But there was nothing but the bruised clouds and the wheeling gulls.
‘So that is that,’ Olaf said.
Sigurd looked at him and nodded. But then he went back to the side and looked west, because west lay Avaldsnes.
And the king who lived there.
GLOSSARY OF NORSE TERMS
the Alder Man: a spirit or elf of the forest
Asgard: home of the gods
aurar: ounces, usually of silver (Singular: eyrir)
berserker: ‘bare-shirt’, or perhaps ‘bear-shirt’, a fierce warrior prone to a battle frenzy
Bifröst: the rainbow-bridge connecting the worlds of gods and men
Bilskírnir: ‘Lightning-crack’, Thór’s hall
blood-eagle: a method of torture and execution, perhaps as a rite of human sacrifice to Óðin
bóndi: ‘head of the household’, taken to mean a farmer or land owner
brynja: a coat of mail
draugr: the animated corpse that comes forth from its grave mound
Fáfnir: ‘Embracer’, a dragon that guards a great treasure hoard
Fenrir Wolf: the mighty wolf that will be freed at Ragnarök and swallow Óðin
Fimbulvetr: ‘Terrible Winter’, heralding the beginning of Ragnarök
forskarlar: the waterfall spirits
galdr: a chant or spell, usually recited rather than sung
Gjallarhorn: the horn which Heimdall sounds to mark the beginning of Ragnarök
Gleipnir: the fetter which binds the wolf Fenrir
godi: an office denoting social and sacral prominence; a chieftain and/or priest
Gungnir: the mighty rune-carved spear owned by Óðin
hacksilver: the cut-up pieces of silver coins, arm rings, and jewellery
haugbui: a living corpse. A mound dweller, the dead body living on within its tomb.
haugr: a burial mound
Haust Blót: autumn sacrifice
Helheim: a place far to the north where the evil dead dwell
Hildisvíni: the ‘battle boar’ on which Freyja rides
hirðmen: the retinue of warriors that follow a king, jarl or chieftain
hólmgang: a duel to settle disputes
hrafnasueltir: raven-starver (coward)
Hugin and Munin: ‘Thought’ and ‘Memory’, Óðin’s ravens
huglausi: a coward
húskarlar: household warriors
jarl: title of the most prominent men below the kings
Jól feast: winter solstice festival
Jörmungand/Midgard Serpent: the serpent that encircles the world grasping its own tail. When it lets go the world will end.
karl: a freeman; a landowner
karvi: a ship usually equipped with 13 to 16 pairs of oars
knörr: a cargo ship; wider, deeper and shorter than a longship
kyrtill: a long tunic or gown
lenderman: managers of the king’s estates. Nobles.
meyla: a little girl
Mímir’s Well: the well of wisdom at which Óðin sacrificed an eye in return for a drink
Mjöllnir: the magic hammer of Thór
mundr: bride-price
naust: a boathouse, usually with one side against the sea and a ramp down to the water
nestbaggin: knapsack
Nídhögg: the serpent that gnaws at the root of Yggdrasil
Niflheim: the cold, dark, misty world of the dead, ruled by the goddess Hel
nithing: a wretch; a coward; a person without honour
Norns – Urd, Verdandi and Skuld: the three spinners who determine the fates of men
Ragnarök: doom of the gods
Ratatosk: the squirrel that conveys messages between the eagle at the top of Yggdrasil and Nídhögg at its roots
rôst: the distance travelled between two rest-stops, about a mile
Sæhrímnir: a boar that is cooked and consumed every night in Valhöll
scramasax: a large knife with a single-edged blade
seidr: sorcery, magic, often associated with Óðin or Freyja
skald: a poet, often in the service of jarls or kings
skjaldborg: shieldwall
svinfylkja: ‘swine-array’, a wedge-shaped battle formation
tafl: a strategy board game played on a chequered or latticed board
taufr: witchcraft
thegn: retainer; a member of a king or jarl’s retinue
thrall: a serf or unfree servant
Valhöll: Óðin’s hall of the slain
Valknuter: a symbol comprising three entwined triangles representative of the afterlife and Óðin.
Valkyries: choosers of the slain
Varðlokur: the repetitive, rhythmic, soothing chant to induce a trance-like state
völva: a shamanic seeress; a practitioner of magic divination and prophecy
wyrd: fate or personal destiny
Yggdrasil: the tree of life
THE NORSE GODS
Æsir: the gods; often those gods associated with war, death and power
Baldr, the beautiful; son of Óðin
Frey, god of fertility, marriage, and growing things
Freyja, goddess of sex, love and magic
Frigg, wife of Óðin
Heimdall, the watchman of the gods
Hel, both the goddess of the underworld and the place of the dead, specifically those who perish of sickness or old age
Loki, the mischief-monger, Father of Lies
Njörd, Lord of the Sea and god of wind and flame
Óðin, the Allfather; lord of the Æsir, god of warriors and war, wisdom and poetry
Rán, Mother of the Waves
Thór, son of Óðin; slayer of giants and god of thunder
Týr, Lord of Battle
Váli, Óðin’s son, birthed for the sole purpose of killing Höðr as revenge for Höðr’s accidental murder of his half-brother Baldr
Vanir: fertility gods, including Njörd, Frey and Freyja, who live in Vanaheim
Vidar, god of vengeance who will survive Ragnarök and avenge his father Óðin by killing Fenrir
Völund, god of the forge and of experience
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My hearty thanks to the following:
Bill Hamilton for his sage advice and for steering me through the skerries upon which I would otherwise no doubt founder. Simon Taylor for never doubting (at least not openly) that I could summon the tale and deliver it on time, and for his well-honed editorial eye. Elizabeth Masters whose Viking-like enterprise and energy ensures that this saga spreads its wings, and for bringing new backsides to the row benches. And to Steve Mulcahey for designing a jacket which is, to my eyes, stunningly beautiful and should, I hope, draw the eye like rich plunder. To Phil Stevens for rowing a Viking ship with me and for making up stories over mead. To Conn Iggulden who read an early version and kept me entertained by quoting lines he enjoyed via text and, though it must have pained the ex-teacher in him, only pointing out the odd error here and there. My HWA friends for their generosity and for organizing some brilliant ‘office’ parties. I would also thank you, far-wandering reader, for coming on this adventure with me and for your unyielding Viking spirit. What a crew we make!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Family history (he is half Norwegian) and his storytelling hero, Bernard Cornwell, inspired Giles Kristian to write his first historical novels, the acclaimed and bestselling Raven Viking trilogy – Blood Eye, Sons of Thunder and Odin’s Wolves. For his next series, he drew on a long-held fascination with the English Civil War. The Bleeding Land and Brothers’ Fury follow the fortunes of a divided family against the complex and brutal backcloth of a conflict that tore this country apart and ended with the killing of a king. In his new novel – God of Vengeance – Giles returns to the world of the Vikings to tell of the beginnings of Sigurd and his celebrated fictional fellowship. Giles lives in Leicestershire.
To find out more, visit www.gileskristian.com
Also by Giles Kristian
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Raven: Blood Eye
Sons of Thunder
Óðin’s Wolves
The Bleeding Land
Brothers’ Fury
For more information on Giles Kristian and his books, see his website at www.gileskristian.com
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First published in Great Britain
in 2014 by Bantam Press
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Copyright © Giles Kristian 2014
Giles Kristian has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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