The Tale of Thorbard the Wide Mouthed

While I put the finishing touches on NEW chapter 1, I thought I'd start posting some of my supplimentary material, AKA things which will never be published but that I wrote for my own personal enjoyment, set in this same world of... mmm, have i named the world yet? Well we'll call it Bob for now. Anyway, the following is a legend of the Dainian People from the land of Sylvania. It's written in a diffrent style ( I was writing in the Eddic Poem Style of the Old Norse language, which is why some things are worded weirdly.)

The Tale of Thornbard the Wide Mouthed

There once lived in the Westfjord a man by the name of Thorbald the son of Thorral, the son of Thorbard of the Many Spears. He was married to Asgrid the daughter of Therrod and their lands and farms were greatly blessed and prospered. However even though they lacked not in lands or riches or servants or mares or cattle they could not produce a child. And so when they were both past their prime and still had not a child they went to Thorbald's sister Asira, a Volvasa who lived by the River Markland. She instructed them to wait in hidding by the shore of the great sea, and watch after the moon rise as the watermaids danced. Then after sunrise, they were to run up and find one of the pearls that the maidens dropped, and to bring it to Asira.

They left and did as she told them to do. They waited in concealment by the riverbank and there they saw the moonrise and the watermaids come up out of the cold brimy water. They dropped their sealskins at the shoreline and began to dance in circles around the beach. Their long flowing curly hair came all the way down to their feet and as they danced it swayed behind them like long capes, and from deep within their hair fell the pearls Asira had spoken of. Once morning came they danced back to the shore and into their sealskins and swam away. Thorbald and Asgrid ran up and began trying to collect the pearls, but the tide had come in sudenly and washed them all away. Just as they were about to give up hope Thorbald fell forward and as he rose out of the water he felt something in his mouth. When he spat it out he saw it was one of the pearls. So they returned to Asira.

She bade Asgrid eat the pearl and shortly after that Asgrid gave birth to a son named Thorbard. He was a beautiful boy, silent and observant. When he was eight his father sent him to Therfald Therrodson, his kinsmen as was the custom in those days. There Therfald welcomed him and was greatly pleased by his coming. However he was soon displeased when he found out that Thorbard had no trade by which to make himself worthy. So Therfald took him to a large barn and showed him a large pile of pure white oak, said to be impossible to make a ship out of, and bade him attempt his hand at building ships.

Thorbard took the job, though he had never even seen a ship before and after a forthnight was done. All were amazed at the speed and the craftmanship with which Thorbard had completed his task. The ship was called Wytewake for it was comepletely white and had white linen sails yet no ship could beat it for spead. So Thorbard stayed and built many ships for his kinsmen Therfald. When he was eighteen, Therfald came to him and said that he was now ready to go out into the world and make a name for himself and that he did not doubt that he would be remebered for many great actions.

Thorbard was given the Wytewake and sailed towards the Northfjord, and there he came into the land of King Lokthor. The king bade him turn back to his place of origin becuase he said that his table was already full. Thorbard requested the king try him and see if he be not worthy to be one of the King;'s men. And so the king sent him to the south of the Northfjord where the king's sheep were kept. Every third week of each month, two night trolls would come and sit amidst the flocks and devour many sheep. The king said that if Thorbard could defeat the trolls he could become one of Lokthor's men. So Thorbard departed.

When he had come to the king's grazing lands he was welcomed by the shepherds who were all fearful of the trolls. He stayed there with them until the third week of the month had come. Then he waited until the moon was over head and the night trolls became visible. He strode up to them and immediatly they were taken back by the courage of this man to walk up to them without fear. They asked him why he feared them not and he replied he had heard of them. they asked what he had heard. Thorbard said that he had heard that there were none as fearsome or as evil as them in all the Northfjord. They both replied that it was a good report and asked what else he had heard. He said that he had heard they were also some of the most ancient fiends in all the earth and that surely having been around as long as they had they must know great many secret things.

They responded that this was also a good report and told Thorbard that they were indeed wise. Thorbard then asked the trolls if they would simply answer a single question before they ate him. They responded that it was good that they give such a good news barer an answer before eating him. So Thorbard began his question, but instead of asking one question he kept saying "and" and asking another one so that his many questions were in fact only one. He kept talking for hours until finally he had to take a breath. At this the trolls were confused by the question and so asked hm to repeat it. He did and again he kept adding more question without stop and his talking went for many more hours. His question so perplexed the trolls that they did not see the sun rise nor did they turn themselves invisible in tme and so as soon asthe sun touched them they turned to stone, for they were night trolls not snow trolls.

