#rindre

[dingostrash]

The strawberry blonde Valkyrie calls to me...

[thebeingmerf]

The giants?

[ryebread-x]

Jotun Ladies

My interpretations of Gunnlod, Jord, and Rindr jotun ladies who were screwed over Odin (mainly talking Gunnlod and Rindr there isn’t much about Jord so it’s unclear what her relationship with Odin was like ).

[ritsukakyrielight]

Thrúd: Hildr, is something troubling you?

Hildr: I'm okay, I was just thinking...

Ortlinde: Hmm, this is about Master?

Hildr: It is. I honestly kind of worry... Are there too many of us for Master to handle?

Ortlinde: Too many of us...?

Hildr: Yeah, I mean, we are collectively one servant, but there are three of us. I feel like we may be potentially confusing Master, or perhaps we're stretching her affections too thin...

Thrúd: Hmm, I think I know what you're meaning.

Ortlinde: I do too, but I think it could be the opposite. I think Master might enjoy being with all three of us. She seems to always enjoy spending time with us.

Thrúd: Very true. The way she smiles is very telling.

Hildr: *sigh* I don't know, I guess I'm just not used to feeling this way...

Thrúd: We could always ask her about how she feels about there being three of us.

Ortlinde: Yes, good idea! Master is nothing if not genuine.

Hildr: Okay, let's do it! Anything to settle my nerves...

*a few moments later*

Thrúd: Master, if you are not busy, my Sisters an I would like to— Wait, Rindr?!

Hildr: Ölrún?!

Ortlinde: Geirskögul?!

Rindr: Hiii~

Rún: Heyo!

Irs: Sisters! It is great to see you all!

Thrúd: This is...incredible! But wait...

Hildr: Now there's even more of us? *facepalms* Poor Master won't know what to do with herself...

Rún: Oh, Master? You three hadn't heard? Master is in the infirmary...

Ortlinde: Why?!

Irs: It was so odd, when we were initially summoned, Master looked at us, said "More Valkyries?!" in a very breathless manner, then—

Rindr: Then she sprung a nosebleed and fainted right then and there!

Rún: She was muttering something in her stupor as she was led away, something like, "More...mooore..."

Rindr: She was giggling a lot too...

Ortlinde: Oh... It sounds like she was...excited?

Thrúd: Excited that more Valkyries had appeared?

Hildr: That's the complete opposite of what I expected...

Ortlinde: At any rate, we must go check on Master to make certain she is recovering!

Thrúd: Agreed!

Rindr: Oh, we should all go!

Rún: Right! Let's hurry!

*in the infirmary*

Asclepius: Master, seriously, this cannot continue to occur.

Ritsuka: I'm sorry, Doc, but you weren't there...you wouldn't understand...

Asclepius: *muttering* Perhaps lovesickness is a condition worthy of further study...

Rindr: *pops her head in the door* Master!

Hildr: *pop* You okayyy??

Thrúd: *pop* Sisters, please don't excite her too much—

Ortlinde: *pop* What is your condition?!

Irs: *pop* This doorway isn't big enough...for all of us...

Rún: *pop* Is she okay—? WAOH—!

All Six: *fall to the floor in a cloud of feathers*

Asclepius: Oh no.

Ritsuka, eyes big and cheeks red: So...s-so...manyyyyyyyy~~~ *swoons happily*

All Six: *groaning*

Asclepius: *sighhh*

[typemoonsmashorpass]

[ghilliedubh]

Vrinda: The Ivy Queen

Exploring the connections between the Norse goddess Rindr/Vrinda and ivy folklore

I am writing this with my mind swathed in a dark emerald green. Last Yule night I drew the rune Gebo, the Ivy card from my Ogham deck and the Queen of Swords. This painted an interesting picture in my head, of a green lady wandering amongst ivy-clad ruins. I dived into ivy folklore and mythology, researching who this might be. I visited Hebe, the Maenads and the various Green Ladies of Britain, but one particular solemn figure was sitting and waiting for me.

