This is all my fault

...except that in Norse Mythology the cow was named "Audumla". "Ymir" was the giant who drank its milk. Expect to see a riot of angry Danes burning American flags, demanding that Wiley be hanged.

You may also enjoy Tim Kreider's take on the issue.

it is confirmed...wiley miller reads pharyngula...two anti-ID cartoons in two days...coincidence? i think not

If Wiley continues to disparage the Norse mythology by fumbling the names, you can also expect to see a parallel riot with Scandinavians. After all, if you are named after gods, you want people to get it right! ("Torbjorn" = Thor's bear. Not that he had any that I know of in the myths, but my usual answer to that is a typical bear growl, which tends to end that discussion.)

The American myth.

"Here were decent godless people:
Their only monument the asphalt road
And a thousand lost golf balls."

--TS Eliot
The Rock

If I wasn't such a staunch athiest, I'd go with the Norse religion. It pretty much just kicked ass.

I've always liked the Norse religion. Like the Greco-Roman religion, it had no moral content. And ultimately everything was going to collapse despite the Norse gods' efforts.

Auðhumla is the cow from whose udders dribbled the milk which is smeared across the sky.
I blame light pollution. In ye olde days everyone could see this milky way for themselves.

I should also point out that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is also descended from Auðhumla, clearly, where else do the meatballs come from?

Norse religion had moral content - accept fate and die well. The Gods are capricious.

yeah, the Loki, impish gods, and the nisse thing are pretty cool. i mean, noone accuses Yahweh of having a sense of humor. he's downright pompous. that's why we need Mel Brooks.

Faust, you don't actually need to believe in the Norse Gods in order to get into Valhalla. Christianity has "salvation through faith", but the Norse Gods use the "salvation through works" model. You're guaranteed to get in if you're a brave warrior and if you're not guilty of giving aid and comfort to the frost giants.

Sorry ChaosEngineer, too easy.
You may get in, if you're a brave warrior, and you die well in battle from an edged weapon... more or less, and if the Valkyrja on call that afternoon feels like it.

On the other hand Norse Hel is the worst imaginable, it is an eternity of boredom with no opportunity to do deeds or earn fame. Who needs torture.

On the other hand Norse Hel is the worst imaginable, it is an eternity of boredom with no opportunity to do deeds or earn fame.

Would that be like reading a transcript of a YEC debating a Creationist?

Well, it's better than the Fundamentalist Christian Hell, where you can end up as a result of wearing a polyester blend.

On second thought, you'd likely end up far, far away from said Fundamentalists.

Bring back the vikings. They had really cool head gear.

"vikings . . . had really cool head gear."

Dude, no, they didn't. That is another myth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking#Myths_about_Vikings

"Apart from two or three representations of (ritual) helmets with protrusions that may be either snakes or horns, no depiction of Viking Age warriors' helmets, and no actually preserved helmet, has horns. In fact, the formal close-quarters style of Viking combat (either in shield walls or aboard "ship islands") would have made horned helmets cumbersome and hazardous to the warrior's own side."
Duh.

Also, I'm against bringing back all that reaving-type behavior.
We've got enough of that already in, you know, Iraq. Afghanistan. Darfur. the Congo. Indonesia. the Phillipines. etc. . .

I'd probably pick the Greco-Roman myths myself. The goddesses seemed to have a pretty good time. Of course, some of them were unfortunately constrained to eternal celibacy, but they at least got to sublimate their urges by meddling in wars and siccing wild beasts on the mortals that annoyed them.

Hmmmm ... I'm beginning to wonder if every culture's mythology was invented by bored, overprotected, sexually repressed nerds!

Hmmmm ... I'm beginning to wonder if every culture's mythology was invented by bored, overprotected, sexually repressed nerds!

I confess! I made it all up.

The Greco-Roman (Olympian) pantheon may be the salvation of Intelligent Design. Everything was done by committee, and the members were working at cross-purposes. Fits the evidence a lot better than the Abrahamic theories.

I've been enjoying Rubes lately too:

http://www.comics.com/creators/rubes/archive/rubes-20060223.html

or

http://www.comics.com/creators/rubes/archive/rubes-20060224.html

"vikings . . . had really cool head gear."

Dude, no, they didn't. That is another myth.

Ok, now you've really hit a nerve.

Do not mess with our viking hats, or you will meet Mr. Darwin courtesy of the Norse Jihad.

You have been warned.

Norse Jihad...coool.

LET'S GO GET THAT DAMM OLAF!

I'm with Torbjorn. Dustin is a corruption of Thorstein, which is "Thor's Stone".

I'm so insensed! I'm going to put women's hosiery on my head and go pitch some Molotov Cocktails around because Wiley has offended my delicate sensibilities.

Steff
Ahh man your casting dispersions on my delusions dude. It has to be true it really does. It's what I believe. Boo Hoo

JIM

Here's a comic with a similar theme.

http://www.thepaincomics.com/weekly041229a.htm

Also, I'm against bringing back all that reaving-type behavior.

I dunno.

Reaving was done in person.

I don't see the CEO's of Halliburton or Carlyle getting anywhere near the front lines.

Of course I may be prejudiced, my ancestors were contractors with Hengest, Horsa & Co.