by Terry Graves
Jorik: Alarr’s father.
Jörmungandr: A sea serpent, the middle child of the giantess Angrboða and Loki. It will be released at the beginning of Ragnarök.
Jötunheim: The realm where frost giants live. It is located to the north of Miðgarð, behind the Thrym Mountains.
Jötunn (pl. Jötnar): Giants, in a general sense. There are frost Jötnar and fire Jötnar, and Jötnar that rule over the seas, among others. However, when humans talk about Jötnar they usually refer to frost giants specifically, as those are the ones closest to Miðgarð.
Kai (Kairan): An orphan from Veraheim and Gerda’s best friend.
Kâri: Son of Fornjotr and god of the north wind.
Kerlaugar: Usually considered a river between Ásgarð and Jötunheim, it is in fact a perpetual fog and cloud bank that spans between the peaks of the Thrym Mountains and Ásgarð, right under the Bifröst Bridge.
Knútr: A shepherd in a small village north of Veraheim.
Kólga: One of the daughters of Ægir.
Laerad: See Yggdrasil.
Lindworm: A serpent-like dragon.
Loki: A trickster god. He is not an Æsir, but a frost giant, the son of Fárbauti and Laufey. Together with Angrboða he gave birth to the Fenrirwolf, Jörmungandr (the Miðgarð Serpent), and Hel, the goddess of the Underworld. After causing much mischief, Loki was bound by the gods to a rock inside a cave, where he will remain until Ragnarök.
Loðinn: A young warrior and a free man in Hafgrim’s lands. His father was an important man in the past, but now he has lost his power.
Loðinfingra: A trollkona from Ironwood.
Logi: Fire giant, son of Fornjótr and brother of Ægir and Kári. He is married to Glöð.
Lyfjaberg: A mountain beside Menglad’s hall in Jötunheim.
Miðgarð: The human realm, sometimes also referred as the middle-earth.
Mjölnir: The name of the hammer belonging to the god Thor.
Mögthrasir: A forest giant or a half-troll, friend of Hrímnir.
Múspelheim: One of the Nine Realms, governed by Surt and land of the fire giants. It will play an important role during Ragnarök, as it is said that the Jötnar from Múspelheim will be the ones who will cross the Bifröst Bridge.
Naglfar: A ship made from toenails of the dead. During Ragnarök, it will sail to Vígríð, ferrying undead warriors that will battle the gods.
Nefja: Sister of Ivar, the last boy kidnapped by the Snow Queen in Veraheim.
Niðavellirm: One of the Nine Realms, a dark world home of the dwarves.
Njörð: A god of Vanir origin, father of Freyr and Freyja. He was one of the hostages exchanged during the war between the Æsir and the Vanir.
Norns: Female beings that twine the thread of fate and decide the destiny of gods and men. There are many norns, but the three more important are Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld.
Óðin: Father of gods and ruler of Ásgarð. He is missing an eye and sometimes disguises himself as a wanderer to visit humans or giants. He has two ravens (Huginn and Muninn) and two wolves (Geri and Freki) as animal companions.
Ölvaldi: The father of Thjazi and grandfather of Skaði.
Óttar: King Fróði’s steward.
Ragnarök: A great battle between gods and giants that will mark the end of the world and the destruction of most of the Norse pantheon. Afterwards, however, the world will be reborn and repopulated by the last two human survivors.
Rán: The wife of Ægir and a personification of the sea.
Ratatosk: A squirrel which lives in the world tree Yggdrasil.
Raudvidr: A forested region close to Ironwood. It is ruled by a man named Baug.
Runa: An orphan and a hunter from Veraheim.
Sæhrímnir: A monstrous boar, and the creature killed and eaten every night by the Æsir and the einherjar for their feast.
Sigurd: A legendary hero, famous for killing the dragon Fafnir.
Sigrún: A goddess in the body of a forest vagrant.
Sindri: One of the ancestors of the dwarves.