Very little is known of the Goddess Rindr and her name’s origin is obscure, but it is thought to be connected to a Gotlandic word for ivy, rind. A variation of her name, Vrindr, Wrinda or Vrinda (the name I prefer), can possibly be found in the Ostergotland place name Vrinnevi, the meaning of which would in that case be Vrindar-Vé (Vrindr’s Shrine). Oscar Lundberg proposed that she was therefore a fertility goddess represented by ivy or perhaps even made of it. The theory of her being connected to Vrinnevi has been debated, and some argue that the place name simply means “Ivy forest”. Even so, the similarity between the name Rindr and the word rind is hard to ignore and I strongly feel that she is represented by ivy as Lundberg suggests. Previously I had only known her as some kind of winter goddess and as the unwilling bearer of Óðinn’s son, Váli. This connection to the ivy plant opened up a whole new dimension of her.

I want to start by criticizing Patricia Telesco’s interpretation of Vrinda being a goddess of accepting uncomfortable changes. That just as winter yields to spring, so does Vrinda yield to the advances of Óðinn and become warm and fertile. Whether or not Vrinda’s myth is a metaphor for the changing of seasons, I find it appalling that someone would look at a story about sexual assault and draw from it the lesson that one should not fight “positive change”. Change can be good, but that attitude in this context is disgusting and disrespectful to all that have had to go through such a horrible experience. Now, moving on…

First there is the madness. The maenads were wild, ecstatic worshipers of Dionysus who wore ivy. Often willing participants of the frenzy, but sometimes forced. In Gesta Danorum the tale is told of how Óðinn, when thrice rejected by Vrinda, uses magic to drive her mad and then ill. Disguised as a medicine woman called Wecha, Óðinn tells her father that he can cure her but it would cause a violent reaction. Vrinda is tied to her bed and Óðinn proceeds to commit one of his ugliest crimes. I connect these two instances of forced madness with certain properties of the ivy; ingesting the leaves can cause delirium, convulsions and even hallucinations. Surprisingly, wearing crowns of ivy was believed to prevent drunkenness. To me, all of the above makes Vrinda a goddess of madness, but as a sufferer. We who may have bouts of bad mental health may find comfort in her.

Next I want to talk about the Green Ladies of Britain, specifically the melancholy yet usually benevolent ghosts that haunt castles. The Green Ladies are dead but are still kind, often protecting living residents of their haunts. The Green Lady of Huntingtower Castle in Perthshire (known as Lady Greensleeves) is said to have healed a young boy who lived in a house on the estate. Ivy was also seen as a protective plant in Britain.This protective element also be a domain of Vrinda, John McKinnell writes about a kenning for a warrior in the saga of Guðmundur Arason, serkja Rindar Sannr. Sannr is a name of Óðinn meaning “truth”, Rindar serkur would be “Rindur’s serk”. According to McKinnell this hints that she may have been able to enchant clothing to work as a protective charm. But back to the Green Ladies. Most of them are thought to be the ghosts of particular women of noble lineage that lived in the castles and were usually killed in horrible ways. The Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle is the ghost of Alice de la Marche of France who died of shock when she learned of her husband’s men killing her lover. I mention her specifically because of her ability to blend into the ivy that grows on the castle walls. The ivy in this story feels like a very appropriate symbol and I feel it could be extended to the rest of the Green Ladies. Ivy clings to ruins, it clings to trees long after they die. I want to quote the first stanza of Henry Kendall’s The Ivy on the Wall:

The verdant ivy clings around

Yon moss be-mantled wall,

As if it sought to hide the stones,

That crumbling soon must fall:

That relic of a bygone age

Now tottering to decay,

Has but one friend—the ivy—left.

The rest have passed away.

I believe this sentiment lives with Vrinda. In this aspect, she is a goddess of mourning and trauma, of yearning for the irretrievable past. But at the same time she is a goddess of protection and overcoming hardships and devastation. As ivy holds together and decorates the weathered stones of an old castle, so too can Vrinda help hold together our broken hearts and shattered selves.

Then there is winter. I have read many articles and blogs online written by pagans associating Vrinda with winter and almost nothing else. I never actually saw mentioned any concrete reason for it, but now that I have become aware of her ivy realm it has become obvious. Most people are familiar with the carol The Holly and the Ivy. Both plants are evergreen and are part of a family of yule plants alongside mistletoe and yew. Ivy and Holly historically represented the feminine vs masculine, in parts of England there are still dances between the Holly boy and the Ivy girl. It was supposedly custom once for men and women to light-heartedly taunt each other through song. Sadly it seems mostly the songs praising Holly have been preserved, an example is the following verse:

Nay, Ivy, nay; it shall not be i-wys ;

Let Holly hafe the maystery, as the manner is.

