From the Heimurinn Cycle
The Lay of Frithgar and the Snow Maid
Part I. Prologue & Frithgar's Dream
Here begins the tale of Frithgar Cold-Heart,
Son of Ivrik Arnbjornson,
Gothi of the Haekkadings, ruler of the mead-hall, Lindsulla
Widower of Ren and Rihildr
Slayer of Andgith Silver-Tongue and Rurik Unnurson
Frithgar sired no sons or daughters,
And his brothers and sisters had gone forth,
To sit among the gods
To feast with their ancestors,
In their great halls.
He was granted his name by his aett.
Named as such due to his frozen core.
As being left alone and weary,
Drives a man to hate the world.
And wish for death.
Hear this, the world is full of wicked men.
Who seek to gain much
With no effort
Or with sly words or tricks
And this brings us to Blasith the Trickster.
Blasith was a queer man.
Round and plump,
With breasts larger than the most buxom of maidens.
In fact, many have said that he was not actually a man at all
But a woman who could grow a beard.
No one ever saw Blasith bathe,
Nor change tunics
Nor trim his shaggy beard.
And every small child knows,
Never trust a man who does not keep a neat set of bristles.
Now Blasith was welcomed by Frithgar
Into Lindsulla, the mead-hall
He was given a place by the fire and a hot meal,
And Frithgar shared his bed
As is expected of any host.
While he sat next to the fire
And ate his host’s food,
Blasith learned of Firthgar’s troubles and loneliness
He listened and played sympathetic
To the ails of his host.
It is known to all people of Midgard,
That should a gothi be slain,
He or she who does the slaying
May take the seat of the fallen
Assuming the challenger as the favor of the aett.
This task,
Blasith set out to do.
So he went to all the Haekkadings,
And began to sow the seeds
Of mistrust and doubt
Once the time was right
Blasith was to appear at Lindsulla,
Challenge Frithgar to single combat,
Slay the gothi
And rule of the Haekkadings would be his.
While Blasith talked among the people,
Spredding falsehoods
And embodying, Loki the Frost Giant,
Frithgar had other things to think about
In fact, many believe, Blasith was actually the Trickster God in disguise.
Now Frithgar was beset by a dream.
This dream, was of great distress to Frithgar
And he could not discard what he had seen,
And one night he made a journey,
To speak to the Seer.
Hear that when a man or woman
Is distressed or has a question for the gods,
They must make a pilgrimage into the mountains
And there, they will the speak to the Seer.
The Seer had asked Firthgar, what he had seen while he slumbered.
He said, “I have seen a spring, cloaked with mist,
I have felt it’s warmth and smelt it’s pines
And heard the rapids it feeds
And seen the light dancing across it’s bed
And seen the woman bathing in the pure waters.”
“Her hair was the color of wind-bitten cheeks of a Fjallar maid, in the dead of winter.
Her eyes were portals of the sea, during the calm after a great storm
And her skin, shone with the light of Sunna, And was smooth like that of a newborn babe,
And as pale as a freshly fallen snow.
And she sings sweet things in my ears while I sleep!”
Since the Seer knows many things of the world, She knew at once who Frithgar spoke of.
She told him, “I know of the maid, of who you speak.
She lives far away, in the frigid north.
She calls for a husband, as she is sad and alone.
Just as you, Frithgar, feel at Lindsulla.”
Frithgar who still mourned,
For his long dead wives,
Did not know what to make
Of the Seer’s words.
The Seer told him, “You must go questing to find her.”
He replied, “I cannot leave my home.
Winter is fast approaching
And the north is covered with snow
Up to the eaves
And lowermost braches!”
The Seer, cast a fist of herbs into the fire
And breathed deep.
“Leaving your home now,
May be the best course, for you to sail.
Renounce your position, and you will find your bathing maid.”
Frithgar asked, “Lo, you are very wise Seer! But how will I find this woman?”
The Seer breathed in the herb-smoke,
She said, “Find the lair of the giant,
Then you must walk along the serpents spine,
And in the dark forest, you will find your singing bath girl.”
Frithgar heeded the Seer’s words,
He left Lindsulla,
Only taking with him,
His cloak, and shield,
And his blade, Steelclaw.
I recently updated my opening poem to the Saga of the Bear-folk, with that I needed to update the language. Here is the updated poem! I've also begun to create the language of the Fae creatures in the adventure I've been writing.
Nefingja brrodhath halkur dhing
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