#völsungs

[illustratus]

Odin in der Halle Wolsungs (Odin in the Hall of the Völsungs) by Emil Doepler

The old man (Odin) places the magic sword Gram into a mighty oak tree Barnstokkr after entering the hall of the Völsungs, saying that it could belong only to the warrior who could pull it out, and whosoever could would be assured victory in battle.

[wile-e-quixote]

Hail o daylight

And daughters of daylight

Hail night, noon, and Northern Star

Hail Kingly Gods and Queens of Asgard

Hail Earth's bosom all abounding

Hands of healing

Hear and grant us

Light in darkness

Life, and wisdom

To both give triumph

Truth unfailing

To both in gladness

Glorious meeting!

[amadenchart]

Meads On Me!

AU inspired by Vikings/northmen, but with dragons, one of my favorite themes. xD

Vygo's name here is Sigmund while Indrys' name is Signý (based on the names of the characters from the Saga of the Völsungs). They are Viking lords. ;)

Sigmund is celebrating something here, what could it be?

[Original Character: Sigmund]

SubscribeStar

[broomsick]

Óðinn picks the sword into Barnstokkr, by artist Alan Lee

“A certain man came into the hall unknown of aspect to all men; and suchlike array he had, that over him was a spotted cloak, and he was bare-foot, and had linen-breeches knit tight even unto the bone, and he had a sword in his hand as he went up to the Branstock, and a slouched hat upon his head: huge he was, and seeming-ancient, and one-eyed.

So he drew his sword and smote it into the tree-trunk so that it sank in up to the hilts; and all held back from greeting the man. Then he took up the word, and said—

‘Whoso draweth this sword from this stock, shall have the same as a gift from me, and shall find in good sooth that never bare he better sword in hand than is this.’

Therewith out went the old man from the hall, and none knew who he was or whither he went.”

Völsunga Saga - The Saga of the Völsungs, chapter III

[ancientorigins]

Where do our legendary Norse heroes come from? The Saga of the Völsungs is an epic tale spanning generations and spawning legends.

[aestherians]

Do you think you could talk a bit about working with gnollish spirits and deities in ur spirituality in your life now? I wanna start doing the same with deities from some of my past/parallel 'kin lives, and I'm curious about how you go about it!

The main thing I do is tending my e-shrine. Mostly because it's the only thing I have the spoons to do. Other than that, I ask them for help and listen to their signs, and that's about it. I haven't had the energy or mental space to practice in a long time.

Here's what I've written about the primary deities so far:

I only have very vague noemata of the rest of the gnollish myths, heroes, spirits, and rituals. Too vague to put into words. I'm not sure we have other gods then those three, but I know we have mythological heroes, akin to Heracles or Völsung - their stories are a part of our mythology, but they aren't worshiped.

[auraunbound]

@apricusnights liked

Skuld was not the type of individual to give up easily once she had set her mind on a goal. Even less so when it came to her duties. It was up to her to keep her people safe from any threats, and as such, she considered her studies to be an extension on these duties.

It was no secret that Völsung was a bit behind when it came to their technology, especially after that little history lesson her sister had greenlit. Before where she felt a certain leisure in taking classes, there was now a pressure to ensure she could provide the best findings possible. This was where the frustrations began to mount.

She'd made the decision to pay her professor a visit outside of class, hoping to clear up some of her confusions. Her entrance was prefaced with a gentle knock, and her posture was nothing short of rigid as she stepped into the room.

"Professor, I hope I am not taking up too much of your time, but I am experiencing some difficulties with the material that I was wondering if you could assist me in clearing up." As always, her tone was even and measured, doing her best to not betray her hesitation.

[apricuscity]

Catching You Up!

“Hey everybody! It’s your old pal Morely here. I’d like to take a few moments to address YOU. Yes you, the mun behind the muses. See I’m going to break the fourth wall just this once.”

“I know many of you have been real busy and as such may not fully understand everything currently going on in the world of Apricus. So that’s where I step in. I’m here to catch everyone up a best I can so you all have a good idea where everything stands when you decide to return. So sit back, grab some tacos, relax, and enjoy.”

