Thank you very much indeed, TheHyphenated1. And my thanks alos to all you kind well-wishers and felicitators.
I have joined these forums less than three months ago, and I have to say that AARland is really a special place. My reception has been most warm, and the atmosphere very friendly and supportive. I haven’t been to many forums, but the few are I know are all beaten hands own by the wonderful crowd gathered here. Thank’s for all the support guys, I wouldn’t be writing any of this without you.
So – the Furor Normannicus. What shall I say about it? It’s my first effort at writing fiction, as I do usually write dry historical essays and disquisitions with loads of footnotes – though I sometimes do have the hunch that that’s to quite a large degree pure fiction in itself. I chose the de Hautevilles for a first AAR because I know the south of Italy annd Sicily firsthand, because I have always been fascinated by the unique blend of Italian, Greek, Muslim, Jewish and Norman culture in the realm of the Hautevilles and by the high levels of tolerance they showed to all these groups (something you can’t say of them in my AAR, though), and because I have long been intrigued by such colourful characters as Robert Guiscard, Bohemond of Taranto, Roger de Hauteville (sadly defunct in the Furor), and others.
The name “Furor Normannicus” came to me by itself in a rare lucid moment; I am usually very unimaginative at coming up with good names, catchwords or titles. But when I had started writing the “Furor Normannicus”, I was gameplay-wise already right in the reign of Bohemond and had seen how harshly Bohemond was treating just about everybody, and how he and indeed the entire Normans descended upon the Mediterranean like a kind bloody-handed reavers. Somehow, it reminded me of the Normans’ Viking ancestors descending upon western Europe just one or two centuries previously, and I remebered the prayer which was widely said back then: “Lord, deliver us from the fury of the Norsemen.” It was said in Latin, of course, and in Latin, “fury of the Norsemen” was originally “Furor Normannicus”. And that’s how the AAR got it’s name, for those who may not have figured it out for themselves by now.
The past two weeks were very busy ones for me, and the “Furor Normannicus” was consequently put on a hold, but it’s going to continue next week, with the introduction of a new major storyline character. I hope to see you all over there in the CK forum.
I have joined these forums less than three months ago, and I have to say that AARland is really a special place. My reception has been most warm, and the atmosphere very friendly and supportive. I haven’t been to many forums, but the few are I know are all beaten hands own by the wonderful crowd gathered here. Thank’s for all the support guys, I wouldn’t be writing any of this without you.
So – the Furor Normannicus. What shall I say about it? It’s my first effort at writing fiction, as I do usually write dry historical essays and disquisitions with loads of footnotes – though I sometimes do have the hunch that that’s to quite a large degree pure fiction in itself. I chose the de Hautevilles for a first AAR because I know the south of Italy annd Sicily firsthand, because I have always been fascinated by the unique blend of Italian, Greek, Muslim, Jewish and Norman culture in the realm of the Hautevilles and by the high levels of tolerance they showed to all these groups (something you can’t say of them in my AAR, though), and because I have long been intrigued by such colourful characters as Robert Guiscard, Bohemond of Taranto, Roger de Hauteville (sadly defunct in the Furor), and others.
The name “Furor Normannicus” came to me by itself in a rare lucid moment; I am usually very unimaginative at coming up with good names, catchwords or titles. But when I had started writing the “Furor Normannicus”, I was gameplay-wise already right in the reign of Bohemond and had seen how harshly Bohemond was treating just about everybody, and how he and indeed the entire Normans descended upon the Mediterranean like a kind bloody-handed reavers. Somehow, it reminded me of the Normans’ Viking ancestors descending upon western Europe just one or two centuries previously, and I remebered the prayer which was widely said back then: “Lord, deliver us from the fury of the Norsemen.” It was said in Latin, of course, and in Latin, “fury of the Norsemen” was originally “Furor Normannicus”. And that’s how the AAR got it’s name, for those who may not have figured it out for themselves by now.
The past two weeks were very busy ones for me, and the “Furor Normannicus” was consequently put on a hold, but it’s going to continue next week, with the introduction of a new major storyline character. I hope to see you all over there in the CK forum.