by Terry Graves
“Oh, by the gods of Ásgarð,” Ufi complained, “a dream’s a dream, Lord.”
“You will do as I command. You will stay at my lands and you will send word that we’re recruiting men for a warband and you’ll offer them pay if they’re worthy. And you will train whoever comes, and you will do it for the whole summer under the excuse that you need time to choose the twelve very best, from now until the day we’re back.”
“So if someone decides to attack your hall while we’re away,” said Eigil, “they will find an army. Not bad.”
“I admit that’s part of it. But I also want you to actually choose twelve of them and do what you’re supposed to do; you prepare them to fight giants, and to kill them.” Ufi snorted at Hafgrim’s last words, but he kept on: “You were not in Veraheim that night, so you cannot possibly imagine what that battle was like. It was like a taste of Ragnarök.”
The sword-master shook his head. “I know that many died. But I fail to understand how twelve warriors with little training are going to make a difference where a hundred didn’t.”
“I’m afraid that’s for you to figure out. You and the Smith.”
Ufi and Alarr exchanged glances and the sword-master frowned with disgust. “Why him?”
“Because after we leave, he will be the only one around who has had real combat experience against one of them. So you will have to rely on him, and on what he can recall.”
Images of that night came back to Alarr’s mind, flashes of fire, buildings collapsing and a shadow among the ashes, grabbing men and throwing them away as if they were pebbles. His combat experience had been sparse. He had just been fortunate enough to survive the massacre where finer warriors had perished, and that was all. There was not much he could say about it that he had not told already a thousand times.
“I would have preferred to be banished, Lord,” Ufi complained. “I would be happier living as an outlaw in the forests.”
“That can be arranged.” Hafgrim laughed, happy for the first time. “But first you will do as I tell you. And don’t whine anymore! After all, to die killing giants is to die like gods.”
He looked away from the stars, then got up and walked to the horse. He rummaged through the contents of the saddlebags and found the mead. He took a gulp and passed it to Ingolf, who did the same thing. They all drank twice until they emptied the goatskin.
“You should be smiling, all of you!” Hafgrim exclaimed. His eyes shone under the moonlight. “What wondrous times we have been blessed with! Plenty of opportunities to honor the Lord of the Æsir with the blood of our enemies and to die with a sword in our hands. Plenty of chances to live forever in the words of the skalds!”
And, while Hagfrim said all these things, Alarr felt a knot in his stomach, as he gazed at the darkness in the direction of the mountains, too far away from Heiðirsalr to be seen. Just now, he thought, thousands of fires were being lit.
The Jötnar army, like a serpent of fire, was on the march.
End of part 1.
A Cry for Help
Writing and publishing books by yourself is a dangerous endeavor. If you want to do it right, it costs money to proofread and copyedit it, to pay for cover art, hosting, and a domain to get the word out there. Not even taking into account the — literally — hundreds of hours of research, plotting, writing, editing, promotion, blog posts, and time invested in social media just trying to raise some attention over the thousands of books that are published every month, both traditionally and self-published. So the fact that you are here reading this is a miracle in itself and I am grateful for it.
Because of this, if you liked this book I would really love if you could share your thoughts on Amazon afterwards. Some readers don’t know this, but Amazon ranking means everything to authors. I don’t think it is a good system, I don’t even think it is fair, but it is the one we have. Without reviews, this book will sink and disappear and I know it because I’ve seen it happen before.
You don’t have to write a whole review. Just rank it honestly and add a sentence or two stating whether you liked it or not, and why. You will help me, as well as your fellow readers, and you will make it possible for me to continue sharing stories with you.
So yes, please, by all means, do this. Spread the love.
Also, I’ve got a website out there (https://terry-graves.com). On there, you can read my ramblings about fairy-tale retellings and fantasy fiction and Victorian nonsense. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for an extra ration of those things and some more personal information (what I’m up to, for example) and the chance to be the first to know if one of my novels goes free on Amazon, or to get advanced reading copies (ARC) and special promotions.
Some final notes about Ravens' Will
About research and inspiration: This novel was not intended to be a work of historical fiction. After all, there are gods and trolls and magic in this story. The adventures of Gerda and Kai take place during the time of the Sagas which, like the Illiad of Homer, has no shortage of historical inaccuracies. The world described here is loosely based on what has been called the Viking Age, a period that spans from AD 800 until 1050, but it has its roots in myths and fairy tales as well, and though it may remind us of our world sometimes, it truly belongs to the realm of fantasy.
Still, I’ve tried to be accurate when I felt that did not harm the story. As part of the research process, I’ve read relevant works about Norse religion, history, and magic, together with some of the most famous Sagas. I’ve also done research into the original Andersen tale and other winter goddesses from folklore. The story type Andersen uses was already known to the Ancient Greeks and some of the characteristics of the Snow Queen herself can be traced back more than a thousand years, to the times of the heathen religion. At the same time, other authors have used Andersen’s tale as inspiration for their own stories, from Victorian writer George MacDonald to C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia. In recent years, Disney’s Frozen film has also revived the interest in Andersen’s Snow Queen.