Holly stond in the Halle fayre to behold;

Ivy stond without the dore; she is full sore acold.

Holly and his merry men they dancyn and they sing.

Ivy and hur maidens they wepyn and they wryng.

(Ballad from the time of Henry VI)

In a more positive light, holly and ivy feature in a poem by Henry VIII called Green Groweth the Holly. Here ivy's steadfast color throughout winter symbolizes fidelity. It is a charming poem if a bit ironic, since Henry himself wasn’t exactly a paragon of fidelity. I’ll let you read the third and fourth verse:

As the holly groweth green

With ivy all alone

When flowers cannot be seen

And greenwood leaves be gone,

Now unto my lady

Promise to her I make,

From all other only

To her I me betake.

It is not strange that Henry made this connection. In the language of flowers ivy represents fidelity, wedded love and friendship. Ancient Greek brides would carry ivy as a symbol of undying love and sprigs of it are often found in wedding bouquets today. I think ivy being an evergreen as well as it’s ability to cling tightly are good reasons for it being a symbol for faithful love. We also see generosity and kindness as ivy provides berries for birds in winter. These aspects all together give me the feeling that, yes, Vrinda is a winter goddess. However, I feel she is more a goddess of persevering winter, rather than a goddess of the frost and cold itself. She stays living, green and fruitful when other plants lie dead. Her love persists through hardships. Winter or summer, it holds on.

Just before I conclude I’d like to touch upon animal associations. There is not a lot to work with, but the color and winding tendencies of ivy invoke the spirit of a serpent. Perhaps an adder, with its ivy-like pattern and ability to hibernate. The adder, like the ivy, is also toxic. The maenads wore serpents as well as ivy so it's not entirely far-fetched to see snakes as a favorite of Vrinda, but I’m not sure how well it fits. Perhaps the wren, a bird often seen darting through ivy bushes and has connections to winter. The word “wren” is of obscure origin but the words wren, rind (the Gotland word for ivy) and rindill (the Icelandic word for wren) sound curiously similar to Wrinda and Rindur.

Then there are owls. In Britain ivy has a special relationship with the tawny owl, which is sometimes even called an ivy-owl. Most people are familiar with owls being traditionally associated with death, but it may surprise some that ivy is so as well. This seems contradictory to it’s tolerance of winter, the death of the year, but this association likely stems again from fidelity as well as ivy’s tendency to grow over tombstones. Ivy was also a frequent motif on headstones and there it likely represents immortality and eternal life. Both snakes and owls are carved on headstones too. Ivy was also used to foretell death.

This association with death ties well in with the aforementioned Green Ladies. Owls and ivy are paired together in the idiom “like an owl in an ivy-bush”, which is used to describe a person with a vacant stare (usually due to drunkenness) or in some cases those with a frightened and dishevelled appearance. I almost forgot to mention that tawny owls usually mate for life, fidelity again. Finally, the carol I mentioned earlier has a couple of verses mentioning owls:

Ivy hath berries black as any sloe;

There come the owl and eat him as she go

…

Good ivy, what birds hast thou?

None but the owlet that cries how, how.

That brings us to the end. It’s quite bold of me, I know, to just give Vrinda all these associations purely based on ivy folklore and mythology. However, I feel so uncomfortable just leaving her bound to that one, grisly story of her impregnation. It’s unfair. I really do feel she may have shown herself to me that Yule night, or at least an aspect of herself, and I’d rather she lived in my mind as a lush and complex entity. Maybe I am getting lost in a thick forest of wishful thinking but maybe, like the Green Lady of Caerphilly Castle, she has indeed been hiding in the ivy.

Vrinda the broken, Vrinda the crazed,

Vrinda the wanderer of ruins and graves.

Vrinda the devoted, Vrinda the evergeen.

