The Ice-Shirt
Page 40
Major characters (including gods and Powers), or proper names easily confused in the text (e.g. Thorbjorn Vifilsson and Thorbjorn of Haukadale) 361
II GLOSSARY OF DYNASTIES, RACES AND MONSTERS
From Ynglings to Skrcelings, with a few entries on languages also 371
III GLOSSARY OF PLACES
Important locations in this and other Hells 374
IV
GLOSSARY OF TEXTS
Sagas, poems and codices most often mentioned in The Ice-Shirt 378
V
GENERAL GLOSSARY
Orthoqrapfiic Notes
Note on Micmac Orthography
All Micmac words listed above are from the dictionary of the Rev. Silas T. Rand (1888). The written Micmac language has since been standardized, and Rand's speUings are obsolete. Except as noted below, I have used them in the text only when no others were available. I am very grateful to Ruth Holmes Whitehead of the Nova Scotia Museum for her corrections. I have parenthetically appended the Rand spellings for three reasons: first, because Rand was more phonetical, and his SpeUings may be of some help in pronunciation; second, because his Legends, which employs them, is at the moment the only collection of Micmac tales available in the United States; and third, because I have made Freydis spell KlusKAP's name after Rand's fashion, in order to conveniently represent her hatred and ignorance. Says Whitehead: "To use Rand's spelling is considered somehow almost insulting, as if it didn't matter how one spelled it because it's only Indians" (letter to author, 9 March 1988).
Note on Icelandic / Norse Orthography
Icelandic (which is basically the same as Old Norse) adds an r to the masculine nominative singular. Thus, Eirik the Red was actually Eirikr the Red. In general, I have found this awkward, and dropped the r as my betters have done. However, where leisure and novelty require, as with "Bolverkr," I have not. I am very grateful to Mr. Tom Johnson in the U.C. Berkeley Scandinavian Department for his help here.
Note on Greenlandic Orthography
My friends in Greenland spelled out for me all the words of their language which appear in the text. I would particularly like to thank Mr. Nuka Moller for his corrections and emendations. The old sources which I made use of in writing this book, such as Vahl and Boas, are rarely in accordance with the orthography in sway since 1973, so I have added the New Greenlandic Writing System spellings to the Glossary entries whenever possible.
l^liL^Nt> ^K^R/^IM^
Qtossary ofPersonatl^ames*
Aasa Ingjaldsdottir Daughter of King Ingjald the Evil-Worker. Like him, she
loved fires. King Adils Ottarsson Unable to transform himself as his fathers had, he negotiated
with the Lapps and learned how to do so using the hearts of beasts. Kings Alric and Eric Norse brother-Kings who killed each other with their
bridles. Amortortak (Ht., "the One who says, 'Ammu-ammu ...'") A Greenlandic
demon with black hands. Whose touch is death. (Modern spelling: Ammoortortoq.) Angangujungoaq Inuit boy in Greenland, kidnapped by the black-armed
Tunersuit. (Modern spelling: Anngannguujunnguaq.) Aslak of Langadale He and his son Ilugi supported Thorgest of Breidabolstead
against Eirik the Red in the feud of Eirik's bench-boards. Asvald Leifsson Father of Thorvald Asvaldsson; grandfather of Eirik the
Red. Baldur The good Norse god, very fair to look at, with white limbs. Sometimes
seen as a prefiguration of CHRIST. Murdered by LOKI. (Also spelled Baldr.) Bjarni Grimolfsson One of the Norse Greenlanders who came to Vinland with
Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir's expedition. He captained one of the ships, which
went down on the return journey; he was drowned. Bjarni Herjolfsson A Greenlander. Son of Herjolf Bardarsson, after whom the
promontory Herjolfsness was named. Bjarni found Vinland, Markland and Slab-Land when he was blown off-course on his way to Greenland. He may have been
the first Norseman to see North America. (But see also Leif the Lucky.) Bjorn the Crusader (Bjarni Einarsson) An Icelander who rescued two Inuit children
from drowning in Greenland. The children pledged themselves to him and to his
wife, Solveig, but Bjorn sailed off without them, so they killed themselves. Blaserk Norse name for Blue-Shirt, the great glacier (sometimes rendered in
translation as Blauserk). See also Bloserken and Mukla JokeL Bloserken Danish name for Blue-Shirt. Later called Huidserken, White-Shirt.
* Norse names are listed by given name, not patronymic. Thus, Gudrid Thorbjomsdottir is under G, not T.
B6LVERKR "The Evil-Doer." A name for ODIN.
Carrying the War-Club A Micmac chief who sought to kill the Norse settlers in Vinland and take their axes.
