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1 © Andrew Valkauskas 2016

First Edition Published by Pendelhaven 2016 121 Place Bourbonniere Lachute, Quebec J8H 3W7 Canada www.pendelhaven.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced for resale without the prior writ- ten permission of the copyright holder.

Author and Designer: Andrew Valkauskas

Artists: Kevin Nichols Natasa Ilincic Sveta Sergeevna Ignatova Daria Azolina Soni Alcorn-Hender Juraj Kopacka Richard Kane Ferguson Helena Rosova Antony Galbraith Anastasia Ovchinnikova

Design and Layout: Andrew Valkauskas Kyriaki Sofocleous Stella Andronicou

Editing / Proof Reading: Sofia Moura Fay Rousseau Chris Challice Melissa George

SampleISBN# 978-0-9940240-6-0 file

2 Dedicated to Snorri and all of the scribes. Through their work, the age lives on!

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3 Rebellion of The Dvergar 114 The Dead Find New Homes 116 Table of Contents 120 Love of the 6 Comes to 124 Structure and Sources 6 King Adils and the 127 Introduction The Aesir- War 130 Elaborations and Style 8 Gulveig in Asgard 138 Inconsistencies and Omissions 8 Exchange of Hostages 144 Other Mythologies 9 The Building of the Asgard Wall 146 Presentation 11 Sayings of Alviss 150 Bibliography 12 Alvissmal The Illuminated Edda The 153 The Primeval Age 14 The 156 The Crucible of Life 16 Frey’s great Betrayal 160 The Waking of Nidhogg 17 Iduna’s Family and the Tree 162 The First Fire Council 18 Thiassi Steals Iduna 166 The Dark Tide 19 Skadi Comes for the Weregild 168 The Loom of Destiny 24 170 Eriu and the Fomorians 26 in Jotunheim 174 Lebor Gabala I Harbard’s Song 176 The Children of Nemed 28 Harbardsljoth Lebor Gabala II ’s Golden Hair 182 In The Beginning 32 Brokk and Loki’s Wager 185 Kalevala I Thrym’s 188 Felling and Sowing 34 Thrymskvida Kalevala II Love in Jarnvid 192 Galligarm 36 Thor’s Tale 198 Fornjot and the Alfar 42 Thorsdrapa Norf i and the Battle 46 Loki’s Brats in Asgard 201 Audhumla and the Ash 52 Prophesy of the 204 Kalevala II Voluspa and the 54 The Binding of 208 Svartalfheim and Alfgard 59 Tames Nif lheim 213 The Torrent of Blood 60 Skirnir’s Travels 217 The Rise of the Aesir 63 Skirnismal Nott and Her Children 70 Asgard and Gimle 220 Sol, Mani and the Wolves 74 Baldur Demands 222 The Amber Gods 78 Grotti’s Song 226 Lietuviskos Pasakos Grottasongr Nine Nights & Nine Worlds 81 Baldur’s Nightmare 229 The First Line of Kings 84 Baldur’s Draumar The Eternal Battle 230 The List of Rig 92 Hjadningavig Rigsthula ’s Tale 233 The Jotuns Regroup 95 Hymiskvida The Aesir Visit Utgard 236 The Alfar Visit 98 SampleGylfaginning file Freya and the Maidens 100 Grimnir’s Advice 241 The Warden of the Ash 104 Grimnismal Ratatosk 108 How Freya Received Brisgamen 245 The Great Blight 111 Thor Fights 248 4 Skaldskaparmal Atli and the 336 Egle, Queen of Serpents 251 Atlamal Hin Groenlenzku Lietuviskos Pasakos `s Challenge 338 The Two Kingdoms 254 Gudrunarhvot Mabinogion I Brynhild Meets Hel 340 Two Grooms 256 Loki’s Quarrel 344 Mabinogion II An Heir is Born 258 Baldur’s Death 348 Mabinogion III is Exiled 352 The Land of Ice and Fire 261 The Three 264 Odin’s Darkest Night 355 Wayland’s Lament 268 The Woman of the Sea 358 Waylandarkvida The Maidens of Truth 362 Helgi Hjorvardsson 272 Odin’s Wisdom 366 Helgakvida Hjorvardssonar Havamal Svava Visits the Norns 275 Loki is Captured and Bound 374 Helgi Hunding’s Bane 280 The Return of the King 376 Helgi Hundingsbani II The Song of Kara 286 Odin Seeks Vafthrudnir 378 Vafthrudnismal Sinfjotli’s Death 290 Ragnarok 382 Fra Dautha Sinfjotli Svipdag’s Saga 292 Epilogue Groagaldr (Svipdagsmal I) of the Storjunkari 385 Fjolsvinn’s Questions 294 The Shadows Stir 388 Fjolsvinnsmal (Svipdagsmal II) Tyrf ing 390 Gripir’s Prophesy 297 Hervarar Saga Ok Heidreks I Gripisspa is Born 393 The Tale of 301 Hervarar Saga Ok Heidreks II Reginsmal the Wise 396 ’s Treasure 306 Hervarar Saga Ok Heidreks III Fafnismal The Battle of Hiadining 397 Odin and Brynhild 309 The Final Prophesy 398 Brynhild’s Awakening 311 Hyndlujoth Brynhildsmal The Inheritance 401 ’s Tale 315 Appendix Sigurdarkvida En Skama Helgi Hundingsbane 402 Sigurd is Betrayed 318 Helgi Hundingsbani I Gunnar and Brynhild 320 Hamdir’s Tale 405 Brot Af Sigurdarkvida Hamdismal Gudrun’s Tale 322 Glossary Gudrunarkvida I