll: What Next?
What mythological beastie should Taylor Smart encounter next? I’m past the halfway mark of the first draft of Oak, Ash, and Thorn, book 3 of Into the Wonder. There are a few places where I’m not 100% sure what sort of fearsome creature to throw at my protagonists, so I thought I’d give you a vote!
Of the following monsters known in the folklore(s) the American Southeast, which would you most like to see in print?
Note: I’m not promising the winning entry will be the one I pick, but if there is an overwhelming favorite, I will promise to at least include it in book 4.
Sunday Inspiration: Silence
Never miss a good chance to shut up.
—Will Rogers
Read a Newly Rediscovered Bavarian Fairy Tale
The Enchanted Quill and some 500 other fairy tales were transcribed by Franz Xaver von Schönwerth in 1850. A few of those made it into a published collection, but most were lost until quite recently. They have now been translated into English for the first time by Maria Tatar in The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics, 2015). The prose seems a bit more modern that one might expect from a fairy tale (one of the characters shouts “No way!” at one point), but I can’t fault the translator for attempting to move away from the stilted, formulaic style you usually see in this kind of story (and which I even attempted to imitate in a couple chapters of Children of Pride).
Wagner’s Ring Cycle in 21 Hilarious Minutes
No video, just listen to Anna Russell, professional opera comedian, explaining the Ring of the Niebelungen as only a dry-witted Briton could.
Also, “opera comedian” needs to go on my daughter’s list of possible career choices. Just sayin’.
Sunday Inspiration: Talent
Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you.
—Henri-Frederic Amiel
Darrell J. Pursiful 