Odin, Thor, and Loki are Babylonian deities!!

[Khayman]

It's not like the article came out and said, "Oh, and Odin was a Squamous Tentacle Beast," or something, but it shares a certain perspective with the background of the Cthulhu mythos. That's all I meant.

Of course not. That would be Nodens...

 

[BOZ]

interesting...

 

[Torm]

I'd like to touch on this more deeply than saying that the Norse Pantheon meshes with Semitic myth only through intermediary cousin mythologies, but I'm afraid it would break the no religion rules if I did.

May as well. Turanil broke the rule starting the thread in the first place - One of my patron G-ds, IRL, is the "Norse" Tyr.

But I won't get my nose bent out of shape. The moderators may not like me saying this, but it looks to me like the REAL rule here isn't "no religion or politics", it is "be nice and respectful to one another." Which is just a good idea on or off the board.

 

[Turanil]

Turanil broke the rule starting the thread in the first place

Well, I did not think speaking of Norse mythology and Babylonian mythology had anything to do with religion or politics. Well, it had to do with both religion and politics, but this was 2000 years ago. Now, IMO, Norse and Babylonian gods are just good to give flavor to a D&D campaign that don't use the default pantheon given in the PHB.


(And it is certainly less religious / political than the one about the pope...)

 

[The_Universe]

I'd say the thread is safe so far.

 

[Desdichado]

Well, I did not think speaking of Norse mythology and Babylonian mythology had anything to do with religion or politics. Well, it had to do with both religion and politics, but this was 2000 years ago.

C'mon, Turanil. I know the thread title says Norse and Babylonian mythology, but didn't you read the article? It's all about the children of Israel, contemporary Christianity and theories combining the two.

I mean, it's a pretty safe thread, but don't try to say it's not something that it clearly is, i.e., explicitly about religion.

 

[Torm]

(And it is certainly less religious / political than the one about the pope...)

True that.

But there are followers of the older gods still around - we just wouldn't survive that way for long if we got bent out of shape every time Marvel put out an issue of Thor.

Back on topic, did you know that the word "Viking" comes from the word "Vikti", which means "wise", and is the same root word for both "Vicar" and "Wicca"? It is as Fusangite pointed out - and it can have some very neat implications for campaign building, if one wishes to pursue them.

 

[Desdichado]

Indeed. Indo-European studies is becoming a more and more important academic field as we discover that the original Indo-European culture didn't just produce linguistic cognates but mythic ones as well.

Yeah, that's mostly the Georges Dumezil tripartate society theory and it's various spin-offs. Although a fair number of folks are writing papers about it and have been for a good 15 years or so, it's only fair to point out that many Indo-Europeanists consider the entire line of reasoning to be specious, though.

 

[tarchon]

Back on topic, did you know that the word "Viking" comes from the word "Vikti", which means "wise", and is the same root word for both "Vicar" and "Wicca"? It is as Fusangite pointed out - and it can have some very neat implications for campaign building, if one wishes to pursue them.

That's just one theory among a very large number. IMO, it's one of the more unlikely ones.

 

[Henry]

Paraphrased from some Usenet sources at Usenet.com:

Possible explanations for the word 'viking' are:

--Latin Vicus 'settlement' Those who frequent settlements for trade or plunder
--Norse 'vik' settlement/anchorage
--Norse 'vik' meaning bay/fjord - pirates who lurks in bays.
--People from the area of Viken. This is the area around the Oslo fjord.
--Latin 'Vicus' or anglo-saxon 'wic' meaning camp - the camp people.
--Norse 'wikan' seal, vikings meaning sealhunters
--Norse 'vika' meaning 'get away' - those who get away quickly after attacks
--Norse 'vika' meaning change/turn. 'vikings' meaning those who take turns at the oars. There is a old nordic term 'vika søs' meaning the distance that can be rowed before a change of rowers is neccesary.

I've also heard that to go "a-viking" meant to go travelling or raiding, but that one's a bit more apocryphal.