User blog comment:Toothless99/Things I noticed/@comment-98.190.235.206-20101203063605

1. Symbolism. I'm almost sure of it. First off, consider the books- Hiccup DOES wear a helmet throughout the first book (and the rest of the series), but in the second book, one of his horns gets lopped off in a swordfight, rendering his Vikingly appearance slightly skewed forever. To me, this seems to show that Hiccup has an altered way of thinking.

After all, what makes you instantly think "Viking?" The helmet. Even though real Vikings didn't wear those, but I digress. If the helmet is altered, or gone, it implies that the "wearer" is NOT a "Viking", at least in the head. XD (The spirit is a different matter entirely, and in both the books and the movie, it is stressed that Hiccup does indeed have the brashness and boldness of a proper Viking. It just happens to be expressed much differently. )

Continuing, consider the first book. In the Green Death's throat, Hiccup survives by discarding his Viking helmet. When the Green Death is telling him to submit and succumb, he asserts his will to live by his desire to remain himself.

This scene is more or less paralleled in the movie, in the Nightmare fight, where Hiccup rejects the Viking helmet as a symbol of the old Viking philosophy.

The fact that Astrid does not have one foreshadows that she is will be capable of "free thought", and subconsciously marks her as an ally.

Fun things: If you look at early movie concepts for Gobber, he also did not have a helmet. Also, when Stoick realizes that Toothless has saved Hiccup's life, he throws aside his helmet to listen to Hiccup's heart. Hmmmmmmm. :D

2. He was the "best" Viking in the arena, so he had the privilege to kill it. It isn't a requirement to enter the circle of true Vikingdom, it's just an honor- tenfold for Hiccup, who needed an opportunity to publicly prove himself to the village and his father. That's why it's a big deal.

3. They've never seen anything like it before, so they assume it's the dragon that's never been seen before. I guess. XD It's not too far of a stretch.

4. Funny, isn't it? XD Gobber and Hiccup actually can, and the book doesn't say Nightfurygetdown, so obviously it's just a running joke. It's cute. XD

5. There actually are women. They just aren't really mentioned. Gobber has an aunt somewhere, and both Alvin and Humongously Hotshot are mentioned as appealing strongly to the women, who are apparently quite blonde and mannish. At all the Viking festivals, there are a lot of women, though obviously not necessarily Hooligans. They obviously don't have young girls, have separate classes for them, or don't deem them worthy for the rites the boys have to go through.

As for the Bog-Burglars, I have no idea. Keep in mind that the books aren't really meant to make a whole lot of logical sense. When it comes to Cowell, you just go with it. And enjoy it. :D