Tags
Bjorgolf, Brynjolf, Egil, England, Eyvind, Fjord Province, Grim, Halberd, Haologaland, Hildirid, Hogni, Iceland, Isle of Torg, King Arnvid, King Harald, Kveldulf, Namdalen, Norway, Olvir, Oslo Fjord, Scandanavia, Shape-changer, Skallagrimsson, Snorri Sturluson, Sweden, Thorolf, Trondheim, Vikings
I know I have spoken a lot of names and I apologize for doing that. I would like to say that Snorri Sturluson made me do it. However, it was all my own doing. Be patient. It will all come together shortly.
With that said, I continue to do exactly what I just apologized for; speak more names. I am not sure if I am becoming Snorri or he is becoming me. Well, in the far-away future it probably will not make much difference. So here we go.
There was a very rich, strong and powerful man who farmed on the island of Torg. He was a land-holder. His name was Bjorgolf. He had a son named Brynjolf. The father was a widower and getting on in years. He gave control of his land to his son. He also decided that his son needed a wife so he procured one for him.
Bjorgolf, the father, was invited to a feast. The protocol of this feast was that lots would be drawn to see which pair, man and woman, would share a drinking horn. As luck would have it Bjorgolf would sit with the beautiful Hildirid. She was the daughter of an old, humble and very rich man who farmed on Leka Island. His name was Hogni.
It seems as though that night became etched in Bjorgolf’s mind.
That’s so interesting – think we should buy a book about …
Yes. Or you could get the while story right here; day by day.
Happy Valentines Day Waldo
xoxo
And to you also.
I’m cheating a little and saving the days to read them in one go. Love it to bits!
Brings back my childhood.
I saw you are reading them in bunches. Good way to go. I broke them up in small pieces because I noticed that most bloggers do not wish to read a big long lengthy story.
Hope everything is going well for you. I always read your posts. Very interesting!
Take care and thanks for reading my stuff.
Have you ever seen my Adirondack Mountains from the 1800′s posts? If not, you can start anywhere but here is a one place to start.
http://adirondackimages.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/29a-monsieur-lapineaux-and-the-visitors-rush-by-tahauwas/
That’s a gorgeous picture. I could gladly live on the Isle of Torg.
Chapters 7-9: Wow! I wonder what Hildirid thought of summarily being married off? Fortunately, after her step-son banished her, she at least inherited her father’s land and had something for her and her sons. But I see that a friend (Bard) could easily also leave his wife in his will and leave her to whomsoever he wished. Amazing. I see however, that Bard’s wife, Sigrid, accepted this situation. Thorolf considered Hildirid’s marriage to Bjorgolf as being “taken by force.”
I suppose that was their way of life in those days. Quite something, eh?
In South Africa there is among certain people a practice called ‘thwala’ where a girl is abducted to become someone’s bride. “It’s a distortion of our culture,” said Sizani Ngubane, of the Rural Women’s Movement, a nongovernmental rights organization. “It is not supposed to be like this.” (Information about this practice can be found on http://www.violenceisnotourculture.org/News-and-Views/south-africa-bride-abductions-distortion-south-africas-culture .)
Isn’t it amazing that our world is getting smaller but the cultures remain with great gulfs between them?