#darkness when she had vanir on

[soukokumychildren]

As you can see me and my father were busy (re-)watching Konosuba and I plucked my favorite characters from the anime and decided to draw em (I'll maybe draw Wiz later...we'll see)

[komotionlessqueenmm]

freya learning she is a grandmother. (Baldur daughter)

I included before and after scenarios of Baldur and Freyas falling out, because I couldn't resist lol.

Headcanon/Preference # 16

Picture NOT mine.

| Before the falling out |

• So if this happens before she casts her spell to protect her son...

• She will make an even worse mistake.

• You're so little and frail, so sweet and beautiful. A true gem to the realms, and the fruit of Baldurs light.

• So in order to protect you, she impulsively casts the spell over you instead of her son.

• She was ecstatic to be a grandmother, and to care for you whenever you're father would allow her to.

• She thought she was doing a good thing by casting her protection spell over you.

• But when she comes to realize the repercussions of her actions... The side affects the spell had on you.

• She felt horrible, and tried her best to keep it from Baldur, fearing he would keep you from her.

• That didn't last long, he knew you so well already, and the moment he realized you no longer cared to eat anything, though the lack of nourishment never seemed to harm you.

• And you no longer reacted when he blew raspberries onto your pudgy little tummy, something that used to put you into a fit of giggles so strong you often spit up a bit.

• He immediately sought out healers to make sure you were not ill.

• And when he learned it was magic... Vanir magic... He immediately turned to his mother, accusing her of all sorts of horrible things.

• She tried to defend herself, and tried to make him understand that she was only trying to protect you.

• But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

• In Baldur's eyes, she had betrayed him in the worst possible way, she had cursed his child, his only child.

• He would never forgive her for this, and if he were strong enough, he'd have killed her for it.

• Baldur's light grew dark, but never against you, his little shining star.

• And he swore that no matter what it took, he'd find a way to reverse this, even if that meant traveling to unknown worlds.

• Even if he had to fight dragons, trolls, giants, or ogres with his bare hands, or even burn worlds to ash and ruin, he'd find a way.

• You were still a babe when she was cast out, and you don't actually remember her, but you do remember the lullaby she used to hum to you.

| After the falling out |

• She never knew about you until Atreus mentioned the young god/goddess traveling with Baldur.

• She tried to subtly ask Atreus about you, and with how close he describes your relationship, she initially assumes you're a lover.

• Desperate to know more she scours Midgard for more answers, and is astonished to find you are in fact Baldur's child.

• She's hurt that she was never told about your birth, or that she was there to watch you grow.

• She's also honestly surprised Odin didn't rub the news in her face, considering everything else he's done to her.

• Now that she knows about you, she's desperate to meet you. Even so desperate to go to Mímir for advice on how she could cross paths with you.

• And eventually that time comes, and you meet her while scouting for your father. Which is probably ideal considering he'd freak out if he knew.

• You're admittedly confused when this strange woman begins talking to you as if she'd known you your whole life.

• "Look at how beautiful you've become." She beamed. "You have your father's eyes." Her own eyes glossed over.

• "Do I know you?" You questioned, your hand placed on the hilt of your sword, unsure if you could trust this woman.

• She notices your unease, and hold her hands up a little to show you she means no harm. "I'm afraid not, but I know you."

• "Who are you?" You demanded with a growing fire in your eyes, it's then she realizes you've inherited not only your father's rage and distrust, but his father's as well.

• "I am your grandmother Freya." She explains with a sad smile, wishing she could embrace you in a warm and reassuring hug.

• You scowl in return. "You're the reason my father suffers." You hiss with venom, and she wondered for a moment if you'd kill her for it.

• She bowed her head in shame, you'd probably never understand her side of the story, as your father had clearly ingrained his side into your mind.

• "You better hope father doesn't find you. He intends on killing you if he ever does." You warned before stalking away, vanishing before she could stop you.

• She felt even worse now, than she had when she first found out about you.

• Because now she had met you, and she knew you cared not for her, you didn't sympathize with her.

• You merely pitted her, and that hurt so much more, than if you had outright hatted her.

[ravenloop]

Hey! I was wondering if I could request for GoW Freyr? Something like the reader is a witch whom Kratos and Atreus rescued from freezing at the start of Fimbulwinter, and she joins them on their journey — and when they travel to Vanaheim, she meets Freyr, who is quickly smitten with her?

—Admiration and Much More—

Pairing: Freyr x Female!Witch!Reader

[Picture not mine]

AN: WRITERS BLOCK IS A TERRIBLE THING FOLKS! But I'll trying to push out requests every week now. Enjoyyyy! <33

—————————————

Travelling to Vanaheim was something you always longed to do, hearing stories about the realm... Sadly realm travel to it hadn't been an option for a long time.

That was until you met Kratos, and his wonderful son Atreus. When you had so idiotically went out during Fimbulwinter for too long, a blizzard making you lose your way home... Until they found you, and took you in (not without Atreus begging his father a little) Which now brought you here. To the realm you've been anticipating to visit for so long.

Vanaheim.

You also got to meet Freya's brother: Freyr. Or Yngvi as she calls him. The god and his little group of loyal followers weren't so welcoming of you at first, all of you. But you tried not to hold it against them, you cannot imagine what it would be like to live such a life in hiding, knowing the very people who called for "peace" betrayed you.

They were scared to trust again, but Freya's assurance of the alliance she had made with Kratos seemed to lighten things up. Thankfully.

All that brought you up to here, tending a wound of Birgir. There was a recent run-in with a group of Einherjar soldiers. Everyone got out alive but not without a few casualties.

"There. All done." You offered a smile to the large man. He gave his own kind one back, bowing his head slightly as he left.

"Well, Realms be damned. If I knew you were this good of a healer I would have probably begged you to join my group." Freyr appeared next to you, his usual smug smile on his face.

The presence of the god was a little surprising, but you chuckled, "Would you?... I'm honoured to know my witchcraft managed to gain the attention of a Vanir god... So much."

Whilst you busied yourself with a bowl of herbs, Freyr shrugged. "Well, I mean—I'm just speaking the truth. From what I've seen so far, you're a really great uh... Witch. Ally. I would dare to say... Aesir-ass-kicking companion, even?" He asked, raising a brow with a smile.

Shaking your head amusedly, you replied, "What about friend? Or does... 'Aesir-ass-kicking companion' fall under that category?"

You started walking. Freyr looked at you, as if the word 'friend' was almost offensive. "Uhh... Yeah, sure. Friend? Hah! Friend." He followed you as you walked around the camp.

As you continued to work, he watched you closely. His gaze taking you in, before lingering on the torn section of your clothing, where a wound had been. Now ow a dark scar took its place. "I'd uh..." He cleared his throat, leaning against a pillar, "I'd like to apologise for that too. Hope there's... No hard feelings." He chuckled lightly.

Finally you looked at him. Following his gaze, you looked at the scar on your arm where a gash had been. "It's fine, really. I don't think either of us expected to see each other." There was an amused tone in your voice as you smiled at him. The memory of Freyr attacking you coming back. Though when he saw your face, and soon came to know you were allies with his sister—he froze up almost.

