Humor in Old Norse
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- An introductory look at what might make us laugh, and what seems to have made the original audience laugh, in Old Norse literature.
Jackson Crawford, Ph.D.: Sharing real expertise in Norse language and myth with people hungry to learn, free of both ivory tower elitism and the agendas of self-appointed gurus. Visit JacksonWCrawford.com (includes bio and linked list of all videos).
Jackson Crawford’s translation of Hávamál, with complete Old Norse text: www.hackettpub...
Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Poetic Edda: www.hackettpub...
Audiobook: www.audible.co...
Jackson Crawford’s translation of The Saga of the Volsungs: www.hackettpub...
Audiobook: www.audible.co...
Latest FAQs: vimeo.com/3751... (updated Nov. 2019).
Jackson Crawford’s Patreon page: / norsebysw
Music © I See Hawks in L.A., courtesy of the artist. Visit www.iseehawks.com/
Logos by Elizabeth Porter (snowbringer at gmail).
![[Gegagedigedagedago] NEW Help Gegagedigedagedago Nugget escape from Nikocado Avocado Challenge](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hJWnwRC2Fz8/mqdefault.jpg)
The Sagas are just plain full of that laconic gallows humor. My favorite example is from _Njal's Saga,_ when a band of men come to kill Gunnar of Hlitharendi (a great warrior who was declared outlaw, i.e. he could be killed without any consequences,) they sent a forward scout named Thorgrim to see if Gunnar was at home. Thorgrim couldn't see through the windows - Gunnar had shuttered them all, so he climbed up onto the roof to see if he could part the thatch enough to see inside.
When Gunnar heard someone one the roof, he thrust upward with his atgeirr (an old Icelandic pole weapon, probably a halberd or a hewing spear but we don't know for sure,) and stabbed Thorgrim. Thorgrim survived and managed to make his way back to the other men. The leader, not seeing how badly Thorgim was hurt, asked "Is Gunnar at home?"
"That you shall have to find out for yourself," Thorgrim replied, "But I will tell you this - his atgeirr is at home."
Then he fell over and died.
Straight to the point
When Asgrim Ellida-Grimsson and the Njallsons go looking for support at the Allthing. Skarp-Hedin's retorts and behaviour are funny af.
Edit: And also prophetically fatalistic.
Edit2: I just though of another one: In Egil's Saga, 'Drinking at Armond's' (something like that). It's a vomit scene.
Rip Thorgim
There's one I read I laughed so hard, forget where is from, this guy was fighting in a sword fight and he got stabbed and he said " I see broad swords are still in fashion" lol ❤️
Goddamn, your comment had me laughing.
"this is probably meant to be funny" is one of worst things someone could say about one's joke
🤣
More on note on audience than orator
The Old Norse professor Jackson did appear in a troublesome plight
For there before him he noticed a Mountain Lion's scrape in plain sight
He did manfully continue to impart his wisdom
And knowledge most erudite
Unperturbed that behind him
The aforementioned panther
Was sneaking up to him
With every intention
His ass to bite.
How do you know when it's a dad joke?
When the answer is... apparent
What do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?
Parent of the year!
Unfortunately, there's only an official award for female grandparents: the Grammy
I would have thought two of the more famous examples of humour are these, both from St. Olaf's saga:
1. The bane of Tormod Kolbrunarskald: He is mortally wounded by an arrow to the chest. When no one dares extract the arrow, he pulls it out himself. Some tissue, and fat, sticks to the arrowhead. On observing this, Tormod speaks his last words: "The King has fed us well; I am still fat about the heart-roots."