“So ya’ll remember that nasty bit of busy with the Checkmate group right? Then we had ourselves a Tacorific time skip, one year passed by and I can’t tell you how many new menu items Tacos ‘N More came up with!”

“As we entered into the new “season” things weren’t exactly what they seemed. See the notorious Mr. R from Paradise Entertainment started making more appearances than that fella ever did before. He even tried to get himself on the council! Offerin to help the city with it’s lingering repairs.”

“He’s got himself somethin cookin but nobody really knows what his game is yet. Speakin of problems, the Church sure does have it’s fair share! See Sister May activated the Ascension Protocol which let the Templars elect a temporary First Templar. Considerin the old one up and vanished. Some folks don’t believe they were ever even real.”

“Brother Julius got elected and some church folks were none too happy. The High Priestess however didn’t seem to mind one bit. Julius is still the acting First Templar as no one has had enough votes to replace him yet.”

“Brother Julius is still searchin for that secret underground cathedral and thinks he has a few leads so more and more expeditions have been taking place. I imagine they are gonna find somethin sooner than later. But there’s still a lot of internal conflict goin on!”

“Now for the first time in a long time the secretive nation of Crepusculum agreed to trade relations with Apricus, and some other nations out there! They were even allowed to set up some shops right here in Apricus! Some people are real excited over that but others still don’t trust em. Doctor Xanthos, Lord Merek, and High Priestess Lucianna were the “no” votes on the council when lettin Crepusculum in was put to a vote.”

“Mr. Eckerman announced the Hecaball World Cup which kicked off, attracting teams from all over the world. It’s about to wrap with only the semi-finals and the finals left to go. Needless to say this has meant Apricus has gotten A LOT of tourists.”

“We’ve also got ourselves a race to the hidden sea goin on! Some of the pirate lords have claimed they found the entrance and now it’s everyone for themselves. We got the pirate lords, the navy, and every amateur treasure hunter you can shake a stick at all headin out to sea lookin to find some hidden booty!”

“We’ve also learned a lot about what once was in the hidden sea. A super cool civilization ahead of it’s time, a bunch of pirate vaults, a rock made of special metal that fell from the sky, and some creepy intelligent bug monsters.”

“Ya know yours truly has a movie coming out soon! Morely & Friends: Enter The Tacoverse is hittin theaters end of August! Don’t miss it!”

“Finally some more fun facts and history was recently revealed! Including a talk about the Emperors, the most powerful people said to exist! What kind of menu items do you think they’d like? We learned about some incredible troops the empire made near the end of the war, we finally heard some details about the nation of Völsung, and it seems that that evil mastermind Janus Windsor is up to somethin!”

“I think that about catches you up to where we are right now! Plenty of folks are currently visiting Apricus including some world leaders here for the Hecaball games! There’s never been a better time to jump in and get in on the action!”

“That’ll do it for me! Have a Tacorific Night!”

[illustratus]

Sigmunds Schwert - Sigmund's Sword by Johannes Gehrts

A mysterious, Odin-like figure presents the sword he has stuck into the tree Barnstokkr

[apricusnights]

All there is to offer.

Location: Aurora Vale.

“Hello, we hope you’ve been enjoying the exhibits of our traveling museum. We understand that Captain Miriam Night’s log book is extremely popular but we’d like to remind you of some of the other wonderful things you can see.”

“In our “Days of The Empire” section you can see a few relics from various times throughout the Empire’s existence. Take for example this crown and robe said to have been worn by the very first emperor, Helios The First.”

“We have several journals from various rulers, as well as some wonderful things like prayer books used in the early days of the Empire. The books were only ever slightly altered until far later when Emperor Apollus renovated the Cathedral of The Sun, during which time new versions of the books were introduced.”

“Moving on we see some ancient armor and weapons from the land of Völsung including this axe which is said to be far older than most relics we have as well as posses some sort of unknown properties.”

“We have some authentic artwork from some of the greatest painters Réunion has ever known.”

“These pieces of weaponry were recovered from one of the Fulminare Islands. The strange thing is, they seem to just be cobbled together and should not in any way shape or form work. We aren’t sure what the odd symbols painted on them are supposed to represent.”