"Oh trust me... I really didn't expect you." Pushing himself off the pillar, he walked around as you continued working—probably on some healing drink he imagined. "But hey! That turned out to be a good thing." He stopped again, looking at you, "Didn't it?"

Your eyes met his dark gaze. By the Realms, you were something else.

"I guess it did." You approached him slowly. He crossed his arms, leaning back. Calmly.

"Freyr?..." You called his name. He looked at you, "Yeah?" He asked in a normal voice.

You placed a hand on his shoulder and he felt his heart speed up. He watched your face intently as you gave him a small smile, your brows raising.

"You're um... Kinda standing in front of the herb shelf. And I need a few things from there—"

He blinked, turning around to see he was, indeed, standing in front of the herb shelf. "Oh."

—————

"He's actin' stupider than normal... Ya know what I'm thinking, dont'cha?" Brok said.

Kratos grunted lowly as they watched you and Freyr speak, "Do not tell me."

"Why don't I tell you in song form? Cause there's this beautiful song of love I've heard before!"

Mimir cleared his throat, "Oooh—"

"Quiet."

—————————————

AN: This entire thing was really just Freyr getting friendzoned by the reader- BUT HOPED YOU ENJOYED! (And big apologies for the long wait)

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Good morning, if it is possible, I would like a request for Thor.

Where as a child Thor disappeared from Asgard on a hunt, he somehow finds himself in a giant, dense forest in unknown lands.Searching for a high area among the trees, he saw a cabin and thought that perhaps there was someone who would show him the way back to Asgard. As he got closer, something or someone followed him through the bushes, and he turned out to be a girl with hair full of leaves and twigs, who was accompanied by a wolf.

She takes Thor home and gives him something to eat, before the two try to remove all the things in the girl's hair.After that the girl's father arrives with a large number of wolves following him, and it is the father who tells Thor that they are in Vanaheim. Being that the father is a former Aesir soldier who married a Vanir, which she died giving birth to her daughter.

Making a long story short, the father takes Thor the next day to a larger Vanir village where there are Aesir soldiers and they take Thor back home. (Odin is furious and anguished, because Thor had been missing for weeks)

Years go by and Thor, now an adult (and after the Ragnarok tournament), is reunited with the girl from the forest, now a woman.

The girl had arrived at Odin's castle with a great thousand-year-old deer alive and tied, since the Father of Asgard promised a reward that he himself would deliver to whoever caught one of these beings. Needless to say, everyone in the room with Odin was surprised to see this young woman carrying the great animal on her shoulders, followed by almost a whole pack of wolves.

The reward she wanted was a large amount of iron, since the nearby town she was in had no way to safely get iron for use in tools.

(this came to my mind after watching God of War gameplays, I really love the vibe of the god of war being a hermit dad, and the son with the same lonely vibe)

-Thor, only a child, inquisitive and curious about the world around him, caused his father to go gray early on, as he had disappeared so many times and Odin couldn’t find him.

-One such instance of this, was when Thor was only 6, having wondered off again and somehow found himself in a deep, lush forest.

-Thor, not realizing that he was lost, was amazed, this forest was so unlike anything he had seen around Valhalla, and he spent hours exploring this new terrain.

-It was hours later before Thor started to feel scared, the forest got darker, denser, less light coming through the treetops, leaving the child in almost pitch-black darkness.

-A tiny speck of light caught his eye, and he began traveling towards it, hoping that it was something that would help him get back home to his father.

-As he got closer, he could smell smoke, wood was burning, fire meant people, that’s what he was taught.

-A twig nearby snapped in two and Thor froze, fear grabbing hold of him as he looked around, swallowing hard. He could hear footsteps, soft and agile, fear bubbled up in his belly, thinking it was something dangerous.

-A growl of a beast made Thor’s heart leap to his chest, and he turned sharply and froze, seeing a little girl peeking out from the bushes, a wolf’s head poking out beside her.

-The three were still for only a moment before Thor spoke, “Do you know- can you help me?”

-You exited, twigs and leaves now in your hair and the wolf shook it’s body free of it’s own twigs and leaves, standing beside you as you smiled softly up at him, curious to see another child, someone your own age.

-You took his hand and dragged him behind you, pulling him towards the light, which he quickly found to be a cabin, deep within these woods.

-The cabin was warm and homey feeling, you brought him inside and shoved him towards the table, where he took a seat, and you brought him a bread roll and some berries.

-The door opened a while later, while you and Thor were talking, asking each other questions while freeing your hair from foliage, revealing a large man and Thor could see a small pack of wolves behind him, about six or so, seven with the one that was laying beside him.

-Your father froze, seeing this new child in his home, before he calmed, kneeling down as Thor stood, bowing his head politely, introducing himself.

-Your father was surprised, knowing who Thor was and spoke, after sitting, the wolves coming to sit around you three as well, many of them inspecting the new face, “You are in Vanaheim, young Thor. I’m not sure how you wandered all the way here from Valhalla, but I can help you get home.”

-Thor nodded, listening to his words, his eyes wide as he told you both stories of when he was a Aesir soldier, as it was too late to do anything tonight, assuring Thor he would take him to a nearby village where other Aesir soldiers were, ones who would take Thor home to Valhalla.

-You asked your papa to tell you more stories of your mother, which made him smile softly, telling you both how she was a Vanir, and so beautiful and mysterious.

-Thor looked around for your mother, wanting to meet her, something your father noticed and offered him a small smile, “She’s gone, young prince. She chose to give her life to bring Y/N into the world.”

-Thor nodded softly before he prepared a bed for Thor and ushered you both to bed.

-Your papa took you both to the nearby village the next morning, where the soldiers were happy to assist in returning Thor home to Odin.

-You and Thor waved goodbye to each other, and you thought that was the last you would ever see of each other.

-Twenty years had passed, Thor barely remembered the girl with wolves and leaves in her hair and you barely remembered the young boy with bright red hair.

-A solider ran in to Odin’s hall, “My lord! A maiden has done it!” his words offered very little clarification and Odin went to speak when the doors opened and eyes went wide all around, seeing a forest maiden, surrounded by twenty wolves of varying shades and sizes, carrying a massive deer over her shoulders.

-The deer was alive but bound and eyes went wide, seeing that it was a Great Thousand-Year-Old Deer, caught by this petite little maiden.

-Thor’s eyes widened, seeing you there, memories came rushing back to him as he saw your F/C eyes, there was no forgetting those.

-Odin was stunned, seeing you set the deer down, as he had promised anything to any who had managed to catch one of these legendary deer, and you did and brought it back alive to him.

-Odin smiled softly down at you, impressed that you managed such a feet while your wolves all sat behind you in what almost looked to be a formation, sitting in neat lines.

-Your reward, after asked, was a large amount of iron, as your village had no way of getting iron to make tools and weapons easily. Your request was granted easily and Odin, appreciating that you used your reward to not only help yourself, but others, asked you and your wolves to stay for dinner.

-You accepted and you were treated to a mighty feast and party, it was almost overwhelming.

