After two years of serialization, the final installment of Loving Brynhild is now online at Goddess Pages. In Chapter 13, "An Army of Angels," Odin and the gods and goddesses of Asgard have to decide how they will intervene and help the Nibelungs from the threat of Atli and the invading Huns. In Chapter 14, "Ragnarok: The Fate of the Gods," Sigurd will lead the Nibelung army into battle knowing that there is only a slim chance that he will come out of it alive. Despite Sigurd's fear and anxiety, he has been chosen by Odin as the only knight in the kingdom who is worthy of this task. The bloody battle will be the greatest challenge Sigurd ever faces in his lifetime. The fate of the kingdom depends entirely on him.
Excerpt #1 The Huns were short, stout and ugly, as well as bowlegged from constantly being mounted on the horses they had mastered both as a form of transport and a weapon of war. Their faces were deliberately scarred at birth with the sole intent of enhancing their murderous and frightful demeanor. Some called them the Scourge of God; others called them the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Excerpt #2 Sigurd let his visor fall back into place with a resounding clank. The son of Sigmund was still shaking, but he knew there was no turning back. Sigurd fought valiantly to recover himself as he gasped for breath, and the sweat poured down his face. At that moment, the extraordinary event, which Sigurd prayed for as always, occurred. A wave of strength and resolution surged throughout his entire body. Sigurd threw back his head, and he held his sword high in the air. A bloodcurdling war cry escaped from his throat, the signal his commanding officers were awaiting, for the war cry was the cue the attack had begun.
In Chapter 11, King Gunnar is shocked to find himself physically overwhelmed by his own wife on his wedding night. To overpower Brynhild and consummate his marriage, he must employ Sigurd, whose strength is matched by no one else on the planet. Sigurd must don the magical Helmet of Dread, a treasure from Fafnir's cave, in order to disguise himself as King Gunnar and gain entrance to Brynhild's boudoir where he will take her by force. Sigurd is devastated when he hears Gunnar's plan, which he has no desire to participate in, but he realizes he has no choice but to follow the King's orders, lest the King suspect that Sigurd is secretly in love with Brynhild.
In Chapter 11, Brynhild, now the Queen of the Niblungs, is brought home to her new kingdom, where she presides over the populace with Gunnar at her side. When Brynhild spots the ring Sigurd had once given her, missing since her wedding night, on the hand of Sigurd's wife, Gudrun, she confronts Gudrun and finds out that the missing ring had been given to Gudrun by none other than Sigurd himself. Brynhild quarrels with Gudrun over the ring and later confronts Sigurd, only to find out that Sigurd had masqueraded as her husband on her wedding night and had claimed the ring as proof to King Gunnar that the deed had been done. Brynhild is aghast at this knowledge, for her respect for both Gunnar and Sigurd is now greatly compromised.
Excerpt #1:
Brynhild by Arthur Rackham, 1911
--> “You, Sigurd, are the strongest man in the civilized world,” Gunnar pronounced with authority. “Only you can match the physical strength of Brynhild. You must don the Helmet of Dread, and you must use its magical powers to make yourself my double. As my double, you will overpower Brynhild and consummate the marriage for me. Thereafter, I suspect my wife will be docile and respectful. The legendary strength of the renowned daughter of Budli may be derived partly from her deep-seated belief that no man can equal her. When she is disabused of such a notion, she will lose all her confidence, and this nonsense will be brought quickly to an end.”
Sigurd paled at Gunnar’s suggestion. He did not know what to say. To lie with me, his darling Brynhild, as if we were man and wife, would be the realization of his most heartfelt wishes. But to do so disguised as another man and never be able to acknowledge the deed—Sigurd was struck by all the possible ramifications. “We are surely playing with fire here, Gunnar,” Sigurd said sotto voce. “This is a risky proposition—much could go wrong with such a plan.”
Excerpt #2:
Brynhild is shocked--Arthur Rackham, 1910
I was astounded, and for a moment I assumed my senses must have taken leave of me. The sacred ring, which had been missing since the night I had consummated my marriage with Gunnar, had in this fashion turned up on the hand of Sigurd’s wife. I was stunned and overwhelmed with disbelief. I could not imagine how my treasured and priceless ring could have been transferred to Gudrun’s possession, and the idea defied all rational explanation.
At the first opportunity, I spoke to Gudrun about it when I had a moment with her in private. “Where did you get such a beautiful gold ring?” I asked her with curiosity. “I can see it radiating golden rays from the other side of the court.”
