To my beautiful Elizabeth, Viking princess, who still has the blood of true Normans in her veins
Thanks
I express my sincere gratitude to Steve Cromwell, who created a magnificent cover for the book “The Viking Boat. White Strangers, which greatly contributed to its success, and who kindly agreed to create the same miracle with this novel. I am indebted to Cathy Lynn Emerson, author of the terrific 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 am grateful to Edmund Jorgensen for helping me navigate the unfamiliar waters of Internet publishing.
And, as always, I bow to Lisa, who has been giving me her love and support for more than two decades.
Prologue
The saga of Thorgrim son of Ulf
Once upon a time there was a Viking named Thorgrim son of Ulf, who was called Thorgrim the Nightwolf.
He did not differ in either gigantic growth or shoulder width, but he possessed great strength and was considered an experienced and respected warrior, and at the same time earned himself the resounding fame of a poet. In his youth, he went on campaigns with a jarl, a wealthy husband called Ornolf the Restless.
Engaged in raids and robberies, Thorgrim became rich and married the daughter of Ornolf Hallber, a fair-haired beauty of a meek and gentle disposition, who bore him two healthy sons and two daughters. After this, Thorgrim decided to stay on his farm in Vik, in the country of Norway, and no longer go on raids.
As a farmer, Thorgrim Nightwolf also prospered. He won universal love and respect here.
Although he avoided excesses and was restrained in his speeches, since he did not find much pleasure in unrestrained fun, he was known as a hospitable and hospitable host, he never refused tired travelers an overnight stay and a place at his table. During the day, Thorgrim was distinguished by an enviable good nature and benevolence towards his people and slaves, but in the evenings he was often depressed and irritable, and then no one dared to approach him. Many secretly believed that Thorgrim was a werewolf, and despite the fact that no one could say with certainty that he had seen Thorgrim turn from a man into something else, they began to call him the Nightwolf.
Years passed, Ornolf the Restless grew old and fat, but did not lose his enterprise or thirst for activity.
After the wife of Thorgrim, whom he loved very much, died in childbirth of their second daughter, Ornolf persuaded Thorgrim to go again to seek his fortune across the seas.
By this time, Thorgrim's eldest son Oda had already become a man and had his own household and family. Although he possessed remarkable strength and a sharp mind, Thorgrim did not take him with him on a 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 a special mind, but he was distinguished by loyalty and diligence, and by the age of fifteen he had become such a strong man that he was already called none other than Harald the Strong Hand. Thorgrim, going on a campaign with Ornolf the Restless, took Harald with him in order to teach him the art of war. It was the year 852 according to the Christian calendar, and only one winter had passed since the day when Harald son of the Black was born, who was destined to become the first king of Norway, nicknamed Harald the Fair-Haired.
At that time, the Norwegians built a fort on the east coast of Ireland at a place that the Irish called Oak-Lynn. Ornolf decided to go there on his drakkar "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 the one on board which was the crown, which the Irish called the Crown of the Three Kingdoms. According to custom, the king who receives the Crown of the Three Kingdoms must command the neighboring states and their rulers. The crown was supposed to be handed over 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-Lynn, but Ornolf and his people, having seized the crown for personal use, violated these plans.
The loss of the crown led to great 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 of our country." Oak gall the Irish in those days called the Danes, and they called the Norwegians fin gall.
The king and his warriors tried to recapture the crown, as a result of which they had to endure 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 men who were still alive, entered into this battle, after which they were given a warm welcome in the fort. Indeed, Ornolf liked Dub-Lynn so much that he forgot to think that he needed to return to his wife, who was famous for her sharp tongue and quarrelsome disposition.
Thorgrim, on the other hand, quickly became bored with Ireland, and he only dreamed of returning to his farm in Wyck.
But the sea took the longship in which they sailed to Ireland, and Thorgrim began to look for another means for himself and Harald to get home.
Scandinavian sagas
TALES ABOUT THE GODS
Creation of the world
At first there was nothing: no earth, no sand, no cold waves. There was only one black abyss, Ginnungagap. To the north of it lay the realm of mists Niflheim, and to the south the realm of fire Muspelheim. It was quiet, light and hot in Muspelheim, so hot that no one but the children of this country, the fiery giants, could live there, in Niflheim, on the contrary, eternal cold and darkness dominated.
But in the realm of fogs, the Gergelmir spring began to spring. Twelve powerful streams, Elivagar, took their source from it and flowed swiftly southward, plunging into the abyss of Ginnungagap. The bitter frost of the realm of fogs turned the water of these streams into ice, but the source of Gergelmir beat without ceasing, blocks of ice grew and moved closer and closer to Muspelheim. Finally, the ice came so close to the realm of fire that it began to melt. The sparks flying out of Muspelheim mixed with the melted ice and breathed life into it. And then a gigantic figure suddenly rose from the abyss of Ginnungagap over the endless expanses of ice. It was the giant Ymir, the first living creature in the world.