Vrinda the beautiful, unwavering Ivy Queen

Hrafnsunna Ross

Sources and further reading:

On English ivy folklore and mythology:

http://khkeeler.blogspot.com/2021/10/plant-story-folklore-of-english-ivy.html

https://interestingliterature.com/2021/05/ivy-symbolism-in-literature-religion-mythology-analysis-meaning/

https://from-bedroom-to-study.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-hedonistic-history-of-interesting.html?m=1&fbclid=IwAR3kerXYa_Nud94rzbCuhPlv-qH8Dah2R2jibqFLPYV4d8GmGTP87GJgVBQ

https://books.google.is/books?id=eOvyDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq=ivy+drunkenness+folklore&source=bl&ots=n3L6TNUO9e&sig=ACfU3U1PGGIezufv-sZbxklBhjBdNuqwKw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDi6SxgYT1AhWTEMAKHcEyBN4Q6AF6BAg0EAM#v=onepage&q=iv

y%20drunkenness%20folklore&f=false

https://speakingofwitchwands.net/2017/11/16/the-magick-of-ivy/

https://www.woodland-ways.co.uk/blog/hedgerow-medicines/ivy/

Properties of English ivy:

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hedera-helix/

On Maenads:

https://www.thecollector.com/maenads-women-bacchus/ On Green Ladies: https://www.spookyisles.com/scottish-green-lady-stories/

Wedding flower customs:

https://www.theknot.com/content/wedding-flowers-customs-traditions

Wren:

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=rindill

https://www.bardsinthewoods.com/2012/12/the-wren-wren.html

Tawny Owl:

https://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/birds-of-prey-the-tawny-owl/

Evidence pointing to Rindr being a worker of protective magic:

https://secureservercdn.net/198.71.233.138/16i.962.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/John_McKinnell_Meeting_the_Other_in_Norse_Myth_ab-ok.cc.pdf

https://norse.ulver.com/src/biskup/gudmunda/index.html

Gesta Danorum book 3, where the story of her assault is written:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1150/1150-h/1150-h.htm

Possible etymology of her name:

https://books.google.is/books?id=DtcMCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=scandinavia+ivy+goddess&source=bl&ots=GMILPvloOP&sig=ACfU3U3EX9SDhIxFUwiTT_sNHFbMbxOlng&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjv-_fXvYP1AhUwQEEAHdY1D9cQ6AF6BAgfEAM#v=onepage&q=scandinavia%20ivy%20goddess&f=false

Headstone symbolism:

https://headstonesymbols.co.uk/

[2dlovley]

yeah loki is a hated god but have you thought about odin

first he comes to you and asks for som wisdom but when you reject and say he is just a bit too weak or not ready for it he suddenly pulls his eyes out and now you have to give it to him

or when you make an oath with him and he breaks your trust by banishing your children before killing another one

and not only that he also accidently self fullfils a prophecy that you told him about because hw is paranoid

and he also used some magic to make your daughter sick and posed as a doctor only for him to grape her and have a child he barley cares or know anything about

[tratdotlbi78]

水着ワルキューレ by しゃけ

[nu-omicron-alpha-eta]

Fate Grand Order Servant Comparisons

Geirskögul, Ölrún, & Rindr

Left - FGO

Right -

[puckwritesstuff]

Love and Thunder - Ch. 1 Preview

New chapters coming out! We're at Love and Thunder and it's shaping up to be something big. We start off fairly peacefully, though, with Thor returning home to see the changes that have happened in the time he's been gone. Sigyn shows him the new Great Hall, and Thor meets the new members of Sigyn's family.

All of them.

---

Thor stepped out of the Bifrost and smiled as Sigyn stepped forward to greet him. They embraced, and Thor felt months of tension leave his body.

“Welcome home,” Sigyn said.

“It’s good to be home,” he said. “You look well, Sister.”

“I feel well,” Sigyn said. “I’ve been doing much better. As has Asgard.”

“So I’m told,” Thor said.

From the top of the bluff, Thor looked down at the booming town of New Asgard. The docks were now full piers, with cruise ships berthed alongside them. There was a clear town square in the center, with shops and an office building. The Great Hall was much larger than he remembered it being, with a golden thatched roof, gilded pillars, and an enormous pair of doors, each carved with the figure of a raven.

“I barely recognize the place,” he said.

“Well, we had a bit of an influx of cash,” Sigyn said. “Apparently, the laws of Vanaheim state that if you kill one of their dragons, you get their hoard.”

Sigyn started walking towards the Great Hall. Thor followed her.

“You killed a dragon without me?” Thor asked.

“You were busy,” Sigyn said. “And you helped, in a way. The dent in his scales you’d left in him 200 years ago was particularly useful to finally ending him.”

Thor paused. “Jörmungandr is dead by your hand?”

“His bonds broke when Loki died,” Sigyn said. “He disappeared with everyone else, and when he came back, he tried to take me again. He was unsuccessful.”