-Thor joined you at your able and you couldn’t help but grin across the table, “I told you that you would get taller!” he boomed with laughter, stunning many around you, as you had teased him a bit when you were children, as you were taller than him at the time, that he would get tall one day.

-His smile widened, reaching across to take a leaf out of your hair, “And you still have leaves everywhere.” The two of your shared a grin, hitting your mugs of ale together in a toast and enjoyed the festivities.

-When you went home with your iron, Odin approached his son with a curious look, one that Thor saw easily, “That girl was the one who found me when I would up in Vanaheim all those years ago, after I got lost in the forest.” Odin nodded softly, remembering that day well, there had been a lot of panic.

-Odin couldn’t help but smile when he learned that Thor went down to Vanaheim again, to see you once more. He had a feeling Thor would be gone more often, but he wasn’t bothered.

[gaaralover55]

Shuumatsu no Valkyrie/MCU crossover: part 2

Spoilers: In this crossover, a few things are different

First. It's not Odin who is trying to summon the primordial god. It's his crazy younger brothers, Vili and Vé who is trying to do it.

And they both look identical to Odin. The only difference is they are more emotinal and still have two eyes. Unlike their older brother.

The one who was closed to fatally wounding Buddha and Beelzebub was Vili, the middle brother who had disguised himself as Odin

And Thor saw through his facade and was NOT happy.

And if you wonder where the real Odin was when it happened. He was doing it with his wife and the Goddess of Sky Frigg in the hall of the arena. So he missed Apollo winning and the meeting.

Inspired by @greeneyedsigma sexy fanfic!

And the Loki Brunhilde meet at the hall's of the arena was not Loki.

No! It was Logi. The representation of fire, who is also the twin brother of Loki and also madly in love with Brunhilde.

The different between Loki and Logi is their hair colors. While Loki and his sons (Narfi and Vali) has emerald green hair. Logi has flaming red hair that dances like a living flame.

The children of Odin and Frigg are Thor, Saga, Bragi, Baldur/Hodr, Vidarr, Vali and Brunhilde.

Loki is the blood nephew of Odin. Thanks to a blood pact that his mother Farbauti did with Odin.

Mimir is the uncle of Odin, Vili and Vé

The children of Njord are Freya and Frey.

Back to ideas for the story

The SnV norse Gods and goddesses are threats. They are deities that holds back most of their power when they are in the presence of mortals. And this will make the Avengers, SHIELD and MCU Asgardians understimate them.

SnV Odin openly mocks MCU Odin for his cowardice. For hiding Asgards dark history from himself to make himself look good in the pepole's eyes. And because of his foolish choice. Everyone in Asgard has grown Naive and spoiled.

The only ones who noticed this is the Snv gods/goddesses and the Avengers (who kind of understand what SnV Odin means) But the MCU Asgardians (except MCU Frigga and Loki) is Ignorant to it and MCU Thor tries to make the mood better with his horrible jokes.

Especially after they had seen the mural that appeard in "Thor: Ragnarok" where they make the MCU Asgardians look like saints

And No one stops SnV Odin. Because he is actually right. All of them thinks MCU Odin is a hypocritical coward for hiding this!

And SnV Odin has been very opened about the creation of their Asgard. And it's not a pretty story

SnV Thor (who had during this time spent his time with his family and bestie (who is Tyr) starts to worry about his MCU counterpart.

He dosen't like how these mortals (Avengers) are treating his younger blonde counterpart. As if he was an naive child and it made SnV Thor even more worried when he saw MCU Thor didn't get it. He is suppose to be the protector of the nine realms! Not a lumbering fool!

And he didn't like either how MCU Thor acts when he is around mortals. Because it's not sociable acceptable.

Because if he acted like his MCU counterpart did. He would not just humiliate himself. He would humiliate his children, his wife and family.

And his parents (Odin and Frigg) would kick his ass.

He will get even more pissed when he meets Jane.

SnV Sif HATES this mortal. She thinks Jane is an arrogant, knowing all and just annoying woman. And she can't understand what her husband's foolish counterpart saw in her.

The SnV Aesirs and Vanirs can't stand Tony, Jane, Darcy and Dr Selvig. Because they try to magic can be explain through science. Which they can't!

At first. The SnV Aesirs and Vanirs at first started to respect these mortals (The Avengers/SHIELD) and their false gods counterparts ( The MCU Asgardians and Vanirs) because of their will to fight. Even at the risk of their lives.

But that all fell apart when the mortals and false gods started to disrespect them! First at their culture, and then acting arrogantly as if they could take them all down with their technology.

The Avengers and SHIELD are starting to fear the misplaced gods. While they still don't accept they are deities. They starting to make plans to take down the SnV norse gods if they are going to attack earth.

Because they succeded to take down MCU Loki. So how hard would be to take down there counterparts

All of the misplaced gods were offended by this! Even SnV Loki who was laughing like a mad man when he hears this!

He is laughing because these foolish mortals belive they can take down HIM! Loki! The God of mischief! And that they dare to compare him to his weaker and naive counterpart. How foolish.

Meanwhile. SnV Heimdall is in a custody battle against his own counterpart. He wants to take over as parent for Astrid. No I mean "Axl".

And also give the boy a new name!

More will come and would love to hear your ideas!

[goldlightwriting]

What if the sisters had their own sacred weapons?

You know, it always kind of bugged me that in Fire Emblem Fates, only the brothers of each faction got sacred weapons. I know that the Yato only has four notches to hold each weapon's power-up, but that honestly feels like a lazy excuse. Just give it four notches on each side of the blade, so you get one side filled up in Birthright, one side in Conquest, and both sides in Revelations.

So, with that in mind, I decided to make four new weapons for each side to use, and even wrote little bios for each of them.

Nohr

Siegfried (Sword) One of the eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Prince Xander. Siegfried commands the power of shadow, and is capable of launching beams of pure darkness upon its wielder's enemies.

Brynhildr (Tome) One of the eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Prince Leo. Brynhildr can conjure the power of the forest, robbing foes of their vitality and granting it instead to the wielder.

Skrymir (Axe) One of the eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Princess Camilla. Skrymir can shake the very earth, causing magma to erupt upon the wielder's foes.

Hildisvini (Staff) One of the eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Princess Elise. Hildisvini can summon a sacred mist that heals a group of allies and its wielder.

Hoshido

Raijinto (Katana) One of the eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Prince Ryoma. The Raijinto harnesses the power of storms and can call down bolts of lightning upon the wielder's foes.

Fujin Yumi (Yumi) One of the Eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Prince Takami. The Fujin Yumi is blessed by the power of gales, and can fire arrows of piercing wind at the wielder's enemies.

Omikaminata (Naginata) One of the Eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Princess Hinoki. The Omikaminata can unleash projectiles of sacred light when swung at its wielder's enemies.

Benten Scroll (Scroll) One of the Eight Prismatic Weapons created by the Rainbow Sage, wielded by Princess Sakura. The Benten Scroll channels the power of ink to strike the user's foes, dealing minor damage but significantly sapping their strength.

Vala

Yato A sacred sword crafted long ago by the Rainbow Sage, with the aid of Anankos. The Yato was designed to wield the might of primordial fire, but its power was drained long ago when it proved too devastating for mere mortals to handle. Only with the aid of the other Prismatic Weapons can its true glory be restored. Currently it is wielded by Prince/Princess Corrin.

