Look, Okie, no disrespect intended, I certainly did not mean you should stop posting to this thread (sorry if it sounded that way), and I am not necessarily tired of your posts in and of themselves, and I do respect your knowledge, it is just that I do feel your approach to the topic is kind of anal-retentive. And this is a topic which will never lend itself to being pigeonholed. There simply is no single approach or answer to any of it, and I have often felt you have a somewhat condescending attitude towards others who are also attempting to unravel it, as when you say things like:

"So it is possible for moderns to have come by their romantic fantasies without explicitly undergoing anything like the hypothetical thought-process described above."

or:"Skarpi, this is a setup right ? Surely they make you read the following passage in the Islendingabók from the time you are small:"

It is that air of condescension that is wearying and frustrating to me...and it may well be you are unaware of it, or that I am reading too much into your words...if so, I am willing to accept that.

In any case, I find myself agreeing more and more with Mr. Offer on this: Truth is nice, I suppose; but let's not forget beauty and awe and wonder, and love.

peg