On the same day, a boy and a girl appeared under Ymir's left hand, and the six-headed giant Trudgelmir was born from his feet. Thus was the beginning of the family of giants - Grimtursen, cruel and treacherous, like ice and flame, who created them.
At the same time as the giants, the giant cow Audumbla arose from the melting ice. Four rivers of milk flowed from the teats of her udder, feeding Ymir and his children. There were no green pastures yet, and Audumbla grazed on the ice, licking the salty ice blocks. By the end of the first day, hair appeared on the top of one of these blocks, the next day - a whole head, by the end of the third day, the mighty giant Buri emerged from the block. His son Ber married the giantess Besla, and she bore him three sons-gods: Odin, Vili and Ve.
The god brothers did not like the world in which they lived, they did not want to demolish the domination of the cruel Ymir. They rebelled against the first of the giants, and after a long and bitter struggle, they killed him.
Ymir was so huge that all the other giants drowned in the blood gushing from his wounds, and the cow Audumbla also drowned. Only one of Ymir's grandsons, Bergelmir, managed to build a boat, on which he escaped with his wife.
Now no one prevented the gods from arranging the world as they wished. They made earth out of Ymir's body, in the form flat circle, and placed it in the midst of a vast sea that was formed from his blood. The gods named the land "Mitgard", which means "middle country". Then the brothers took Ymir's skull and made the vault of heaven out of it, they made mountains out of his bones, trees out of his hair, stones out of his teeth, and clouds out of his brain. Each of the four corners of the vault of heaven was folded by the gods in the form of a horn and planted in each horn according to the wind: in the north - Nordri, in the south - Sudri, in the west - Vestri and in the east - Austria. From the sparks that flew out of Muspelheim, the gods made stars and decorated the firmament with them. They fixed some of the stars motionless, while others, in order to find out the time, placed them so that they move in a circle, bypassing it in one year.
Having created the world, Odin and his brothers decided to populate it. One day, on the seashore, they found two trees: an ash and an alder. The gods cut them down and made a man out of ash and a woman out of alder. Then one of the gods breathed life into them, another gave them intelligence, and a third gave them blood and rosy cheeks. So the first people appeared, and they were called: the man - Ask, and the woman - Embla.
The gods and giants have not forgotten. Across the sea, east of Mitgard, they created the country of Jotunheim and gave it to the possession of Bergelmir and his descendants.
Over time, there were more gods: the eldest of the brothers, Odin, had many children, they built a country for themselves high above the earth and called it Asgard, and themselves Ases, but we will tell you about Asgard and Ases later, but now listen to how the moon and sun were created.
Mundilferi and his children
The life of the first people was unhappy. Eternal night reigned throughout the world, and only the dim, flickering light of the stars dispelled the darkness a little. The sun and the moon were not yet there, and without them the crops would not be green in the fields, and the trees would not bloom in the gardens. Then, in order to lighten the earth, Odin and his brothers got a fire in Muspelheim and made of it the moon and the sun, the best and most beautiful thing that they ever managed to create. The gods were very pleased with the fruits of their labor, but could not figure out who would carry the sun and moon across the sky.
At this very time there lived on earth a man named Mundilferi, and he had a daughter and a son of extraordinary beauty. Mundilferi was so proud of them that, having heard about the wonderful creations of the gods, he named his daughter Sul, which means the sun, and his son Mani, that is, the moon.
“Let everyone know that the gods themselves cannot create anything more beautiful than my children,” he thought in his arrogance. But, however, it soon seemed to him that this was not enough. Upon learning that in one of the villages nearby lives a young man whose face is so beautiful that it shines like the most bright Star, for which he was nicknamed Glen, which is "shine", Mundilferi decided to marry him to his daughter, so that the children of Glen and Sul would be even more beautiful than their father and mother and all other people on earth would worship them. The idea of the proud man became known to the gods, and on the very day when he was going to marry his daughter, Odin suddenly appeared before him.
You are very proud, Mundilferi,” he said, “so proud that you want to compare yourself with the gods. You want people to worship not us, but your children and your children's children and serve them. For this, we decided to punish you, and from now on, Sul and Mani will serve people, carrying the moon and the sun across the sky, whose names they are named. Then everyone will see if their beauty can outshine the beauty of what is created by the hands of the gods.
