To my beautiful Elizabeth, the Viking princess, in whose veins the blood of true Normans still boils

Acknowledgments

My sincere thanks to Steve Cromwell who created the stunning cover for Viking Boat. White Aliens”, which greatly contributed to her success, and who kindly agreed to create the same miracle with this novel. I am grateful to Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of the amazing Confrontation series and many other historical fiction novels, for generously sharing with me information about the use of medicinal herbs in the Middle Ages, and to Nathaniel Nelson, who has a truly encyclopedic knowledge of Norse mythology . I'm grateful to Edmund Jorgensen for helping me navigate the unfamiliar waters of online publishing.　

And, as always, I bow to Lisa, who has given me her love and support for more than two decades.

Prologue
The Saga of Thorgrim son of Ulf

Once upon a time there lived a Viking named Thorgrim, son of Ulf, who was called Thorgrim Nightwolf.　

He was not distinguished by his gigantic height or the width of his shoulders, but he had great strength and was considered an experienced and respected warrior, and at the same time gained himself a resounding reputation as a poet. In his youth, he went on campaigns with the earl, a wealthy husband nicknamed Ornolf the Restless.　

Engaging in raids and robberies, Thorgrim became rich and married Ornolf's daughter Hallbera, a fair-haired beauty of a meek and gentle disposition, who bore him two healthy sons and two daughters. After this, Thorgrim decided to remain on his farm in Vik, in the country of Norway, and no longer go on raids.　

Having become a farmer, Thorgrim Nightwolf also succeeded. Here too he won universal love and respect.　

Even though he avoided excesses and was restrained in his speeches, since he did not find much pleasure in unbridled fun, he was known as a cordial and hospitable host, never denying tired travelers a place to sleep and a place at his table. During the day, Thorgrim was distinguished by his enviable good nature and benevolence towards his people and slaves, but in the evenings he was often depressed and irritable, and then no one risked approaching him. Many secretly believed that Thorgrim was a werewolf, and although no one could say with certainty that they had seen Thorgrim change from a man to anything else, he became known as the Nightwolf.　

Years passed, Ornolf the Restless grew old and fat, but did not lose either his entrepreneurial spirit or his thirst for activity.　

After Thorgrim's wife, whom he loved dearly, died giving birth to their second daughter, Ornolf persuaded Thorgrim to go again to seek his fortune overseas.　

By this time, Thorgrim's eldest son Oda had already become a man and had his own household and family. Although he had remarkable strength and a sharp mind, Thorgrim did not take him with him on the raid, believing that it was better for Odd and his family to stay at home - just in case.　

Thorgrim's youngest son was named Harald.　

He could not boast of any special intelligence, but he was distinguished by loyalty and hard work, and by the age of fifteen he became such a strong man that he was already called only Harald the Strong Hand. Thorgrim, going on a campaign with Ornolf the Restless, took Harald with him in order to train him in military affairs. It was the year 852 according to the Christian calendar, and only one winter had passed since the day when Harald the son of the Black was born, who was destined to become the first king of Norway, nicknamed Harald the Fairhair.　

At that time, the Norwegians built a fort on the east coast of Ireland in a place that the Irish called Dub Linn. Ornolf decided to head there on his longship “Red Dragon”, not suspecting that the Danes had driven the Norwegians out of there and captured the fortress.　

On the way to Dub Lynn, the Vikings plundered several ships, including one that was carrying a crown, which the Irish called the Crown of the Three Kingdoms. According to custom, the king who receives the Crown of the Three Kingdoms should command the neighboring states and their rulers. The crown was supposed to be presented to the king in a place called Tara, and he intended to use the power given to him to drive the Normans out of Dub-Linn, but Ornolf and his people, having seized the crown for personal use, violated these plans.　

The loss of the crown led to serious unrest among the Irish, and the king at Tara declared to his subjects: “We will stop at nothing, but we will return the crown to throw out these oak gall outside our country." Oak gall the Irish in those days called the Danes, and they nicknamed the Norwegians Finnish Gaul　

The king and his warriors tried to recapture the crown, resulting in many adventures and desperate battles with the Vikings.　

Around this time, Olaf the White expelled the Danes from Dub-Linn.　

