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AvannaK — Astrid: Learning the Difference
Published: 2012-12-12 09:29:48 +0000 UTC; Views: 35029; Favourites: 312; Downloads: 293
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Sometimes people call Astrid a Valkyrie and I'm like - I just want to point out the subtle differences between a "Shieldmaiden " and a Valkyrie ... But then I remember the Astrid I like to focus on isn't quite the same one everyone else does.I mean, if you're going by her purposeful design to be attractive and that yaknog incident, then sure. She's got all the makings of a Valkyrie. But if you're going by her prowess in battle and hard attitude then "Shieldmaiden" is more appropriate. I know it's not as pretty-a-sounding word, and now that she's decided to give up the fighting spirit to become a full time girlfriend, it doesn't really apply anymore...
I wrote this tiny story to help ease my mind into accepting her as a Valkyrie:
Astrid Hofferson used to be a shieldmaiden. Back when she was independant, badass, kickass, kissass --oh wait, she's still a bit of that... However things changed after the war. The Integration was rough for a young woman such as herself. She was trained to fight dragons, not people, and quickly found her hard-earned skills useless when their long-time enemies became allies. She grew less competent by the day, her competitive streak waning to the point where she didn't even care about her placement in the Thawfest games. And why should she? She had showy dragon and a sort-of boyfriend. She had to put her energy into supporting him now.
Still, a girl's gotta eat. After Snoggletog, Astrid realized her talents now rested in balancing jugs and mugs on a platter and forcing drinks down people's throats. She started working in the Meade Hall, serving the hardworking men of their village mead, ale... whatever drink they craved. She got to know the local warriors so well, in fact, that Stoick himself would ask her to hand-pick which ones should accompany him to battle.
Astrid continued working in the Mead Hall until she got pregnant with a dozen of Hiccup's spawns, some of which looked like Snotlout, some of which looked like Stoick, and spent the rest of her days living off her fading looks.
And that is the story of Astrid Hofferson, the Valkyrie.
THE END.
What do you think? Accurate? Best story you ever heard? I think so.
Astrid Hofferson © Dreamworks
Astrid the "Shieldmaiden" © Pre-Romantic Flight Astrid
Astrid the Valkyrie © Post-Romantic Flight Astrid
HI-larious award © ME
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Comments: 160
No, it's the writer's fault. And Romance can make a character less cool because for Romance (a real romance) you need compromise, emotion, and a certain amount of compatibility. You can't say romance doesn't affect a character because it does. It certainly didn't do Astrid any favors given her characterization for the first half of the film. It took away consistency and depth and, believe me, no one was more put off by that than me.
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The two sides of Astrid. I bet sometimes even Hiccup can't figure her out. I imagine that if she got him a gift, it would be like a pie and it would fly in his face :laugh:
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A pie that flies itself in his face? A winged-pie?! Brilliant.
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Lolz I meant like if it was a wrapped gift and a spring-loaded cherry pie was in it, it would splatter in Hiccup's face and Astrid would laugh...but that's funny too.
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I would trust no flagon delivered by that woman.
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Amen man. Amen. Unless you like a lot of texture in your drink.
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Just had this image of Astrid going all Shieldmaden with her mug and shield after hearing some random snide remark made about her Hiccup!
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Don't worry about it. I might be poking fun at fans but its not meant to target anyone.
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I bet back in that time they (vikings n' such) got confused when people had these drastic personality swings... They had no idea that bipolar existed!
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I've read both the Poetic and Prose Edda, trust me, that is NOT a Valkyrie. You are misinformed.
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A Valkyrie is nothing more than a not so glorified waitress... I can't really see Astrid being satisfied with that kind of lifestyle. Have you ever read Sea of Trolls? I think you would like it. The two main characters are JUST like Hiccup and Astrid in personality, attitude and looks. Particularly the boy. Anyway, the girl is a shieldmaiden who aspires to be a Valkyrie, not realizing that it's actually not all that great.
I don't think it's so much that Astrid's giving it up as there's not really opportunities to use her fighting skills anymore. They're in a time of peace, and she's not stupid enough to go looking for trouble. In episode 10 (I might have been 11) it showed her practicing throwing her axe, so she hasn't given it up entirely.
But I totally agree about the Shieldmaiden thing. It totally fits her better.
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I have not seen Sea of Trolls... but it sounds perfect after doodling this!
Shieldmaidens FTW!