Illustration of Gudrun handing the potion
to Sigurd by Arthur Rackham, 1911
In Chapter 10, Sigurd goes back to Nibelungenland to reunite with his fiancee. But once there, Gudrun gives him a drink that is a magical potion designed to make him forget all other women but her. So Sigurd weds Gudrun having forgotten his promise to Brynhild. To complicate matters, Sigurd's brother-in-law, Gunnar, who has become king of the Nibelungs, decides he must choose a queen, and only the magnificent Brynhild is good enough for the newly crowned monarch. Thus, Sigurd accompanies his brother-in-law to Iceland to ask for the hand of the woman whom Sigurd has completely forgotten.
In Chapter 11, the confusion created by the gap in Sigurd's memory causes some consternation for Brynhild. But upon seeing Brynhild again, Sigurd's memory is restored and he realizes with horror why he is there. Brynhild is also very disturbed by the unexpected turn of events, but a divine encounter with Odin and her own intuitive wisdom make her realize she has no choice but to marry Gunnar, as alienated as she is from the man who has come to claim her hand. The wedding takes place at the castle with the blessings of Brynhild's kind father, King Budli, but the unsuspecting Gunnar is in for a shock on his wedding night.
Excerpt #1:
Sigurd sees Gudrun.
Illustration by Franz Stassen, 1912
The elixir had effectively replaced his love for me with an indifference that would normally only be felt after a twenty-year separation. Everything Sigurd felt for me had vanished—all the emotional intensity was gone and with it even the memory that such emotions had ever existed. Every heartfelt sentiment Sigurd harbored for me had been destroyed by a witch’s potion and the uncontrollable jealousy of a blond princess with innocent blue eyes. The amnesia effected by the wizardry of Sigurd’s future mother-in-law resulted in such a brutal betrayal of sacred trust, even the most vicious cad would have been unable to abandon me as heartlessly as Sigurd did after drinking that potion. There would be much confusion as a result.
Excerpt #2:
Valhalla by Max Brückner, 1896
“No, unfortunately, there is not,” was Odin’s reply. “Your marriage to Gunnar is already part of the legend. All energies and all forces in motion are leading in this direction. It would be very difficult to stop the process in its tracks right now without disrupting human reality, which as you know, I would rather not do because I’m under oath. So just comply, and agree to satisfy the conditions of marriage. I will be there with you to ensure no harm will come to you. You are undoubtedly convinced such an arrangement will be unbearable, but for now you are clinging to human presuppositions and existential devices. You must move beyond the human condition.” Odin’s melodious tones were growing fainter and appeared to be fading out. I could see him receding as he began to move away from me backwards into the tunnel. He released my hand. "No, no, wait! Please don’t go, not yet!” I pleaded.
The summer issue of Goddess Pages is now online featuring Chapters 7 and 8 of Loving Brynhild. Chapter 7, "The Feast," describes the great banquet that King Budli held at Isenstein in honor of his reunion with his long-lost daughter, the Princess Brynhild. Sigurd has stayed on to attend the festivities, and Brynhild spends the evening in conversation with her father, the King. In Chapter 8, "The Betrothal," she and Sigurd make an informal and unconventional arrangement for a marriage that is more psychological in nature than romantic. The two have a long conversation about the true nature of love and marriage. The following day Brynhild sends Sigurd off to return to his ship docked at the coast, where he will make the voyage to Nibelungenland and be reunited with his fiancée, Gudrun. It is the beginning of a confusing period in Sigurd's life, when he is torn between two women. Brynhild waves to Sigurd as he gallops toward the coast on Grani, his superb horse, but even as she watches him disappear into the distance, she has an intuitive sense of foreboding about the future.
Excerpts from Loving Brynhild:
Excerpt #1:
Feast from Psychomachia by Prudentius
During this era, the worst thing that could happen to a woman was to marry. Wives were considered to be morons. Married women were at the beck and call of their husbands’ sexual urges, and they were expected dutifully to produce one child after another for as long as they were fertile. But lovers, consorts, and other mistresses were worshiped for being beautiful, brilliant, and creative. Such women were models of female perfection who knew how to gratify a man’s every desire.
Excerpt #2:
Loki and Idun, Lucy Fitch Perkins, 1896
I had my own bewilderment to grapple with in the area of human relationships. Odin had decreed I was to marry a human man, and that man was Sigurd. But Sigurd was struggling with an issue whose nature was such that I could not really be of use, because I had a very biased take on the matter. And that was the problem of his betrothal to Gudrun, which had taken place shortly before Odin’s decree had landed me on Mount Hindarfiall. After all, Sigurd had only been obeying direct orders from the High Priestess the day he arrived to rescue me. Being disloyal to his fiancée had not been mentioned as part of the general plan. And, indeed, a serious change of heart in regard to Sigurd’s feelings for Gudrun was not acceptable to a knight who was only mildly fickle, but unfortunately, a number of human plans had been severely tampered with the day I defied Odin and changed the fate of two warriors on an otherwise insignificant battlefield.