Christian Greenland Inuk boy, 1987. He told the tale of Angangujungoaq.
COOLPUJOT (lit., says the Rev. S.T. Rand, "Rolled-On-Handspikes") Personification of the seasons. A boneless fellow, whom Kluskap rolls to the east on a handspike to make spring, and rolls to the west to make autumn. Ruth Holmes Whitehead says: "This definition of who He is, is late. KLUSKAP doesn't roll Him in earlier stories. He is only rolled to cut the roots which have sprouted from his down-side, to make medicine. I seriously question Handspikes." So I have substituted a spear for a handspike, and queasily left Him in.
King Dag the Wise Old Norse King who spoke the language of birds. Killed in a battle over his pet sparrow.
Draupnir [Norse] A gold ring which gave birth each night to eight gold rings.
Dreaming of Bad Days A Micmac shaman in Vinland who saw danger in the axes of the Norse settlers.
King Egil Onsson Son of King On. The first to notice that the royal Changing-blood was getting thin.
Egill Skallagrimsson A brave, greedy, cruel Icelander who also happened to be a skaldic poet of genius. (Modern spelling: Eigil)
Einar An Icelander "with a taste for the ornate." Son of a freed slave. Rejected suitor of Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir.
Einar of Laugarbrekka A well-to-do farmer. Maternal grandfather of Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir.
Eirik the Red The son of Thorvald Asvaldsson. Born in Jaederen, Norway. Outlawed for manslaughter, he settled in Drangar, Iceland. He married Thjodhild Jorundsdottir and moved to Haukadale until he was outlawed from the region for killing his neighbor Valthjof. He then moved to Oxen Island in Breida^ord and was soon outlawed from Iceland for three years for killing two sons of Thorgest of Breidabolstead. After exploring Greenland, he returned to Iceland briefly at the end of his outlawry to encourage settlement, and then sailed back to Greenland, where he Hved out the rest of his life. By Thjodhild Eirik had three sons: Leif the Lucky, Thorstein and Thorvald. Eirik also had a bastard daughter, Freydis.
Elder Brother Ancestor of the Inuit.
Emilie Greenland Inuk girl, 1987.
King Eric Bloody-Axe Favorite son of King Harald Fairhair. Like his father, he married a Lappish witch, named Gunhild. Killed some of his brother-Kings, ostensibly because they were warlocks. Took the throne after his father until he was expelled by his brother King Hakon the Good. Ruled a small territory in England under King Athelstan until Athelstan's death; slain in battle in Northumberland ca. 954.
Eyjolf of Svin Island A rich Icelander. He supported Eirik the Red against Thorgest of Breidabolstead in the feud of Eirik's bench-boards.
King Eystein The younger son of King Eystein the Severe, who ruled in Hedemark, in central Norway. After King Sigtryg, the elder son, was killed in a territorial war with Halfdan the Black, Eystein became King. He fought four battles against Halfdan, and lost them all. In the end he sued for peace; Halfdan let him retain half of Hedemark.
Eyvind Kellda Norwegian warlock put to death by King Olaf Trygvesson.
Eyvind Skaldaspillar An Icelander; skaldic poet.
Fenrir The great Wolf (LOKl's offspring) who will devour King Odin at the end of the world. According to the Prose Edda, the river Van flows from his slobber as he howls in his fetter Glepnir, waiting to revenge himself for his captivity. (NOTE: Fen
rir, but the Fenris-Wolf.)
FREY Norse god of fertility. Usually depicted seated, with an immense erect penis.
Freydis Eiriksdottir Bastard daughter of Eirik the Red. Mother unknown. Married to a rich man of little character, Thorvard of Gardar. In one of the sagas she is mentioned as being pregnant, but her issue is never mentioned. Sailed to Vinland to enrich herself. Saved the Norse colonists there from a Skraeling attack, frightening the Skrselings by whacking her bare breasts with a sword. At about the same time she murdered two Icelandic colonists, Helgi and Finnbogi, and all their establishment, reputedly killing their women herself with an axe.
Freyja Norse goddess of fertility and beauty. Not known for Her chastity. She has long golden hair, and is so lovely to look upon that fine and costly things are often named after Her. When She cries. She weeps tears of gold.
Frigg a Norse fertility goddess. In function the distinction between Her and Freyja is not clear. FRIGG was Odin's wife. Of Her the Heimskringla says only: "It happened once when Odin had gone to a great distance . . . that his two brothers took it upon themselves to divide his estate, but both of them took his wife Frigg to themselves. Odin soon after returned home, and took his wife back."
Gauthild A princess from Gotland. Wife of King Ingjald the Evil-Worker.
