Norse Gods get an upgrade

Too Human is the title of an upcoming game in which the player will be taking on the role of Baldur, one of the Aesir. However, these gods are not all they are told to be in the mythology. Instead of being actual supernatural creatures, they are cybernetically enhanced humans. Baldur [son of Odin] is seen as being insufficiently advanced, and is thusly labeled "too human."

Wikipedia informs me in its article:
In Too Human, the Norse gods are cybernetically enhanced humans. Baldur, son of Odin, is one of these gods and it is his duty to protect the human race from an onslaught of an advancing machine presence determined to eradicate all human life.
The story chronicles the ongoing struggle between cybernetic Norse gods, the invading machine presence and mortal men, it features many Norse gods and characters from Norse mythology including Thor, Loki, Odin, Heimdall, Freyja, and Mimir. Yggdrasil: the tree of life acts as a gateway to an alternate world known as Cyberspace that is accessed through the advanced technology of the gods.The human gods are using cybernetic implants to supplement their own abilities, thus becoming more machine like. Conversely, the advancing machine army is harvesting human blood and limbs in an attempt to become more human.

Until the game is released, later this month, there will be little more for me to say about it. Also, I do not have a 360, the creator's platform of choice, and will have to wait to steal...er...borrow my brother's in order to have a chance to play. The game is being released in trilogy format, further slowing my understanding of it's use of the actual mythology. What I ask here is this:

By bastardizing mythology with technology and turning it into a video game, are we exploiting our cultural pasts for sheer entertainment, or are we, perhaps, utilizing a modern medium to bring our culture's elder foundations to a new generation? Or is it both?

In conclusion, I leave you this, because it was the only non-mature trailer I could find that was of decent quality.

And I thought it was funny.

Recommended Call for Submissions...

Over at the blog Modern Medieval, Matthew Gabriele (a professor of Medieval/Renaissance Studies at Virginia Tech) has posted a sort of "Call for Submissions" to a project he wants to develop: a sort of "blog forum about what medieval studies and/ or medievalism has to offer a wider public." He especially has asked for voices from academics and non-academics (and non-medievalists) alike. Because of the nature of our small thought community here on this blog as well as our backgrounds, our current work, and our general interests (both collectively and individually), I think this call is especially appropriate for us all to contribute.

Take a look at the call for submissions, with Gabriele's overall proposal and aims, and consider contributing to this discussion. The initial deadline (next Friday) for thoughts, short essays, etc. may be close--and some of you have the habit of dropping off of the earth for amounts of time--but I think all of your thoughts would really help foster some great dialog, since this is something we've worked on before together both formally (such as the Education conference some of us presented at) and in our musings on this blog.

*knocks some cobwebs from the corners*

Okay folks, I think it is time to make a few things very clear. Two things, in particular, need addressing. One is that this poor blog is in desperate need of company [it is no good to ignore such a handy device of communication]. The second is that we have also been ignoring an up and coming piece of media that, perhaps, we all should be paying close attention to.

This piece of media is the newest adaptation of Beowulf.

Now, if you're sitting there with your mouth slightly agape and scratching your head saying, "they made another one?" I will inform you, sadly, yes. They have made yet another Beowulf film, one that chills me to my core. To glean more on the subject, here is a trailer link: http://video.uk.msn.com/v/en-gb/v.htm

[Edit to include movie site which now has many clips to watch: http://www.beowulfmovie.com/]

Go. Watch. Maybe try and find some of the other trailers on Youtube. Then, my friends...then we shall talk.

Anglo-Saxons in Music...

I recently (re)found and (re)started listening to a band that I've listened to on and off for a while now, known as The Mountain Goats, and in doing so I got a few more of their albums. On the albums, I found a few songs that may be of interest, titled "The Anglo-Saxons" and "Grendel's Mother." While I was listening and thinking about the intersection of medieval and our contemporary music, I also remembered that in the Anglo-Saxon course with MLP he compared a song by Bob Dylan to the Old English poem "The Wanderer"--mostly for some of their similarities in elegiac style and thematic elements.

I'm posting the lyrics to the songs by The Mountain Goats (below), but I also want to ask a few questions and get some reactions and ruminations:
What are your reactions to these songs, especially in their content and connection to the Anglo-Saxons and their culture, as well as Beowulf (in the case of "Grendel's Mother")?
Where else are their connections and intersections of the medieval and popular music--a la Bob Dylan, etc.--that we can point to and discuss? Any thoughts on these intersections? I would hazard a guess that this whole idea connects to our discussions of neomedievalism (such as medieval concepts in postmodern popular literature and movies), but what other reactions and thoughts might you have about these? Furthermore, what sort of concepts do these musical connections to the Middle Ages present about oral transmission, oral art, and poetry in culture? Any thoughts are welcome!

Here are the lyrics by The Mountain Goats:

The Anglo-Saxons

[Spoken:] "We'd like to dedicate this song to our friends, the former inhabitants of the British isles!"

[Sung:] They used to paint their bodies blue,
A couple of them might be distantly related to you.
According to Caesar they shaved their entire bodies,
Except for the upper lip and the head.

Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!

A sub-literate bunch of guys,
Though some sources say otherwise.
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!

Yeah, they were men on a mission,
Preserving their poetry by oral tradition.
Yeah, oral tradition is all you get
Until Saint Augustine brought in the alphabet.

Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!
In 1065 they were ragin',
But 1066 brought the Norman Invasion.
Yeah, the Anglo-Saxons!

Grendel's Mother

The cave mouth shines
By pure force of will.
I look down on the world
From the top of this lonesome hill.
And you can run, and run some more
From here all the way to Singapore,
But I will carry you home in my teeth.

In the great hall you drink red wine,
You chew meat off the bone.
I beat down the new path to the castle,
I come naked and alone.
I laid my son on the bier; I burned the wreath,
Fire overhead, water underneath.
You can stand up, or you can run,
You and I both know what you've done,
And I will carry you home.
I will carry you home.
I will carry you home in my teeth.

Redirection...

For a brief summary of my honors thesis that in turn led to another post pontificating on general thoughts on neomedievalism and its implications for our culture, head over to Point of Know Return: Part I and Part II. Please feel free to leave comments there or extend your comments into a responsive post here.