Characters from Norse Myths 407 Brynhild Rides to Helheim 324 Characters from Finnish Myths 425 Helreith Brynhildr Characters from Baltic Myths 425 Tale of the Nibelungs 326 Characters from Celtic Myths 426 Drap Niblunga Characters from Welsh Myths 426 Gudrun Marries Again 327 Locations, Halls and Rivers 427 Gudrunarkvida II Gudrun`s Test 330 Magical Artifacts 429 SampleGudrunarkvida III Story Telling file Game Gudrun`s Lament 332 Runic Game System Oddrunargratr Game Setup 430 Atli`s Fate 333 Playing the Game 431 Atlakvida Index 5 Introduction great translators who have walked this path before me. The natural progression led me to the Icelandic Love of the Eddas , and then to the Legendary Sagas, and then onto more obscure books. The books written by Jacob Grimm My love for stories rooted in ancient social con- were instrumental bridges between mythology and fairy- sciousness started at a very young age. I remember vivid- tale. In a similar vein, Georges Dumezil was masterful in ly, endlessly asking my grandmother to read me from the his comparisons between different mythologies. fairy-tale book which she brought with her from Lithuania By now you might think that I am an English when she came to Canada. Castles, devils, dragons, and literature scholar or someone educated in history and/or heroes lived within those pages. It contained dozens of anthropology. Nothing could be further from the truth. In stories that would replay themselves in my mind after sto- fact, I am a computer science graduate and have spent my ry-time was over and the lights were turned off. My imag- entire career in IT. The knowledge I have amassed on the ination would take over and I would build make-believe subject matter is in great part forged by my love of Norse worlds around those stories. myths and sagas as well as my love for reading. As big as This intense fascination is no doubt what turned my book library was, it has doubled since my work on the me into an avid reader and led me to role-playing at a very Illuminated Edda began. early age. The love affair with mythology started in grade 5 A big thanks also goes out to Google. In my quest when I cracked open Deities and Demigods, a Dungeons to track down old and rare texts (to add to my collection), and Dragons source book on mythology. All of the pre- I found many treasures as a result of Googles digitization sented pantheons of gods and mythic beasts were intrigu- efforts. ing, but I kept on going back to the Norse chapter. There My obsession with Norse myths has not dimin- was some visceral and primal attraction I couldn’t resist. ished my admiration and interest in other ancient systems That compelling force could not be put into words. of belief. Meso-American is a close second, followed by My gateway book into the authentic myths was Celtic and Baltic. “The Children of Odin” by Padraic Colum. It was a very The Eddas have been so inspirational that for accessible book and it presented the major stories in a many years I imagined creating my own translation. My very entertaining manner. I read and re-read the book deep respect for those works is in part the reason why it many times, and over the years, I have gifted that book to took so long to do my own take on these timeless classics. many friends, leading me to go out to buy another copy for The Illuminated Edda is my personal homage to these myself. I’ve lost count of how many of these have passed works. I do hope that I have done them justice. through my hands. My desire for more was answered by the by . I still have my first copy of this book, and it’s a completely worn out from the many times it has been read. The cover is stained and damaged, the spine Edda Structure and is cracked in so many places that it’ll stay at whatever page I need, but the book refuses to give up on me. It has served me well for over a quarter of a century. Naturally, after the Prose Edda, I acquired the Sources Poetic Eddas... and I say Eddas in the plural sense because “Edda” means grandmother and appears in the I’m a collector of the many translations. The Illuminated Rigsthula when Heimdall creates the echelons of man- SampleEdda you hold in your hands was inspired by the many kind. No one truly knows the reasonsfile for the name which accompanies the Prose and Poetic Eddas. It may have been