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Interesting contrast. You are right that shield maiden is the more accurate term for a mortal ancient Germanic woman who chooses the life of a warrior. The other view of Astrid to me seems more like a barmaid. Valkyries are supernatural beings who are associated with Freyja. Freyja represents love and fertility, but she also represents certain aspects war and death, so the Valkyries are that incarnation. They choose those warriors who have earned the right to be taken to Valhalla and they carry their souls to Valhalla or Folkvangr. There they serve them food and drink at their nightly celebrations/death duels. I don't see them as being particular servile to the slain.
I do think your idea is right, though, that if the view of Astrid as a "Valkyrie" and being human would probably be that description you gave.
I also love your Christmas icon!
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Yes, this is immediately what my mind goes to when I hear people describe Astrid as a Valkyrie - mainly her in GotNF throwing around that yaknog.
Although, now I can make a pokemon xover picture of Valkyrie!Astrid throwing pokeballs at the 'warriors' she choosing.
I'm glad you like my little santa/rudolf mutant face too. I wanted to show some holiday spirit.
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At least to me, anyway. Like you, I don't get into Astrid suddenly becoming a sweet and domestic kitchen helper
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Yup- I picked up on that Stoick and Astrid choose the warriors reference. Just the yaknog Astrid seems so boring.
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Well, I wouldn't say that's Yaknog in there then.
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OMG yes XD the best! Yeah, there's a big difference.
"Astrid continued working in the Mead Hall until she got pregnant with a dozen of Hiccup's spawns, some of which looked like Snotlout, some of which looked like Stoick, and spent the rest of her days living off her fading looks."
-dying XD
No but seriously, shield-maiden all the way
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Another one down for shieldmaiden!
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yeah, I saw some of the comments thurr and backed away slowly XP
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HAHA - RIGHT?! Save yourself... I happen to be tethered to this account.
That and most people who know me know I have a tendency to prod the over-sensitive with my toe.
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I can be like that too, ie very snarky in real life, but since the internet records everything you say, I tend to lurk more and avoid argumentative situations (read: lol at drama unfolding from safely behind my screen and hardly ever contributing because I hate saying mean things).
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Sometimes I like to be on the sides... just fanning the flames like a shoulder-devil.
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have you ever read the comment wars on Ariane St.Amour's photos when they show up on the front page of DeviantArt? I die laughing every time XD
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No! I don't even know what that is! *runs off to look*
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I should probably warn you about the nudity first
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HAha... yeah, that warning came a little late.
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yeah, they aren't real.. a man could drown in that silicon valley
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I like better Walkyrie Astrid. But tahts is only cause i love to have a good mead!
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Haha- that's as good a reason as any! Although, I have had mead before and it tasted more like white wine than anything else. I'll take a nice, dry red any day.
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Have you ever drank Fitou? If you like dy red you're going to love it!
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No, I don't believe I have. Pino nior is my usual red of choice, so if it's anything like that I'm sure I would really like it.
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It's actually a tad drier, a true red, flinty and full. I'm sure you would love it.
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FINALLY! SOMEONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE CHART OF THIS!!! 
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I would say she's both! It's only true based on her mood
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It's like I said to Lyricalmedly... Astrid goes through bipolar episodes brought on by unsuspecting triggers. Many a table in the mead hall has been destroyed by her.
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Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
Very promising...
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Of course, when people say "Valkyrie" they mean "Norse woman who fights". I know it's inaccurate (now), but the term has adopted its' own meaning in English literature - saying someone is "like a Valkyrie" is saying they're a female warrior.
Much like how, unlike the middle ages, "dragons" no longer tend to have fur, and how the meaning of "angel" has changed to mean "usually-male figure with white wings" rather than the bizarre creatures of the Bible itself.
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I think you're giving a little too much lenience with this "modern" interpretation of the word valkyrie, especially for the HTTYD fandom, where most of fans are involved enough (writing fics, doing research) to know what an actual valkyrie is. Then again, with the new wave of newcomers (and young ones at that), there's probably that gap in knowledge.
Personally, I don't think of angles as 'usually-male' and usually fur-lined dragons crop up in eastern dragons than western ones. I've never heard of these "modern" interpretations.