“Our Kwailai collection includes several weapons owned by the greatest warriors in Kwailai’s long history. Some of which are so legendary they inspired stores still told today. We also have tea sets, clothing, and books of poetry.”

“The desert kingdom of Calere loaned us these magnificent statues representing the various deities of the nation, carved many many years ago.”

“On loan from Nivis we have one of Empress Daria’s tiaras, several large paintings, and various log books from the founding days of the kingdom.”

“We have smaller exhibits from Crepusculum, Fae, Ricusare, and Asirel. Make sure to stop by those as well! They may be smaller but are still extremely interesting.”

“Finally make sure to stop and look at our Five Great Seas section where we show off many things found by divers, fisherman, and explorers as they travel the waves.”

“Remember, if you have a question feel free to consult our aShine app or ask the frienly staff!”

[korallrivini]

✨🌈Norse Mythology Resource List🌈✨

This is my own list of books, Twitter accounts and YouTube channels I recommend for learning about Norse mythology.

If you appreciate my work here a coffee would be much appreciated 💖🥰

(This is a recreation of my twitter thread)

1. The Prose Edda (Jesse L Byock translation)

・there’s fierce debate with both pagans and historians as to how accurate the Prose Edda is to original myth as it was written by a medieval antisemitic Christian but it’s what we have to work from.

・unfortunately most English translations omit entire verses to do with Loki, I’ll update this thread if I ever find a translation that includes them all (I’m seriously looking into learning old Norse to do my own translations ngl)

2. The Poetic Edda translated by Lee M Hollander

・Though the name would draw comparison to the Prose Edda, the poems here are anonymous and not written by Snorri

・the poems are taken from the Codex Regius, the most important extant source on Norse mythology.

3. The Penguin Book Of Norse Myths

・accessibly written, includes some fun myths that are normally overlooked, one of my favourite translations of Norse myths. My copy is very worn and dog eared at this point.

4. Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology

・putting aside my own issues with Neil for this book alone because it is fun, accessible and easy to read, and there is an audiobook version.

・not all encompassing, many myths are left out, he writes his own dialogue in too.

5. Saga Of The Völsungs

・the translation I have read is the Jesse L Byock translation, you might be already guessing as his name shows up here but he’s one of the best out there (he’s the head archeologist and director of the Mosfell Archeological Project)

・Völsunga Saga is a Heroic Saga, a late 13th century rendition of the tale of the Völsung family interwoven with Norse mythology as the origin points for monsters the hero will slay

・I’m not going to lie to you, it can get a little tedious in the intro but it’s worth it for Loki creating a dragon

6. The Saga Of Erik The Red

・This is our main resource for any kind of detail for Norse witchcraft, however saga prose style can become very tiring to read so if this is not for you I also have recommendations of this list of people outlining the contents

7. Sagaland by Richard Fidler and Kári Gíslason

・A retelling of Kári’s search for his father in Iceland juxtaposed with Norse myth and saga stories, it’s a unique read with some lovely photography as well

8. The Wanderer’s Hávamál by Jackson Crawford

・this is the ONLY version of the Hávamál with the old Norse text side by side with the translation

・Hávamál is a poem from the Codex Regius, and is an important piece on old Norse philosophy and also includes some myth about runes

9. The Icelandic Book Of Fuþark

・a little difficult to get ahold of but worth it for accurate rune poem translation (there’s a surprising amount of misinformation out there)

・you can only order it from the Icelandic Magic Company if you’re in Australia like me

10. The Troll Inside You: Paranormal Activity in the Medieval North by Ármann Jakobsson

・wild how much the title sounds like a self help book but this is an excellent resource on understanding the literary and cultural devices at work in saga literature

・the ebook is free

11. Trickster Makes This World by Lewis Hyde

・not strictly Norse mythology, but if you’re interested in Loki in particular this is my must read book

・I cannot express how much I love this book and how it addresses white supremacy through the lens of Loki myth too

12. Myths And Symbols In Pagan Europe by Hilda Ellis Davidson

・this one was from my professor’s (Hjalti Snær Ægisson) reading list, really appreciate how careful he was to list mostly women translators and authors tbh