The two entered the Great Hall. The throne room still had thick wooden pillars holding up the vaulted ceiling, but it had gained a new stone tile floor, and painted and gilded inlay decorations in all the woodwork. A great hearth had been placed in the center of the room and burned bright. The tapestries of the royal family now hung behind the throne, still elevated at the end of the room. The dais was between two doors, one Thor knew led to Sigyn’s private office, the other he assumed led to new rooms he hadn’t seen yet. To one side of the hall. was a long table meant for meetings, things, and celebrations. To the other side was a series of cases displaying weapons, including Hofund and the reforged Gungnir. One of the cases was empty.

Thor paused by the empty case.

“What is this for?” Thor asked.

“About that—”

A young, Black Asgardian ran into the Great Hall, with Lady Rindr walking after him.

“Don’t run, Ástríðr!” Rindr chided.

“It’s Axl today, Auntie,” Axl said. “Your majesty, is Nari home?”

“He is,” Sigyn said. “You can go on in.”

Axl rushed through a door in the back of the room to the right of the throne, towards the new living quarters that had been added on.

“Your highness,” Rindr said, nodding in the direction of a bow.

“My lady,” Thor said, returning the gesture. “I didn’t realize you had a nephew.”

“My sister Jörð was his mother,” Rindr said. “By a common man she was deeply in love with and took as her husband. They passed during Ragnarök, and I took the boy in.”

Thor nodded. “My sympathies.”

“Thor, I do have three things that you need to be told,” Sigyn said. “And Lady Rindr is part of it, actually.”

Thor gave Sigyn a confused look. She took a deep breath.

“Lady Rindr is my mother,” Sigyn said.

Thor blinked, looking between the two of them.

“Oh!” Thor said. “Oh, that’s… Congratulations on finding each other!”

He grinned. Rindr squeezed Sigyn’s hand.

“I’ll make certain the boys don’t destroy your new home,” she said. “Let the two of you talk.”

“If you could send out…” Sigyn trailed off.

Rindr nodded, understanding. “I’ll let him know. Your highness.”

“My lady,” Thor replied.

Rindr headed back and Thor turned to Sigyn.

“You’re certain?” he asked.

“Amongst Jörmungandr’s possessions was a scrying crystal,” Sigyn said. “We’re certain.”

Thor nodded.

“And I suppose you know your father as well,” Thor said.

“Heimdall is my father, regardless of blood,” Sigyn said. “He raised me, he loved me, he made me heir to his power. I need no other.”

“I can respect that,” Thor said.

“But my sire is why Mother left,” Sigyn said. “You know him. Very well, in fact.”

“Who?” Thor asked.

Sigyn took a deep breath. “Odin, Thor. I am the bastard daughter of King Odin.”

Thor felt the wind leave him. Sigyn couldn’t meet his gaze, and he saw the tears and the guilt in her eyes.

“Sigyn…”

He put a hand on her shoulder, and she collapsed into an embrace. He held her tight.

“My sister,” Thor said quietly, “do not feel ashamed. You are loved, regardless. You are king, regardless. And Heimdall was so proud of you.”

She sniffed, nodding and stepping back.

“So what is the third thing?” Thor asked.

“This will actually be the second thing,” Sigyn said. “I got remarried.”

“What?!”

“I didn’t really have a choice in the matter,” Sigyn said. “Lord Freyr brought out our treaty with Vanaheim and was threatening war if I did not comply.”

Thor scoffed. “He wanted you to marry Theoric, didn’t he?”

“He did,” Sigyn said.

“Did you?” Thor asked.

“…Not exactly,” Sigyn said.

Thor paused. “Who did you marry?”

The door in the back of the room opened and Loki stepped out.

[tgrailwar-zero]

You relinquished the floor to MAX. He took a breath, before stepping up and looking around the chamber. He began to speak, his voice filling the empty space.

MAX: "I didn't realize that today I would be suddenly requested to defend someone's life. If I had, I'd perhaps request more time… but we all have to make do with the time that we have, and I did my due diligence with what I was granted. I walked in, looked upon my clients, and realized that even if the stakes weren't so high, I would be honored to be their defense."