Struck with horror and grief, Mundilferi could not utter a word. One took Sul and Mani and ascended with them to heaven. There, the gods put Sul in a chariot drawn by a pair of white horses, on the front seat of which the sun was fixed, and ordered her to ride through the sky all day, stopping only at night. So that the sun would not burn the girl, the god brothers covered her with a large round shield, and so that the horses would not be hot, they hung bellows on their chests, from which a cold wind blows all the time. Mani was also given a chariot, in which he was supposed to carry the moon at night. Since then, the brother and sister have faithfully served the people, illuminating the earth: she - during the day, and he - at night. Bread is merrily turning green in the fields, fruits are pouring juice in the gardens, and no one remembers the time when darkness reigned in the world and all this did not exist.
elves and gnomes
From the day when the sun first lit up in the sky, life on earth has become more cheerful and joyful. All people worked peacefully in their fields, everyone was happy, no one wanted to become more noble and richer than the other. In those days, the gods often left Asgard and wandered around the world. They taught people to dig the earth and extract ore from it, and also made for them the first anvil, the first hammer and the first tongs, with the help of which all other tools and tools were later made. Then there were no wars, no robberies, no theft, no perjury. A lot of gold was mined in the mountains, but they did not save it, but made dishes and household utensils from it - that's why this age is called "golden".
Once, rummaging in the ground in search of iron ore, Odin, Vili Ve found worms in it, which
We can safely say that the literature of Scandinavia grew out of Old Norse 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 durable ships, the Vikings crossed the seas like lightning, fell on 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 a few groups of strangers gradually dissolved among the local population, having lost their national features and language. The Vikings could only hold out on those lands that had not been 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 brief history Iceland ("The Book of the Icelanders"), reports that the first settler settled there "a few years after 870. According to another ancient source, it happened in 874. "The history of Icelandic literature, as, in fact, the history of the country, has more than a thousand years. The Scandinavian sagas about gods and heroes are known all over the world, which have come down to us thanks to the songs of" Elder Edda ".
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 Institute of Icelandic Manuscripts was established in its capital, Reykjavik, the purpose of which is to promote the dissemination of knowledge about the Icelandic language. people, their literature and history. All Old Norse poetry falls 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 saturation with actions, each song is dedicated to one specific episode from the life of gods or heroes, and their utmost brevity. "Edda" is conditionally divided into 2 parts - songs about the gods, which contain information on mythology, and songs about heroes. The most famous song of the "Elder Edda" is considered "Divination 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 very art of versification 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. The legend is of South German origin and is best known from the Nibelungenlied. The rules of poetry and the retelling of Old Norse mythology are contained in the "Younger Edda" by the skald Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241).
"Elder Edda" was translated into Russian three times - the first time by a talented translator and researcher of Old Icelandic literature S. Sviridenko, in Soviet time- A. Korsun, and more recently - V. Tikhomirov, who prepared his translation together with the largest contemporary Scandinavian medievalist O. Smirnitskaya. Before the 1917 revolution in Russia, there were a great many transcriptions and retellings of Old Norse myths. After 1917, only one transcription of these myths for children, owned by Yu. Svetlanov, was published.
However, recently a wonderful book by the contemporary Danish writer Lars Henrik Olsen "Erik the Son of Man" appeared in Russian, which is a fascinating journey through the world of gods and heroes written in a fascinating form.
We can safely say that the literature of Scandinavia grew out of Old Norse 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 durable ships, the Vikings crossed the seas like lightning, fell on the islands and the coast 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 a few groups of strangers gradually dissolved among the local population, having lost their national features and language.
The Vikings could only hold out on those lands that had not been 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, in fact, the history of the country, has more than a thousand years.
Legends about gods and heroes are known all over the world, which have come down to us thanks to the songs of the Elder Edda.
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 Institute of Icelandic Manuscripts was established in its capital - Reykjavik, the purpose of which is to promote the dissemination of knowledge about the Icelandic language people, their literature and history. All Old Norse poetry falls 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 saturation with actions, each song is dedicated to one specific episode from the life of gods or heroes, and their utmost brevity. "Edda" is conditionally divided into 2 parts - into songs about the gods, which contain information on mythology, and songs about heroes.
The most famous song of the "Elder Edda" is considered "Volva Divination", 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 very art of versification 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. The legend is of South German origin and is best known from the Nibelungenlied.
The rules of poetry and the retelling of Old Norse mythology are contained in the "Younger Edda" by the skald Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241).
"Elder Edda" was translated into Russian three times - the first time by a talented translator and researcher of Old Icelandic literature S. Sviridenko, in Soviet times - by A. Korsun, and more recently - by V. Tikhomirov, who prepared his translation together with the largest modern Scandinavian medievalist O Smirnitskaya.
Before the 1917 revolution in Russia, there were a great many transcriptions and retellings of Old Norse myths. After 1917, only one transcription of these myths for children, owned by Yu. Svetlanov, was published.
However, recently a wonderful book by the contemporary Danish writer Lars Henrik Olsen "Erik the son of man" appeared in Russian, which is a fascinating journey through the world of gods and heroes written in a fascinating form.
Those who were desperately brave in life will see Valhalla - the abode of heroes. And he will feast and fight there together with the spirits of noble ancestors. And the despicable cowards after the death of the norns are carried off 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, of course, affected their .
