Viking Sword: A Fall of Yellow Fire: The Stranded One (Viking Brothers Saga Book 1)

VÍKING SWORD:

A FALL OF YELLOW FIRE

The Stranded One

Book One

of the

VÍKING BROTHERS SAGA

♥

Màiri Norris

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The wonderful Hurstwic website, The Viking Answer Lady and the Viking section of Regia Anglorum have been invaluable in the writing of
Víking Sword: A Fall of Yellow Fire - The Stranded One
. The superb Hurstwic Viking Combat Training dvds were, and will continue to be, essential tools in creating the battle scenes. Those segments could not have been written without the guidance found therein.

I also wish to express my gratitude to my friend, Lane McFarland, for the excellence of her help in the editing of this book.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the curious, adventurous, intrepid, spirited, indomitable peoples known as “the Vikings”. May the memory of their days on this earth never fade.

DISCLAIMER

Everything possible has been done to insure this book is free of historical, grammatical, typographical and formatting errors. Please forgive those few that may have slipped past the many eyes that searched for them.

GLOSSARY

A guide to the
Old English and Old Norse
words used in this story. For those interested, a further glossary of Old English ‘places names’ is included after the Author’s Notes at the end of the book.

OLD NORSE

Ægir—primary Norse god of the sea and ocean; generally thought to be dangerous and cruel

ætt—clan; extended family unit

Andskoti—adversary; ship name on which Brandr and his comrades sailed; captained by Karl

Austmannaskelfir—”terror of the eastmen”; nickname of Brandr’s father

berserkr—one who fights as if crazed

Bjarki—bear; Brandr’s given nickname

björr—a strong Víking liquor usu. made from apples and honey

blót—a sacrifice

drekar—warship; dragon-prowed

flyte/flyting—[Old Norse ‘flyta’; Old English ‘flítan’]; a contest of insults performed in a poetic, ritualistic style, usu. held in a feast hall; contestants in this battle of wits were judged by the observers; it was a pastime much enjoyed by both Vikings and Anglo-Saxons

Frækn—valiant; the name of Brandr’s sword

Frithr—to come to an agreement or settle a dispute; also, the name of Sindre’s axe

godi—leader of a district; temple-priest (see Author’s Notes)

Guthrum’s Kingdom—lands ruled after 878 by Viking king Guthrum in eastern England, bounded loosely by the River Thames to the south and River Lea to the west; later part of the Viking controlled area called “Danelaw”

Hauss—skull; ship name on which Brandr and his comrades sailed; captained by Brandr

Heithabyr—Hedeby, Denmark; a major Víking trade center

húdfat—seaman’s kitbag; very similar to our modern day sleeping bag

Huginn and Muninn—the two ravens of Odinn

inn Danski or Danski—from Jutland or modern Denmark; Dane/Danish

jarl—high-ranking noble; similar to English title/rank of ‘earl’ (Anglo-Saxon ‘eorl’, which in a later era was replaced with the title ‘duke’); I have used ‘jarl’ and ‘thegn’ as being similar in meaning, but a Saxon Eorl/Viking Jarl was higher in rank than a thegn

kaupskip—a class of trade ship

lítill blóm—little flower or little blossom; the endearment Brandr uses for Lissa

melrakki—white fox; Sindre’s nickname, because his hair and beard have always been white and in his fighting character he is seen as being wily and sly as a fox

miklimunnr—loud mouth

Mjóllnir—name given to Thorr’s hammer

Músa—mouse; Sindre’s pet name for Brandr

nei—no

nidingr—lit. “nothing”; moral stigma pertaining to a contemptible person, without honor or integrity; often a criminal

Njord—Norse god of sea and wind; generally considered good

Nornar—’women of destiny’; there were three, and they determined the moment of death for each child born

Norræner menn—Northmen; Vikings [O.E.-Nordmanna]

ordlokarr—one who shapes words with great care

Ragnarók—the end of the world in Viking belief

sax—short sword or knife, typically 12-24 inches long

serk—Viking woman’s underdress; long sleeved, ankle length; very full, possibly gored

skáld—[same as Old English ‘scop’(shope)]; master poet; singer/songwriter; minstrel; very highly respected

smorrebrod—a Danish open-faced sandwich on rye bread, topped with a variety of foods, served with cold beer or sour milk; the term ‘smorrebrod’ was first used in Denmark in the 1840’s; see Author’s Notes

snekkja—”thin and projecting”; smallest and most common Viking warship

Sólmánudur—Viking summer month, June 19 - July 22

smokkr—Viking women’s apron-style overdress, with loops at the shoulders held in place by large metal clasps (‘tortoise’ style very popular)

Stethi—anvil; ship name on which Brandr and his comrades sailed; captained by Sindre

thing—an assembly to discuss local or regional issues, or settle legal/judicial disputes; the national meeting or parliament (althing), met first in Iceland in 930 A.D.

tik—female dog; used as a curse

Valkyrja (pl. Valkyrjur)—”chooser of the slain”; females who selected and carried warriors fallen in battle to Valhóll

Valhóll—Valhalla, the “Hall of the Slain”; located in the great hall of Asgard, governed by Odinn (Odin)

víking (to go í-víking)—v. piracy; battle at sea; a raid to gain furs, bullion, slaves, or other treasure; or, a trade journey

víkingr—n. sea-rover; pirate; raider; trader; one who participates in piracy/raiding/trading; only those who went i-víking were víkingrs

