Antifragility In Norse Mythology
Baldur, the son of Odin, was the most favourable and beautiful of all the gods.
Odin, fearful for his beloved son’s death, made it such (in a very fun and convoluted way) that nothing in the cosmos could harm him. Baldur would become impervious to water, to fire, to steel, absolutely anything and everything which could possibly harm him.
After Odin made it so, for their entertainment the Gods would hurl dangerous items at Buldur, knowing him to be perfectly robust to them.
It took Loki, the constant source of Norse source of disorder, to prove just how fragile Baldur truly was. He tricked another god into hurling mistletoe at Baldur, the most harmless and innocent substance of the cosmos and also the one thing Odin overlooked to cure him of. Consequently, the one thing that could harm Baldur.
Baldur dropped dead on the spot. Proving the threshold for his robustness and exposing just how fragile Baldur truly was.
Antifragility gains from disorder
What Made The Vikings So Fierce In Battle?
They were fighting for honour in the eyes of the gods.
They were fighting for a seat in Valhalla. Viking warriors improved from disorder. So much so, that they have left a legacy for being the most fierce warriors in history. The worse their odds, the more heroic they would perform.
The notion of dyeing gloriously in battle made them Antifragile.
Antifragile By Nassim Taleb
Antifragile & Norse Mythology Podcast Apple – The Incerto & Nassim Taleb Podcast
Subscribe To My Newsletter – 🗒️ A Curious Worldview!
Cheers for reading through to the end you legend!
Every month (or couple of weeks) I write a short, popular email which highlights the biggest insights I’ve distilled through all the noise of the previous month. This includes extremely cool ideas, exceptional companies, massive stories that weren’t given attention, the music and podcasts that defined that month plus of course the best-written content I came across.
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK IF THE EMAIL GOES TO SPAM – PLEASE DRAG EMAIL INTO PRIMARY FOLDER