2. Torarin Nevjolvsson: A man of low birth, he is described as "awfully ugly, and the worst of it was that he had big, ugly hands, but his feet were uglier still". One time King Olav was in Tønsberg, the king invited Torarin to stay for a few days, and they shared quarters. Early one morning, while the other men slept, the king noticed one of Torarin's feet sticking out from under his clothes, and he watched the foot a good while. When the other men awoke, the king said to Torarin: "I have lain here awake quite a while, and I have seen a sight most rare. And that is a man's foot so hideous that I do not think there should be an uglier foot in town." He motioned for the others to have a look, and they all agreed that the king spoke the truth. Torarin, however, challenged the king to a wager, as he was sure he could find an even uglier foot. Olaf agreed, whereupon Torarin revealed his other foot, which was no fairer, and here the big toe was missing. Olaf protested, however, saying the first foot was ugliest, since the first foot had five ugly toes, but the second foot only four. Torarin conceded to the king's reasoning.
Hahahah, that is hilarious!!
11:28 Dr Jackson Crawford speaking Old Norse with a Arnold Schwarzenegger accent. Is it Chritmas already? ...The things we never knew we needed...
that was a great Arnold impersonation actually
I thought the same hahahaha
Now I imagine a Norse warrior, escaping with his party from Finnish sorcerers, shouting ”GET TO DA LONGBOAT! GO!” and then, after running one through with his spear, saying ”Stick around!”
😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Loki dressing Thor as a woman in a bridal dress is pretty funny.
The entire poem of Þrymskviða is funny.
@@krisaloisio2596 mate you should read about that time loki comes uninvited to a party and starts roasting all the other æsir, it's called Lokasenna
@@IAOIceland1984 That's what other religions were missing - Ye Olde Rap Battles.
On a tour of duty in Cyprus we were returning to camp after a long patrol, everyone tired and just wanting to shower and relax. We passed a man selling fruit on the streets and as my co;;egue passed him he asked whay the English called a fruit he was holding , an orange. My buddy was not in the mood for conversation and just said, "Bollocks," meaning for the guy to go away and stop bothering him. After that time whenever we passed the fruit vendor he shouted bollocks at us, this appealled to my ironic sense of humour.
I need to remember that destroyer of sausages insult!
Blind Destroyer of sausages
Have you remembered it?
One of my favorites was from Njal's Saga, when a band of men sought to kill Gunnar at his home. When they arrive they're not sure if Gunnar is home or not, and so Thorgrim climbs the house to get a look inside. Gunnar, having hidden himself inside from his would-be-murderers, thrusts his spear into Thorgrim's belly and he falls from the house, crawling back to his companions. When they ask what happened, he uses his dying breath to tell them "I don't know if Gunnar is home, but his spear definitely is."
I remember this guy on the radio who had spent a year with eskimos. He said what really made them laugh was when he broke his leg (I'm not sure of the details - maybe it was just a sprain - but you get the idea). But he said they were lovely people all the same.
Norse humour:
Hey you know Sleipnir? And Loki? yeah well what if-
NOOO
That culture was so rich in imagination! I love the imagery in the writings that remain!
I never thought in my life I’d be binge watching a cowboy themed youtuber who discusses old Norse scholarship, linguistics and orthography, and yet here I am.
This is like something out of a Pynchon novel
I have seen a lot of commonality in the humor of Scandinavian, north german, and Icelandic people. Schadenfreude is a good generalization - like seeing somebody slip and fall as being funny, or taking delight in somebody making a fool of themselves. Even doing something to cause somebody to make a fool of themselves. An Icelander did that to me once back when I was trying to learn Icelandic many years ago. I used to talk to people on IRC back around 2000. That was a primitive chat system. To make a long story short I asked somebody how to say something so I could talk to somebody else in Icelandic. They tried to trick me. I was far from fluent but I knew "breiður banana" didn't have anything to do with what I asked them to translate. I really enjoyed playing tricks on them too and they always thought that was funny. In fact, most of the time between my knowledge of English and German I could figure out what was being said more or less. Some things in Icelandic seem so familiar, yet other things are completely alien. For instance to say goodnight they say "dreymi þig vel." That's almost the same as english "dream thee well."
That Grimfrost advert song slapped
th-cam.com/video/5n2HlwVRulI/w-d-xo.html
These videos are quite good. I'd like to add that another humourous tool the old norse used, and still use and share with the english; is the understatement.