OLD ENGLISH

cyrtel—Saxon under-dress, female, floor and wrist length

Fægennes—joy; the name of Turold’s sword

gást—ghost; spirit of one who is dead

leóf—sir; ‘dear sir’; respectful form of address to a male to whom one is under authority

orgelword—arrogant or insolent speech

syrce—Saxon over-tunic; female; knee and elbow length, worn with headrail (wide scarf) and mantle (covered shoulders and torso); also, braies—baggy knee length pants; Saxon male

wicing—Víking

VIKING TIME-KEEPING

Vikings used sundials and measured time by seasons. They also implemented an imprecise, seasonal day-measure based on the sun’s position in the sky, called a dagmark (day-mark), of which there were eight:

Middag—Midday (noon)

Undorn (eykt)—Mid-afternoon

Mithr Aptann—Mid-evening

Náttmál—Night-Measure (darkness falls)

Mithnætti—Midnight

Ótta—After midnight (the time before dawn when the night was darkest)

Mithr Morgun—Rise-Measure (loosely, dawn; but actually when people woke up, remembering that in mid-winter in the northern climes, the sun barely rose over the horizon, while in mid-summer, it never really set)

Dagmál—Day-Measure

To speak of time between two dagmarks (similar to our ‘half-hour’ units), the Vikings would say it was “evenly near” both marks. E.g., if the sun’s position was between Middag and Undorn, they would say it was “evenly near Middag and Undorn.”

CHAPTER ONE

Kingdom of Westseaxna ríce - the southern coast some ten leagues east of Eaxanceaster - Angelcynn

Early Summer – 882

The battle was lost, but the fight was far from over.

Brandr Óttarrson cursed the ill timing that had turned the certain victory of his raid into a rout. On the strength of rumors of treasure, and hoping to gain silver and slaves, he had set out many days earlier from his home in Ljotness to assail the hamlet of Yriclea on this Odinn-cursed southernmost coast of Alfred’s kingdom. The portents had all been good, the runes promising success and wealth untold.

They camped on the shore of a tiny inlet while they scouted the settlement and the cliff-sheltered bay leading to it, but he had known, the moment he laid eyes on the village, it would be no great feat to overcome. Still, he had entertained a single doubt, and called for discussion with his brother, Karl, and his father’s younger brother, Sindre.

As the eldest of their father’s five sons, Karl was the commander of their expedition, but one night at table before leaving, Brandr was ordered by their sire to lead the raid. It was to be a test of his ability to command. If successful, he would become a hersir in his own right, as were Karl and Sindre. The reward would also include a gift of land, a rich wife and his share of the wealth, which would aid in the obtainment of his dream. That was a goal his father did not approve, but when had he and the Austmannaskelfir, the mighty Terror of the Eastmen, ever seen eye to eye?

Between mouthfuls of bread and roasted lamb, Karl had muttered he was still a bare-cheeked youngling with much to learn, and certainly needed the experience. He had cuffed his brother for the tease—all the while boldly fingering his fine, close-cut beard—but was well pleased with his father’s decision.

They met to discuss their strategy for the attack on Yriclea onboard the Andskoti, one of their three dragon-prowed drekars, captained by Karl. His brother, seated on a chest between the deck beams, a cup of björr in hand, leaned forward with his arms on his knees. “What is it that concerns you, Bjarki?”

Ignoring the inappropriate use of his childhood nickname in what was, essentially, a council of war, Brandr moved his sword, Frækn, out of the way and sat opposite his brother. “If the rumors are true, Yriclea guards great treasure.” In the light of the shielded lamp, he looked from Karl’s curious expression to the lazy amusement that was his uncle’s usual mien. “Why then does the settlement appear to have no great defensive strength?”

Neither man moved, but he sensed their sudden interest.

“Maybe they believe themselves well enough protected,” Sindre said. “These Saxons are no match for us, but against their own…,” he shrugged, not bothering to finish the sentence.

Karl grinned. “Perhaps the thegn is a sly one and seeks to mislead. He wishes to declare there is no treasure by offering no exceptional defense.”

“Or maybe,” Brandr countered, “it is a ruse, a deception, meant to instill false confidence in an enemy. Maybe the village is much better protected than it appears.”

The gleam in Sindre’s eyes intensified. “Are you suggesting, Músa, we abandon the raid?”

Brandr hid a wince at the hated appellation—
mouse
—that was his uncle’s pet name for him, but Sindre’s comment did not come as a surprise. His uncle cared naught for odds. He believed in himself and his own capabilities, and let chance fall where it may. “I say only that it seems too easy, and we must beware the possibility of a trap.”

“Your point is well-taken.” Karl threw a glance at Sindre. “It is worthy of consideration.”

Discussion of best ways and means to launch the raid followed, with the final decision that since they could not hide their approach, a direct assault would be best. Under the light of a full moon, they left the inlet and rowed the drekars to a point just off the bay, and weighed anchor to enjoy a rest period while they waited for first light to attack.

In another sign that Odinn and Thorr favored their venture, clouds rolled in to shield their presence. The heavy black canopy overhead delivered no rain and dissipated by dawn, but did bring a dense, blanketing fog to cover their approach to the village.

His confidence had surged. It was a matter of but momentary conference to change their battle strategy to one of stealth.

Yriclea’s defenses had been no more difficult to overcome than first expected. There were no traps, and the village was not expecting their strike. What could not have been foreseen was the large war band of Saxon hearth companions, which had chosen to raid the settlement on the very same morn.