(02-06-2021, 05:48 PM)Norgarth Wrote: Oh, and Mamorien? I couldn't give a summary of Thing of Vikings because I hadn't read the chapter yet 8)
Good reason. And, in matters A Thing of Vikings...
The Genius Has No Clothes: An Alternate View Of Innovation, 1818 Wrote:Furthermore, while Haddock was indeed responsible for a large number of scientific and technical advances in the aftermath of his taming of dragons, it is inaccurate in the extreme to assign all of these advances to him. Other individuals, spurred on by the new capabilities that now existed, began to develop their own innovations and insights.
Haddock invented many things, that is without question, with a lengthy list ranging from the famous wingsuit that allowed a person to glide through the air and land safely, to the more prosaic infrastructural and production tools such as the elevator, drop-forge, and spinning wheel, but within his own lifetime, as a direct result of exposure to dragons and the possibilities and necessities they opened up, others also showed that they were capable of innovation in the right environment. The list of inventions from this period as a direct result of interactions with dragons includes such things as the barometer, the canal pound lock, buttons, eyeglasses, and stern-mounted rudders, while still others worked on refining and isolating chemical compounds and elements extracted from dragons.
More people also aided in developing the area of cartography, with leaps of innovation in surveying and mapmaking—the first "dragon's eye" maps, showing the layouts of cities and regions from above, were made within two years of Haddock's taming of dragons. And, despite the efforts of those who wish to assign him the credit, he had nothing to do with any of these beyond preparing the ground for others.
We open on Berk, where Hiccup submits a commission to the glassworks, then tests out a refinement or two of his wingsuit. Meanwhile, at Inbhir Aora, Toiréasa discovers that she's working to a deadline, and realizes it's not the only complication in her mission. Back on Berk, William of Normandy and his peer group talk about dragons, girls they like, the Matrix... In the mead hall, Eret plays King's Fist against Hiccup, then learns from Wulfhild that he himself is in play. At Bianjing's north gate, Mulan and crew set forth. And we close on Berk, where Wulfhild continues to balance her duties as High Almoner with her family life...
https://archiveofourown.org/works/104089...s/71855073