About the writing process: Research is only a small part in the long process of creating a novel. While I was writing this book I was living next to York (Jorvik during Medieval times, a Viking trading post and an important city). Every morning I woke up at 6 o’clock sharp, jumped into my chair, and wrote for three hours straight (or did corrections) before dressing up like most humans do and going to my other job. Curiously enough, it snowed quite heavily when I was writing the attack of the frost giants on the Bifröst Bridge, and again with the Jötnar’s ascent to Thrym. I must admit I found it compelling, even if snow is not such a weird occurrence in the north of England. Now that I live in Spain, I guess I will have to find inspiration in places other than my window.
About Old Norse words: Norse mythology is quite complex and has many names that are difficult to remember. This is particularly true in the prologue, where the reader is exposed to a series of new names and concepts. In most cases, I have chosen to remain as close as possible to the Old Norse version (so Odin, for example, is written ‘Óðin’). I’m sure if I had worked with an editor in a traditional publishing house, she would have tried to discourage me. But hey, here I can have it my way.
I have not been completely consistent, anyway. For example, I have preferred the English ‘Valhalla’ over the original Old Norse ‘Valhöll’ and I’ve disregarded most variations between masculine and feminine, singular and plural, which I thought would only confuse the reader (but I’ve maintained the plural of Jötunn as Jötnar). I’ve also kept the ash (‘æ’) and the eth (‘ð’), but not the thorn (‘Þ’), which means that Thor is still Thor (and not Þórr).
GLOSSARY
Ægir: A Jötunn, also king of all the seas and the oceans in the nine worlds. His wife is Rán, and they have nine daughters who personify waves.
Æsir: A race of gods, the main pantheon that humans pray to. Óðin, Thor, Frigg, Baldr, and Týr are Æsir.
Alarr: The son of Veraheim’s blacksmi
th.
Álfheim: One of the Nine Realms and home of the light elves or Ljósálfar.
Álfljótr the Shield-Breaker: One of the most famous heroes during the times of the last war, when humans fought the giants in Miðgarð.
Angrboða: A forest Jötunn and a powerful sorceress. Together with Loki, she gave birth to Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel. She is known as ‘the one who brings sorrow to the world’. Before the Fimbulvetr started, she was also queen of the trolls in Ironwood.
Ásgarð: One of the Nine Realms and home of the Æsir. It is ruled by Óðin and can only be reached by traversing the Bifröst Bridge.
Asnir: One of Wulfgar’s daughters.
Astrið: The eldest of Wulfgar’s daughters.
Aurgerlmir: See Ymir.
Baldr: A son of the god Óðin and the goddess Frigg. He died, but he is supposed to be reborn after Ragnarök.
Bára: One of the nine daughters of Ægir.
Bera: Hafgrim’s wife.
Bergelmir: A frost giant, son of Thrudgelmir and grandson of Aurgerlmir. He and his wife were the only survivors when Aurgerlmir’s blood flooded the earth. Later, they conceived a new race of frost giants.
Bergfinn: A frost giant, king in the lands of Jötunheim.
Bifröst Bridge: A bridge that spans between Ásgarð and Miðgarð. It starts in Thrymheim, a fortress on one of the peaks of the Thrym Mountains, where its entrance is guarded by the giant Thjazi. On the other side, Bifröst ends in Himinbjörg, the stronghold where the god Heimdall acts as a watchman, blowing his horn every time the frost giants try to reach Ásgarð through the bridge.
Blóðughadda: One of the nine daughters of Ægir.
Blóðughófi: The horse of the god Freyr.
Draugr: An undead creature, a revenant. They sometimes inhabit the burial grounds and protect their treasures.
Eigil: One of the warriors of Hafgrim’s hird.
Eimyrja: One of the two daughters of Logi and Glöð.
Einherjar: Warriors who have died in battle and are being brought to Valhalla by Valkyries. They train every day and feast every night in Óðin’s hall and prepare themselves to fight for him in the final battle of Ragnarök.
Eirný: Alarr’s mother.
Ell: A unit of measurement. An ell corresponds to the length of a man’s arm from the elbow.
Eysa: One of the two daughters of Logi and Glöð.
Falhófnir: A mythical horse, ridden by the gods when they march to Yggdrasil to make judgments.
Fenrir (or Fenrirwolf): Fenrir is a monstrous wolf, one of the three children that Loki had with Angrboða, together with Jörmungandr (the Miðgarð Serpent) and Hel, the goddess of the Underworld. He was bound by the gods with a fetter made by dwarfs so it wouldn’t escape; they tied the other end to a rock, thrust a sword in his mouth, and threw him into the abyss. Fenrir, who is also the father of the wolves Sköll and Hati, is to play an important role during the events of Ragnarök. It will be freed and, during the battle of Vígríðr, the prophecy says that he will swallow Óðin.
