At the end of the 8th century, the English villages with fertile soil, pleasant climate, prosperous forests, and endless hunting of birds and beasts were scattered among the English villages and the chickens and dogs heard each other. The industry and commerce of the towns began to take shape. At this time, four centuries have passed since the Romans withdrew, and as the Romans introduced Christianity in Britain, it was kept by the Anglo-Saxons. The monasteries are dotted in southeastern England and Ireland, and the Lindisfarne Island monastery, built in 633 AD, has become the birthplace of Christianity in Northern England. The priests shaved their heads with short hair and beards, and along with their colleagues in 14 diocese, accepted the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
At this time, the Nordic Vikings who worshipped Odin, the king of the gods, prayed for the protection of Thor and the Valkyrie, while under the leadership of their hero Ragnar Lothbrok, they attacked and burned west with the corona and the sun stone. The monastery on Lindisfarne Island looted all the precious stones and utensils offered by the believers.
The polytheism that the Vikings believed in, to a certain extent, belonged to the witchcraft of the barbarians, with a terrifying sacrificial method. Odin's letter gives them courage and loyalty, and the background color is the supreme sense of honor and surrender to the god of destiny. However, the glory of Odin and the fear of death did not satisfy Ragnar's vague and deeper questioning—maybe, this world has another center and higher creed, which can explain the story of himself and the race more clearly? From his bewildering and curious eyes, from seeing him as a friend of the Christian priest Athelstan, learning the English language, and inquiring about the English lifestyle, we can see that his expedition is more for exploration and dialogue. , In order to catch the looming stars!
Our whole lives are just stories, we keep trying to explain.
again:
"Our whole lives are just stories" This sentence appeared in episode 7 of this season. This is a stunning civil arbitration, showing that the hero's wife, Lagertha, is not inferior to her husband in courage and combat effectiveness, and her wisdom is comparable or even slightly better.
The scene happened when Ragnar had just become Earl Ragnar and set off on a ship, leaving his pregnant wife Lagertha to take care of the tribe's affairs. On this day, a tribe (A) took his wife who had just given birth to complain:
Legertha (Greetings and asking what's the matter): Good day to you, folk. What is the problem here?
Tribe A (indignantly): The problem is her!
Legertha: What has she done?
Clan First: She has had a child-the boy in her arms.
Legertha: What of it?
Clan A (the more you speak, the more anxious and frustrated): He's not my child.
We tried for many years to have children, but without success.
And then, just over a year ago, a young man came to the door,
I remember the day, I was making a room.
The young man said his name was Rig. He gave us some good advice on our work, and stayed at our house.
After three days, he left...
And then nine moths later, she gave birth to a son.
(A crowd of onlookers laughed)
Legertha turned to the tribe’s wife and asked: Whose child is it?
The tribe’s wife was at a loss: I don't know, my Lady. We were all in the same bed. I was too scared.
Clan Ren Jia rushed to say: You see? She is not an honest woman. She had sex with Rig and could not bring herself to tell me the truths!
Legertha was not disturbed by the anger of Clan A. She beckoned the Clan’s wife to approach, and then asked her: Do you know who this Rig was?
The tribe’s wife was at a loss: No, he was just a young man .
The highlight came, and Legertha began to seduce: On the contrary. We know from our ancient stories. That Rig is another name for Heimdal.
Tribe A’s wife didn’t understand: The god Heimdal?
Clan A can't listen anymore: MY LADY!
Legertha strengthened his tone, no doubt: Yes, the god Heimdal!
You are fortunate, that he chose your household to appear in.
Tribe A does not believe: That's just a story!
Legertha said involuntarily: Our whold livers are just stories.
You should be ashamed you did not trust your wife, despite the joy and comfort she has brought you, and the fact that a god chose you of all people to visit.
Do not punish her but rejoice with her, drink wine with her, and sacrifice one of your animals, to Heimdal the god!
But if I hear you have harmed this woman, or this child, you will answer for it to me!
Clan A and his wife took the child and withdrew, while Christ priest Athelstan was beside him thoughtfully.
Legertha's quick judgment solved at least three problems:
1) Harmony between husband and wife. This is similar to the Chinese folk's "I would rather demolish ten temples instead of destroying one family member".
2) The issue of the rationality of the child's birth. The couple hadn't been asking for a child for many years, but a strange young man who unexpectedly arrived hurriedly came and hurried. How is this different from the Chinese legend of "Send Son Guanyin"? What's more, Legertha gave this child the glory of growth in the name of God, which is tantamount to giving a chance to prosper in life, which can be described as turning stones into gold.
3) The couple's dignity and face issues in the neighborhood blocked the idlers.
From this point of view, the value of religion is to give meaning to human behavior. Explanation is often more important than the story itself.
At the beginning of every nation, there were mythological worlds, personified gods and monsters. In such a simple age, people don't mind life and slaughter so much, they seem very barbaric, but that is not the same as evil. Compared with modern civilizations, they are only inconsistent with the scales of delimiting good and evil, but they are not totally different. Ragnar and his wife fully proved this.
Polytheism is a simple way for human beings to get along with nature and to talk to it, but it has not yet reached the infinite state of inward dialogue and the soul inquiring outward. In other words, the early polytheism was just a view of nature, not a religion.
From this perspective, it is not difficult to understand whether it is a Roman Viking or an Anglo-Saxon who converted to Christianity.
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