Gautvid Foster-brother of Ingjald the Evil-Worker.
Glooskap Freydis Eiriksdottir's name for Kluskap. See the Note on Micmac Orthography immediately preceding these Glossaries.
Grimhild Wife of Thorstein the Black. She was a Norse Greenlander who died of the plague. Another saga calls her Sigrid and gives her a less unpleasant character, but the same fate.
Grjotgaard A henchman of King Harald Greyskin.
Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir Her father was Thorbjorn Vifilsson, who was descended from an ex-slave; her mother was Hallveig Einarsdottir. Gudrid was very beautiful, and married frequently. Her first marriage (which may be apocryphal)
was to another Icelander, Thorir. They were shipwrecked, and rescued by Leif the Lucky, soon after which Thorir died and Gudrid married Leif's younger brother, Thorstein Eiriksson. (Another account has Gudrid coming to Greenland with her father, unmarried until she met Thorstein.) After Thorstein's death, Gudrid married an Icelander, Thorfinn Karlsefni, and went with him to Vinland. There her son, Snorri Karlsefnisson, was bom. Later Gudrid and Karlsefni returned to Iceland and farmed until Karlsefni's death. Gudrid made a pilgrimage to Rome and became a nun.
Gudrod King of Skaane Husband of Aasa Ingjaldsdottir.
King Gudrod the Hunter Son of King Halfdan the Mild. Father of King Halfdan the Black.
Queen Gunhild Ossur-Tote's-Daughter A Lappish witch, the wife of King Eric Bloody-Axe. Her father was a warlock in Halogaland. (But a note in Appendix I of the Heimskringla says that she "was in fact a daughter of King Gorm of Denmark, a fact mentioned only in the Historia Norwegice . . . The transformation of her origin in the Icelandic sources must depend on the evil reputation she enjoyed there. The fostering of Harald Greycloak by King Harald Gormsson and the support the sons of Eric had from Denmark ... are easily understandable . . .") She bore her husband eight children: Gamle, Guttorm, King Harald Greyskin, Ragnfrid, Ragnhild, Erling, Gudrod and Sigurd Sleva. She, Eric and her brood were all Christianized in England, where they fled after being expelled by King Hakon the Good. After Bloody-Axe was killed, Gunhild used her sons to kill King Hakon and conquer Norway. She had the title of "King-Mother" only a brief time, however, being exiled in the end, and outliving all her sons, who died various violent deaths.
Gyda King-Eric's-Daughter The beautiful girl who inspired King Harald Fairhair to conquer all Norway.
King Hakon the Good Son of King Harald Fairhair. Expelled his half-brother King Eric Bloody-Axe from the throne (AD 934?) and ruled until he was killed by Bloody-Axe's sons (961?).
King Hakon Jarl the Great Succeeded to the throne of Norway after King Harald Greyskin, AD 965(?). Succeeded by King Olaf Trygvesson in 995(?).
King Halfdan the Black So called for his black hair. King in Norway. Married Ragnhild, the daughter of King Harald Goldbeard. He lost his Yule-feast to the magic of the Lapps. Died crossing treacherous ice. Father of King Harald Fairhair, whom he denied the inheritance of the Bear-Shirt.
King Halfdan the Mild Grandson of King Halfdan Whiteleg.
King Halfdan Whiteleg Successor to King Olaf Tree-Feller. Halfdan the Black came six Kings after him.
Halldis Pagan foster-mother of Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir. Married to Orm. Taught Gudrid witchcraft-songs. Accompanied her to Greenland, but died on the voyage.
Hallveig Einarsdottir Mother of Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir; wife of Thorbjorn
Vifilsson. Thorbjorn's brother Thorgeir married her sister. King Harald Fairhair A friend to Lapps. Unified Norway under him by reducing
other Kings to Earls. (Those who fled him settled new lands to the west, including
Iceland.) Married Gyda Ericsdaughter, Ragnhild the Mighty, who bore him his
favorite son Eric Bloody-Axe, Swanhild, from whom King Olaf Trygvesson
was descended, Aashild, the Lappish witch Snaefrid, and doubtless many others.