MAX: "See, I can attest that these are good souls. Looking upon how they conducted themselves in recent memory has made that evident. Not more than a week ago, the Nameless City faced tragedy. A Beast, summoned upon the Solar Cell, luckily still within its larval state. As Heroic Spirits, we could all feel its presence. The chill in the air, the prickle at the back of our necks, and the urge to drop what we were doing and save the city. And many Servants did. Lord Sigurd and Lady Brynhildr among them."

MAX: "However, the Beast was defeated not by any of our brave heroes, but by our unlikely Interlopers. Does anyone recall what happened?"

NIKITICH: "Ah yes, the pillar of light."

MAX: "Correct. Through their contract, they called forth the might of their Servant and allowed it to cleave through the Beast. The city found itself saved, and the Solar Cell able to return to peace. This is to not say that the Servants of the Solar Cell could not have defeated the Beast eventually, but the rate of destruction would have certainly been higher. Their assistance was greatly impactful. So much so, that they became the treasured guests of the Lord and Lady of the Nameless City. An honor that very few people have had the pleasure of achieving."

SIGURD: "It's the truth. They saved our city, and I am grateful for them."

You watched as BRYNHILDR stepped closer to SIGURD, lightly squeezing his hand.

BRYNHILDR: "…We are grateful."

MAX: "Thank you. From my experiences, Lord Sigurd is an honest man, and Lady Brynhildr is a woman of rectitude. I can attest the same traits to my clients. Was there a mistake made, absolutely. There is no doubt on that front, and I will not argue otherwise. However, I do emphasize that it was a mistake, made with good intentions. A failed attempt at maintenance, that was cleaned up as swiftly as possible. Listen, am I telling you to accept them as the Solar Cell's IT professional? Perhaps not--"

You saw CLEOPATRA half-smile, and NIKITICH and SETANTA stifle a laugh.

MAX: "--But I do insist that they deserve to live. If Lord Sigurd saw them fit for forgiveness, if Lady Brynhildr saw them fit for forgiveness, if even Miss Rindr and the Valkyrie thought kindly enough of them to fulfill their request for counsel without delay… then does that not show strength of character? The Valkyrie are drawn to those with noble hearts, after all. And noble, these once 'Interlopers' are. They slew the Beast, they saved our Solar Cell. After you hear all of the details, you'll be asked to vote upon their fate. I hope those details lead you to the decision that my client deserves life."

You observed a bit of cross-chamber eye contact from between each of the Lair Servants as MAX finished. The only one who didn't engage was the ADMINISTRATOR, who's gaze didn't leave your position. Locked. Focused. Intense. It only ended, briefly, when the Keeper acknowledged her.

PTOLEMAIOS: "Thank you, Maxwell. Madame Administrator?"

With a swift, elegant movement she jumped from her loge and gracefully across from you and MAX.

ADMINISTRATOR: "That's a rather pretty tale. As always, you're ever the sharp-tongued, Maxwell."

ADMINISTRATOR: "However, you neglected to mention that the Priestess had to practically beg for their assistance, and they were more concerned with haggling and haranguing rather than the safety of the Solar Cell's citizens. And who is to say that this wasn't carefully constructed by their own benefit? Create a problem, solve it, have us indebted. Target a noble soul like Sigurd first, and then squirm their way into a position of comfort before rending it all asunder."

MAX: "…"

ADMINISTRATOR: "You weren't around, Maxwell, but I remember the time before the Origin War quite well. And then, soon after we let the Interlopers in, welcomed them, saw them as allies... Asclepius has a blade in his back, Ozymandias is forced to destroy himself in a suicide attack, Uesugi Kenshin dies upon her own pagodas, Karna is destroyed in a earth-shaking duel, and the surface of the Solar Cell and even deeper is scorched."

ADMINISTRATOR: "All because we were too forgiving. Too open. Too soft-hearted."

ADMINISTRATOR: "It is true that Lord Sigurd has forgiven them. It is true that they defeated the Beast. However, it is also true that they were responsible for the birth of said Beast, and that they've served as a danger to the Solar Cell not only before their sealing, but after their awakening as well."

Snapping her fan, you felt the attention in the room be drawn to the ADMINISTRATOR, as if she was magnetic. A beauty that could turn heads and topple countries- that's what CAT described her and the other facets as- 'country ruiners'.

ADMINISTRATOR: "Quetzalcoatl has vanished to the winds, and Asclepius is lost to us. Which one of us is next? So close to our goal, which one of us next? We can't go through something like the Origin War again. We need to remember that we are survivors. That we are humanity's last hope. And last hopes cannot be laden with risks, even with all of our grandeur."