Olaus Magnus's "Carta Marina" depicting "Thule" or Iceland, presumed to be surrounded by monsters (1539).
The winter issue of Goddess Pages has been published. Chapter 5, "On the Way to Iceland," and Chapter 6, "Family Reunion," are now online. Sigurd has awakened the slumbering goddess from her entranced sleep, and they now must proceed from Mount Hindarfiall to Brynhild's new home on planet Earth--Iceland. In her human guise, Brynhild is a princess and the daughter of the Icelandic King Budli, who holds court in his castle at Isenstein. Sigurd's skill as a sailor and his magnificent boat enables Brynhild to cross the Norwegian Sea and arrive safely at the castle of her earthly father, King Budli. At this point, although Brynhild is supposedly destined to marry Sigurd, as decreed by Odin, the two have just begun to fall in love. There is a terrible conflict, however, for Sigurd is engaged to marry the lovely Princess Gudrun, daughter of the King of the Nibelungs, to whom he is deeply attached. How will Sigurd choose between the two?
In Chapter 6, "Family Reunion," Brynhild is reunited with King Budli, who thinks she is an illegitimate child he fathered many years ago as the result of an indiscreet love affair he conducted when he was widowed. In fact, the tale is fictitious, but Odin planted the story in Budli's mind one afternoon as the King napped in his garden so that Brynhild would have a home and a human identity after her eviction from Asgard. Brynhild tries to settle into what is considered an opulent palace in this day and age, but she spends much time reminiscing over past arguments and discussions with Odin, who is never far from her mind. Sigurd agrees to stay on for a while at Isenstein to rest after his travails, and he will attend the sumptuous feast that Budli plans to host in Brynhild's honor. Sigurd and Brynhild have a mysterious attraction to each other, one with a divine mandate behind it, which Sigurd is resisting because he is engaged to be married, and Brynhild is resisting because the idea of being a wife to a human male is inherently distasteful to her. She is a virgin goddess with an unnatural physical prowess that she fears will be compromised if she loses her virginity.
At the end of Chapter 6, Brynhild is musing once again about past discussions with Odin. But there is a dark cloud looming on the horizon. For the good King Budli, Brynhild's devoted, white-haired father, was reputed to have sired another illegitimate child back in his wilder days as a fierce warrior, and that son is known to the ancient world as Atli of Hunaland, or more commonly known to civilization as Attila the Hun.
Excerpts from Chapters 5 and 6
Frigg Spinning the Clouds--Artist Unkown
Excerpt #1--Lying, as surprising as it may be, was a normal part of my interaction with Odin. Odin was fickle, and loving Odin meant giving him his complete freedom; it meant tolerating everything. Loving Odin meant knowing every facet of his truth and accepting it unquestioningly. But Odin did not want to hurt anyone with his emotional vacillations, so he created illusions of fidelity that were basically lies. I cherished the illusion of Odin’s faithfulness. The illusion sustained me. The treasured deception gave me my inspiration; whether Odin’s devotion was a lie or not was really of no consequence. At Asgard loving Odin meant acceptance of a basic contradiction—Odin was eternally faithful, yet Odin could never love just one woman.
Excerpt #2--And Earth had just a fraction of this magic, even though Odin had meant for Earth to be a paradise and to be the physical materialization of heaven. But the evil and the negativity emanating in such strong doses from every human being had almost succeeded in turning the planet into a hellish cauldron. Indeed, as Odin always lamented, it was as if his cherished creatures were trying to kill him. Yet the All-Father tried not to intervene; he would not intervene. Such was the strength of Odin’s conviction. Such was the tenacity of Odin’s promise to grant free will to every creature on Earth. Even if earthlings were trying to kill him, Odin would willingly die for them. Such was the true nature of divine love. Odin could never turn against his own masterpiece. The Father of the Gods would have rather destroyed himself.
The Fall issue of Goddess Pages has been published, and Chapters 3 and 4 of Loving Brynhild can now be accessed. Chapter 3, "How Sigurd Slew Fafnir," tells the story of Sigurd's confrontation with the dreaded beast of lore, Fafnir, who had to be destroyed before Sigurd could continue on to rescue Brynhild, now lying comatose on the top of Mount Hindarfiall after her eviction from the heavens. Sigurd is the greatest Norse knight who has ever lived at this point in time (450 A.D.), but he is besieged by insecurities, anxiety, and a wavering faith in the gods.