Fimbulvetr (or the Great Cold): The Fimbulvetr is one of the main events prophesized by the Seeress, a series of harsh winters with no summers in between that will predate Ragnarök. The Fimbulvetr (sometimes referred to as the Great Cold or the Fimbulwinter) is caused by the Snow Queen from the fortress of Himinbjörg. The ice and snow block the mountain paths so the giants remain trapped in Jötunheim, no longer able to travel to Miðgarð or to Ásgarð. For the magic of the Fimbulvetr to work, the Queen requires tributes from time to time, children that she kidnaps from the northern villages. It is believed that, as soon as the Fimbulvetr has finished, Ragnarök will start.
Fornjótr: A giant, father of Logi, but also of Kâri and Ægir.
Frída: Knútr’s wife.
Fróði: The king who rules in Heiðirsalr.
Fyrnir: The giant trapped under the ice.
Gerda: The daughter of a swineherd of Veraheim and Kairan’s best friend.
Geri and Freki: Two wolves that accompany the god Óðin.
Ginnungagap: A primordial void from a time where the nine worlds had yet to be born.
Gjallarhorn: A horn that belongs to Heimdall and that he uses to alert the other gods every time Ásgarð is under attack.
Gjöll: The river that separates the living from the dead.
Glaðsheim: A place in Ásgarð where Valhalla is located.
Glöð: A fire giantess, wife of Logi.
Gríma: A troll.
Grimkell: A chieftain troll.
Groennfell: Literally means ‘Green mountain’. It is a small mountain a day’s march from Veraheim.
Guðmund: One of Wulfgar’s most trusted warriors.
Gudrun: Hafgrim’s daughter.
Gullveig: A Vanir seeress from the war between the Vanir and the Æsir. Also known as Heiðr.
Gungnir: Odin’s spear, produced by the dwarves.
Gunnvor: One of Veraheim’s elders.
Hafgrim: A chieftain from the southern regions of Miðgarð and one of King Fróði’s most trusted warriors.
Hallbjorn: Gerda’s father.
Hati: A varg that chases the moon across the sky. His twin brother is Sköll.
Havard: Hafgrim’s son.
Heiðr: A Vanir seeress from the war between the Vanir and the Æsir. Also known as Gullveig.
Heiðirsalr: The big city in the south where the court of King Fróði is.
Heimdall: One of the gods of Ásgarð, but of mixed origin. His father was Óðin, but he was the son of the nine giantesses that personify the waves of the ocean. He lives in Himinbjörg and from this stronghold he keeps watch on the Bifröst Bridge. Every time the frost giants try to reach Ásgarð, he blows his horn to alert the other gods.
Hel: Goddess of the underworld and one of the daughters of the union between Loki and Angrboða, together with Fenrir and Jörmungandr.
Himinbjörg: A stronghold where the god Heimdall lives and which marks the end of the Bifröst Bridge next to Ásgarð.
Himinglæva: One of the nine daughters of Ægir.
Hird: A hird is a band of warriors that have pledged allegiance to a chieftain or a noble family. The members of a hird are much more than soldiers that fight together: they form a fellowship and take oaths of loyalty to one another and frequently sleep and eat at the hall of their chieftain, from whom they receive gifts in the form of weapons, armbands, or land.
Hnefatafl: A board game not very different from chess. One player is the king (Hnefi) and the other one is the army. The king is placed in the center of the board, together with his warriors, and the soldiers of the confronting army are placed on the four sides of the board. The final aim of the game is for the king to reach the end of the board and for the army to capture the king before he manages to flee.
Hœnir: One of the hostages of the war between the Vanir and the Æsir.
Hræsvelgr: A wind giant who takes the form of an enormous eagle. He is also known as ‘the Corpse Swallower’.
Hrímnir: A frost giant who works trying to open holes in the frosted mountains of Jötunheim.
Huginn and Muninn: Two ravens that accompany the god Óðin. They travel across the Nine Realms and every night they come back and tell him what they have seen.
Huldra: A creature from the forests, a woman with hooves and a cow’s tail.
Idavoll: A meeting place for the gods.
Iðunn: An Æsir and the goddess of youth. It is being said that she is responsible for keeping the gods and goddess of Ásgarð forever young.
Ingolf: One of the warriors of Hafgrim’s hird.
Ingríð: One of Wulfgar’s daughters at the service of King Fróði’s wife.
Ironwood: A dangerous region of forests inhabited by trolls and vargs. Also known as Járnvið.
Ivar: Brother of Nefja, the last boy kidnapped by the Snow Queen in Veraheim.
