#Germanic legends

[the-evil-clergyman]

The Rhinemaidens by Gaston Bussière (1906)

[tomoleary]

Federico Santin “Germanic legends” (1963)

[mask131]

Cold winter: Andvari... or Alberich?

ANDVARI… OR ALBERICH?

Category: The Saga of the Volsungs / German legends

I) Andvari

In Norse mythology (well… in the Icelandic epic known as “Völsunga saga”), there is a dwarf named Andvari. It is said that Andvari lived under a waterfall and owned a magical item, a ring called Andvaranaut (Andvari’s Gift). This ring helped its wearer find sources of gold, and thanks to it Andvari amassed an immense treasure he guarded jealously. Andvari had the habit of turning into a pike every day – and one day, as he was doing his business, Andvari was caught in a net – not just any net, a strong divine net that once belonged to Ran, the sea-goddess herself. And who captured Andvari? None other than Loki, the infamous god! For you see, Loki was in a bit of trouble and needed to obtain Andvari’s gold…

Earlier, Loki alongside other Aesir gods (Odin and Hoenir) went to visit Hreidmarr, a sorcer-king of the dwarfs living in a house of glittering gold and flashing gems. On the way Loki killed an otter due to its incredibly beautiful pelt, and upon arriving at Hreidmarr’s house the gods showed him the pelt… only for the dwarf to get angry at the gods and order his two sons to seize them and bind them in unbreakable chains. For you see… this otter was none other than Hreidmarr’s gluttonous third son, Otr, who had the habit of becoming an otter to eat fish in the river. The dwarf-king wanted the life of his son to be paid with another life, but the gods proved that the murder was accidental, and so the greedy dwarf agreed to a payment in exchange of the god’s freedom. The otter’s skin had to be filled with yellow gold, and covered on the outside with red gold. Easy enough you think? Except that this was a magical skin for a magical otter that itself was a transformed gluttonous dwarf – it is a very big and very stretchy skin. Only a BIG hoard of gold could do the trick… but nonetheless Loki is tasked with finding this ransom while Odin and Hoenir stay captives, and upon remembering that Andvari keeps a treasure big enough to fulfill his task, he promptly set up his plan to capture the dwarf – so that he could obtain his immense treasure in exchange for the dwarf’s freedom.

Except that Loki being Loki, he couldn’t help but steal Andvari’s magical ring – which apparently wasn’t part of their deal – and Andvari, in rage, cast a curse upon Andvaranaut: all the owners of this magical ring would only know misfortune, and ultimately the ring would be their destruction. Loki promptly filled the otter skin, covered it in red gold and returned to Hreidmarr – but the greedy dwarf noted that one whisker was still protruding, uncovered. There was only one part of Loki’s theft that remained: Andvaranaut. Once the ring was added to the weregild (a fine to compensate the damages done to the family of the person you took the life of) and the gods were set free, Loki warned Hreidmarr of the curse that was set upon the ring, advising him to get rid of it as soon as he could – but the dwarf as, as I said, greedy, and kept the ring.

Let’s just say… it did not end up well for him. Or for anyone else among the numerous owners of the ring. From Hreidmarr it went to Fafnir, from Fafnir it went to Sigurd, from Sigurd it went to Brynhildr… and they all knew some unpleasant fates. At the end of the Völsunga saga, long after the death of all the characters mentioned above, Andvari found back his original hoard of gold in a cave, hidden there by some of the survivors of the curse – but his ring was not in it, and stayed forever lost.

Thus was the tale of Andvari.

II) Alberich

In German legends and poetry, there is a dwarf named Alberich – which is considered the equivalent of the French Auberon and English Oberon. He is a character in two German epics.

