Less Heroic Sounding History

(fm the BC thread "The Age of the Demon")

2x4,
The Normans were Norsemen, tough characters those Danes. They make cartoons of their enemies and so frightened the French King that he ceded his northern seacoast. Then they invaded England and defeated the Saxons on October 14th after King Harald had to race 241 miles South from stopping another Norse invasion at the battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25th.

The secret of the Saxon tradition of mocking history is that it encourages self deprecation. This works to make you look more powerful, not less. The English have a tradition of that, think of "1066 and All That."

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Marie Claude,
(who defended the wisdom of the Carolingian Charles the Simple)
Yes but it was an invasion and they were not totally assimilated. My point was to encourage all of us, you included, to occasionally embrace a humorous play on History. It only makes us look more confident. Think of Asterix.

Not that the 4th is the best day for the idea, it may not be. I would not mock American History on that day and I would not make a point of mocking French History on Bastille Day.

Is there a French equivalent of Blackadder?


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Dave,
(whose Norman ancestors earned heraldic devices)
Good for you. There is nothing snobbish or wrong in studying genealogy. Everyone comes from somewhere, obvious disclaimer inserted to prevent thread hijacking, and a good exploration of the shepherds, goats and sheep, white or black, decorating the family tree is a fine thing.

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(referencing a coupke of sub-topics in thread)
Bob,
Ever hear of the Canadian Twilight Zone?

You wake up and nothing has happened.
You toss a ball in the air and it comes back down.
You take a long plane flight and someone behind you snores.

This can continue until the audience rebels.

Davy Crockett was interesting. His (non)-attendance record in Congress lasted until Adam Clayton Powell. There was a story that he once boasted to his drinking companions about killing a large number of “bares.” His buddies reportedly refuted his claim with argument that he couldn’t count that high. He died well.