History Literature / WhosAfraidOfBeowulf

%%* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: King Rolf.

* PunchClockVillain: The Sorcerer-King and Thorgeir was a threat to the entire human race 1,000 years ago, but, as Rolf points out, hasn't yet been able to actually take over the world despite the lack of any opposition. This means the Sorcerer King has undergone such extreme VillainDecay that he is now an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, who even prefers to watch his enemies on TV at one point rather than go out and fight them just at that particular moment.

* {{Calvinball}}: Two imps have spent the past thousand years playing "Goblin's Teeth". They're still on their first match (of 9 sets, with 100,000 games to a set). Descriptions of the gameplay suggest it contains elements of chess, Monopoly, Scrabble and several others.

%%* OnlySaneMan: King Rolf.

--> '''Starkad:''' I forgot my battle-cry.
--> '''Brynolf:''' It's "Starkad!", Starkad.
** Later subverted as the heroes push their ship out to sea;
---> '''Hildy:''' Was that his battle cry?
---> '''Arvarodd:''' No, the keel just went over his foot.

--> The curator took a deep breath. "Aren't you the Arvarodd who went to Permia?" he asked.
--> Arvarodd hit him.

* TranslationConvention[=/=]TranslatorMicrobes: The heroes think they are still speaking perfectly good Old Norse, and so is everyone else- but Hildy hears them in English. The King explains that his wizard, Kotkel, put a translation spell on the heroes. Since it's unclear when this happened relative to them waking up, either trope may be in effect early in the tale as the Vikings converse in their mound.

!!Tropes:

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: King Rolf
* BadassCrew: The heroes
* BadassNormal: Hildy Fredrikson becomes this.
* BadassInDistress: The King, after a magical pursuit by his Enemy. He gets better.

* TheBerserker: Starkad Storvirson.

* BoisterousBruiser: Rolf's heroes definitely count.
* ButtMonkey / ConspiracyTheorist: Danny Bennett, BBC reporter. Once assigned to the story of the Viking ship, nothing goes his way again. It doesn't really help that he tries to connect everything he ever hears- ''really'' everything- to the JFK assassination.

* TheDragon: Thorgeir Storm-Shepherd, former timber-wolf.

* {{Jerkass}}: Angantyr and Bothvar Bjarki.

* OnlySaneMan: King Rolf.

* PunchClockVillain: The Sorcerer-King and Thorgeir was a threat to the entire human race 1,000 years ago, but, as Rolf points out, hasn't yet been able to actually take over the world despite the lack of any opposition. This means the sorcerer-king has undergone such extreme VillainDecay that he is now an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, who even prefers to watch his enemies on TV at one point rather than go out and fight them just at that particular moment.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: King Rolf again--and the sorcerer king, too.

* TookALevelInBadass: Hildy. Also Danny the reporter, by the end of the book (being around the Vikings tends to have this effect on people).

* TranslationConvention / TranslatorMicrobes: The heroes think they are still speaking perfectly good Old Norse, and so is everyone else- but Hildy hears them in English. The King explains that his wizard, Kotkel, put a translation spell on the heroes. Since it's unclear when this happened relative to them waking up, either trope may be in effect early in the tale as the Vikings converse in their mound.

** He's a YesMinister fan. How evil can he possibly be?

* {{Calvinball}}: Two imps have spent the past thousand years playing "Goblin's Teeth". They're still on their first game. Descriptions of the gameplay suggest it contains elements of chess, Monopoly, Scrabble and several others.

* CheatersNeverProsper: When the police and British Special Forces assault Rolf's castle, they use "special effects" (guns, grenades, helicopters) instead of good, honest spears, axes, and swords. The heroes regard this as unsporting. (Since the Vikings are wearing {{Magitech}} armor, the bullets don't worry them, it's just that they were hoping for some straightforward violence.)[[spoiler: The attackers fail miserably, on live TV, and the heroes counterattack, forcing the high-tech assault force to flee for their lives.]]

* {{Magitech}}: The Vikings were masters of this, as it turns out, and Hrolf's men show off a few examples they had buried along with them. Not to mention their magic armor.

