Book I, Chapter 5
Thawfest—Colloquial term for the Sigurblót, the traditional Norse Festival welcoming the summer. Held the Sunday after the full moon after the Dísablót held at the Spring Equinox (Compare: Easter), in either April or May, to celebrate the Spring Thaw and the turning of the seasons. Typical formulations consist of contests and demonstrations of prowess by all attendees in honor of the gods. The Thawfest is a time of great social and legal importance; during the Viking Era, this festival marked the beginning of the campaigning season, and the winter was officially over at the conclusion of the festival; children who had seen sixteen winters were now officially adults. The term Sigurblót literally means "victory sacrifice," and the festival is an acknowledgment of the Norse survival of another harsh dark winter. Winter is over, and summer has won, and Ragnarok is postponed for at least one more year.
— From Aesir To Yggdrasil: A Norse Primer
Tropes That Appear In This Chapter:
- Expecting Someone Taller: Most of the visitors heard tales of the Hero of Berk, and they weren’t expecting him to be someone like Hiccup. A visiting merchant summed it up best."Aye, not what I was expecting, but I was expecting someone ten feet tall who used dragon gut to floss his teeth, by the way the stories were by the time they got to me."
- Manchild: Hiccup compares Bran and Finnian's bickering to him, Snotlout and the Twins. Gobber claims that this is because they are trying to gain Stoick's favor at each other's expense.