Ornolf, Thorgrim and those of their people who were still alive entered this battle, after the victory of which they were given a warm welcome in the fort. Indeed, Ornolf liked Dub-Linn so much that he forgot to even think about the fact that he needed to return to his wife, who was famous for her sharp tongue and grumpy disposition.　

But Thorgrim, on the contrary, quickly became bored with Ireland, and he only dreamed of returning to his farm in Vik.　

But the sea took over the longship on which they sailed to Ireland, and Thorgrim began to look for another means for himself and Harald to get home.　

The Æsir, in Norse mythology, is a major group of gods led by Odin, the father of most of the Æsir, who loved, fought, and died because, like humans, they were not immortal. These gods are contrasted with the vanirs (gods of fertility), giants (etuns), dwarfs (miniatures), as well as female deities - diss, norns and valkyries. They lived in the heavenly fortress of Asgard, which was connected to the land of people, Midgard, by the rainbow bridge Bifrost.

I. Sigrlami, son of Odin, was the king of Gardariki. He was succeeded by his son Svafrlami. Once Svafrlami (H, Sigrlami R), while hunting, saw a large stone at sunset, and next to it two dwarfs. The king blocked their access to the stone with an enchanted sword. The dwarves began to beg for mercy. Having learned that Dwalin and Dulin, the most skilled of the dvergs, were in front of him, the king demanded that they prepare for him the best sword possible, which would cut iron like fabric, and would never become covered with rust, bringing victory in battles and duels to its owner. They agreed. On the appointed day, the king came to the stone and received the desired weapon.

Since time immemorial, to the west of Asgard lies Vanaheim, the kingdom of the powerful and good spirits of the Vanir. These spirits do not harm anyone. They rarely go beyond the borders of their country, and they do not have to meet people and giants.

Aesir and Vanir long years lived in peace with each other, but as soon as the Norns came from Jotunheim and the golden age ended, the Aesir began to look with increasing envy at the enormous wealth of their neighbors and finally decided to take them away by force.

High, high above the clouds, so high that not even the most keen-sighted person can see it, lies the beautiful country of the gods, Asgard. The thin but strong Bifrost Bridge - people call it the rainbow - connects Asgard to the earth, but it will be bad for those who dare to climb it. The red stripe that stretches along is an eternal, never extinguishing flame. Harmless to the gods, it will burn any mortal who dares to touch it.

Balder (“lord”), in Scandinavian mythology, a young god of the Aesir, the beloved son of Odin and Frigg, the goddess of earth and air. The beautiful Balder was called wise and brave, and his loving and gentle soul radiated light. Suddenly, the young man began to have ominous dreams that foreshadowed death. Concerned, Odin saddled his eight-legged stallion Sleipnir and went to the kingdom of the dead. The seer-witch told him that Balder would die at the hands of his own brother, the blind god Höd.

Beowulf (“bee wolf”, i.e. “bear”), the hero of the northern and Anglo-Saxon epic, who defeated two terrible monsters. Young warrior from the Gaut people, Beowulf went overseas to Denmark to save the Danish king Hrothgar from the misfortune that befell him: for many years the ferocious monster Grendel sneaks into the royal castle of Heorot at night and devours the warriors.

In the night duel, Beowulf squeezed Grendel with such force that he, breaking free, lost his arm and crawled into his lair, where he bled to death and gave up the ghost. Grendel's mother, an even more vile creature, tried to avenge her son's murder, and Beowulf, pursuing the monster, descended into her crystal underwater cave.

Bragi, in Scandinavian mythology, the skald god, son of Odin and the giantess Gunnhold, husband of Idunn, keeper of rejuvenating apples. Bragi was born in a stalactite cave where his mother Gunnhold kept the honey of poetry. The miniature dwarfs gave the divine child a magic harp and sent him sailing on one of their wonderful ships. On the way, Bragi sang the touching “Song of Life,” which was heard in heaven and the gods invited him to their abode of Asgard.

Brunhild, Brunnhilde (“duel”), the heroine of Scandinavian-Germanic mythology, the most warlike and most beautiful Valkyrie who challenged Odin: she gave victory in the battle to someone who was not intended by him.

As punishment, God put her to sleep and exiled her to earth, where Brunhild was supposed to lie on the top of the Hindarfjall hill, surrounded by a wall of fire. Only Sigurd (German, Siegfried), the famous hero who defeated the dragon Fafnir, could break through the raging flames.