One is “Ortnit”, the story of King Ortnit and his quest to make the daughter of a heathen king his bride. Upon setting off on his journey Ortnit is given a magical ring by his mother – this ring notably allows him to see, in the wilderness, a child-like figure that no one else can see. After arguing and fighting together (for this “child” is much stronger than any children should be), the figure reveals itself to be a dwarf named Alberich – and Ortnit’s biological father, who helped his parents when they found out they were unable to conceive a child! Alberich gives Ortnit a magical golden armor and vows to become his faithful companion. Arriving at the heathen king’s capital, in Tyre, Alberich gives Ortnir a magical stone which allows him to speak and understand any kind of language. Ortnit wants to attack the city directly, but Alberich says it would not be an honorable thing to do and rather offers the heathen-king a deal: give up his bride, or fight Ortnit in battle. The king refuses his daughter or the duel, and so Alberich stoles a hundred small boats from the capital’s harbor that Ortnit’s army can use to besiege the city. Upon arriving at the king’s castle, Alberich sneaks inside it and steals all of the bows and arrows to throw them into the moat – which the heathens believe to be “the work of the devil”. He later appears to the heathen-king’s daughter and, pretending to be a messenger of the Christian god, tries to convince her to marry Ortnit – at first she refuses, but when Alberich proves that he is “stronger than her gods” by shattering the altar on which she prayed for her father’s life, she agrees to marry Ortnit, if not to just save her father. Alberich sneaks with the princess to Ortnit and they set off to have a beautiful baptism-marriage.

However her father isn’t ready to give up his daughter so easily, and after seeing his army defeated, decides to rather “curse” Ortnit’s kingdom by sending him as a false-gift a dragon’s egg. As the dragon hatches and grows, it becomes a plague upon the land and Ortnit sets on a second journey to destroy it. This time Alberich refuses to accompany or help him, safe for one important advice: “Be careful not to fall asleep”. An advice that Ortnit will not follow, and during his sleep the dragon will devour him…

Now, before “Ortnit”, Alberich appeared in another Germanic epic quite older – still medieval, but preceding “Ortnit” by at least thirty years, if not much more. And this epic was the “Nibelungenlied” (The Song of the Nibelungs). His role is a bit more secondary than in the story above.

When the great hero Siegfried first met Alberich, they were enemies and entered into a fight – a fight Alberich would have won, for he had the strength of twelve men and the ability to turn invisible… had not Siegfried snatched away from the dwarf his Tarnkappe, which was both his cloak of invisibility and the source of his great strength. Defeated, the dwarf accepts Siegfried as his master (and when they later meet again, they have another battle – but it is just a mock fight for Siegfried to prove to Alberich who he is, as the Tarnkappe multiplies the strength of its wearer and him pulling Alberich is enough for the dwarf to recognize him as his true master). For the rest of the story, Alberich just acts as the appointed guardian of Siegfried’s personal treasure (amassed through battling and slaying various entities, from human warriors to dragons): the guardian of the Treasure of the Nibelung.

- - - - - -

Why did I present to you two seemingly unrelated dwarfs? Because they became one!

When talking about the Nibelung, one immediately thinks: Wagner. His “Der Ring des Nibelungen” didn’t just reinvent the Nibelung legend, it also changed completely the way people knew the story thanks to its massive European success – and in it, Wagner rewrote the character of Alberich by adding to him numerous elements taken from Andvari.

Alberich appears in the first opera of the cycle, “Das Rheingold”. Alberich is here one of the Nibelungen (reinvented by Wagner as the name of the dwarfs as a whole), and titular thief of the “gold of the Rhin”. Originally he appeared to three Rhinemaidens to try to woo them, only to met with mockery – but as he gets angry at the maidens’ rejection, he spots the gold they were tasked with keeping and hear about how it can be used to create a magic ring which will give power to rule over the world to whoever holds it, but only if said bearer renounces all love. The lustful and bitter dwarf promptly renounces love and steal their gold. Later, the German gods are in quite trouble for they promised two giants that built their castle (Fasolt and Fafner) the goddess Freia (German version of Freyja) as a reward. The gods asked Loge (Germanic Loki), the cunning demigod of fire, to find an alternative payment that would please the giants more – and Loge only found one being in the whole world that was able to renounce love. It was Alberich, who rather chose his powerful magical ring. Ultimately the two giants agree to have the gold of the Nibelungen as an alternative payment, but still keep Freia as an hostage until they receive said gold. (Note here that this Freia is not so much the equivalent of the Norse Freyja as of the Norse Idunn – she is reinvented as the goddess of beauty and youth, whose golden apples prevented the gods from aging, hence why they are so intended on having her return). So Wotan, king of the gods (Germanic Odin) travels with Loge to Alberich’ underground kingdom, Nibelheim – for with the power of the ring he enslaved the rest of the Nibelungen to his will, and forced his brother, Mime, a skillful smith, to create for him the Tarnhelm, a helmet of invisibility, which he uses to torment his subjects.

Wotan and Loge find Alberich who boasts about his plan of conquering the entire world with the power of the ring. Loge hears about how the Tarnhelm can allow its wearer to change form, and he asks to have the power demonstrated several times – the final time, asking him to turn into something small. Alberich turns into a toad and the gods promptly seize him and bind him, offering him his freedom in exchange for the gold he had his subjects amass. Alberich accepts to have the Nibelungen give up their hoard of gold. He asks his Tarnhelm in return, but Loge claims he will keep it as part of the ransom. As Alberich says that at least he kept his ring, Wotan demands it and ends up tearing it away from the dwarf’s hand to put it on his own. Alberich then curses the ring: until it returns to him, it will only inspire jealousy to those who own it, and cause murderous envy to those who do not. When the giants meet back with the gods, they demand that the gold be piled up, and they will only accept it if the pile is as tall as Freia. They do so – but have to relinquish both the Tarnhelm and the ring in the process.

After skipping the second opera (Die Walküre), Alberich returns for the third, “Siegfried”. Alberich found back his hoard, kept by the giant Fafner now turned into a dragon. As the dwarf spies on the dragon’s cavern, Wotan appears and the two discuss – Alberich explaining his plan to regain the ring and control the world, and Wotan swearing to not interfere but merely observe, even offering to wake up the dragon so that Alberich can bargain with him. Alberich provides to Fafner the knowledge that a hero is here to kill him (Siegfried), and he offers to take care of him in exchange for the ring – but Fafner dismisses him. As Siegfried arrives and kills the dragon, Alberich discovers that his brother Mime is with the hero and they quarrel for both of them want the ring of power and the Nibelungen treasure. Alberich hides when Siegfried returns, but then laughs spitefully at his brother’s death when the hero stabs him in self-defense.

Finally, Alberich’s final appearance is in the fourth and last opera of the cycle, “Twilight of the Gods”, but it is a quite minor one, one scene of him interacting with his… let’s say “replacement” for this story: Hagen, his half-human half-dwarf son who made one solemn oath to his father. To regain the ring of power by any way possible, and to rule the world with its power…

[illustratus]

Brünnhilde the Valkyrie by Arthur Rackham

[silkwound]

The legend of the Freischütz is a German folk tale that centers on a marksman who makes a pact with the devil to ensure his bullets never miss. He receives seven of them, with six hitting any desired target and the seventh controlled by the devil himself.

[peachssodapop]

the mention of their different dialects and languages immediately had my enraptured

so here's a very quickly drawn comic based on I cannot seem to find a good german equivalent to silly

[itsagrummel]

just a normal day on german twitter with this tweet by El Hotzo

Harry Potter:

arrogant celeb

goes to a posh school in a castle in England

did not learn something proper

needed 7 books to kill the villain

Krabat:

normal dude

works at a mill in Lusatia

based apprenticeship as a miller

1 book, quick work with the villain

[currantlee]

Something I love about the memory of Zelda and Sonia in the German dub of TotK...

(Translation: And your Link, too, is surely awaiting your return.)

Sonia uses the phrase "dein Link" ("your Link") here, which in German is a common phrase to indicate the belief that someone might have romantic feelings for another person. And the way Pauliner Weiner (Sonia's German VA) delivers this line very much indicates that she is indeed teasing Zelda a little here! Sonia ships Zelink confirmed!!

But wait. There's more!

(Translation: May one ask who this Link is?)

Rauru definitely notices this too! His tone, as well as the use of the very specific article "dieser" ("this") indicate as much. If he was simply curious about who Link is in order to follow the conversation, he would more likely use the phrase "Darf ich fragen, wer Link ist?" ("May I ask who Link is?"). He is also teasing Zelda a little here.

Zelda's reply is also very sweet! While her first two lines are nothing special (she is essentially just recapping the events Breath of the Wild, as well as what led up to it), it gets interesting once Rauru reacts to her description, once again in a somewhat teasing manner (indicated by both the delivery and the language of the line):

(Translation: Oh, a hero you say.)

To which Zelda replies with:

(Translation: Link is the most steadfast and fearless knight who ever existed.)

(Translation: Yes...)

(Translation: He is so strong...)

That last line is pretty much the same in English, but Julia Casper (Zelda's German VA) does an amazing job making it sound like Zelda is not only admiring Link throughout this entire short monologue she is having, but like she is talking more to herself than to Rauru and Sonia, almost like she forgets they're there for a moment because she is thinking about Link. I really loved this little touch!

Also note that Zelda is not explicitly talking about physical strength in the last line (although she might be. It isn't clarified, leaving the interpretation of what kind of strength she is talking about up to the player).

(Translation: ... and on top of it all, he has a good heart!)

This last part seems to be directed at Rauru and Sonia again. But we're still not done!

After Rauru remarks that Zelda seems to think highly of Link and that the way she's talking about her knight makes him want to meet him, Sonia agrees and delivers a final line that, once again, makes it very clear that the two of them are engaging in a little bit of good-mannered teasing in this scene (both from what's actually said here and how Paulina Weiner delivers the line):

(Translation: Chivalrous, and full of gallantry...)

(Translation: Don't make us so curious, Zelda!)

And then they all break out in light-hearted laughter.

All in all, I really love this scene! Huge respect to the German VAs, who did an absolutely stellar job (not just in this scene, but for the game in general - especially Julia Casper!).

[thefandomsfervent]

Viktor x Reader Personal Pigments (Part 13)- Pyrrol Red

This is a jayvik x reader fic now but it'll still be labeled as a Vik Fic until it's fully implemented. Ft. a teasing Jayce. Can't have a slowburn without fuel. Find my imagine that inspired it here. Previous and next chapter will be linked at the bottom. Thank you for reading <3

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They had both missed you. Both admitted to it, teased the other about it. The information was interesting. It sparked familiar feelings. Doubt. Confusion. And less familiar ones too. Fuzzy warmth. Safety. When was the last time someone had done that? Missed you?

You were thinking about a lot of things as you worked today. During that talk with Mel you had only just started the underpainting, and still now you were barely halfway done with it. Well, you were before you had started it over for the third time. Despite all your studyings, having filled pages and pages of the two of them, you hadn’t really done enough studies of the lab. You knew how you wanted them pictured. Ideas for it anyway. You knew what personal elements to include that would represent each of them. You knew that Jayce stood with his weight on the balls of his feet, for his ever straight posture. And that Viktor stood forward on his toes. Leaning to the left off his right leg on good days, bracing himself against his cane on bad days.

Yet the background irked you. It could be the lab, but where? Against the window, illuminated by the golden sun to accentuate the yellow in Viktor’s eyes and the tan of Jayce’s skin? Or by moonlight, to make Jayce’s hair melt into the background and illuminated by the soft blue glow of Hextech. It would make Viktor’s pale complexion look ethereal if you did it right. Both were good ideas, ones you had already sketched. Ones that didn’t sit quite right with you. It could be outside the lab too, but that felt wrong. For one, you hadn’t seen either of them outside of the lab other than passing in hallways or that one day where they had visited the studio.

Your thoughts wander at the half thought. To soothing circles rubbed into your shoulder. To smooth dry hands holding yours. The two of them had been kind to you, gentle with you. Allowed you into their space, their life, their… friendship? Partnership? Their not, not togetherness. You didn’t consider yourself a part of that. You were a viewer. Since that conversation they whispered their rare flirtations less. Instead, letting the words be loud enough that you could hear. The actions had been loud enough for you to notice in the first place. It was a soft comfort in your chest at the feeling. They cared enough, trusted enough, to include you in that. You cast them a sidelong glance.

They were going over something together. Jayce had his arm braced against the back of Viktor’s chair, leaning over him in a closeness that could be read as necessary. It wasn’t. You all knew that. A knowing made clearer by Viktor’s hand unconsciously toying with Jayce’s fingers dangling off the corner. The sun had shifted onto their backs, the yellowing light catching on both of their heads. It was almost domestic, the relaxed nature of both their bodies, words carrying over to you that you didn’t quite understand. You didn’t need to. If you asked, they would explain it to you in a heartbeat.

After your conversation with Viktor things had gone back to normal. The three of you working in the lab in tandem. If Viktor had told Jayce what happened, the latter hadn’t acted like it. His smile just as bright, his energy just as high when things went well, his comfort the same when things went wrong. Viktor, however, had changed slightly. You had caught him on a few occasions looking at you. More than just the curious glances he offered your first week there. You weren’t sure what was behind those golden eyes, and each time you had met his gaze he didn’t let anything slip. The occasional smile, but sometimes not even that. Unreadable.

It bothered you, not enough to stop looking, but it bothered you. It did not upset you. You liked it. It was confusing. It was confusing because you liked it. You were staring at their hands now, the way their fingers interlocked and let go. Pearls and gold. Someone coughs and it pulls your attention up. Whenever Jayce caught you looking at Viktor, or the two of them, he seemed as if he liked it too. Like now. His eyes glittering with a knowing mischief. The problem was you did not know what it seemed like he knew. You wave your brush in the air. As if to say “Just looking for art purposes, apologies.” It’s when he cocks a brow and stands, whispering “One sec Vik.” that you try not to panic. Viktor just squeezes his hand, waving him off with the other. You didn’t have hands on the canvas. You barely had anything past illegible wiped out lines that would only make sense to you.

When he gets over to your station he leans forward against the table. Large hands splayed on the colorful surface. "How's it coming Y/N?" His hazel eyes are on your lap, where you're fidgeting with your brush. It was clean, dry. No paint on it. No new paint on your canvas either. You decide to be honest to avoid whatever this interaction was about to be.

"Not well." He blinks at that. Brief concern before a different glint takes his eye.

"Having trouble focusing?" It's innocent. Playful. And it means nothing, you're sure of it. You try to ignore the blood rushing towards your cheeks. Your sketchbook was open on the table next to you. The pages were covered in notes and swathes of color. The flowers from your day outside sketched in the corners. Little doodles of gears in the margins. You grab it, thumbing through to a spread that had thumbnails of them in different poses.

"I'm not sure how I want you both."  Jayce has picked up on something, eyes widening. You aren't sure what so you keep speaking "To be posed. Or where to put you in space. The lab seems most appropriate but?" You tap at the pages of your sketchbook again. "Some mockups."

"Gods did she not hear how that sounded?" Jayce likes to think that you do but he's seen how clueless both you and Viktor have been about your chemistry and it makes him want to laugh every time. And he would if it would get the three of you anywhere. He knows very well that Viktor could handle teasing, and could dish it out himself. You? He didn't know you as well just yet. Hadn't fully stepped into that territory. At least the blush was cute. He takes the book off the table. It was heavier than he thought. 

The pages you pointed to had several small figure sketches of what he assumed were them in various places and poses. Each aspect in a different color. Some yellow, some blue. Some with spots that were erased over and over again, the paper pilling and buckling. He thinks back to that note you had left on the door. The words you had scribbled over. Did you even realize what Viktor had called you that night in your studio? Did Viktor? His thumb brushes over a more detailed drawing. He can see the lines of his fingerprint left on the paper, graphite dust darkening the page just a hair. It was of him and Viktor, the gear set between them. A cup of tea? Some flowers he couldn’t identify by the scale of the drawing but you had drawn out words and arrows explaining their meaning, color choices you wanted to do. Day and night in the same drawing, lighting them differently. You had redrawn this one the most, several smaller iterations of it spread across the bottom with different blurbs of color and text. 

“Jayce? Any opinions?” He looks down at you past the book. Your leg was bouncing impatiently. Nervously.

“Still looking. You have a lot of stuff here.” He goes to turn the pages at that, to see what else is weighing the pages down. But you stop him, shooting up from your seat. 

“No turning!” He’s shocked at your outburst initially. And then some teasing feeling pulls at the back of his neck, he wants to play. Like a dog being told to come back inside after running around and evading capture. 

“And why not? What other ideas do you have hidden in here?” You’re not taking the bait just yet. Still stood at your chair, eyes wide. Flustered.

“Some things are meant to be private.” You put a hand out, fingers reaching towards him. He almost lets you grab it. Almost. Jayce pulls it back. He’s inclining his head towards you now. A grin plastered across his face. He wouldn’t actually sift through it if you didn’t want him to. And he can tell that you know that when you see his smile. Your shoulders relax when you start walking out from behind your table. 

“Something juicy in here then. Viktor, do you want to see?”  

“Nothing juicy, just private!” You laugh this time when you swipe for it and he moves it out of reach again. 

“Did you know that Jayce signs all of his notes? Every single page.” Viktor is watching the two of you jump around like children with a content look on his face. He’d been looking since Jayce had asked if you were distracted. Seen you blush. Seen you offer him your sketchbook. 

“Viktor!” Jayce looks at him, embarrassment making him freeze. That’s when you can snatch your prize away from him. “Hey! You two are no fun.” He gives a soft-chuckle before saying, “I guess I lost this time.” 

“I am fun. And we are supposed to be working.” Viktor is giving him a pointed look while holding his own book of ramblings up. “Play another time.” Movement catches his eye, it’s you walking towards him.

“Thank you. Maybe you can help me pick a layout since someone can’t keep their hands to themselves.” Jayce laughs again, quick and joking apologies as he trails behind you. You show Viktor the spread that Jayce had been looking at. He gives it a onceover. He doesn’t know a lot about art and does not pretend to. He appreciates this glimpse into your process however. Something does catch his eye, a dark thumbprint pulled from a drawing. Larger than yours. Jayce’s. 

“Eh. You will figure it out. Maybe it is there already. Maybe it is not. But I do like this one.” He taps his own pencil to the drawing.

“Hmm.” You’re pouting. Like you did not know if you liked his answer or not. His eyes are drawn to how full they looked when you purse them that way. Then to Jayce, who is watching him watch you. 

“Anything else in there you want to share? We’d be better help if we saw more options.” Jayce’s hands slowly sneaking over your shoulder.

“Nice try.” You’re heading back to your seat. Jayce takes his usual post behind Viktor, quiet laughter still shaking his shoulders. 

“You are incorrigible. Let us all work in peace, please.” You don’t answer him verbally, but he hears you flip through your sketchbook and start scribbling. Jayce, however, leans down to his ear. Breath tickling the shell when he whispers something you can’t hear. Words warmed by that last of his laughter.

“Not sure how she wants us both?” It gets him a slap on his shoulder before Viktor taps the book on the table. 

“Work in peace Jayce.” The words leave him in a hissed whisper of their own.

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-------------.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙-Part 12-.-Part 14.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .---------------

------------‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙· Master Fic List *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊--------------

[thefugitivesaint]

Wilhelm von Kaulbach (1805-1874), ''The Heroic Life and Exploits of Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer: An Old German Story'' by Guido Görres, 1848 Source

[iamhotgirlblog]

I want live sex come Join Now👈

[the-evil-clergyman]

Illustrations from Undine by Arthur Rackham (1909)

[holocrone]

Böse Hexen gibt es nicht!

BIBI BLOCKSBERG (2002) dir. Hermine Huntgeburth

[official-german-gaming]

Hey warum heißt der so

[illustratus]

"The ring upon thy hand - ...ah, be implored! For Wotan fling it away!" Brünnhilde is visited by her Valkyrie sister Waltraute by Arthur Rackham

[lionofchaeronea]

The Grail Castle, Hans Thoma, 1899