6 chosen because grandparents would be the elders with the and Zoega, but I also referenced grammatical books by most knowledge. During the Viking period, most knowl- Byock. I double-checked my translation work by drawing edge was passed down using oral tradition. So it would on previous English translations by greats like: Bray, Bel- make sense that the written works would capture the lows, Dronke, Larrington, Faulkes, Crawford and Hol- knowledge that grandparents possessed. lander. Let us not forget that the Eddas were compiled Mythologies are messy, inconsistent and some- in the thirteenth century, well after the . After times contradictory. I put every effort into cleaning up the the fall of the Icelandic commonwealth, in 1281, there was text, adding consistency and resolving inconsistencies. a vested interest in documenting and preserving Iceland’s I wanted the Illuminated Edda to present the mythology heritage and roots. The older of the two Eddas is the Po- in a comprehensive and cohesive universe. In order to do etic Edda, and that is why many sources refer to it as the so, I added several chapters that help bring context to the Elder Edda. stories found in the Eddas. By introducing my own sagas The Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturlu- I hope to create the mortar between the stones which are son, a Christian and Icelandic politician. His Edda is made the timeless sagas which have been passed down for hun- up of three manuscripts: , Skaldskaparmal, dreds of years. This also gave me an opportunity to explore and Hattatal. In many places it quotes the and the many interesting characters that are only mentioned in for a long time the source of those quotes was a mystery. passing, but as a reader you may want to know more about That is because the Poetic Edda had been “missing” until them. it was rediscovered by Brynjolfur Sveinsson in the seven- Timelines are a problem that sometimes cannot teenth century. be fixed in this format. You will find mentions of Helheim No one truly knows who wrote the Poetic Edda. and before their actual stories occur in the Illu- Many historians speculate it could have been Snorri, while minated Edda. That is because the translated chapters cov- other scholars state the times and styles indicate many er so much ground, that when they are inserted, they can different authors. The Poetic Edda is a conglomeration act as a spoiler for future chapters. I inserted those at the of several manuscripts. The main manuscripts are GKS most opportune moments in the chronology, but it cannot 2365 4º ( also known as the Konungsbok), always be perfect. AM 748 I 4to, and the Hauksbok. My hope is to present the gods and as real These manuscripts are damaged and in some characters with depth, motivations and ambitions. The places incomplete. Some of the stories overlap and some- Norse pantheon is very special because it involves a lot of times there are inconsistencies between the various ver- interracial and inter-tribal unions. This paves the way for a sions of the same poem. The stories contained within society which is not polarized for the most part. The good these manuscripts have been retold in many publications versus evil is replaced with common values and accepted over the last few centuries. The myriad of translations and societal norms. I worked hard to overcome modern day publications with varying degrees of inclusions has mud- tropes and memes, avoiding fantasy/fiction clichés and dled the definition of what works are included into a work staying out of the paradigms established by Christiani- you can call the “Poetic Edda”. ty. All of this effort is done in hopes of transporting the I have erred on the side of giving the reader more reader a thousand years into the past, so that they could rather than less. This is why you will find a super-set of explore a world which shaped the future. manuscripts included in the Illuminated Edda. I have in- The biggest challenge we faced was editing my corporated sections from the Saga of Heidrek the Wise, chapters in a way that kept the same tone as the translat- Heimskingla, Nibelungenlied, Gesta Danorum as well as ed chapters. I wanted to be as accurate as possible in the various works by Tacitus and Grimm. translations, so over-editing those chapters would have My goal was to present the Eddas in an accurate, killed the authenticity. Instead we went to work on my faithful, complete, and easy to read fashion. That is why my chapters, adapting my language and presentation to better translation work was only a stepping stone to a final mod- merge with the stories from the Eddas. Sampleern English prose manuscript that attempts to present One of the key modifications file was to character the stories in an entertaining manner. For the translation dialogue. The first draft of the manuscript had very work, I used two dictionaries-Cleasby-Vigfusson modern exchanges. Once I merged the original translations with my chapters, I saw the dis-