Those who were desperately brave during life will see Valhalla - the abode of heroes. And he will feast there and fight with the spirits of his noble ancestors. And after death, the despicable cowards are carried away by the norns to Hel, where they are destined to freeze forever in the hellish cold. Many Viking legends are based on the manifestation of such qualities as valor and courage. The northern peoples were constantly at war, which certainly affected their .

In Viking legends, the strongest always wins. However, one should not assume that the northern peoples in their mythology did not try to introduce the idea of ​​​​inevitable retribution for the evil caused. A good illustration of this example is the ancient Viking legend of the punishment suffered by Loki.

How the gods punished Loki

Loki tried to hide from the wrath of the gods; on a mountain near a waterfall he built himself special house. The hut had four doors, allowing Loki to look at all directions at the same time. Seeing his pursuers, Loki had to turn into a salmon and dive into the water. The wise ravens Munin and Hugin discovered his refuge and informed Odin about it.

Meanwhile, Loki was weaving a net to go fishing. Seeing the approaching army, he, without thinking twice, threw the net into the fire and dived into the water. The gods immediately understood why Loki burned the net, and they wove exactly the same one. The first attempt to cast a net turned out to be a failure, but the second time the gods caught some small fish. Throwing the net a third time, they managed to catch the fat salmon into which Loki turned.

Loki was led into a cave and tied to three stones. A snake was hung above him so that its poison would drip onto Loki's face. Having carried out their revenge, the gods left. Meanwhile, Loki's faithful wife, whose name was Sigyn, snuck into the cave and placed the cup under the dripping poison. Since then, she has been patiently standing and waiting until the cup is filled to the top. Sigyn then steps away for a few minutes to empty the cup. At this time, drops of poison spill onto Loki’s face, causing him terrible pain; he breaks with force, shaking the ground. Loki is destined to remain in chains until the death of the gods...

Twilight of the Gods - the hour of battle has struck

For many days, the sacred abode of the gods was shrouded in menacing and gloomy clouds. The sons of the wolf Fenrir pursued the sun and the moon everywhere to give birth to darkness and cold. Hurricanes raged throughout the land, driving huge waves and uprooting centuries-old trees. And even to Asgard itself the howls of the storm could be heard.

For an eternity, the giants hatched plans to attack the gods. God Odin foresaw that the hour of battle had struck, he armed himself with the spear Gungnir and replaced his large hat with a helmet. And Odin called his personal guard - the best warriors, who were called the Furious Madmen. He gathered all the gods in his palace of Valhalla. Odin announced that the spirit of fire Loki and the wolf Fenrir managed to free themselves, that they led an army of giants and the hour of battle was approaching. A ship carrying the undead was sent to help them.

All of Asgard was in anticipation of an unprecedented battle. Earth's crust covered with cracks, snowstorms raged. And then one day a rooster crowed shrilly, living on the fortress wall of Valhalla. The gods, led by Odin, came out to meet their enemies. And only One knew what the outcome of the battle would be...

At first glance it may seem that the legends are Vikings. However, having studied in more detail the myth-making of the peoples of the north, the researcher understands that most ancient legends are not without their own charm. The Vikings believed that certain objects could bring bad luck.

Cursed ring Andvarinaut

Among the northern peoples, the ring was considered a symbol of fame, wealth and power. In some cases, rings replaced money; these decorations were also given on the occasion of a significant celebration. Many Viking legends also mention magic rings. So one myth tells about the ring of Andvarinaut, which brought a lot of misfortune to the gods.

The ill-fated ring was forged by a dwarf named Andvari. This wicked man was lucky enough to know where the river maidens kept their gold. Having stolen this gold, Andvari made a certain magic ring, distinguished by great power. Meanwhile, the river maidens mourned the loss of their treasure so much that even the water turned black.

The cunning dwarf Andvari hid in an underground lake after he hid stolen gold. The magic ring made by Andvari was desired by both the gods and their enemies. The gods Frigg, Odin, Loki, Hoenir, and Freyr went in search of the magical treasure: for these purposes they visited the human world - Midgard.