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That's the thing. You assume most people who "do research" will research also those terms they've already come across. I would not feel any need to research "Valkyrie", because of how often the word is used as "supernatural warrior woman". Just as one example, the game Age of Mythology has the Valkyrie as a combat unit, mounted as it happens. Another - in Ah! My Goddess, being a Valkyrie is synonymous with a goddess being skilled in battle. Another - Dresden Files. The Valkyrie in THAT tends to turn up in a helicopter gunship to save the main character. Similarly, Brnyhildr (for example) is depicted as armed, and... ooh, interesting. Turns out that the version of Valkyries as those who carry the dead off to Vahlalla originates from a rather darker version - where they were bloodthirsty war spirits who rode wolves and who helped kill them in the first place. (It's how the Vikings explained why the good die young - the Valkyries work to get them struck down by "chance" on the battlefield so that they would become part of the Erinjahar while young. One suspects that Wagner reinterpreted them a little so they were "just" the ones who took care of heroes, rather than being both dutiful wife and battlefield terror.)
Never seen a medieval painting of a dragon being slain? The ones I've seen tend to be furred, and in some cases are prominently female. And consider Castiel (Supernatural), Arizaphale (Good Omens) and innumerable pieces of renaissance art (as well as the later works which copied them, which is where the beardy white Jesus comes from as well. The real Jesus - if he existed - was a Palestinian Arabic Jew and probably quite dark-complected.)
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Oh no, I'm not assuming anything. I know better than that, especially with some of the crowds I run with (point in case ^). But even before I started writing for the fandom I knew what a Valkyrie was, perhaps subconsciously as well; then again, I don't know what they're teaching kids in school these days. The curriculum might have changed. It seems a lot of your arguments are based on fan-interpretation or hollywood interpretations, which usually glam/badass things up to make them more marketable. It doesn't make the true meaning of 'valkyrie' any less accurate, or mean there's a new modern definition of it. It just depends on what fandoms you run with.
For HTTYD, if you run with the medieval/mythological fandom (not quite supernatural here), then knowing what a Valkyrie actually is makes a difference. Believe it or not, this is my own 'gentle' way of educating the youth. I use pictures and stories to get through to these kids. 
I've seen a lot of art. I mean, a lot of art. Sure, some dragons are furred, some are not. Some angels are beautiful and female, some are beautiful and male, some are hideous and either gender. There isn't a new modern interpretation of what they are, it just depends on what crowds you run with and what pictures you're looking at.
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Is there a modern portrayal of the Valkyrie, in mass media, that is accurate (and I don't mean ones which are basically parodies of the Wagnerian one)? If so, I've not seen it.
The intimate details of Norse mythology didn't come up in my classes at school, probably because of different focal areas - Greek, Egyptian, Roman and the like, as far as ancient history. (And I did that specific subject of ancient history up to age 18). One can probably imagine that, since it is not covered in schools specifically, people form their impressions of what a term means via mass media.
And, as per what I mention, the older version of the Valkyrie - the more primal version - was not just the women who served the men in Valhalla. They were ALSO the reason they got killed in the first place. (One interpretation has Freyja being a war-goddess with the Valkyries being her shieldmaidens).
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Oh there's guaranteed to be. How they're portrayed today in media is varied and vague, but it doesn't redefine what a Valkyrie is. I'm not sure if you've missed the point of this deviation, but it was simply to show the exact difference between a shieldmaiden and a valkyrie with a little humorous flair. I understand all the jobs of a valkyrie and that they did more than serve the warriors; I didn't just focus on the serving if you read the story, I also alluded to Astrid choosing the men who go out in battle.
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Yes... but you also say things like "I don't know what they're teaching kids in school these days", which came across to me as vaguely contemptuous in tone.
Essentially, I see some but not sufficient evidence that the "serving" part of a Valkyrie is more dominant in mythology than the "battle" part. And since Astrid has mellowed a little, and she rides a mythological mount (i.e. dragon)... perhaps the comparison becomes a little more appropriate that way.
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Oh half of what I say is in a contemptuous tone if you want to read it that way. It's the hazard of communicating in text. As for the serving verses choosing, it's like comparing job to free time depending on the day. Yeah, choosing warriors to fight in Ragnarok is the exciting part of their job, but, if we want to get logical about it, it's probably only a fraction of their time compared to what they spend in Asgard. But Asgard has to has its limits as well. I mean, there can only be so many humans to pick and choose and then there's the decades/centuries of catering to them, right?
I feel I need to once again stress that this was done for fun, and that I was making a parody of what Astrid's become. Yes, it's an exaggeration on her character, but you can't deny that the girl she started out as in the movie and the girl she's been portrayed as in shorts and the TV shows (coupled with the Romantic Role she was shoehorned into) certainly make her more Valkyrie (traditional, for your sake) than Shieldmaiden.
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