Bjornulf, Narcissus the First, the FlawlessThe Viking’s father, the King of the Vikings
“His father, the Viking king, Narcissus the First, the Flawless, a megalomaniac who decides everything.” (ch. 10)
“The others have no choice: either they follow him, or they clear off.” (ch. 10)
“If they succeed, it’s thanks to him. If they fail, it’s their own fault.” (ch. 10)
“For him, talking about love means talking about himself: Bjornulf the Flawless.” (ch. 10 — the Viking)
“Apart from him, as he says: ‘sort your own mess out, not my problem’.” (ch. 10 — the Viking)
“He forgives nothing. Either you’re strong, or you’re disowned.” (ch. 10 — the Viking)
“Weakness is taboo. Showing your feelings means losing your power.” (ch. 10 — the Viking)
“He gives no quarter: if you’ve got a heart, you’re the weakest link to be eliminated.” (ch. 10 — the Viking)
“I never ask for help, never show weakness. It’s the winner’s mind game, my father’s legacy.” (ch. 10 — the Viking)
“My father was an art dealer, he sailed the seven seas hunting for treasure. To him, ordinary meant mediocre.” (ch. 11 — the Viking)
“My father didn’t raise me in weak mode. A Viking never apologises. He gives a valuable gift.” (ch. 11 — the Viking)
“Thank you, Bjornulf the Flawless!” (ch. 11 — the author)
“You break every record, you’re like my father: Narcissus the Second, all drama and showbiz!” (ch. 19 — the Viking)
“We’ll sleep at my parents’, the king and queen of the Vikings. They’ll give you their specialities to taste, you’ll love it!” (ch. 20 — the Viking)
“The wounds left by a tyrannical father, who only knew how to love by dominating.” (ch. 23)
“More of a soul-crushing machine: ‘you must do better, you are a demigod, you must be exceptional. But you will never be enough, because you are not Me’.” (ch. 23)
“But my father would have banished me the minute the film came out, because I call him a narcissist…” (ch. 35 — the Viking)
“I even thought about going to live in the Nord Ultima to escape his tyranny!” (ch. 35 — the Viking)
Who is he?
His look Narcissistic and domineering. Admired and feared by his son. (appendix 1)
Bonus
Hákarl and aquavit
The Viking — My father prefers anything that has fermented, or survived a winter without a fire. He adores hákarl, shark from Gros Noland, which he fishes in the ocean at the foot of the black cliffs. He ferments it to get rid of the ammonia in its toxic flesh.
He used to force me to eat it when I was little. I’d hold my breath, because to children it smells of rotten cheese. The adults wait until it smells like a corpse before they eat it, and my father finds it delicious.
He never goes off to war without his cargo of surströmming, fermented herring in a tin. The smell is so dreadful you open it outside, under water. It tastes like a maritime apocalypse.
Naturally, he keeps half the longship for his supplies of aquavit, the official drink of the Vikings, the spiced potato spirit that goes with all our fermented dishes. After 2 glasses, everything looks edible. It can knock out a bear, that’s the whole point.
That way, when we’re asleep, we can’t smell the fart cloud that goes ahead of us, and the villagers run for their lives the moment they catch a whiff. We’ve conquered quite a few territories with that battle strategy!
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