44 replies to this topic

[Welkin Gunther]

I've been reading a lot of the FFR forums, and I've noticed a rather odd trend, that is to say, almost everyone thinks that the FRR are a bunch of space vikings. I personally don't get where this mentality came, mostly because the FRR is the most passive and neutral state; we are even more passive than Steiner. The FRR always seems more like space Sweden to me. I'm really just curious, and am wondering if anyone could explain to me how this view came to be. Is it just from the Nordic background of the state? Or was there something in the lore that I missed? Or does it have to do with the Kurita background?

Edited by Welkin Gunther, 24 August 2012 - 03:18 AM.

[Feindfeuer]

Well, they are space-swedes and for most people that equals space-vikings. It's a lot simpler than trying to read up on the rather uniqe character of the FFR, with its amalgamation direct democratic rule mixed with feudal and royal overtones and it's rather risky position as a small neutral state between two IS superpowers.

[Faenwulf]

Feindfeuer, on 23 August 2012 - 11:11 PM, said:

with its amalgamation direct democratic rule mixed with feudal and royal overtones

Read your history and you'd noticed that this fits the viking scheme very well.
That said, in the FRR a new and odl Religion was revived. And that is the religion of the vikings.

We don't say this just for fun.

[Thorn Hallis]

Faenwulf, on 24 August 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

That said, in the FRR a new and odl Religion was revived. And that is the religion of the vikings.

But there were chistian vikings too...

That being said, where is the source? Never seen any mentioning of a state religion in the FRR in the sourcebooks, not to speak of any mentioning of Asatru or Odinism elsewhere.

[BlackMoore]

I was presented that way in a thread a few months back that described and summarized the houses of BT/ MW. The thread was "a wall of text" so it was probably hit or miss on who read it.

[Atlas3060]

Thorn Hallis, on 24 August 2012 - 02:36 AM, said:

But there were chistian vikings too...

That being said, where is the source? Never seen any mentioning of a state religion in the FRR in the sourcebooks, not to speak of any mentioning of Asatru or Odinism elsewhere.

The Housebook for House Kurita, the very old ones you can find online, does mention the Christian religion of the FRR:

Quote

Its religious underpinning was a gloomy
northern Christianity that nurtured the individuality of its believers
by fixating them on their personal relation to God.

I think people throw in "space viking" as a tongue in cheek because of all the other stereotypes the other realms have. I know I have.

They do award a medal called Tyr's Hand. That's hardly proof this is the dominant religion though.


I'm still looking for information if the older religions were reestablished and at best I get some references to smaller religions being tolerated in certain places. This is also hindered by the fact that whenever FRR finally came into its own they get curbed stomped by someone else.

[Welkin Gunther]

Thorn Hallis, on 24 August 2012 - 02:36 AM, said:

But there were chistian vikings too...

That being said, where is the source? Never seen any mentioning of a state religion in the FRR in the sourcebooks, not to speak of any mentioning of Asatru or Odinism elsewhere.

They do mention the religions practiced somewhere. I found it on Sarna, and it said most people there are Lutherans, but that there is a small sect of a modern Norse religion too. From the sound of it though it's a small sect, smaller than the Buddhist population.

Edited by Welkin Gunther, 24 August 2012 - 03:29 AM.

[Welkin Gunther]

Faenwulf, on 24 August 2012 - 02:30 AM, said:

Read your history and you'd noticed that this fits the viking scheme very well.
That said, in the FRR a new and odl Religion was revived. And that is the religion of the vikings.

We don't say this just for fun.

Vikings were more monarchy than democracy, though there were strong aspects of democracy in their system of government.

[Faenwulf]

Yeah, I know, but before "monarchy" hit, the viking tribes were democratically organised like the southern german tribes. (from which they probably originated).
And yeah, there were christian vikings (especially from Norway and Denmark) later on.

And concerning religions of the FRR: (from sarna)

Quote

The state religion of the Replublic is the Lutheran Church or Radstadt Synad. One third of the population of the Republic are members of this faith, though other Christian religions, as well as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism, have substantial numbers of followers as well. The Modern Norse faith, a reinterpretation of the ancient Norse polytheism, is a growing sect and other small minor sects such as the One Star Faith also have a presence.

So, yeah. There you have it.
Besides, there are all kinds of mentions of vikign mythology: the Tyrs Hand Medal, the Tyr Regiment etc.
Not to say that the whole FRR Banner can't be described as anything else than "vikingesque".

[Thorn Hallis]

Pagan beliefs do not make one a viking.

And the Lyrans (and Illyrans, for that matter) use a lot of terms from norse mythology too.

[Faenwulf]

Yeah, but pagan beliefs+being of scandinavian origin.
And if it wouldn't be for our Prnce Magnusson we wouldn't be as neutral as we are. Just ask General Mansdottir.
But it's all a part of the political and democratic process.
Besides of that I don't really know what yo uwant to hear from me/us? What else would make on 'viking' but origin, religion and one owns representation?

And yeah, the Lyrans use a lot of that, too. Wanna know why? They are mostly germans. Those guys who are the origins of the viking triebs and who essentially invented the vikign style of life (just ask the Frisians, Anglos and Saxons). And oh yeah, the viking religion and mythology evolved from that, too! ( Donar=Thor, Wodan=Oden, Nerthus=Njörd, Saxnot=Tyr etc. *). So is it really a wonder they do that, too? Even some of the modern German names for the weekdays refer to the old gods. Donnerstag (Thursday) refers to Donar (and in English to Thor) for example.

* With more or less changes because of traveled distances and the time difference of several hundred years)

[Solis Obscuri]

We have always been space vikings.

Edited by Solis Obscuri, 24 August 2012 - 09:07 AM.

[Hargrim Dane]

I'm a little upset by the flanderizing, but I try to take it in stride as people being genereally unwilling to do their homework on the somewhat more complicated sociopolitical history of the FRR.

[Les Grossman]

"Space Vikings" Still trying to figure out how that is a bad thing..."Space Sweden" seems kind of lame...

Trying to imagine a giant swedish fellow screaming, "This is SWEDEN!", as he blasts a mech with a PPC.

trying.....
trying.....

*fail*

Edited by Les Grossman, 24 August 2012 - 09:24 AM.

[Hargrim Dane]

Plenty of the folks in this thread have, which is extremely heartening.

Edited by Hargrim Dane, 24 August 2012 - 09:24 AM.

[Trevnor]

Oh, just because some of us call ourself Space Vikings doesn't mean we didn't do our research. It's just way more fun to be Space Vikings than Space Sweden. No offense to any Swedes.....

[Otto Cannon]

I believe it basically comes down to whether you would prefer people to see us as this;



or this:

[Fl3tcher]

Space Vikings? what is this Traveller New Era?

[Thorn Hallis]

Faenwulf, on 24 August 2012 - 08:53 AM, said:

What else would make on 'viking' but origin, religion and one owns representation?

Probably exactly that. Which disqualifies the FRR, as their represantation isn't viking at all.

[Welkin Gunther]

Otto Cannon, on 24 August 2012 - 09:38 AM, said:

I believe it basically comes down to whether you would prefer people to see us as this;



or this:

What about the FRR being part Finnish?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War
That seems both more FRR and way more awesome than vikings.