In Viking legends, the strongest always wins. However, it should not be assumed that the northern peoples in their mythology did not try to introduce the idea of inevitable retribution for the evil done. A good illustration of this example is the legend of the ancient Vikings about the punishment suffered by Loki.
How did the gods punish Loki?
Loki tried to hide from the wrath of the gods, on the mountain near the waterfall, he built a special house for himself. The hut had four doors, which allowed Loki to look at all directions of the world 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 opened his hiding place and informed Odin about it.
Meanwhile, Loki was weaving a net to fish with. Seeing the approaching army, he, without thinking twice, threw the net into the fire, and he dived into the water. The gods immediately understood why Loki burned the net, they wove the exact same one. The first attempt to cast the net turned out to be a failure, the second time the gods caught some small fish. Throwing the net a third time, they managed to catch a fat salmon, which Loki turned into.
Loki was led into a cave and tied to three stones. A snake was hung over him in such a way that its poison dripped onto Loki's face. Having accomplished their revenge, the gods withdrew. Meanwhile, Loki's faithful wife, whose name was Sigyn, made her way into the cave and set the bowl under the dripping poison. Since then, she has been patiently standing and waiting until the bowl is filled to the top. Then Sigyn steps back for a few minutes to empty the bowl. 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 be 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 moon everywhere to create darkness and cold. Hurricanes raged across the land, driving huge waves and uprooting centuries-old trees. And even as far as Asgard came the howling of the storm.
For ages the giants have hatched plans to attack the gods. God Odin foresaw that the hour of battle had struck, he armed himself with the spear Gungnir and changed his big hat for a helmet. And Odin called for his personal guards - the best warriors, who were called Furious Madmen. In his palace of Valhalla, he gathered all the gods. Odin announced that the spirit of fire Loki and the wolf Fenrir managed to free themselves, that they led the army of giants and the hour of battle was approaching. A ship carrying the undead was sent to help them.
All Asgard was in anticipation of an unprecedented battle. Earth's crust covered with cracks, snowstorms raged. And then one day a rooster crowed piercingly, 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 of the Vikings. However, having studied in more detail the myth-making of the peoples of the north, the researcher understands that most of the ancient legends are not without a peculiar charm. The Vikings believed that some items could bring bad luck.
Cursed Ring of Andvarinaut
Among 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 Andvarinaut, which brought many misfortunes to the gods.
The ill-fated ring was forged by a dwarf named Andvari. This wicked man was lucky to find out where the river maidens keep their gold. Having stolen this gold, Andvari made a kind of magic ring, which differed 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 the stolen gold. The magic ring made by Andvari was desired by both the gods and their enemies. The gods Frigg, Odin, Loki, Hoenir, Freyr went in search of a magical treasure: for these purposes they visited the world of people - Midgard.
Ancient Viking legends tell of those that can serve as talismans or a prediction system, depending on the need of the one who uses them. According to legend, the runic letters were handed over to people by the god Odin, who nailed himself to the tree Yggdrasil and was in this position for nine days. According to the legends of the Norwegian Vikings, on the ninth day, the sacred meaning of the runes was revealed to Odin.
Runes were not only used as a writing system. They have also been used to predict the future. But the most widespread were those that were made to protect against enemies or to attract good luck.
viking universe
The following worlds appear in Viking legends:
Mitgard- the creation of Ases and the world of people. But this is not just the Earth familiar to everyone, but a kind of center of the universe, a reference point in the universe. It is in Midgard that the last battle of the gods with the army of giants, formed by Loki, takes place.
Jotunheim- the realm of the giants. Ancient Viking legends are filled with characters such as Jotuns (Fire Giants) and Trolls. Giants are the embodiment - they are strong, but devoid of reason. Jotuns send hail, bad weather, snow avalanches and storms to the human world.
Muspelheim And Niflheim(literally translated as the House of Fire and the House of Cold). The inhabitants of these worlds are fire and snow giants. As the legends of the Vikings say, the inhabitants of the "ice" and "fire" never quarreled with each other. On the contrary, they were allies and more than once rendered 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 the limits of Vanaheim, and therefore do not meet either with Asami or with people. Vans help to make the soil fertile.
Mentioned in the legends of the Vikings and the worlds of dwarfs - Svartalfheim(abode of black dwarfs) and Lössalfaheim(kingdom of the elves). Dwarves are engaged in the extraction of gold and jewelry, the development of underground mines. Among them you can meet many wise men.
Asgard- the abode of the gods. The main task of the gods is to protect the world of people from the invasion of the Giants. It should be noted that the Viking legends do not attribute infallibility to the Ases. The gods are responsible for their actions, they fight and kill, break these oaths. However, they are needed by humanity as the only defense against the Giants.
