Looking Back

Gothi

When Stoick asked Gothi to help educate Hiccup, she was startled. She remembered Stoick’s time as heir, and how all his ability with numbers and letters was learned haphazardly. The chief needed to read, write, and figure, but it shouldn’t interfere with learning more important tasks, like fighting, building, and reading the weather. Stoick’s father, Chief Halvar, believed too much time spent with paper and charcoal prevented his boy from becoming versed in leading a tribe. Gothi tested young Stoick every few months to assess his level of knowledge, until the chief declared his education finished.

Halvar insisted strength was what every chief needed, and his son absorbed the lesson well. Stoick’s physical strength, determined mien, and his decision-making skills sprang from his father’s tutelage. The direct, even blunt manner Stoick used among the villagers was another result of showing the people of Berk their trust in the chief was not misplaced. Stoick was strong because in the Chief, weakness was unimaginable.

Gothi wouldn’t have guessed Stoick would actually care if Hiccup got a good education, instead of the just enough Chief Halvar permitted him. But Gothi was one of the few who knew Stoick the Vast was not made of iron. She remembered tender moments in his life—his betrothal to Valka, their wedding day, the birth of Hiccup, and Valka’s devastating death. With Valka gone, Hiccup was all that Stoick had left. The boy would learn more than just enough, Gothi knew. Stoick wanted every advantage for Hiccup, because nothing was too good for his boy.