Vanir Spear A sacred spear created long ago by Anankos, to be passed down by the Vallite Royal Family. The Vanir Spear draws upon the power of the Sacred Sea, from which it is said all life in this world once emerged... Presently, it is held by Princess Azura, who uses its power to shield herself from harm.

Additional Notes

Okay so you might have noticed some things while reading this. I'll be honest: I didn't initially plan to to start making lore changes or even alterations to characters' classes, but... Well, I started having ideas in the process of making this post, so allow to briefly explain some things.

I tweaked Brynhildr a bit so that it specifically uses plant magic. It always bugged me in the original how the tome just has a bunch of different elements/powers attached to it, including earth, gravity and "life." So yeah, I changed it to just plants since it only hits the enemies with trees in battle.

I was a little bit torn about what to do with Sakura, to be honest. I know she's more of a healer than a mage, so making her special weapon a scroll instead of a staff/rod might be a touch controversial. That said, I think giving her a scroll that debuffs enemies still fits her as a support unit. I based this one off of the Ink Painting Scroll, which already has ties to the Rainbow Sage anyway.

I thought it would be cool to give Azura her own special weapon, rather than just having her wield a Blessed Spear. It sort makes sense for her to have a Blessed Spear to oppose the Faceless, sure, but... I think a weapon that raises defense/evasion makes more sense for a Dancer Class. Just stick a blue gemstone in it and the Vanir Spear can replace her magic water pendant.

Anyways, maybe I'll do a follow-up post later on regarding some idea for potential plot changes to Fates. Until then, Stay Bright.

[ryebread-x]

Frigg’s Handmaidens Pt 1/4

Pt 2

Pt 3

Pt 4

I decided I’ll be splitting up my interpretations for Frigg’s handmaiden up into 4 post(three designs per post) + some head-canons I have for each of the goddesses.

Brief mythology lesson: The 12 handmaidens of Frigg are minor Asynjur (goddesses) in Norse mythology. Sometimes there are only 11 but I’m including Saga in this series. There was some info so I based my headcanons and designs off the info I was able to find plus just some my own personal/universal fan headcanons as well. This post will contain my interpretations of Sjofn , Gefjon, and Lofn.

General headcanons :

-Sjofn,Gefjon,and Lofn are all sisters and daughters of Freyja(since they all goddesses of forms of love/relationships) and the sons of Ivaldi

-This makes all three of them actually Vanir

-That being said they are also the nieces of Sigyn and Idunn

-Sjofn is the eldest, Gefjon is the middle child, and Lofn is the youngest

-They also have two younger half sisters Hnoss and Gersemi

Sjofn (Godess of Romance, Affection and Love)

General info: Sjofn is like a Norse Cupid she pushes people to meet and fall in love. Eventually joining them in marriage. She one Frigga’s handmaidens in Gylfaginning and is described as being the one who “directs people’s mind to love both men and women”

Personal headcanons:

-Sjofn main color is dark blue since in some cases it can be associated with love

-I made her look the most like Freyja since thier both associated with Love

-I also headcanon Sjofn as asexual-panromantic since she more associated with the idea of Romantic relationships then sexual ones and probably would have no preference when it comes to a romantic relationship

-Sjofn has had a few romances but she doesn’t disclose much information about them to others

-Sjofn is deeply protective of those she cares about especially her sisters,family,and Frigg and Fulla

-She was the second handmaiden to find out about Frigg’s and Fulla relationship

Gefjon (Goddess of Unmarried Women)

General info: Gefjon or Gefjun is associated with being a virgin goddess and those who die virgins become her handmaidens. One common myth she is in is from both Gylfaginning and Heimskringla . The myth goes that she disguised herself as a wanderer and gifted King Gylfi some oxen which were actually her sons she had with a giant. Which ended plowing the land so deep it became the Lake Malaren (also known as Logrinn). In Heimskringla she is also said to have married one of Odin’s sons, Skjold. In Snorri, she is accused of being the one the slept with all the gods instead of Freyja. She popularized in both Denmark and Sweden.

Headcanons:

-My interpretation of Gefjon is based off a traditional groom and she wears many wedding rings on her fingers

-The rings being symbolic of the relationship she has with her handmaidens

-I headcanon her as Sapphic and Polyamorous since while she has had relationships with men she’s mainly attracted to women and is in a relationship with several of her handmaidens

-Gefjon visit her oxen sons sometimes and does care for them despite the fact she gave them away

-Gefjon is close friends with Loki and Skjold

-Gefjon doesn’t really get along with her mother or her sisters expect Lofn

Lofn(Goddess of Forrbidden Love)

General information: Lofn is the goddess of Forbidden Love. According to Snorri her kenning are “the comforter” and “loving”. Lofn is credited as the arranger of marriages even if they are forbidden. She often described as a gentler goddess.

Headcanons:

-Lofn looks the least like her mother and sisters

-She’s loosely based off a squirrel

-Her color palette is pink since she is a love associated goddess but her pupil is a broken heart due to her being the goddess of Forbidden Love

-Lofn powers allow her to detect forbidden love and she was the first to find out about Fulla and Frigg’s relationship.

-Lofn is more the quieter one of the goddesses and doesn’t speak much

-She comforts those whose relationships have failed or ended in tragedy

-I headcanon Lofn as being Bi-Demiromantic mainly after seeing so many relationships that are forbidden end in possible tragedy she not ready to rush into a relationship just yet till she become close with someone and feels as if she can form a relationship with them romantically

-Lofn is closest with her Aunt Idunn and her sister Sjofn

[iheartgod175]

Limelight on These Legendary Adventurers! Retrospective

AKA the post where I yell about two of my favorite characters in KonoSuba and how much I loved this event!

SPOILER ALERT: Contains spoilers for the Dust spin-off.

So, uh…yeah. Part of the reason I wasn’t on Tumblr for much of the first part of the year is because I was busy playing KonoSuba Fantastic Days like mad, because the characters featured in this month’s Legendary Fest were Dust and Rin!

I started out playing this game with very little knowledge of it—my brother watched the anime, but I didn’t aside from some clips—and thought it was pretty cool. Less grindy than Revue Starlight and Princess Connect, generous in terms of rewards and power creep isn’t nearly as bad as those two games. As such, I left it as a strictly F2P game—no money is poured into it whatsoever. When I did my first pulls, I kinda wanted Darkness because I liked her the best out of Kazuma’s party, as well as maybe Kazuma. The two initial URs I ended up getting, though? Initial Dust and Rin, which carried me through the first part of the game until I got better cards.

(And that ended up being a blessing in disguise since I read later on that both Kazuma and Darkness’ initial cards SUCKED).