・one of the few books to discuss crossovers of culture and myth throughout Europe, comparing and entwining Celtic and Scandinavian myth and how they interact and positing whether this goes back further than the Viking age

13. The Natural and The Supernatural in the Middle Ages by Robert Bartlett

・good breakdown of how limiting conventional ideas of Medieval intellectual discussion are and how much more complicated humans have always been

・can sometimes fall short of where Bartlett was heading

14. Witchcraft and Magic in the Nordic Middle Ages by Stephen A Mitchell

・this book is dealing with the period where old pagan beliefs and witchcraft were entwined with the new Christian shift as the conversion took place

・he discusses legal cases as well as saga text

15. Professor Jackson Crawford's YouTube account

I listed his book earlier in the thread, his YouTube is one of the most incredible resources for Norse myth and literature as well as language and pronunciation, he has his own book list too.

16. 16. Eirnin (@/queertyyr on twitter) is one of my favourite lgbt academics for Norse myth, not sure where they'll end up if twitter goes down but here's their linktree

17. All the Icelandic sagas are available for free in multiple languages from the Icelandic Saga database.

Published versions often have commentary from the individual translator and old Norse comparison notes but if you’re fine with PDFs and don’t want that extra academic info they are all free! Have at em!

I will continue to update this as I get through my own massive pile of reading

[broomswept]

Bro i bet sigi the völsung did not see that amount of drama coming

[broomsick]

Then spake Völsung the king, “It will be known by all that I made an oath unborn; that I would never flee fire nor iron in fear. That oath have I kept so far, so why not keep it in old age? Maidens shall not mock sons of mine because they feared their death, everyone will die some day, nobody can escape death. I say we do not flee, and instead show ourselves at our bravest. I have fought a hundred battles, some times at an advantage, some times at a disadvantage, but I have always been victorious. And it shall not be told that I fled or begged for mercy.” 

Saga of the Völsungs - Chapter V

[matrotas-muse-hub]

Freja Aldhomr

*character design subject to change, potential rework in progress.

CHARACTER BIO

NAME: Freja Aldhomr (pronouned fray-uh awld-ho-murr)

AGE: Physically 27, true age unknown due to spending time in the realm of the fair folk

LANGUAGES: Common, norse-equivalent (based on setting)

BIRTHDAY: October 11th

SPECIES: Iceborn human

GENDER: Female

PRONOUNS: She/her

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual

PROFESSION: Mercenary / Adventurer

PHYSICAL DETAILS:

HAIR: Short, white

EYES: Light blue

SKIN: Pale white

HEIGHT: 5'9"

WEIGHT: 150 lbs

TATTOOS / SCARS: Freja has a fist-sized scar near her left shoulder blade and above her sternum from when she was impaled by a cursed spear.

SPECIAL ITEMS: Enchanted oversized bracers that hover around her wrists.

Physical Capabilities:

Strength: Freja is quite strong, being able to fight on the frontlines in combat. Part of this is due to the elemental she is bound to.

Dexterity: Average

Hardiness: If Freja is one thing, it’s durable. Her body has been reinforced by the elemental spirit housed within, and she’s even capable of deflecting blades off of her arms when using its power. She is by no means impervious, but she is certainly harder to wound than most

Weapons: Freja conjures a spear made of ice as her main weapon

Mental Capabilities:

Intelligence: Average, though she is quite learned in alchemy and general herbalism from her time with the witch Melusynne

Wisdom: Average to slightly above average. She’s learned a few lessons in her lifetime.

Charisma: She’s a bit clumsy when interacting with others, but some see it as endearing. She does try to be friendly, however.

Supernatural Capabilities:

Elemental Binding: Freja’s life was saved by Melusynne, the witch. Melusynne stabilized her from death by binding Freja to an ice elemental whose natural power aligned with Freja’s iceborn blood, granting her even further hardiness. Due to this, Freja is able to call upon the elemental that is bound to her to enhance her combative capabilities by borrowing its strength.