Throughout the sagas a raging king will be said to be "not that happy" and a reckless one to be "not careful", and the phrase "nothing more happened that winter" is not only funny, but actually a great way to tell linked stories.
The laconic phrase I like the most is when (supposedly) Einar Tambarskjelve broke his bow in the "Battle of Svolder" and the King Olav Tryggvason ask "what broke (so loud)?" he answered: "The Kindom out of your hands, My King"
On gender: IN a society where tasks were gendered and a woman could perfom healing proudly, a man would be derided as "feminine" doing the same work*, Odin himself performed both Seid (a female magic art) and crossdressed on many occations. The Story of Thor marrying Trymm is off course hilarious on so many occations, even before they go to Jotunheimen and Trymmsgard.
*) (there was probably less derision of women performing in battle, or doing well in athletics)
Humor hasn't changed in Scandinavia or Iceland since. We have the expression translated into English, no joy like Schadenfreude. Gallows humor and schadenfreude is hilarious.
I laughed outloud when I heard the story of Thor using the head of Himir's oxen to catch the Midgard serpent, Jörmungandr, then puts his foot through the bottom of the boat. Dark humor, but great!
Speaking as a Swede, I find these videos immensely fascinating! Sometimes, I can accurately guess the meaning of ancient Norse texts by identifying words that are similar to Swedish ones, and extrapolating the rest from context, but I am positive that were I to speak with any of my ancestors, it would essentially be mutual gibberish.
But I believe that our senses of humour would smooth things over. The Nordic comedic temperament has always been on the fairly grim side, by and large. Life up north could be really harsh. You could complain about it, or you could make fun of it.
So true. 👍
Skarphéðinn Njálsson from Njálssaga is a constant source of one liners and sarcastic understatements.
One of my favorites is when the burners start lighting kindle by the side of Njáls house to burn him and his entire family alive inside their farm, Skarphéðinn shouts out from inside the farm:
Are you lads starting a fire, or are you taking to cooking something?
"in other words where you might be found not ... gill-ty" *GOLD* ;D
Dark indeed. I’ve wrestled to lift my cats (goat rodeo)
The only channel that I get to thoroughly enjoy both the content and the ads!
You earned a like with "scale back" and a subscriber with "gill-ty". Of course, your channel is great and I'm looking forward to learning about runes, the norse language and culture, so that is not the only reason; it did, however, take this to the next level.
I was shocked when I read the sagas a few years back at how much humor was involved with the stories of Loki and Thor- I agree with your assessment on Thor- the stories make him seem more approachable. I was also surprised, as you noted, that the humor is rather 8th grade boy level.
First he says the sagas aren't humorous and then he quotes "that blind destroyer of sausages". I died
I have to hand it to the firm of Grimfrost for publishing the least annoying ads. Not annoying at all, actually. So thanks.
Your Arnold Schwarzenegger impression was actually quite good XD
I recommend reading "The Downfall of the Gods - Ragnarok" by Villy Sørensen back in 1982. Known by many Danes: a good introduction to the Nordic Gods and stories. Read it to my kids and they sure laughed :)
I find hints of that dry humor from vest-jylland literally everywhere in the Sagas. By the way, If we are virus-safe in week 29, come to "Trelleborg Vikinge-festival". There will be beer and roasted lamb for you mr Crawford.
Week 29, lol 😂 yo
The gender distinction for the numerals two, three and four has been lost in modern Norwegian save a few dialects. In a story that I've heard a few times, two young couples hike and arrive at a mountain farm where they ask the maid if they can stay there for the night. She agrees, but adds "de må liggje två og två og tvæ og tvæ og ikkje tvau og tvau".
I'm amazed my crappy Duolingo Norwegian allowed me to understand it. Good one.
@@thrownswordpommel7393 well, one doesnt need to know Norsk at all and can still make an educated guess about this one tbh
@@battlecarp Well the distinction has been lost in most Scandinavian languages, as in Swedish only Twå remains, which is Masculine, Twe and twau have been lost but in rare dialects.
Still find the exchange between Synfjotli and that one king hilarious, not sure why they declare that he knew how to talk to kings right before he massively insults the guy.