Chapter 4, "The Rescue," tells the details of how Sigurd proceeded to Mount Hindarfiall to rescue the fallen goddess, part of his divine assignment from the High Priestess of the Faeroe Islands. Sigurd's quandary begins here, for he is destined to fall in love with Brynhild, and at the same time, he must honor his commitment to his fiancee, Gudrun, daughter of the King of the Nibelungs.
Excerpts
Sigurd exhaled deeply, and he secretly cursed Odin. I don't see you down here facing this eternally damned beast, the renowned champion thought in accusation to the Chief of the Gods. But as the trees swayed in the wind and appeared to laugh, there from the other side of Fafnir's water pond, something caught Sigurd's eye. A dark figure in hat and cloak waved to him. The figure quickly disappeared. And the trees spoke again--don't be so sure, the trees swayed back and forth, how would you know?
(Illustration by Arthur Rackham, Sigurd Kills Fafnir, 1911.)
The gods and goddesses of Asgard both pitied and envied humans for this unfortunate, yet sublime state of mind. Passion uplifted mere mortals to their most nobleand stunning moments, and it also defeated them in the most daunting and humiliating way. Passion was everything for humans. Without it, there was no world, there was no love; there was just brute force, survival instincts, and sensual pleasures. Yet the passionate instincts often led humans astray, much to Odin's chagrin and the consternation of all the gods and goddesses of Asgard.
(Illustration above by Arthur Rackham, Sigurd møter sovende valkyrie, 1911.)
At long last, after years of rewriting, editing, and seeking a publisher, my novel Loving Brynhild is being published. Told from the point of view of the Norse goddess, Brynhild, the story is loosely based on Norse mythology as told in the VolsungaSaga.
The story is a philosophical study of human foibles and dilemmas, and it is also an adventure story filled with jealousy, treachery, deceit, and war. For you sword and sorcery people, Fafnir, the dragon, puts in an important cameo appearance, and of course, Sigurd, the greatest warrior of all time, must slay the poisonous beast.
The novel is being published in a serialization in the literary/spiritual journal, Goddess Pages, in Glastonbury, England.
LovingBrynhildwill continue to appear in the next six issues of Goddess Pages.
(Illustration above: Odin's Farewell to Brunhilde by Konrad Dielitz, 1892)
Excerpts from Loving Brynhild
Odin chanted his magical conjurations, raised his right hand, and in so doing, violently shoved me through the celestial portals that separated heaven from Earth. And then I was falling through the seven heavens, falling, falling, falling, until I landed on the mountain peak called Mount Hindarfiall. In my dazed state, I could only think, how did I get here? I was a goddess from Asgard, the heavenly abode of the gods. But now I was lying on a mountaintop, only half conscious.
(Illustration above: Ride of the Valkyrs, John Charles Dollman, 1909)
* * *
Speaking to Frigg about her animosity toward me never did much good, although Odin did not suffer Frigg’s jealousy and possessiveness gladly. But no matter how often she was reproached by her husband for the rude behavior I had to endure, Frigg was continually snubbing me in the winding, infinite corridors of Asgard and, whenever possible, making innuendos and sly remarks. Odin thought he had his spoiled wife under control, but no one had complete control over Frigg. It was tiresome to deal with Odin’s wife. In spite of my devotion to Odin, I protested being the favored goddess, who had captured the All-Father’s heart. “We must break off this affair, Sire,” I finally pleaded with him in earnest. “Your wife works herself into a frenzy over it.”
(Illustration above: Frigg and Her Maidens, Artist Unknown, 1902)
* * *
Faith in that which could not be perceived by the senses was the most difficult sticking point in the human mind. Odin had planned it that way. The Father of the Gods did not wish to be worshiped by sniveling and mindless automatons. He wanted his cherished mortal creatures to come to him on equal terms. Humans had to believe because they chose to believe. Odin gave humankind much room for doubt. The illusion looked real. Reality was Odin’s ultimate deception.
Odin was a liar.
Illustration above: Odin, Artist Unknown (from ancient Edda of 1888)
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A Little Icelandic Night Music
Loving Brynhild is based on the Volsunga Saga, a 13th-century Icelandic epic that tells the story of the Norse gods and goddesses. The Icelandic folk song below, entitled "Á Sprengisandi" or "Divine King of Mead," exemplifies the ancient Icelandic warrior spirit, the early Nordic tradition, and the ethos of the Norse gods and goddesses. This music is a good backdrop for my novel.