Backstory:

Freja Aldhomr is the daughter of Lars and Friga Aldhomr, an only child. When Freja was a child, her family entered the Eynvarg tribe, a northern tribe of barbarians formed of outcasts bound together. The tribe she was born into, the Völsung, was decimated in an enemy attack. Fearing raising a child in a tribal war, Friga took Freja from the Völsung with the chieftain’s blessing and Lars stayed behind to fight. Freja and Friga never knew what happened to him for certain, but the fact that he never sought them out afterwards was telling enough.

Within the Eynvarg tribe, Freja was selected as a candidate for the iceborn blessing in her youth. It was a magical ritual that would imbue her with the ability to manipulate ice magic, as well as extend her natural lifespan. The Eynvarg’s chieftain Tyrvald was one of the few who knew the secret means to bestow such a powerful blessing. While each iceborn’s proclivity towards ice magic varied, it was nonetheless a powerful boon and a great honor to receive in their culture.

While her blessing gave her a proclivity towards ice magic, Freja was more interested in melee combat. Her childhood crush Arkyn Baldr, the grandson of the chieftain, was also an iceborn who focused more on physical training rather than magical training. Additionally, the tribe was full of expert warriors from all across the lands who could train her. After all, the Eynvarg tribe was made up of exiles and strays, lone wolves who united together to form a new pack. Freja found she had a  talent for the spear, but she was only just barely proficient with it when a tribal war began. In the first battle, Freja broke her leg and was unable to fight until it healed.

She was resting in the medical tent a week and a half after breaking the bone when the camp was surprise attacked, their approached concealed with magic. Freja managed to escape immediate death by hobbling out of the tent with a spear as a walking stick, but she didn’t get far. Enemies chased her, and Freja ran into the night to escape. In the tundra plains, there wasn’t much cover, and she took a spear to the back. Ironic, really. She didn’t make it much further before she collapsed. But in the little distance she did walk, she unintentionally stumbled across a gateway to the realm of the fair folk.

Freja awoke in a witch’s hut, the thick smell of herbs in the air and pain all over. Her memory was a mess, and the woman who was caring for her was a complete stranger. Melusynne was her name, a black haired beauty with pointed ears who looked to be in her twenties. Melusynne informed Freja that she came upon her dying in the woods with a cursed spear through her torso. The curse was a violent one, designed to poison not only the body, but the spirit, draining the recipient of their vitality and mana until death. Melusynne explained that she summoned a spirit of nature to reinforce Freja’s mana to fight the curse, but unexpectedly, the spirit made a bond with her. The witch gestured to Freja’s hands which she found covered in ice with jeweled bracers floating around her wrists, bracers much too big for any human to wear.

The bracers, Melusynne explained, carried a special enchantment to house the ice spirit that had bound itself to Freja. The ice spirit would continue to provide mana , reinvigorating Freja’s body until she could overcome the curse. Eventually, Freja would learn to manifest part of the elemental spirit’s power through the bracers as a medium, gaining even more control over ice magic..

Over the next few weeks Melusynne helped Freja to rehabilitate her body which was in awful shape from the battle she no longer remembered. After that, to repay the woman’s kindness, Freja helped Melusynne with any work she could around her small log cabin.

Freja of course let Melusynne know of her memory loss, and over three months the two had little luck recovering any important information. Freja knew she had come from somewhere cold, but Melusynne lived in a temperate forest, nowhere near any Arctic or Antarctic regions. With no real idea of where to go or who to find, Melusynne proposed the idea of Freja traveling the world by herself. Perhaps experiencing a myriad of new things would jog her memory. Freja agreed, and after a warm goodbye to her savior she departed. And so, Freja left Melusynne behind, leaving the fair realm and seeking new experiences and adventure.

[skakhuginn]

Goðinn blitz og rapid framundan

Þrjú stutt en reiknuð mót/æfing til Fide-skákstiga eru framundan á næstu dögum. Mánudagskvöldið 17 apríl kl 20:00 fer fram fyrsta Godinn Blitz mótið, sem reiknað verður til hraðskákstiga og er skráning í það mót hafin. Mótið fer fram í Framsýnarsalnum á Húsavík. 18. apríl kl 16:00-17:30 verður síðan síðasti Skákdagur Völsungs í Vallarhúsinnu við PCC völlinn á Húsavík. Sumardaginn fyrsta 20. apríl…