Thread:Ladybrasa/@comment-3263704-20190414120749/@comment-27624304-20190414235505

I saw where the one person said that, but I wasn't going to get involved - its kind of more your kind of territory.

However, to point out, the thought that Astrid can't be called a Haddock because of real Viking tradition, while sort of true, isn't accurate. Real historical Vikings didn't have surnames at all (not like we use them) so of course she wouldn't take Hiccup's name. He wouldn't have had one to begin with. But of course, HTTYD Vikings are extremely far removed from actual historical Vikings. So yes, their reasoning doesn't really apply at all. Historic Vikings used patronyms and bynames. So in reality, if Astrid had been a real Viking - let's say her father's name was "John". So Astrid would be "Astrid Johnsdottir", literally Astrid John's daughter. And Zephyr isn't Zephyr Haddock, she would be Zephyr Hiccupsdottir, while Nuffink would be Nuffink Hiccupsson. (very rarely the mother's name might be used, so Zephyr Astridsdottir and Nuffink Astridsson is also possible, if Astrid was more well known than Hiccup). The byname thing is the "Gobber the Belch" and "Stoick the Vast" thing. Actually the SOD character Harald Forkbeard is the most accurate. So really, in real Viking society, the last name Haddock wouldn't even exist.

However, I don't recall DW explicitly saying anywhere Astrid became "Astrid Haddock" either. Can we even say that about Valka? Did DW say somewhere she became "Valka Haddock" when she married Stoick?

As for asking Dean, I guess I can send a message on Twitter, but he rarely ever answers, or even appears to be on Twitter much.