Update Thread 39: The Newer Beginning

[Mamorien]

Hey, kids, what time is it?

It is better to live | than to lie a corpse,
The live man catches the cow,
I saw flames rise | for the rich man's pyre,
And before his door he lay dead

The lame rides a horse, | the handless is a herdsman,
The deaf in battle is bold,
The blind man is better | than the one that is burned,
No good can come of a corpse.

But wait, there's more! This week's A Thing of Vikings has not one, but two epigraphs! Now how much would you pay?

One factor that has been cited as the reason for the success of the Norse Reformation is, oddly, the acceptance of non-Norse into their society.  Part of the theological basis of this were these words from Odin's own lips on proper conduct and wisdom, which served as a reminder that no man or woman was unwanted or unneeded. 
These stanzas were often repeated and interpreted in a light of acceptance and brotherhood among those that were different, as "man rejoices in man."  Further, those defending this perspective of integration and acceptance found fit fodder in the sagas of the gods and their lives, which are full to bursting with the sorts of behavior that were rejected by those who did not accept difference.  Tyr was missing a hand, and had two fathers.  Loki was fluid in form and concept, being both male and female at times and places.  Thor was prone to dangerous rage.  Odin was missing an eye, lay with men, and swore blood-brotherhood with a stranger. Hödur was blind.  Freyr gave up his weapon for the love of a jotunn woman.
Furthermore, on the topic of general egalitarianism, it is worth noting that this acceptance was not reserved solely for men.  The Aesir respected Skadi's claim of having been wronged by them for the death of her father, and Freyja earned the respect of all, claiming half of those who died in honor for her hall.
And for those whom the gods did not set a sufficient example, among mortal men, Hiccup the Wise was missing a foot, and his father, Stoick the Lawgiver, was missing an eye and a hand, and both of them sought to reach out and include others, and attempted to act with kindness and respect to those not of their own people.  And while they were the leaders and would have received more acceptance from their followers simply due to that position and the social deference that came with it, it should be noted that Stoick's best friend from childhood preferred men and was missing two limbs, and his personal aide was a woman of a different faith who chose to never marry, and Hiccup's inclusion of others is literally proverbial.
This acceptance of those who were different, who were strangers, who were outsiders, gave the Reformed Norse a strength in diversity that stood them well, especially in those early years…

Cami and Merida reach a crisis point. Ruffnut learns what news the Dragon Mail has brought. Fintan talks with some of the other freed thralls and witnesses a conversation between Stoick and Fergus, in the process learning some interesting things about Berk. A farm in Denmark offers shelter to three fugitives. The Abbot of Iona considers two conflicting reports and one report of possible conflict. Sigurd volunteers to stress-test some new Varangian field kit. Astrid attends the Thing where a fateful decision is reached. That bloody-fisted dragon hunter does what he would have sworn was impossible. And Mac Bethad considers how to deal with A Threat Perceived.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/104089...s/36979542
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12639117/60...Of-Vikings