elaby: (Nibelungenlied - gems)
elaby ([personal profile] elaby) wrote2009-10-15 10:01 pm
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They live! Lucky them.

This is me, being a dweeb.

So in the comments of a recent House of Cards fic of [livejournal.com profile] liek_woah86's, [livejournal.com profile] calccarbonate mentioned something about how Elizabeth, Urquhart's wife, survives the whole shebang. She's very Lady Macbethlike with all of her whispering in Urquhart's ear and giving him all his really bad good ideas. And it occurred to me that in that way she's like Mörður Valgarðsson of Njal's Saga (herein lies the dweeb). If I recall my Icelandic sagas correctly, Mörður goes through the entire story giving people such ideas, setting people against each other and generally causing a lot of trauma by way of subtle advice, and the little shit lives to see the end. I kind of love him for that. I also have it from my Epics professor that Mordred, of Arthurian fame, plays the same role in some versions. Their names look rather similar at that.

I wanted to have a character like this in my Nano, but I think I have too many already. Five main characters is a lot for me o_o

[identity profile] the-arethusa.livejournal.com 2009-10-16 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
*hugs you*

She's very much like Lady Macbeth only without the fit of remorse at the end. So this new comparison is actually a much more accurate one.

Hooray for villains getting away with it! Because sometimes, unfortunately, that's just how life works.

[identity profile] calccarbonate.livejournal.com 2009-10-16 11:20 am (UTC)(link)
I think they get away with it most of the time, actually...There's no wise sage running through this saga, alas. We can't have everything. But saga it is. It most certainly is...I still think a world where Elizabeth could have risen to power directly might have been even more frightening...oh, dear. I can imagine the tea-time conversations in the Conservative lounge room too...

[identity profile] elaby.livejournal.com 2009-10-16 10:06 pm (UTC)(link)
It's true! I kind of like villains better sometimes when they have no remorse. Urquhart's remorse is gorgeous, though.

[identity profile] janeturenne.livejournal.com 2009-10-16 03:49 pm (UTC)(link)
As I have still not seen HoC (bad Jane, bad!), that was more or less Greek to me, but any post in involving CJ and Icelandic sagas requires me to stop in and give you a whole bunch of hugs in honor of the adorable geekery. *gives a whole bunch of hugs!*

[identity profile] elaby.livejournal.com 2009-10-16 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
n_______n Thank you! *hugs back* I definitely recommend both HoC and Icelandic Sagas! Elizabeth is a cool character in HoC, too :) I bet if I tried hard enough, I could find a Stamper-like equivalent in a saga somewhere XD

[identity profile] calccarbonate.livejournal.com 2009-10-17 01:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Check out the giant Loki. He was adopted by Odin, not a real god, and depending no your translator, brought about the downfall of the gods because he was sick and tired of being their dirty-jobs-boy. Hmmm parallels?

[identity profile] elaby.livejournal.com 2009-10-18 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Oooh... too bad our HoC parallel doesn't succeed :{