And over time, as I started playing more, I really ended up liking both of their characters. Rin is the most levelheaded and chill adventurer thus far, and is in general a no-nonsense, but sweet girl. Dust, meanwhile, is a street punk who’s more perverted than Kazuma, gambles his money away and literally lives in jail, often depending on Rin to bail him out, but is a fairly competent adventurer when he puts his mind to it and, despite his chaotic gremlin energy, does have a good side (mostly seen in the light novels). These two are often seen bantering and bickering majority of the time they’re in the same room, but they make a good team. And while I like Kazuma’s party as well as other characters in the series (Amy, Melissa, Darkness, Megumin, Chris, Yunyun, Iris, and Mitsurugi to name a few), these two are probably my top tier characters. So I ended up trying to collect most of their cards, though I’ve mostly succeeded on collecting Dust. The dude loves me so much that he’s spooked several of my pulls, lol.

Later digging into the series not only led to me learning that there was a spinoff focused on Dust, but within that spin off, it turns out that there are some unresolved tensions between them?? The event references some of that spinoff, too?? And both units are pretty busted in game?? You know I had to go all in on this event. I usually don’t save my gems, but I spent months saving up for Dust and Rin (even though I lost 15K gems on Forbidden Adventurer Aqua) because I really wanted both of them. Sadly, I was unable to pull Rin, while I got INSANELY lucky with Dust, pulling him three times, with the last one being when he was already limit broken. 😡 Ah, well. Maybe when they release the gacha for the featured Wind element, I’ll be able to finally add Rin. In the meantime I will be happy with my boy Dust.

LOOK AT HOW COOL HE IS

*ahem*

As for the event story, I quite enjoyed it (read: fangirled over it) because it gives some insight to their dynamic, and has a wholesome ending, too.

Rin and Dust are recruited by Lolisa to raid a dungeon that she wants to give to Lord Vanir, and the succubus promises that she’ll let them have whatever’s inside as a reward. What’s inside turns out to be some old clothes that for some reason fit them perfectly, lol, but they take them regardless, namely due to the fact that the dungeon collapses after they defeat the monsters inside. Not long after that, they return to town, where to Rin’s surprise, Dust is hailed as hero. This is mostly due to the effects of his costume. And while he did warn Rin and Lolisa to escape, he does take advantage of his newfound fame and exaggerate some of the story. Which pisses Rin off, but there seems to be a deeper reason as to why she’s not keen on Dust’s status as an adventurer improving—a reason that’s quickly picked up on by Lolisa. This comes to a head when they fight a wyvern outside of the town, and they start arguing. When a dragon appears, they attempt to escape, only for Rin and Lolisa to get hit by the dragon’s tail. Dust decides to go all out on fighting the dragon by himself…

…at least, that’s what Rin thought before she blacked out. Turns out that he retreated while carrying the two of them, which results in him failing the quest and losing his improving reputation. This doesn’t bother Rin, though—in fact, she’s rather pleased and invites him for drinks. And thus, the event ends.

Now, within the series proper, these two are constantly bickering, but they do care for each other. While he’s not above making crass remarks about her, Dust will go out of his way to help her and make her happy. As for Rin, the game kinda supports that Rin does have feelings for Dust, from debating about whether to give him chocolate, to this particular event where she outright says that she can support him with her new powers…and immediately takes it back, LOL XD. They definitely have that “old married couple” dynamic, which even Iris picked up on, haha.

The light novels featuring him (which also features Rin and the rest of his party), however, kinda gives insight into how Dust feels about Rin—he mentions that she strongly resembles the princess that Dust protected at one point, although he later separated her from the princess and started to see her as her own person, noting that he was captivated by her, and that he can be himself around her rather than the strict, uptight knight he was before. They have a lot of cute moments in that spinoff, although things don’t go anywhere between them in the end sadly.

Between Dust’s antics and Rin having to keep him in line, though, things are pretty ambiguous between them. Plus, I think Dust is pretty obtuse to the idea that someone would be in love with him—Lolisa straight up had to tell him that Rin thinks the world of him, and he looked kinda freaked out by it. We didn’t get to know what his real thoughts were on it, or get a proper conversation between them, but at least he’s aware now and that counts as something!

If there’s a follow-up where Dust acknowledges this I will go absolutely insane. MAKE IT HAPPEN SESISOFT

I know a few folks won’t really support this ship. And I get it. But personally, I think it can go either way! I just love that for all the crap they talk about each other, they have each other’s backs.

Alright, I think that’s enough yelling for now. Thanks for reading my TED Talk, lol XD

[victoriousfidelity]

@emeraldxphoenix said: "By your side is where I'm meant to be." in case you didn't know. | accepting.

She smiles down at them as they lie with their head resting against her abdomen, her fingers idly toying with the end of one of the braids scattered through her husband's long, dark hair. But there's an uncertainty in her gaze that she knows they pick up on purely from the slight upward quirk of their eyebrows, and she sighs. Odin and his delegation's visit is imminent now, and while everything is in order on both practical and political levels, it is the personal aspect which gives Sigyn pause.

She's managed to maintain good diplomatic relations with Asgard for six years, now, in spite of avoiding allowing such visits to take place. Loki's peace of mind took precedence - will always take precedence - and she would never for a moment have even entertained the idea of inviting Odin to the very place she had brought them in order to keep them safe from him. So she's attended any events where the Allfather would likely be present without her husband at her side, and denied him invitations to Vanaheim.

Because she may be a Queen, but she is also a wife.

Loki thrives here, and she's been reluctant to do anything which would jeopardise that. But after a long stretch of time in which they and Frigga had exchanged letters, Sigyn had gently asked whether they'd like to invite their mother to visit - and thank the Norns for Frigga, because when she'd arrived in Vanaheim it was like she immediately, instinctively validated every single choice Loki has made.

It had been exactly what they had needed - what they'd both needed, if she was being honest with herself. She'd always adored the Allmother, and having her support again was nothing short of a relief. That visit, coupled with the fact that Loki is currently high in the Vanir court's favour after thwarting an assassination attempt against their Queen, is what prompted the invitation to be extended to the Asgardian delegation. But she's still nervous; still worried she's risking her family's happiness for the sake of her Realm, and struggling to reassure herself.

"I know that you mean that - and I love you for it... But are you certain?" Sigyn is trying to approach this delicately, not wanting to plant any additional doubts in their mind, or make them think that she doubts their ability to cope with seeing Odin again.

"Even if you are certain now, you can change your mind once they're here; you only have to do what you want to do. I will make your excuses, and I will not have a word said against you in my halls - nor will anyone else." Her hand moves away from their hair, fingertips gently tracing their cheek. "You are far more important than anything else, my love. You know that, don't you?"

[modern-inheritance]

Modern Inheritance Short: Bud Like You (Eldest, semi-canon)

(A/N: So, I've been listening to Eldest on audiobook and wanted to do a few short MIC bits from around that timeline. I rewrote a reunion scene with Glen that I might be posting later, but for now have this weird short of Arya and Glen embarrassing themselves due to a promise they made decades ago. And yes. I ripped off AJR. Because I just now found their music and I'm enjoying it. I imagine this was used a lot during the Squaddies time and it's a fun little ditty that some in the Varden still use.

Also, yes, that says semi-canon because I'm not entirely sure if this is just a bit of fun or if it's considered an actual thing these two did during Eragon and Saphira's time training. I've been trying to soften some stuff for MIC for some reason and just wanted some of Arya and Glenwing being dorks.)

~~~~

Bud Like You

“Way up, way up, way up to the sky!”

“Hey! Louder!”

Eragon looked up from relacing his boots at the sound of someone yelling, confused by the intrusion. Saphira swiveled her head, tracking the source of the noise before letting out a snort of amusement. Behind Vanir the group of younger elves pointed and began snickering amongst themselves, some shaking their heads in what appeared to be disgust. 

‘What is it?’ Saphira refused to answer him, only letting out one of her peculiar coughing laughs. He stood and dusted off his knees before turning to see what exactly was going on.

He couldn’t help his own half choked off laugh, utterly bewildered.

The silver haired elf Arya had been speaking with the night of the feast was jogging backwards, keeping just out of reach of the aforementioned elf woman. Who was skipping. And yelling what seemed to be a song verse or cadence with a dark scowl on her face. 

“Way up, way up, way up to the sky! When everybody here is sneaking in and getting high! Way up, way up, way up to the moon! Boy it’s good to know I got a bud like you! Boy it’s good to know I got a bud like you!”

Across from him, Vanir pinched the bridge of his nose. “This again?”

Eragon swallowed his laughter. “This happens often?”  

“It’s apparently some ritual they picked up from their time with the humans.” The sneer was evident in the young elf’s voice. “Some sort of punishment or other.”

“Push ups, come on!” Glenwing chirped, clapping his hands enthusiastically. Even from here Eragon could see the ecstatic smile on his face. 

“I’ll bloody make you dead for real!” Arya’s snapped retort held a biting edge that was undercut by a bubble of laughter. 

“I can always add another lap! Two hundred, let’s go!”

“Bite me! Way up, way up…”

It continued like this through Eragon’s sparring session and beyond. It was a full three hours before Glen allowed his commander to slow and stop. “Okay, enough. I think you got it.”

Arya flopped onto the ground, panting. It had been months since she actually exerted herself quite so much, not in the ways they had done during their early field days. The exercise was good. But the singing had been…well. As humiliating as it was supposed to be. That’s why they had made this little pact after all. Vans had wanted a way to make sure his ragtag group of youths and men were sharing everything with the medic, and of course the slippery Withal had just the thing to reenforce the order. 

“So, what did we remember?” Glen’s grinning face filled Arya’s vision from where she squinted up into the pines above. 

“That you’re here to support me.” Arya wheezed. “And I’m here to support you.”

“Aaaand?”

“That I’m lucky to have a friend that cares so much.” 

“Aaaaaaaand?”

“That I shouldn’t try and hide new medical notes from you.”

“Why?”

“Because you give a shit.”

“And?”

“Because it’s a good way to end up dead.”

“And why don’t we want that?”

“Because the last time that happened it caused a political shitstorm.” Arya bared her teeth in a feral smile, the stitch in her side easing. “And because I’m getting really tired of hearing everyone say ‘I thought you were dead’ whenever I show up.”

Glen grabbed his CO by the wrists and hauled her to her feet. “There you go!” He let her brush herself off. “Now it’s my turn.” 

“Damn right it is.” Arya clapped her hands and made a shooing motion. “Start skipping, dumbass.”

“Way up, way up…”

[liminalpebble]

The Refugee, Chapter 43

Masterlist link 

A/N: Hey folks! We're moving into the endgame chapters now. So much tension! I know. But I just wanted to take a moment to thank you so much for reading and commenting and liking this. It's such a journey but I've been lucky to have so much love and support and I hope I stick the landing over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

The battle against the Jotun raged outside the little town's gates. The archers (two of whom were Beatrice and Astrid) sent a hail of flaming arrows from the battlements down upon the frost giants who recoiled at the blazes. Beyond the gates, Thor and his forces fought side by side with his brother and Nadia's. The three rulers could mark each other across the field by the strikes of thunder and lightning, the golden blaze of the Vanir queen in her brilliant armor, or the slicing green daggers blazing through the air from Loki's fingertips.

Loki tried to focus on his combat but found himself distracted by a confused raging anger. How could he have been caught so unawares? How could he allow his attention to be so scattered by his mad love? He scolded himself for being a sentimental idiot when he should have been focusing on his enemy. He funneled this frustration through increasingly brutal strikes from his daggers and impaling swings of his razor sharp horns.

Without warning, every soldier on the battle field stilled abruptly, the the blizzard strengthened into an even thicker hazy wave of snow. It billowed over the battlegrounds and every allied troupe was frozen in place, aside from the three sovereigns. The blizzard subsided as a giant hologram of Laufey appeared over the battlefield. Every Jotun solider dropped to their knees under the image of their king. Nadia and Thor ran to meet Loki, directly in front of Laufey's towering form.

In a booming voice, the Jotun king addressed them. “Greetings, Your Majesties,” he said with a smirk, “I'm afraid our conversation must be brief, so I will come to the point. My dear prodigal son, I seem to have found something of yours.”  Laufey pulled Lenora to his side in the hologram, bound and gagged, but her dark eyes still peered out unobstructed.

Loki fought to maintain an indifferent glare as he addressed the king of Jotunheim. “Keep it, Laufey, and continue your futile battle. She's of no use to me at the moment.”

Laufey laughed tauntingly, “Oh Silvertongue, you cannot convince me so easily that this being has no value for you. In any case, I offer you a cessation of hostilities so we might talk, sovereign to sovereign, in a more civilized manner. Join me in Jotunheim and we shall come to an arrangement to end this war. Or you may simply send more bodies to scatter over this ground; a bloody testament to the greatness of my war. You have ten minutes to decided, which is exactly how long the soldiers will remain frozen and my troupes will remain on their knees to me. Discuss with your esteemed peers...”

Loki raised his voice but spoke in a calm, arrogant tone, as if he were simply giving a royal address to an adoring crowd. “No deliberation is necessary. Transport me now, Laufey.” Nadia and Thor looked to each other warily. “I'm bored with this tedious war and how long you have drawn it out unnecessarily with your sloppy tactics...and you do know how I tend to raise hell for everyone when I'm bored,” he said with a smug wink. “If you find this game as tedious as I do. We might as well end it quickly, yes?”

Laufey considered him with an uncertain skeptical glare and then said, “Very well.”  The hologram faded, Loki disappeared, and the battle suddenly raged again around Nadia and Thor, giving them no time to wonder what game Loki was playing at as the clash of hundreds of sword rang out around them.

---

After the brief meeting, Laufey himself accompanied Lea back to the cavern, teleporting there in a blaze of blue. Bound by the hex, she couldn't use her powers to know if Loki's cutting words were a ploy or the terrible truth. It had to be a scheme, she told herself, He had to be bluffing. He was lying, wasn't he? With all of her powers muzzled, she couldn't use her truth-seeking eyes to know. Would Loki know that she couldn't see if he was bluffing or not?

Lea tried to set her feelings aside and to think of what useful information she had. She realized as she stood with Laufey during his transmission in the throne room, that from above her dungeon pit the grate seemed solid and opaque. It was cleverly disguised as elaborate floor tiles to coax unwitting victims, like herself, to stand over it as the floor dropped away from under them. From underneath, she would be able to witness their negotiations, but Loki would not know she was there, hearing every word. With the gag in her mouth she would not be able to scream to him, announcing her presence. Would that even be a good idea? She was increasingly uncertain that he would be rushing in to save her like some damsel in distress. No, she thought. When it comes down to it, I'm on my own...as I've always been. I'm Morhari...we survive.

Laufey turned to her as she stood in the weak half-light. He roughly pushed her chin up to look him in the eyes as he spoke, gripping her jaw. “Hmm...what enchanting mournful eyes you have! What atrocities you must have witnessed in your short life for them to hold so much sorrow, poor girl. And now...yet another. It seems your king is all too content to dispose of you. That must sting terribly.” She scowled at him. “But I'm no fool. He might have been dishonest about his apathy. He generally is lying, after all. However, you can't deny how he's harmed you, little one. Wouldn't you rather serve a king who would value you rather than abuse you so? ”

He stroked her cheek then removed the gag so she could answer. “I would rather die than be a slave to another greedy sadistic king who promises kindness, or be trapped in one more dungeon, or hear more lies! I've had enough!”

He tied the gag around her mouth yet again, saying “Well, my dear, you can't say I never gave you the chance. You said you've had enough, but I'm afraid you'll have to endure a good deal more, very soon. After which, perhaps you'll change your mind.” Having said his peace, the Jotun King turned his back and vanished away, leaving her in a crushing, echoing darkness.

----

Laufey didn't move from his throne as Loki took his deliberate, easy steps down the flagstone of the aisle. The king only gestured his enormous cobalt hand in a mock-welcoming gesture. “Welcome home, my son.”

Loki twitched his head and raised an eyebrow. “Your son. What a strange thing to say to your abandoned bastard. You left me for dead, in case you forgot.”

“Jotun young who are born too weak are left to the elements. After a time, they either become stronger by this test or perish from it. Apparently, you became stronger. This pleases me.”

“Oh how very touching, but you'll understand if I don't give a damn about your delayed approval. My empire, created from nothing and built to greatness, is just as powerful as your lazily inherited kingdom. So, now you're lashing out, raging an annoying pointless war because you finally realize that you are inferior to your own discarded runt. Messy work, Laufey. I'm disappointed.”

Laufey grimaced, unable to hide that Loki had a hit a substantial nerve of truth. The best liars always do. He wanted to strangle that shit-eating grin off of his weaselly face, but he couldn't...although he could and would make him suffer with the girl.

“Talk all you want, Loki. We both know nearly everything that comes from your mouth means nothing at all.”

“Then why am I here!” Loki said in a booming commanding voice.

“Because you are foolish enough to walk into a trap, lured haplessly by the puny girl who's made you so shamefully soft, so quickly.”

“I fail to see how I've been softened. She's useful and I've used her well, disciplined her into my service. She's certainly clever, I'll give you that, but the girl is not why I'm here, Laufey. Keep her if you'd like, she's served her purpose well enough. Her popularity has gained me favor and power among the subjects, and her loss would only galvanize them into retaliation against the Jotun who took her from them. What have I to lose? I'm here to negotiate your terms of surrender...as a courtesy. You've been burning out your own resources keeping this pointless war going. We both know you can't go on like this, so now you seek to strike a bargain, under the guise of having me in your clutches. I have to hand it to you, dear old dad, you've hidden your motivations well, but I'm not an easy god to deceive or surprise.”

“You would do well to prepare yourself for the unexpected.”

“Oh?” inquired Loki, eyebrows peaking with genuine interest.

“I require an heir.”

Loki's wide, wicked grin plastered itself to his face. “Ohhhh. This is rich! How it must burn you to come begging to the one you left for dead. Doesn't the great Laufey have his own family of brats to inherit his frozen wasteland?”

Laufey growled, “No. I have no heirs, but you have proven yourself worthy enough to be mine. In the beginning, I waged this war to defeat you, but after our little Morhari friend failed to kill you for me, I realized how very cruel and cunning you could be. Your revenge on her was unabashed in its subtle ruthlessness! It gave me assurance that you could yet be a strong and worthy successor.”

“And how did you know about that?” asked Loki, this time genuinely surprised.

Laufey smiled, “You would do well not to underestimate the Heksejotun and their powers of sight. The girl certainly had the good sense not to.”

Loki only nodded. He wasn't wrong.

“I decided instead to continue this war as a test of your prowess, cunning, and might. So far, I have not been disappointed by your heartlessness or cunning. My heir must rule with an iron fist.

“Oh, I'm flattered,” Loki said, dripping with sarcasm, though his heart secretly glow with satisfaction to finally be called worthy by a father.

“This realm could be yours, after my death, however, I am concerned about your choice of empress. She will not be able to bear you an heir.”

Loki scoffed, “Come now. That union will be advantageous for my public image. She has the people's hearts and I don't have to tell you how valuable that is...a powerful manipulation at my disposable. Besides, concubines and mistresses are always plentiful and willing,” Loki paused and looked to Laufey with a penetrating gaze, “clearly you have no scruples about putting a bastard on the throne.”

“Find another cow, one that can breed, to put your ridiculous crown on. The girl stays here, as my resource. She's talented...”

Loki interrupted him with a cocky expression and said in a languid, filthy droll, “Oh, you have no idea how much so, which is why I'd like to keep her. But no matter, maybe her...talents...are a bit too distracting to me. Anyway, your point, Laufey...”

Their dialogue was interrupted by deafening roar and a quaking tremble through the floor. It was like an earthquake.

Laufey chuckled, “Pardon the interruption. I have a majestic beast several floors below and I'm afraid it is quite hungry. Soon I shall decide what...or rather who...its meal shall be.”

Eureka, Loki thought. That's a trap door, and I'd bet she's there beneath it.

Laufey continued, “Here is my bargain, emperor. You agree to be my heir, only after my death, and until such time, you will allow the Jotun to move freely in your territory, establishing them in your administration and governing several of your cities. It will be yet another gift to you, keeping your territories fearful and compliant, aiding you in your mission to have more and more of this planet kneeling before you, slaves to your will. And speaking of slaves, I will gladly relieve you of the distraction the girl causes you.”

“My will or yours, Laufey?” Loki said with a cold expression.

Laufey chuckled. “Perhaps both. You know, Loki, Lenora told me, that I am mistaken if I think you love her. She said that the only thing you really love is power. I am offering you twice the power you currently wield, as the crowned prince of Jotunheim accepting your birthright. Two realms on their knees to you, and all you need to do is agree to...rearrange slightly.”

“And if I reject your deal?”

Laufey smiled, “Then I kill the girl to test your mettle. Then we'll see for sure if you've become too soft to rule.”  

@gigglingtigger @goblingirlsarah @sweetsigyn @thenerdyoldersister @thedistractedagglomeration @lokisgoodgirl @peaches1958 @unlucky-number-13

[nijigasakilove]

5 year wait and studio change? No problem, Konosuba S3 was everything we missed and even more. Loved it from start to finish and I’m so sad it’s over now. Perfect way to end the season though, this episode had everything that made this season and by extension the series, great.

First of all, if you don’t have darkness as best girl by now you’re insane! I���ll hear no debate on the matter! She looked so stunning in her wedding dress and all the crazy looks on her face when Kazuma came to her rescue were brilliant.

Kazuma giving up all of his IP and every bit of money the group has made to her Darkness back shows just how committed he is to his friends. He might not act like it, but he’s quite caring under that exterior. Telling darkness of all people to repay it with her body is hilarious cause that’s a reward for her if anything 😂

Megumin showing up late and then almost killing everyone with the biggest explosion spell to date is so in character for her lmao. She so 🐶 💔 Also, she called Yunyun her best friend! After the spin off series last year that was cute

Leave it to Konosuba to have a heart tugging moment like Darkness and her dad’s last convo only to interrupt it and have us dying when Aqua healed him 💀 That one scene really encapsulated the season though. Surprisingly emotional, but funny as hell.

Is that a JOJOS REFERENCE(I’ve never seen it) Vanir made quite the appearance and freeing maxwell as well as punishing Alderp is perfect. He won’t be making any predatory loans anymore that’s for sure

“Welcome back” 😭 beautiful end to the episode. Kazuma better not bully Darkness with the Divorcedness stuff too much 😂 God I’m going to miss these idiots so much. Thank you DRIVE for this adaptation.

review: https://myanimelist.net/reviews.php?id=528137

[nyxlaufeyson]

(Pandora's Box) Chapter 1- Welcome to Paridise

Main Masterlist - Pandora's Box Masterlist

A/N: And so it begins. First longer, planned-out fic I've posted so far.

I would like to start this fic out by saying that the average lifespan for Asgardians and Vanir is around 5,000 years old. That being said, when I mention ages in this chapter, and in future chapters, there will be a Midguardian translation of ages. Ex: 100 years old (~2 Midguardian Years)

VOCAB: Veslingr (n)- A puny wetch

Chapter Starts Out In 912 A.D.

Pained cries filled the infirmary as the healers helped the distressed woman who lay on the cot, her husband nearby. After a few more minutes, the woman's screams died down as a new cry filled the room.

A nurse quickly picked up the child, drying her off and wrapping her in silk sheets. The nurse handed the child to the woman, who looked at the small girl as she curled her tiny fingers. The man next to her looked over her shoulder at the child in awe.

The couple had been trying for a child for several years, and they had begun to believe that something was wrong. But, finally, here they were, with a healthy baby in their arms.

The newborn was beautiful, a true gift indeed. The top of her head was laced with black hair, and her eyes were a gorgeous, dark shade of gray that stood out against the white silk she was swaddled in.

After letting the couple goggle over their creation for a few minutes, the nurse carefully took hold of the baby. "What would you like to name her?" She asked, looking at the couple.

The woman looked up at her husband, grabbing onto his hand and looking back at the baby the nurse now held. "Pandora." The woman said, confident lining her voice. The couple had decided beforehand that a baby was the best gift they could ever receive, therefore the name was more than fitting.

The nurse nodded and took the baby to another room to clean and clothe.

