In the modern age, television and film has been widely accepted as a tool to educate children. In most children’s programming, there includes underlying messages or morals through the childlike humor it integrates. Towards the end of the Chapter 4 of Medievalisms: Making the Past in the Present, it mentions how it is through adaptations of medieval works that young boys learn what it takes to be a man. They learn by examples of an alpha male who goes through trial proves his masculinity through his actions, courage, strength, and chivalry.
Historically, telling a story has been an effective tactic for teaching a lesson. From Jesus Christ teaching the word of God by storytelling to fables teaching young children, all have an underlying message. However, what makes storytelling the most effective tool when it comes to teaching children a lesson? What stops creators from directly telling younger audience members, “It’s okay to be different; we all do things our unique way?” Which elements does a story create that attracts a child first while unconsciously educating them?
In How to Train Your Dragon, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the young male lead of the film, desperately wants to be like everyone, proving his masculinity and pride as a Viking by slashing dragons. It is an identity that he desperately wants to claim but like the older blacksmith said, Hiccup is not destined to be. This element of wanting to be in a community has been iterated through multiple storylines, within and beyond the medieval period. There are numerous works, adaptions, and inspirations of men wanting to prove their masculinity by going off to battle, saving something, someone, or someplace, by either killing, fighting, or dueling with someone. It’s a default idea that has been replicated in Arthurian tales, Beowulf, and other readings we have read so far. Yet, Hiccup is a complex character with a modern conscious appealing children today.
Younger generations are taught to adopt a modern conscious of being sympathetic, creative, and diligent of working with others through characters like Hiccup. This goes against of the ideas of how to be more charismatic, manly, and honorable in medieval works. Nevertheless, How to Train Your Dragon combines both worlds to create a film that appeals to audiences old and young. This combination off-balances a delicate relationship of either being medieval or historically accurate, but this is not the intention of the film. One of the aims was to send these modern messages and the media in this case a film. How it shifts this relationship is a discussion that is up for debate.
Getting Medieval 
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