Ancient Viking legends talk about ones capable of serving as talismans or a divination system, depending on the needs of the one who uses them. According to legend, the runic writings were given to people by the god Odin, who nailed himself to the Yggdrasil tree and remained in this position for nine days. As the legends of the Norwegian Vikings tell, on the ninth day Odin discovered the sacred meaning of the runes.

Runes were used not only as a writing system. They were also used to predict the future. But the most widespread were those that were made for protection from enemies or to attract good luck.

Viking Universe

The following worlds appear in Viking legends:

Mitgard- the creation of the Ases and the world of people. But this is not just the familiar Earth, but a kind of center of the universe, a starting point in the universe. It is in Midgard that it takes place last Stand gods with an army of giants formed by Loki.

Jotunheim- the kingdom of giants. Ancient Viking legends are filled with characters such as Jotuns (Frost Giants) and Trolls. Giants are the epitome - they are strong but lack intelligence. Jotuns send hail, bad weather, avalanches and storms to the human world.

Muspelheim And Niflheim(literally translated as House of Fire and House of Cold). The inhabitants of these worlds are fire and snow giants. As Viking legends say, the inhabitants of the “ice” and “fire” never quarreled with each other. On the contrary, they were allies and more than once provided services to each other.
Vanaheim is the abode of good spirits. A certain mythical country located to the west of Asgard and Mitgard. The good spirits of Vana do not leave Vanaheim, and therefore do not meet with the Aesir or people. Vans help make the soil fertile.

The worlds of dwarfs are also mentioned in Viking legends - Svartalfheim(abode of black dwarfs) and Lössalfaheim(kingdom of the elves). Dwarves are engaged in the extraction of gold and jewelry, and the development of underground mines. Among them you can meet many sages.

Asgard- abode of the gods. The main task of the gods is to protect the human world from the invasion of Giants. It should be noted that Viking legends do not attribute infallibility to the Aesir. The gods are responsible for their actions, they fight and kill, break their oaths. However, they are necessary for humanity as the only defense against the Giants.

We can safely say that Scandinavian literature grew out of Old Icelandic literature. The discovery and settlement of Iceland was one of the results of the Viking campaigns. The famous Icelandic scientist Jonas Kristiansson writes: “With their fast and strong ships, the Vikings crossed the seas like lightning, struck islands and coasts and tried to create new states in the west - in Scotland, Ireland and England, in the south - in France and in the east - in Rus'.
But the tribes that inhabited these lands were so powerful that the small groups of foreigners gradually dissolved among the local population, losing their national traits and language. The Vikings could only hold out on those lands that were not inhabited before their arrival. Iceland remained the only state created during this period by the Vikings.

Arn the Wise (1067-1148), first Icelandic author to write a short history Iceland ("Book of Icelanders"), reports that the first settler settled there "several years after 870. According to another ancient source, this happened in 874." The history of Icelandic literature, as well as the history of the country, goes back more than a thousand years. The Scandinavian sagas about gods and heroes, which have come down to us thanks to the songs of the Elder Edda, are known all over the world.

The Elder Edda is a collection of mythological and heroic songs preserved in a single copy, the Royal Codex, found in Iceland in 1643. Until recently, this parchment was kept in Copenhagen, but in April 1971, many Old Icelandic manuscripts, by decision of the Danish parliament, were transferred to Iceland, where in its capital, Reykjavik, the Icelandic Manuscript Institute was created, the purpose of which is to promote the dissemination of knowledge about the Icelandic language people, their literature and history. All Old Icelandic poetry is divided into two types of poetic art - Eddic poetry and skaldic poetry.

Eddic poetry is distinguished by the fact that its authorship is anonymous, its form is relatively simple, and it tells about gods and heroes, or contains the rules of worldly wisdom. The peculiarities of Eddic songs are their richness in action, each song is dedicated to one specific episode from the life of gods or heroes, and their extreme brevity. The Edda is conventionally divided into two parts – songs about the gods, which contain information on mythology, and songs about heroes. The most famous song of the "Elder Edda" is considered to be "The Prophecy of the Völva", which gives a picture of the world from its creation to the tragic end - the "death of the gods" - and a new rebirth of the world.