She gestured broadly to her peers.

ADMINISTRATOR: "Respecting what Maxwell has told us, there are two options laying before us- either they're blind fools with the destructive power to set loose an Evil of Humanity by total accident, or they're malicious and smart enough to play the fool. Either way, to cut them out now would be the most efficient course of action. I ask of you, let's not belabor our decision here, not when it can be handled so simply compared to everything else we have to do."

After MAX and the ADMINISTRATOR made their statements, you felt a silence settled over the Council. Not a cold silence, but a pensive one, as a few of them settled into their seats, realizing that this perhaps wouldn't be as quick of a trial as they thought.

A considerate silence. That was... good. They were paying attention, now it just meant keeping their attention- and keeping their perceptions receptive and positive.

The Keeper cleared his throat, regaining the Council's attention.

KEEPER: "Thank you, Madame Administrator. I'll open up the floor for responses and further questioning."

As soon as he declared it, you saw NIKITICH stand up, bestial ears twitching with anticipation.

NIKITICH: "So? The Administrator says that you have blood on your hands, is this true?"

MAX: "Slayer Nikitich..."

NIKITICH: "I am asking a question. You had your big speech, the Admin had her big speech, but I cannot ask my question? I ask again, how crimson are your palms, Interlopers?"

Before you could answer, she held up a hand, signaling that she wasn't done yet.

NIKITICH: "Furthermore, you slew the dragon-beast. I want to know the details, do not spare a thing. Did you talk with the dragon? Did you even truly wish to slay the dragon? Were you enticed by it, enthralled? Or was it a heartless monster that needed to be murdered?"

SIGURD: "Hm. I see."

SETANTA: "Is the Council boring you so much that you need a bedtime story already?"

KEEPER: "Is this relevant, Slayer?"

ADMINISTRATOR: "Yes, is it relevant? I thought you wanted to end this trial as quickly as possible."

NIKITICH: "This is relevant to me. I am sitting and looking at these 'Interlopers', and they are sitting there with their hands in their lap like a good little kid. Very polite. But... you know what they say: 'v tíxom ómute čérti vódjatsja.' Now, I want a tale about you and the dragon."

MAX: "...And so it begins, like I said, this is far from a traditional court. That's certainly more than 'a question', though... Anyways, you've been addressed directly, but I'm not going anywhere."

[thebeingmerf]

The giants?

[ryebread-x]

Vali Odinson

My interpretation Vali Odinson , the unfortunate son of Odin and Rindr who was destined to kill his older brother Hodr.

Growing up, Vali had a pretty rough upbringing it didn’t help that he was one of the youngest gods at the time. As for who raised him (because it certainly wasn’t Odin), in my au, it was his older sister Saga because she too knew what it felt like to be an outcast in their own family. Pre Ragnarok he was forced to train in order to kill Hodr, which made him cold and depressed even with his sister’s support. Post Ragnarok ,however, he was able to somewhat heal from his past trauma, becoming more kindhearted and happier.

Kid Vali

Adult Vali(Pre and Post Ragnarok)

Rather sad fact: The little neck piece Vali is wearing (Post Ragnarok design) belonged to his mother Rindr

[themodernwitchsguide]

the norse gods

WYRD: destiny, the past that led up to the present

ORLOG: the relationship between actions and outcomes, the things in the present that affect the future

our primeval chaos this round,

GINNUNGAP: an area of abyss in between Niflheim (ice) and Muspelheim (fire). when these two regions grew in power and clashed, water was created

for once we only have one creation myth,

YMIR/AURGELMIR/BRIMIR/BLAINN: ancestor of the jotnar, he was born from venom that dripped from the rivers in Ginnungagap. fed on the milk of Auðumbla, Ymir bore a male and female out of his armpits and a six-headed being from between his legs. Odin, Vili, and Ve created earth from his flesh, oceans/rivers/lakes from his blood, mountains from his bones and teeth, trees from his hair, clouds from his brain, heavens from his skull, and Midgard from his eyebrow

AUÐUMBLA: primordial cow that was created from the fluid of melting ice in Ginnungap, she fed Ymir and licked the god Buri out of a salt rock over the course of three days

