The 'pre-baptism' idea is also found in Niggle (Niggle's Parish is 'the best introduction to the Mountains'). I wonder if Tolkien & Lewis were trying to 'pre-baptise' readers into the same thing, though?)
What interests me re the Python sketch is that it is basically a list of strange (though evocative) names - there isn't much of a 'story' there. Except....
There is - the names themselves imply great events: Gudleif, half brother of Thorgier, the priest of Ljosa water, who took to wife Thurunn, the mother of Thorkel Braggart, the slayer of Cudround the powerful, who knew Howal, son of Geernon, son of Erik from Valdalesc, son of Arval Gristlebeard, son of Harken, who killed Bjortguaard in Sochnadale in Norway over Cudreed, daughter of Thorkel Long, the son of Kettle-Trout, the half son of Harviyoun Half-troll, father of Ingbare the Brave, who with Isenbert of Gottenberg the daughter of Hangbard the Fierce ...
Where was Ljosa water? How come Harviyoun a 'half-troll'? This 'list of names' - didn't one critic describe The Sil as an 'Elvish telephone directory? - is fascinating in itself, without knowing anything more of the story.
BTW a friend has mentioned that it may have been Terry Jones, himself something of a medievalist, & Tolkien fan (he recorded the audio books of Tolkien's Gawain, Pearl & Sir Orfeo) who was responsible for that particular sketch. And I think I'm right in saying that Jones was responsible for the 'Python' movie Erik the Viking.
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P.S Did Erik ever find Hangar the Elder?
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I always wondered that too. I remember feeling very disappointed when they went off to do 'something completely different' at that point...