You're doing a great job Doc, I thank you for all the knowledge you have bestowed upon us all.
The best conversations are held in the presents of a triceratops skull 😎🤘
0:36 The Crawford glance
The advert from Grimfrost made me laugh.
Arnold in Old Norse! You got a serious cackle out of me: ;0)
This is a fantastic channel....love it
Thank you Dr Crawford. Really helping with being on Lockdown. Shared to the the Vikng page I co admin on over on FB.
Thank you dr. Crawford for all of your work and your videos I have truly enjoyed and learn from every single one
I should wait til I can sight stanzas and this or that saga, but I find fantastic bits of dry, yet pertinent and perhaps timeless humor throughout the many and varied works! 🤘🏼
The afterword is priceless.
One of my favorite episodes. ✌️
First I will say I agree with @Dan Marsh 100%
Also the story about Loke & Tor getting the hammer back , was one of the funniest stories for children. I loved it!
Norse humor appears to be a unique point of view. Schadenfreude and Galgenhumor..
Honestly, not much has changed. Best way to tell the difference between a Nordic comedy and a Nordic tragedy is if says so on the title - in a Nordic sense both are usually hilarious in their own ways...
@@Rovarin YOU ARE SO VERY RIGHT. In Denmark we had a rather famous poet (novelist/tablemaker / matematician/particle physicicist) Piet Hein. He once wrote a Danish 'Grook' (short poem) along the lines: HE who takes earnest only in earnest and laughter only as a joke, has understood both things equally bad'. So most of daily sayings and utterances can often be twisted to mean the opposite, of what you/we THINK you/we mean. Much to the frustration of foreigners, who are never quite sure what we mean. So much so the a Dane WANTING to make a serious point, can be hears saying: 'Now I want you to misunderstand me in the RIGHT way'.
@@ulrikschackmeyer848 The same phrase is used in Sweden too. "Missförstå mig rätt".
@@OnlyKaerius It's a lovely phrase. Missförstå mig rätt här nu, men ... I have no idea, how many times I've said that phrase in my life.
5:05-5:14 Thank you so much for the laugh good Sir!
Bjorn vs. Pordr: Epic flytting battles. I can dig it.
Nice 😄! An unexpected sense of humor indeed for a warrior people.
In Danish school we were forced to read Njals (Njölls) Saga which no-one injoyed much at the time, my self included. In a desperate attempt to make it interesting my female Danish-teacher hit on what was apparantly the only 'joke' in text. The rest of the story I have forgotten, so forgive me if I get it wrong. But someone is supposted to be killed, perhaps by fire. One man is send to the house/hall/cottage. He peeks in through the 'lyrehul' (the smoke outlet) to see if the intented victim is home and is stabbed with a spear (if stabbed is the right word). He stumbles back to his friends (perhaps still with the spear in his belly?). They ask: Was anybody home?. He answers: I don't know. But the spear was. (And then I seem to remember that the died then and there on the ground).
And if this is not correct, is was something that my teacher made up to try to get the kids interested. So if it wrong... blame her, not me. And if you appreaciate that I DID I fact take a later interest in my own past history, you should of cause praise.... ME! 😉😏 Right? 🤔
One thing that always struck me is that all the gods (except Týr) laughed when Týr lost his hand to Fenrir.
Btw, where is the penis reference in the Bjarnar saga quote? The only translation I can find of "lókr" is a heavy, sluggish and lazy man.
damnnn that arnold impression lol
I forgot the source....but there was a story of Thor on one of his travels, having an exchange with an old man who was Odin in disguise, and these two have a round of insults that are kinda the Norse version of The Dozens.
Lol Dr. J, super genius.
One that made me chuckle.
A band of Vikings are captured after a failed raid and lined up on the beach to be executed and their heads put on pikes. One by one their heads roll but one viking stops the excutinoner and says. " we have lost and I've accepted my fate to die, but as you can see I take great care of my hair and I would hate to enter the afterlife with a bad haircut. Could one of the other soldiers hold my hair while you behead me?" The executioner agrees and gets a soldier to hold the Vikings hair.