By his serving-maid Tora Mosterstang he fathered King Hakon the Good. King Harald Grsenske The father of King Olaf the Saint, of Norway. Was
intimate with Sigrid the Haughty, but not intimate enough to marry her. King Harald Greyskin (Greycloak) Third son of King Eric Bloody-Axe. Ruled
Norway after he killed King Hakon the Good (ca. 961). Killed in a sea battle
some four years later. In his time the kingdom was very divided. King Harald Redbeard Father of Princess Aasa, wife of King Gudrod the
Hunter; killed by Gudrod when he refused to give Aasa to him of his own
will. Heimdall The watchman-god of Valhalla. Prayed to by sailors, navigators, etc. Hel "The Concealer." (But others say "The Bright," because Niflheim was the
radiant land of the elves until the dead came.) Norse goddess of the Underworld,
LOKl's daughter. ODIN cast Her down into Niflheim when She was bom. Black
and hideous; sometimes called "the Horse-Goddess." Helga Wife of Thorkel, the farmer at Herjolfsness. Helgi and Finnbogi Two Icelandic brothers who accompanied Freydis Eiriksdottir
to Vinland in their own ship. Freydis seems to have coveted their larger vessel, and
murdered them in cold blood, even though they agreed to exchange with her. Herlaug and Rollaug Two brother-Kings in Norway at the time of King Harald
Fairhair. Herlaug chose to die a King, and committed suicide; Rollaug preferred
to hve an Earl, and swore fealty to Harald. His Spear Is Straight A Micmac warrior. Killed by the Norse Greenlanders for
stealing weapons. King Ingjald the Evil-Worker Last of the Yngling Kings. (See Glossary II.) He
was fed a wolf's heart to become brave, and became vicious. His children were
Olaf Tree-Feller and Aasa, who burned herself alive with her father. Ivar Bardsson In 1349 he wrote a report to the Bishop at Gardar, reporting that the
Western Settlement of Greenland (West Bygd) was deserted. (Variants: Bardarson,
Bardson, etc.) Ivar Vidfavne Nephew of Gudrod King of Skaane, who married Aasa
Ingjaldsdottir. Aasa enticed Gudrod to murder his brother Halfdan, Ivar's
father. In his good time, Ivar avenged himself upon Aasa and her father. King
Ingjald the Evil-Worker. Thorfinn Karlsefni An Icelandic trader, whose name means "Makings of a Man."
He made Eirik the Red happy when he gave him ale-malt for a Yule or Christmas
feast. Last husband of Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir. He and Gudrid and various other Greenlanders attempted to colonize Vinland. The venture failed, because Norse provocations incensed the native population and made it impossible to stay there. By Gudrid he had a son, Snorri Karlsefnisson.
Kewkw In some Micmac myths, the Power of earthquakes. (S.T. Rand: KUHKWA.)
Kimberly Baffmland Inuk girl, 1987.
> KiSU'LKW "He Makes Us." A Person or Power among the Micmac.
Kluskap a powerful Person Who appears in some Micmac legends. Not a god. ("Calling Him a god," says Ruth Holmes Whitehead, "is like saying seriously that Lumberjacks worshipped Paul Bunyan and his ox.") (Rand's obsolete spelling -and Freydis's - is GloOSKAP.)
Leif the Lucky (Leif Eiriksson) Eldest son of Eirik the Red and Thjodhild Jorundsdottir. The sagas are in dispute as to whether it was he or Bjarni Herjolfsson who first sighted Vinland. In any event, he seems to have explored there, and also to have brought a priest to Greenland at the urging of the Norwegian King, Olaf Trygvesson. He was called "the Lucky" because of the wealth he brought from Vinland, and also because he rescued Gudrid Thorbjornsdottir from a shipwreck (and thereby became entitled to driftage?). Whether or not he married is unknown, but he had a liaison in the Hebrides with a witch named Thorgunna, who bore him a son named Thorgils.
LOKI The Norse trickster-god. In the Edda He sometimes helps, sometimes harms the gods with His cunning, but steadily becomes more wicked. Married to a Jotun woman, Sigun, by whom His sons were VaH, Nari and Narthi. On the Jotun Angrbotha He begat Hel the Concealer, the Serpent of Midgaard, and the wolf Fenrir. (LOKI is also hermaphroditic; He once became a mare, seduced a stallion, and so bore Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir.) He tricked another god into killing Baldur the Good with a sprig of mistletoe, and prevented his resurrection. Punished by being chained to a rock beneath a snake that spits poison into His eyes. His name means "The Ender," for He will help to bring about the end of the world.
Margethe Greenland Inuk girl, 1987. Christian's girl-friend.
Marten A thrall of KLUSKAP.
Naddour-Viking An accidental discoverer of Iceland. His ship was blown off course.
Nidhogg The Norse dragon of Niflheim, who devours corpses and gnaws at the root of Yggdrasil.
NiKSKAM "Our Grandfather." (Micmac word for GOD.)
Norns The three sisters who weave Norse men's fates. Their names are Past, Present and Future. Their bower is by the Well of Weird.
Odin King of the Norse Gods. He paid one of His eyes to gain the wisdom of runes. One kenning for the sun is "Odin's eye." His weapon is the spear. He