Thorbard returned to the king amid much triumph. The people were astounded by his great feat and soon all had heard of his tale. During this time the king gave him a seat at the low end of the table even though he had promised Thorbard a seat at the high end. Many saw this as dishonorable of the king but none said anything. In the mean time Thorbard was not sleeping in the Lofthouse with the king and his men but instead outside upon the Skuldmound, a burial mound of the great past skulds who were all entered there. One night in a dream he dreamt that the greatest of all the skulds, Bjorn Haraldson stood before him and gave him his dagger. When Thronbard awoke he found himself with the gift of skulding. It was shortly after this that he saught the king to reclaim his honor. The King said that in order for him to become one of Lokthor's men he would have to defeat the great ice giant that had recently settled in the Eastfjord. Thorbard knew the king would not keep his word but rode out anyway to regain hsi honor.

When he had come to the Eastfjord he found the great ice giant sitting upon a mountain as he ate some wild staggs he had caught. Thorbard came up to the giant and asked him what his name was. The giant said he was Nief the Slow Witted. Thorbard said he was a skuld who was traveling the land in order to make a great praise skuld of someone and asked if he could make one for Neif. Neif said that he was always wary of skulds because his brother had been imprisoned by one. Thorbard said not to worry and that he had a good skuld not a bad one. Neif agreed to hear the skuld. Thorbard began to recite it. At first it was a good skuld with many good things about Neif in it. But soon it turned for the worse and before Neif the Slow Witted could stop Thorbard, he found his body burning with heat and flames from the magical skuld. In a few moments he had been completely melted and there was now only a lake and to this day it is called Neif Lake in Eastfjord. It can be found at the foot of the flat mountains.

Thorbard returned to Northfjord and men praised him even more, but King Lokthor liked him even less. He still would not let Thorbard sit at the top of the table in the place of honor but had him put outside with the servants. Thordbard said nothing, but all thought ill of it. When the tale of how he had defeated came before Lokthor he feared for he knew that Thorbard had the gift of the skulds and that Thorbard might seek revenge. So he made a plan. he threw a feast for Thorbard and bade him sit at the place of most honor. Thorbard however had heard of the King's cunning and so placed a bag beneath his shirt. When the feast began the King set a great mountain of food before Thorbard, but he seemed to consume it without much fuss. This was beacuse he was secretly putting the food into the bag beneath his closthes, though it looked as if he was eating it all. So the feast continued and he still ate just as heartily as before and all were amazed. After three days none could endure longer than him, not even the king. So, the feast ended and the king was greatly displeased for he had been dishonored by thorbard. So he planned to have him killed.

Thorbard, having forseen the king's intentions fled that night on his ship Wytewake into a storm. All in the castle watched as the ship was pushed towards the Teeth of All Seas. Thorbard was much loved and all wept at the thought of his doom. But the teeth seemed to part as his ship came near and he sailed through them. Not only that but even though the storm remained for seven days still he kept battling it strongly, for they did not know this but he had the sack of provisions from the feast. Also his ship coudl not be capsized for he had bult it and he was actually one of the waterfolk because of his strange conception. And so even though the stormkings raged they did not destroy him for he was one of their kin. After the storm subsided he sailed back and all wondered at his great heroism and his wonderful works. King Lokthor had fallen from the battlements of the castle during the storm and his daughter was brought by the chieftans to Thorbard to marry. And so Thorbard was known as Thorbard the Wide Mouthed for all his great feats came from his mouth. His wife was Fridda the Beautiful and they reigned many years and Thorbard the Wide Mouthed saw twelve Althings before his reign ended. Thorbard had thirteen sons and seven daughters and they all did great things. Four sons were kings and six daughters the wives of kings. After his death he was buried in Skuldmound and so ends his tale.

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Okay, so to compare the style you would have to read one of the old Icelandic Sagas (not to give away what culture the Boat People of Sylvania are based on;) ). This is actually the shorter one. Its only a story. I actually did write a full saga for a diffrent part of Sylvania, which I may post later. Anyways, thats the story. Diffrent but hopefully in a good way.