BURI: ancestor of the Aesir gods, fathered Bor

BOR: married the daughter of a frost giant, Bestla, and bore three sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve. these three grew tired with the unruly jotnar and killed Ymir, causing an avalanche of blood that killed all the giants except for Bergelmir and his wife

BERGELMIR: the ancestor of all "new" giants, resettled his race in Jotunheim

clan Aesir

ODIN: god of poetry, wisdom, war, and magic. Odin crowned himself king of the gods as he was the first one to decide to kill Ymir. he allowed himself to be hung from Yggdrasil for nine days and nine nights in order to understand the secrets of the runes and sacrificed one of his eyes in order to see the cosmos more clearly. some stories claim he could shape and understand Wyrd and Orlog. he had wolves named Gerki and Freki, ravens named Huminn and Muninn, and an eight legged horse named Sleipnir

FRIGG: once may have been the same goddess as Freyja, she is queen of the Aesir and goddess of beauty, love, and fertility, she was gifted with the power of foresight

BALDUR: son of Odin and Frigg, he was the pinnacle of beauty and likeability. his only weakness was mistletoe

HODR: son of Odin and Frigg, the blind god, he is tricked by Loki into shooting a mistletoe arrow, which kills Baldur

VALI: in some stories he's the son of Odin and the jotun Rindr, in others he's the son of Loki, but it makes more sense for him to be a son of Loki so let's just go with this. conceived to avenge his brother Baldur, which he did by killing Hodr and binding Loki with the entrails of Narfi

VIDAR: son of Odin and the jotun Gríðr, he is the god of vengeance, and is fortold to avenge his father by killing the wolf Fenrir at Ragnarok

HEIMDALL: son of Odin and "The Nine Mothers" (nine sea giants), god of keen eyesight and hearing, sometimes foresight. guardian of the Bifrost

TYR: son of Odin, god of war, justice, and order, he lost one of his arms to the wolf Fenrir

BRAGI: son of Odin, god of poetry

IDUNN: wife of Bragi, goddess of youth and fertility, her apples rejuvenated the Aesir gods and reversed the effects of aging

JORÐ: personification of the earth, consort of Odin, sometimes considered to be a jotun

THOR: son of Odin and the goddess Jörð, he is the god of lightning, storms, strength, fertility, and the protector of humankind. he wields the hammer Mjolnir

SIF: Thor's wife, goddess of faith, family and fertility

THRUD: daughter of Thor and Sif, goddess of strength

MAGNI: son of Thor and the jotun Járnsaxa, god of wrath

MODI: son of Thor, god of might

MIMIR: god of knowledge and wisdom, in some stories he is the advisor of Odin. he is sent either as a peace maker or hostage to the Vanir, where he is decapitated. Odin preserved his head and keeps it to guard a well on one of the roots of Yggdrasil

LOKI: god of mischief, wealth, and chaos. his children often caused trouble for other gods, Fenrir being the great wolf of Ragnarok, Jormungandr being the arch enemy of Thor, and Hel, who ruled Helheim

HEL: daughter of Loki and the jotun Angrboda, goddess of the underworld, she was tasked with taking care of the souls that ended up in her realm (since some ended up in Odin's Valhalla and some ended up in Freyja's Folkvangr)

NARFI: son of Loki and the goddess Sigyn, killed by Vali

clan Vanir

NJORD: patriarch of clan Vanir, god of wind, water, and fortune, he was the patron of fishermen and sailors

NERTHUS/NJORUN: although possibly just a female aspect of Njord, some theorize this is actually the sister-wife of Njord, mother of Freyja and Freyr. goddess of peace and prosperity

FREYR: son of Njord, god of peace, prosperity, male virility, and fair weather, ruler of Alfheim. after the conclusion of the Aesir-Vanir war, he was brought to Asgard as a hostage where he climbed his way up the ranks with charm and a good personality

FREYJA: daughter of Njord, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and blessings. she is said to have introduced the gods to a form of magic called seidr, which was a form of seeing or changing the future

ODR: husband of Freyja, god of madness, wit and poetry. could also be an aspect of Odin, as they bear good similarities

HNOSS: daughter of Freyja and her husband Odr, her name means "gem"

GERSEMI: daughter of Freyja and Odr, her name means "treasure"

the goddesses of destiny, the Norns,

URD: "fate"

SKULD: "being"

VERANDI: "necessity"

[shinsaku3]

Thrúd & Rindr Valkyries summer version from Fate/go!