* TheAllegedCar: Hildy buys a minibus which she christens "Sleipnir" (after Odin's horse). Later the King and his elite strike team flee London in a car held together by body putty and magic. Then there's the Sorceror-King's car, an ancient compact which he has enchanted to be able to outrun sports cars, causing much cursing on the highway.

** The game of Dragon's Teeth [[spoiler:is used to help the Sorceror-King mend his ways. He is last heard debating the rules with King Rolf as they sail towards Valhalla.]]

* DrivesLikeCrazy: The Sorceror-King may be 1,000 years old, but he drives like a teenager.
* DuelToTheDeath: Averted. As the Sorceror-King said, "I never did like all that running around and shouting."

* GoKartingWithBowser: [[spoiler:Rolf solves the final MexicanStandoff by inviting the Sorceror-King to retire and go play Goblin's Teeth instead of conquering the world. Which is what his [[PunchClockVillain enemy wanted to do all along]].]]

* IHaveManyNames: King Rolf gets this when he asks the Sorceror-King to reveal his name, while Rolf is being held at swordpoint. By the time his enemy is done reciting his aliases, Rolf's side stages a rescue. [[spoiler:It turns out the Sorceror-King's real name is Eric. Even spelling it with a "K" didn't make it evil enough.]]

* NamedWeapons: Rolf's sword Tyrving; the Sorceror-King's sword Ifing.

* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: Thorgeir started life as a gigantic wolf, shapechanged by the Sorceror-King's magic into a human being. When the heroes suppress the magic in the enemy HQ, he goes back to being a humongous wolf, who can nevertheless hold a decent conversation.

* PunchClockVillain: The Sorceror-King and Thorgeir was a threat to the entire human race 1,000 years ago, but, as Rolf points out, hasn't yet been able to actually take over the world despite the lack of any opposition. This means the sorceror-king has undergone such extreme VillainDecay that he is now an IneffectualSympatheticVillain, who even prefers to watch his enemies on TV at one point rather than go out and fight them just at that particular moment.

--> '''Hildy:''' Was that his battle cry?
--> '''Arvarodd:''' No, the keel just went over his foot.

* ButtMonkey / AgentMulder: Danny Bennett, BBC reporter. Once assigned to the story of the Viking ship, nothing goes his way again. It doesn't really help that he tries to connect everything he ever hears- ''really'' everything- to the JFK assassination.

* WrongGenreSavvy: Investivative reporter Danny Bennett thinks he's been kidnapped by the CIA (the Vikings are temporarily wearing grey suits), when in fact he's fallen in with mythical Norse heroes on a quest to save the world from evil.

* TheAllegedCar: Hildy buys a minibus which she christens "Sleipnir" (after Odin's horse). Later the King and his elite strike team flee London in a car held together by body putty and magic. Then there's the Sorceror-King's car, an ancient vehicle which he has enchanted to be able to outrun sports cars, causing much cursing on the highway.

* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Arvarodd is frustrated that he is known as "the Arvarrod who went to Permia". This was actually the ''least'' interesting thing he ever did, but his saga was [[ExecutiveMeddling butchered by the editors]]. This is his BerserkButton in times of stress, such as during a museum heist to get an artifact they need, when a curator recognizes him.

* TranslationConvention / TranslatorMicrobes: The heroes think they are still speaking Norse, and so is everyone else- but Hildy hears them in perfectly good English. The King reveals that Kotkel (the royal wizard) put a translation spell on them all, to save time. Since it's unclear when this happened relative to them waking up, either trope may be in effect early in the tale as the Vikings converse in their mound.
* TheUnintelligible: Kotkel the wizard. When he talks, he sounds like "a worried lawnmower," "a hierophantic vacuum-cleaner," and so on. His speeches have to be interpreted for Hildy because, A) the above-mentioned translation spell misfired when he tried it on himself (so that his mirror now speaks all languages), and B) in any case, he has a speech impediment and mumbles.

* LightningBruiser: Starkad can run like the wind, if he doesn't trip over something.