As the sword swung to cut off the vikings head the viking jerked upright causing the executioner to cut off his partners hands. The jarl watching the affair burst into such a fit of laughter he sent the viking and the rest of his party back home with a gold coin.
hi i recently found your videos..nice job..will you ever do a video on the varangian guard?
This is a quite fascinating topic. It's always interesting to see how other cultures use humour. I wonder if the humour in the sagas that you mention is reflective of the everyday mirth, or if it was like quips in superhero movies: kind of clever, but not really something tend people do on regular basis in real life.
You also have an amazing Arnie impression, good sir.
I noticed in many sagas the line " sedan var det lungt igen, en tid, om man nu kan kalla det så" It makes me laugh every time =)
Seriously, you're freakin' hilarious man
It's interesting that you bring up schadenfreude specifically in reference to Skaði given their shared etymological roots.
I forgot about the rap battles in the Sagas!
I laughed so much during this video that I became dizzy.
Isn't there a bit where Loki gets copulated by a stallion whilst he is shapeshifted into a mare? That always struck me as deliberately funny.
Yes, he gave birth to Slepnir. That's what he gets for making bets where others have to pay the debt!
Was the moment of Oðinn farting out a bit of the Mead of Poetry in Suttungr’s face then a bit of frivolity of Gaiman’s part?
Something in Norse mythology I found really funny was how Loki uses Balder’s blind brother to kill him he tells him it’s a great idea to throw a shaft of mistletoe at his brother which Hother is unaware is mistletoe then just sits back and watches everything play out 😂 I imagine him just watching the drama and chaos ensue while being like gee guys I don’t know this is crazy!
Skadefryd (schadenfreude) is alive and well in modern Norway, "skadefryd er den eneste ekte fryd" - schadenfreude is the only genuine joy....
I wonder if picking a man by his feet is a reference to how the size of a mans feet relates to the size of his..um..man hammer.
I often imagine that Loki gave Njorđr a pair of well-worn boots and maybe some snowshoes that have seen regular use, telling him "Opposites attract. These will get you off the hook." But that's just what makes sense to me. I know there's nothing like this in the written record.
Well, Monty Python seem to find humour in the sagas. The Black Knight in their Quest for the Holy Grail, who keeps losing limbs but refuses to give up is clearly inspired by the fight scene in Gunnlaug Ormstunga’s saga, where the rivals over Helga finally come to blows. With a mighty blow Gunnlaug cuts of Hravn’s leg and claims he has won. Hravn denies this, propping his shortened leg up on a tree stump and insists the fight should continue, he just needs a sip of water to refresh himself.
Have you ever read the Swedish book Röde Orm? In English it is called The Long Ships but I doubt the English translation can do the book much justice, due to how much of its brilliance comes from the author's use of the Swedish language. It is a novel about vikings published in 1941 and it absolutely hilarious, brilliant and it at the very least feels authentic to the era. It used to be one of the most widely read books in Sweden. His humour is so brilliant and unique, he creates humour out of sentences that on the surface does not seem to be humour. If you have read it I would very much like to hear your thoughts on how authentic it is, even the authenticity humour, and if you have not read it I would very much recommend it.
What is known of a person,called Olaf the black,of the hebrides,and isle of man,is anything written of him in sagas,progenitor of several Scottish clans,his daughter ,I think married,lord somerled.
I think all stories with Loke are funny in their absurdity and his constant trickery. Maybe I just have a very dark sense of humor.
I can't stop laughing, him explaining ancient jokes like a millennia old trope
How interesting that they had:
"vit tveir" for men and
"vit tvær" for both women.
It's complicated enough today with nouns in different genders.
I could never imagine separating "two" for different genders as well!
I've been doomed to being born into a family where my dad's mom is German, my dad's dad is French-Canadian, my mom's mom is "Scots Irish" (Protestant), my mom's dad is Irish (Catholic). It's a crazy mixed up salad of humor styles.
Yet another cameo by the dinosaurs.