Early Icelandic poetry is associated with pagan beliefs. Many of the oldest poems are dedicated to pagan gods, and the art of versification itself was considered a gift from the supreme god Odin. There are also songs of all-Germanic origin in the Elder Edda - for example, songs about Sigurd and Atli. This tale is of South German origin and is best known from the “Song of the Nibelungs.” The rules of poetry and the retelling of Old Norse mythology are contained in the Prose Edda, written by the skald Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241).

The Elder Edda was translated into Russian three times - the first time by the talented translator and researcher of ancient Icelandic literature S. Sviridenko, in Soviet time- A. Korsun, and most recently - V. Tikhomirov, who prepared his translation together with the largest modern Scandinavian medievalist O. Smirnitskaya. Before the revolution of 1917, there were a great many adaptations and retellings of Old Norse myths in Russia. After 1917, only one adaptation of these myths for children was published, belonging to Yu. Svetlanov.
However, recently a wonderful book by the modern Danish writer Lars Henrik Olsen, “Erik the Son of Man,” appeared in Russian, which is a written journey through the world of gods and heroes in a fascinating form.

We can safely say that Scandinavian literature grew out of Old Icelandic literature. The discovery and settlement of Iceland was one of the results of the Viking campaigns. The famous Icelandic scientist Jonas Kristiansson writes: “On their fast and strong ships, the Vikings crossed the seas like lightning, struck islands and coasts and tried to create new states in the west - in Scotland, Ireland and England, in the south - in France and in the east - in Rus'.
But the tribes that inhabited these lands were so powerful that the small groups of foreigners gradually dissolved among the local population, losing their national traits and language.
The Vikings could only hold out on those lands that were not inhabited before their arrival. Iceland remained the only state created during this period by the Vikings.

Arn the Wise (1067-1148), the first Icelandic author to write a short history of Iceland ("The Book of the Icelanders"), reports that the first settler settled there "a few years after 870. According to another ancient source, this happened in 874 ".
The history of Icelandic literature, as well as the history of the country, goes back more than a thousand years.
Tales of gods and heroes that have come down to us thanks to the songs of the Elder Edda are known all over the world.
The Elder Edda is a collection of mythological and heroic songs preserved in a single copy, the Royal Codex, found in Iceland in 1643.
Until recently, this parchment was kept in Copenhagen, but in April 1971, many Old Icelandic manuscripts, by decision of the Danish parliament, were transferred to Iceland, where the Icelandic Manuscript Institute was created in its capital, Reykjavik, whose purpose is to promote the dissemination of knowledge about the Icelandic language people, their literature and history. All Old Icelandic poetry is divided into two types of poetic art - Eddic poetry and skaldic poetry.

Eddic poetry is distinguished by the fact that its authorship is anonymous, its form is relatively simple, and it tells about gods and heroes, or contains the rules of worldly wisdom.
The peculiarities of Eddic songs are their richness in action, each song is dedicated to one specific episode from the life of gods or heroes, and their extreme brevity. The Edda is conventionally divided into two parts - songs about the gods, which contain information on mythology, and songs about heroes.
The most famous song of the "Elder Edda" is considered to be "The Prophecy of the Völva", which gives a picture of the world from its creation to the tragic end - the "death of the gods" - and a new rebirth of the world.

Early Icelandic poetry is associated with pagan beliefs. Many of the oldest poems are dedicated to pagan gods, and the art of versification itself was considered a gift from the supreme god Odin.
There are also songs of all-Germanic origin in the Elder Edda - for example, songs about Sigurd and Atli. This tale is of South German origin and is best known from the “Song of the Nibelungs.”
The rules of poetry and the retelling of Old Norse mythology are contained in the Prose Edda, written by the skald Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241).

The Elder Edda was translated into Russian three times - the first time by the talented translator and researcher of ancient Icelandic literature S. Sviridenko, in Soviet times by A. Korsun, and most recently by V. Tikhomirov, who prepared his translation together with the largest modern Scandinavian medievalist O . Smirnitskaya.
Before the revolution of 1917, there were a great many adaptations and retellings of Old Norse myths in Russia. After 1917, only one adaptation of these myths for children was published, belonging to Yu. Svetlanov.
However, recently a wonderful book by the modern Danish writer Lars Henrik Olsen, “Erik the Son of Man,” appeared in Russian, which is a written journey through the world of gods and heroes in a fascinating form.