tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682438184679769936.post7194395945889580457..comments2023-10-18T09:50:12.721-04:00Comments on Fresh-scraped Vellum - A blog devoted to historical and fantasy fiction: A Tiny Piece of Viking TriviaJoseph Finleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11348233611003693635noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6682438184679769936.post-56077330279638153022011-11-28T18:53:32.710-05:002011-11-28T18:53:32.710-05:00I assume he was naked because his clothes were soa...I assume he was naked because his clothes were soaked from the sea battle, but who knows. I think it's fairly well-accepted that he bled to death, but Lord knows where the real wound was. As for his teeth, I suspect the odor he "transmitted" was that of rotting teeth. Harald is a character in The Long Ships, a novel by Frans G. Bengtsson (which happens to be one of the most read novels in Sweden). Bengtsson devotes a scene to Harald's dental mishaps, including the pain caused by his teeth, "all except the two blue ones." In the book, Harald would fly into rage and threaten to kill the two monks who were trying to ease his pain. Also, I wholeheartedly agree that any competing technology should be called "Forkbeard"!Joseph Finleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11348233611003693635noreply@blogger.com