Skaði: A frost Jötunn, daughter of Thjazi, from the dynasty of Hrimthurssar. Frequently known among humans as the Snow Queen.
Skalds: Poets who compose their verses from the halls of chieftains and noblemen and sing all their feats.
Skause: A boiled meat stew with a thick broth.
Sköll: A varg that chases the chariot that contains the sun. His twin brother is Hati.
Solfrid: A sorceress that frequently travels to Veraheim. She claims to have two magical mirror-shards inside small sandbags that she carries around her neck.
Storolf: A warlord and a chieftain who rules in Stórrheim.
Surt: Ruler of the fire giants. Carrying a fire sword, he will be the one to lead the Jötnar through the Bifröst Bridge during Ragnarök.
Sveinn: Chieftain of Veraheim.
Thjazi: A frost Jötunn, father of Skaði.
Thor: God of thunder and lightning, and a mighty warrior. He carries a hammer known as Mjölnir.
Thrudvang: A field in Ásgarð where the god Thor roams.
Thrymfell (or Thrym Mountains): A mountain range in the north which serves as a natural barrier between Jötunheim and Miðgarð.
Torgeir: A huntsman from Veraheim.
Troll: They are creatures of the forest which can vary in size and appearance but that share some general characteristics. They are said to be ugly and not very bright, but they are strong and dangerous, and can use magic to trick humans.
Tröllathing: A gathering of trolls.
Trollkona: A female troll.
Týr: One of the Æsir. He sacrificed his arm to the Fenrirwolf, who bit it off while the gods tried to bind the animal.
Ufi: A sword-master under Hafgrim’s service.
Útgarð: One of the biggest cities in the Jötunheim plains.
Vafthrúðnir: A very old and wise Jötunn.
Valhalla: The name of a hall in Ásgarð where the Einherjar (those who die in battle) train every day and feast every night in preparation to fight for Óðin during Ragnarök.
Valdyr: Literally means ‘wolf’. It refers to the men and women of the forest, the brigands and the outlaws, who form a sort of society across northern Miðgarð. It is unknown if Valdyr is a real being and, if that is the case, if he is even human or some other sort of creature.
Vanir: A lineage of gods who fought the Æsir until they reached a truce. Nowadays, some Vanir who were exchanged as hostages during the war dwell in Ásgarð together with the Æsir. The rest inhabit Vanaheim, another of the Nine Realms, but they live secluded and not much is known about them.
Varg: A particularly large and ferocious wolf. Most of them live in Ironwood and trolls use them as mounts. Vargs are much more intelligent that common wolves, and some of them can even talk. Fenrir, together with Sköll and Hati, are vargs.
Veðrfölnir: A giant hawk that is said to be perched at the top of the Yggdrasil tree.
Vestar: A warlord and a chieftain who rules in Ógledidalr.
Veraheim: A small town in the north of Miðgarð, surrounded by forests. Hometown of Kai, Alarr, Runa, and Gerda.
Viðarr: A son of Óðin and a giantess. The prophecy says that he will avenge his father’s death by killing the wolf Fenrir during the events of Ragnarök. He will be one of the few who will survive to the end of the world.
Vigrid: A large battlefield where the most important battle of Ragnarök will be fought.
Völsung: The name of a clan which Sigurd the Dragon Slayer was part of.
Vǫlva: A seer or a sorceress.
Vond River: A river that crosses the land that spans from Ironwood to Heiðirsalr and an important trading route.
Wulfgar: A chieftain with a hird and a warlord under King Fróði’s command. He’s secretly trying to seize the throne of Heiðirsalr for himself.
Yggdrasil: An immense tree that connects the Nine Realms of existence.
Ymir: Also called Aurgerlmir, he is the ancestor of all giants. He was
killed by the gods Óðin, Vili, and Vé, and his blood drowned all Jötnar except two: Bergelmir and his wife, who later repopulated the race. The trio of gods then took Ymir’s corpse and created the world with his flesh. They placed his cranium up above to create the dome of the sky (sometimes referred as Ymir’s skull) and they used his blood for seas and rivers and his bones to create rocks and mountains.
Other books by Terry Graves
The Lundenwich Society: Scheele's Green Ghosts
The city of Lundenwich is overrun by the supernatural. Now there is also a murderer on the loose who threatens to destroy the peace of the metropolis.
For Tom, who lives a dreadful existence at St Mary’s Orphanage with an uncaring caretaker, nothing would be better than to find a real family. However, his life changes when he is recruited by a mysterious old woman for her funeral business. Soon, Tom discovers that there is more to the funeral home than meets the eye, and that Mrs Wickfield takes care of the deceased in a rather unexpected way, as she secretly leads a Society of half-detectives, half-medium children who help the police solve heinous crimes.
Now Tom has to stop a vicious killer, overcome his fear of ghosts, and prove himself worthy of being a member of the Society. Will he be able, with the help of his new friends, to re-establish the city’s equilibrium?
Scheele’s Green Ghosts is the first book in the Lundenwich Society saga, a thrilling Victorian-ish fantasy full of incredible machines, undead apparitions, ghastly crimes – and a pinch of humour. A story about life, death, and everything in between. If you love Neil Gaiman, J.K. Rowling and Ransom Riggs, this book is for you.
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The Lundenwich Society 2: Clockwork House
Mr Langridge, the notorious Cerlecombe architect and engineer, has been murdered in his summer mansion… or so their daughters think. After all, who would attempt to get inside Langridge Manor – a place that is obviously haunted, where rooms change places at random and where strange automatons and mechanical creatures are rife?
Police refuse to look into the matter. Nobody dares to approach the murder scene, so no proper investigation has been carried out. Only Thomas Blackpole, representing the Lundenwich Society, a team of children who are mediums and detectives, will take the case.
But things back in Lundenwich are not looking so good. The undertaker is on the verge of bankruptcy and the future of the orphans lies in Ligeia Leighton’s hands. Meanwhile, a dark force lurks in the basement of the funeral home – something old and powerful and much more dangerous than a ghost. The kind of thing you pray you won’t find under your bed at night or inside your wardrobe, scratching against the door.
And whatever it is, it won’t be restrained for much longer.
Bleak Clockwork House is the second instalment of The Lundenwich Society, a dark gaslamp fantasy saga full of wonder and adventure for fans of fast-paced mysteries and alternative Victorian history.
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The Phantom Carriage
There is a presence that haunts the streets at night – a black carriage with ghostly horses that is scaring the hell out of Lundenwich’s citizens. Now the Metropolitan Police are looking for help once again, and the children of Mrs Wickfield’s Undertaker – half-detectives, half-mediums – are the only ones who can assist them. But the ghost carriage will only appear for three nights, when the moon is full in December. Will Tom, Neil and Ligeia be able to solve the mystery that surrounds the terrible accident before the phantasmagorical vehicle disappears into thin air again?
The ‘pocket mysteries’ are a series of novelettes that expand the universe of the Lundenwich Society saga and its Victorian-esque world full of quirkiness and ghoulish fun. They can be read independently, in any order you like. Join the orphans of Mrs Wickfield’s Undertaker as they help the police to solve a crime in one of the most haunted cities in the world!
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About Terry Graves
Terry Graves is a pen name for Victor Selles, a Spanish writer. He has served coffees for a living and cleaned and prepared dinosaur fossil bones just for fun.
Under his real name, he has published a dozen short stories in different Spanish anthologies and magazines, together with writers such as Mike Resnick, Caroline M. Yoachim, Aliette de Bodard and Lavie Tidhar. He has translated Lucy Clifford’s The New Mother into Spanish, has written scripts for two short films and has won a couple of literary competitions. He is proud to say that some of his work has been rejected by both Granta and 2000 AD magazines.
Victor Selles mostly writes slipstream and literary fiction, and the Terry Graves pseudonym is his way to play with a more straightforward approach to the fantasy genre and to explore the possibilities of self-publishing and the English language.
Check his website for news and updates here