I'm currently reading my way through the family sagas, and I gotta say I find quite a few things funny that probably weren't intended to be. I don't know about you, but I burst out laughing when Skarphedinn skated across the ice and buried his axe in Thrain's head.
BEST VIDEO EVER
Dark farm humor
Mr son of Jack of the Crows Ford
Viking Rap Battles!!
If you have seen "Vikingande", it's not that far off from this
The darkest bit of humor in the video is that the subtitles reproduce Schadenfreude as 'shot in florida' around 10:50...
I am not sure if the daily humor of Vikings would find their way into serious sagas. When we tell modern stories like crime stories and war stories, the humor would usually be quite dark. It is hard to imagine that the lives of normal people would be funny and delightful at times, even if that part of life never makes it to a norse poem or saga.
I'm pretty sure the norse also used a lot of referential humor (see also: kenning), and situational humor. For example: there's a long standing cultural wisdom that remains today that probably existed even back then, that fishermen tend to exaggerate when telling stories about their catches or the ones that got away. There's of course one of these in the sagas, featuring Thor fishing for Jormungand, the world serpent, and having his catch spoiled by his fishing companion, the giant Hymir cutting the line out of fear. I think the implication here being that he got himself one hell of a fishing story.
Possibly I'm reading too much into it, but the story of Njord and Skathi seems to me to be parody or farce.
It starts off with a "giant" coming to Asgard and demanding a spouse, which is a common theme in the myths that all the listeners would be familiar with, but it tweaks that theme, as parodies do, by a being a giantess demanding a god, Baldur is hinted at, instead of the usual demand for Freyja. It skips over the usual part where Freyja angrily refuses and goes straight to the part where the gods agree on condition that the "giant" agrees to some ridiculous demand, and in this case the demand really is absurd - she has to pick her mate without seeing anything but his feet. Think about it - this really IS nonsensical. Why wouldn't the gods at least suggest that she might spend a few minutes sitting with, say, Vidar, listening to the wind howl through desolate places in companionable silence? It seems like those two might have something in common, and why not at least check out the possibility of a win-win solution before trying a Loki-trick? But the audience all knows how this trope goes, so OF COURSE the gods have an absurd condition and OF COURSE the "giant" agrees to the ridiculous condition - which is actually pretty funny, in a "this is completely absurd" Monty Python sort of way. On second thought, let us not go to Asgard: it is a silly place. So, the storyteller can pantomime Skadi getting on her hands and knees to get a good look at the feet under the curtain or mist, and then she picks Njord.
Njord???
Yes, Njord.
Njord who has two children her age?
Yes, that Njord.
But, WHY????
Because he wades in the sea foam every day, so he's the only god whose feet are clean.
*facepalm*
At least it looks like irony was part of their life, though when you have to say it probably was meant to be funny it means it wasn't 😅
Dear Dr. Crawford. As I am a member of the Hollywood (California) AntiHOMOphonia Association, it is my duty to report your offensive puns. q.v., "gills" "scales" and so forth. Humpphhh!
The main thing I take away from this is that Old Norse Humor is just German Humor really.
They're both Germanic, so they're pretty much the same
Förgörare av korvar... :D
By the way, I would like to know how far off target I was, some 50 years later. Anyone?
A few details are off (fire wasn't involved in this death, but it is involved in one later), but the line is correct-- I see another commenter has mentioned it as well, but Dr. Crawford also covers it in this part of his video series on Njals saga: th-cam.com/video/TVOUYidWLkM/w-d-xo.html
LMFAOOOO WOW
You forgot to mention the scatological humor.
Dr. Crawford, I need your help. Danheim has put out a puzzle. I believe the answer is in old norse. Does this cypher make any sense to you? Maybe phonetically? 5ᛏa-ɐ ᚱ5v -R ᛖv ᚲ4ɥ-1ᚱv ƐI ᛟ2v sᚠ⇂
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! HarDEHAR!
That was an amazingly accurate Arnold Schwarzenegger voice!!
The sexual tension.
not that i know any of those. haha thats dry
Deep in a cow