7 parity in style and content. I went back and modified the will find two distinct characters named Mimir, and you will dialogue in my chapters so that they would be more struc- find more than a single instance for names such as Nari, tured and informative. Banter was minimized and lore was Skadi, and Vali. There is one exception which I outline in maximized. You will find more questions and answers and the next section (Ottar-Od). in styles which reflect magical numbers such as three and A lot of my style can be attributed to the in- nine. fluence I received from reading Wagner’s Der Ring des For those readers who wish to stick to the “of- Nibelungen, Davidson’s Myths and Symbols in Pagan ficial” stories from the Eddas, I have taken the liberty to Europe, Gwyn Jones’ The History of the , and mark those chapters as pure translations (see Presentation Colum’s The Frenzied Prince. The historical accuracy below). I have segmented the stories in a way that keeps was honed by Jonathan Elements’ The Vikings, Snorri’s my created work clearly separate from Norse myth canon. Heimskringla, and Saxo’s Gesta Danorum. Collectively, my works and the pure unaltered The reader will also find a healthy dose of Jotun myths and sagas make up the canon for my Fate of the worship throughout the book. Seeing as how Vikings were Norns universe. This Viking line of books, games, art and extremely polytheistic, venerating gods, Vaettir, wights jewelry draw from the Illuminated Edda in its entirety. and spirits, it stands to reason that Jotuns would be ven- erated as well. My conclusion is that the winners write the history books, and the cult of the Aesir won the historical battles. Prejudice is very evident within the pages of the Elaborations and Style Gesta Danorum. The had obvious disdain for their In this section I’d like to address some of the northern neighbours. Since my goal was to present a neu- cosmic, magical and spiritual elements of the mythology tral view of the world, I gave the “losers” equal time in the which require explanation. If my goal is to work towards spotlight. Just because they lost historically, it does not creating a living, breathing world with rules governing make them irrelevant during the Viking age. “physics” of magic, souls and the , then I needed to give them some foundation and context. I will preface this section by saying that the first dozen chapters lay down the foundation for everything that is to come. They may feel distant from a Njal’s Saga Inconsistencies and or a Voluspa, but they are important in removing the in- evitable questions which would arise if I would have just jumped into the later periods. Omissions Valkyries are portrayed as human, sometimes The Norse myths are filled with inconsistencies, as divine. Their origins and nature seem complex, broad contradictions and omissions. That comes as no surprise and sometimes inconsistent. Within the Illuminated Edda given that the Viking Age unfolded over 500 years and I present what would make sense as an “origins of the spanned most of northern Europe. Working to present species” and how they evolve to take on various traits and a seamless, consistent mythology, I had the arduous task characteristics found within the Eddas and Sagas. of deciding which lore became cannon and which lore I One of the most popular movements in academ- needed to disregard. One of the most challenging aspects ic mythology is drawing parallels between different char- of presenting a seamless mythology was bridging the gaps acters, and going so far as equating those persons. I’m not between disparate tales. I filled those with my own sagas speaking of the which Dumezil about the gods, giants and heroes. Perhaps the most inter- explored in Gods of the Ancient Northmen, but rather I esting bridges were those constructed between different will state up front that I am not a fan of such conjecture mythologies. and that equating Freya and Frigga as the same character In this section of the introduction, I will address Sampleposes more problems than it solves. For this reason, you the major points of contention andfile the reasons why I chose the path I did.

8 There are many discussions about the differenc- Volsung Saga was written in Iceland in the 13th century es and similarities between the Dvergar and the Svartalfar. and the Nibelungenlied was written in Germany during Many sources reason they are one and the same, citing the 16th century. In the Illuminated Edda, the main plot Snorri in the Prose Edda. In addition, Dvergar and Alfar points and names are driven by the Icelandic Volsung Saga are given names, but nowhere in the myths do you get a rather than the Nibelungenlied. Sigurd dies in bed rath- name for a Svartalfar. However, the counter argument is er than out in the woods. You may find some of Wagner’s leveled that Svartalfheim and Nidavellir are stated as dif- Der Ring des Nibelungen sprinkled within because he had ferent realms, and that the races have differing names. Ja- a good vibe throughout his opera. cob Grimm complicated the discussion by defining light, Baldur’s conquest in order to obtain Nanna shadow, and dark as three different distinct races. We comes from the Gesta Danorum. I found this characteri- had to make a call when it came to the Fate of the Norns zation of the “gentle white-god” so inspiring and such a lore, and the choice I made was that there were two types breath of fresh air that I had to incorporate it into the per- of Alfar, the Lios and the Svart, as well as another race sonality of Baldur, Hod and Nanna. named the Dvergar. The reason is simple, having the fol- Similarly, Odin’s Exile comes from the same lowing breakdown allows for the most optimal exploration book of the Gesta Danorum. My jaw dropped the first time of mythological archetypes. I read the chapter. I think I must have gone back to re-read Ottar and Od are construed as the same charac- it a few more times to make sure my eyes were not trying to ter by in his 19th century works. He bases fool me. As you can already surmise, this story appears in his theory on the linguistic etymology based on time and the Illuminated Edda. place. I’m not a linguist so I cannot give a weighty opinion . on the matter, but I can deliver an opinion based on value of storytelling. Freya had very few close friends who fit the confidant archetype. She had so few that creating a profile on them is nigh impossible. By combining their attributes, Other Mythologies we can create a working profile. I chose to equate the two Mythology is reflective of culture and culture is characters because their roles were similar enough to war- not always neatly contained within borders. For this rea- rant a strong narrative. Remember, my goal is to weave the son, Norse myth did not exist in a void. The stories about mythology into a compelling and engaging narrative for the gods, giants, dragons, and heroes changed depending you, the reader. on where and when they were told and eventually com- Iduna is a very unique character. No one else, mitted to parchment. Take for example The Volsung Saga god nor Jotun, has an archetype which is comparable. Her written in Iceland and the Nibelungenlied written in Ger- past is extrapolated from not only the Prose and Poetic Ed- many. Both tell a very similar tale, there is no doubt that it das, but also reinforced by Hrafnagaldr . This work is the same story, but each describes the events in a differ- is thought to be rather late, perhaps from the 17th century. ent way. Dietrich of Bern is another great example. So we Regardless, it gives an interesting angle for Iduna’s past can easily see how Norse myths were not only dissimilar by which I embrace within the Illuminated Edda. region and time, but must have been influenced by neigh- When we get to the lineage of the heroic and bouring beliefs. legendary kings of Midgard, there are many inconsisten- Vikings were well traveled and as a result they cies between the Edda, the Heimskringla, and the Historia were open-minded about other ideas, gods and other so- Norwegiae. In most cases, when it comes to the first kings, cietal structures. For this reason, in order to better frame the Heimskringla becomes my primary source. The places the Norse myths, I have taken the time to dip into Finnish, where I allow the Edda to trump the Heimskingla are when Celtic, Welsh, and Baltic mythology as well. I present them the character is divine and the Heimskingla makes them in a chronology that would make sense, starting with the too “mortal”. most ancient being that of the Celts. I have no doubt that The Volsungs and story is recounted anyone skipping this introduction and jumping to chapter differentlySample in the Volsung Saga versus the story told in 1 will find themselves confused at readingfile Celtic mytholo- the Nibelungenlied. That is not a surprise, because the

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