Book 4, Chapter 35: Generational
In the Norse religion, Forseti is the god of justice, mediation, and reconciliation; the son of Baldur and Nanna, he dispenses justice and rulings from Glitnir, his father's hall, which is roofed with silver and has columns of gold, and is noted to be visible for some distance with radiant light. Prior to the Norse Reformation, Forseti was a minor deity, attested to in only a few extant sources and works, mostly focused on his position as his father's son. In the canon of the Reformed Norse, he has an expanded role and position, with an entire saga detailing his efforts...
—From Aesir To Yggdrasil: A Norse Primer
Tropes that appear in this chapter:
- Adventures in Comaland: While unconscious, Stoick had a talk with Forseti, the Norse God of Justice.
- Ascended Extra: The epigraph discusses that Forseti was a minor deity prior to the Norse Reformation, and became more prominent afterwards with a whole saga to himself.
- Callback: Grimmel references Magnus giving refuge to Polish Pagans as a reason for the Catholic Christian Church to censure Magnus.
- Catapult to Glory: The Byzantines adopt and adapt Hiccup's improvised Dragon Catapult design due to how useful it was in launching their Dragon Riders into battle.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The epigraph introduces Forseti, Norse God of Justice. He comes up again in the ending when Stoick addresses his memory of him.
- Cliffhanger: This chapter, and Book IV, ends with the reveal that Stoick spoke to God of Justice Forseti while he was in his coma.
- Dramatic Irony: Valka sees the name Fearless on the memorial Hiccup made for her, and due to most of it being destroyed, sees only the name and assumes it is a monument to humans committing an atrocity against dragons instead of a memorial created by humans in honour of a dragon.
- Entertainingly Wrong: Drago hears stories of a benevolent Berk and assumes it is distorted rumours spread by the Byzantines instead of it actually being the name of another Dragon power.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Mulan makes the crucial deduction that the Song Dynasty has yet to be conquered when she realizes that the dragon breeds the Pechenegs used in their attack on Constantinople did not include the breeds from her home.
- Fantastic Religious Weirdness: His High Holiness Michael Keroularios, Patriarch of Constantinople, considers Macarius' and Florian's bonding, away from Constantinople, to be a unique opportunity for him to find out how dragons fit into Orthodox Greek Christian theology after he and many others realise the dragons are smarter than they thought.
- Internal Reveal: Hiccup and his entourage hear that Stoick survived his injuries.
- Miss Conception: Wulfhild is surprised to learn she's pregnant as she thought she can't get pregnant until after her older child is weaned. Mwenda tells her that's an old wives tale.
- Mythology Gag: In the section taking place in Italia, a new character is introduced- Grimmel.
- Off the Table: Viggo mentions that if Berk and Francia can agree to a new treaty in spite of King Henry ambushing King Stoick, the original generous terms Berk was willing to offer are obviously no longer an option.
- Spared by the Adaptation: In Real Life Domenico Flabanico died in 1043, here thanks to Hiccup gifting him buffalord spit he survived.
- Wham Line:
- The Italia part of the chapter concerns a fiery young priest trying to officially denounce Magnus’ actions dealing with Berk and the Hooligan Tribe, to an unimpressed council of cardinals. The last line of the section reveals just who this priest is:Cardinal: Father Grimmel, that is enough.
- And finally, at the end of the chapter, as Stoick awakens from his injuries, he remembers a particular conversation he had while he was asleep:Forseti: Remember what it was that we spoke of.
- The Italia part of the chapter concerns a fiery young priest trying to officially denounce Magnus’ actions dealing with Berk and the Hooligan Tribe, to an unimpressed council of cardinals. The last line of the section reveals just who this priest is:
