by Matt Larkin
Author’s Ramblings
Darkness Forged takes place twenty years before The Apples of Idunn (the first book in The Ragnarok Era series). Darkness recounts the beginning of the Njarar War, as well as the birth of Sigyn, one of the main characters throughout the series. Here, also, we can see how Odin’s father, Borr, would come into a situation in which a leader was needed to restore peace to the tribes.
The story of Volund (often called Wayland) comes from the Poetic Edda as well as the Thidrekssaga, with mentions present in other German and Old English sources as well.
Agilaz (sometimes called Egil) receives fewer stories about him, most of which are recounted in this book.
Most readers cannot help but notice the strong parallels between the legend of William Tell and story of Agilaz. The Tell story is much more familiar to most audiences, but is, in fact, a much later tale, possibly inspired by the supposed feats of Agilaz. Those interested can find this same tale recounted in Thidrekssaga.
Very little remains of stories about Slagfid. Consequently, his tale in Darkness Forged is my own creation, drawn from bits and pieces of other Norse tales.
Scholars have spent a lot of effort debating whether dvergar (dwarves) and svartalfar (black elves) and dokkalfar (dark elves) are all the same thing. Compelling arguments have been made on both sides, and I went back and forth as well. As with many creatures in Norse and Germanic mythology, the lines are rarely clear and allow for substantial overlap. For the context of a fictional world, however, one needs some kind of answer. Obviously, I finally settled on them being two distinct but related types of Otherworldly entities.
This proved to be one of the darker books I’ve ever done. I also think it’s one of the best, and I really want to thank those who helped with it: Brenda, Sean, Fred, Hanna, and Clarissa. And as always, special thanks to Juhi.
If you liked this one, be sure to check out The Apples of Idunn and the rest of The Ragnarok Era.
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Thanks for reading,
Matt
About the Author
Matt Larkin is an American fantasy and science fiction author. He lives in Florida with his wife Juhi and daughter Kiran. With a background in philosophy and publishing, Matt started a small press dedicated to top notch speculative fiction. He adores mythology and history, passions he conveys through his mythic fantasy novels. Matt would love to hear from readers, so feel free to email him at [email protected].