~~~~~

Eventually, that newborn grew up into a child, a very energetic one at that. Her parents struggled getting the girl to bed every night, forcing her to come inside from playing in the fields after dark.

The girl didn't get along quite well with the other children, but the parents figured she would eventually find her group and socialize.

One day, when Pandora was 400 (~8 Midgardian Years), Pandora told her parents something strange. Pandora talked about these magical strings that she could see sometimes. Her parents disregarded it, crediting Pandora's imaginative nature.

As the years went on, however, the girl's parents started to find weird things centering Pandora, things they couldn't just excuse as imagination.

For example, one time when she was around five hundred years old (~10 Midgardian Years), Pandora begged her parents for a sweet treat before supper. Her mother said no, since she was already cooking the meal.

Pandora threw a fit and went to her room sulking. When her mother went to get Pandora for dinner, she discovered Pandora in her bed, stuffing her mouth with a cookie.

But Pandora's mother had been in the cookroom, the sweets locked away on the countertop. She figured that Pandora must have snuck something into her room at a different time, so she disregarded it and simply scolded Pandora.

Then there were the nightmares. Ever since Pandora had mentioned the mysterious strings she saw, she started developing these nightmares.

Her parents would wake to her screaming in the middle of the night. They would run to her room, checking to see if anything was wrong.

Her mother would always wake her up, and Pandora would burst into tears. Pandora always had similar night terrors, ones where she was trapped in a cold, dark place with figures haunting her.

Her parents would comfort her, her dad telling her they were nothing but nightmares, nothing to worry about. That she was safe, safe with them, and Pandora would hesitantly go back to sleep.

These little things began to build up, and Pandora began to be more of a burden on the couple than a gift. They would still care for her, of course, but without realizing it, the couple began to distance themselves from their daughter.

Her dad began to bury himself in his work, as he was a close advisor to king Njord of Vanahiem. Her mother would start to go out more, to socialize with the other ladies of Vanahiem.

Sometimes, the women would gossip about Pandora. About how much of a burden she must be to her parents. Her mother dismissed the gossip, saying Pandora had her moments, but overall was a lovely child.

With her parents distancing themselves, Pandora became more independent. She focused on her studies and kept her head down in public. As she aged, she realized that it was better to keep to herself.

She did try to explain the weird weaves she could see in the air, but her parents shook their heads and scolded her for being so childlike.

Of course, magic existed in Vanaheim. Galdr was one of the more common types of magic, and was the predominant kind of magic in Vanaheim and the rest of the realms, along with runic magic.

There was another type of magic that few people practiced, seiðr. Seiðr was said to be a myth by some, but there were a few notable people that possessed this magic.

Freya, the king's daughter, was one of the first to practice this magic. However, when her head was turned, the people would call her a witch, a crude term relating to magic in Vanaheim.

The other few who claimed to practice seiðr were other high-ranking officials of the realms, all men. Women possessing magic was generally frowned upon, despite the king's daughter being one of the most powerful beings in the realms.

However, Pandora's parents ignored this, convincing themselves that everything was normal. Pandora was a normal girl who simply had her quirks.

On a royal holiday, when Pandora was 700 (~14 Midgardian Years), a huge festival was thrown in the palace capital. Pandora was forced into going by her parents, having to wear an itchy dress to be more 'ladylike.'

When they got there, Pandora lost her parents in the crowd of people. She made her way to a stand that smelled like Valhalla, finding sweet, buttery rolls. She grabbed one without thinking, stuffing it into her mouth.

"Hey!" The man behind the stand shouted, and Pandora looked up at the man. "You gotta pay for that ye' little brat!" He spat, grabbing the bitten roll from Pandora. "Sorry! I've lost sight of my parents, but I'm sure they can pay, let me go get them real quick-" As Pandora began to slip away, the man grabbed her wrist.

"I'm not falling for that, veslingr!" The man growled, his grip on Pandora tightening, and her eyes widened in fear.

In a split second, the man was on the ground, blood trickling out of his blank eyes. Screams filled the air as Pandora looked at the man before her, horrified.

Questions swarmed her mind as palace guards ran around her, addressing the public panic. One of the guards nudged the man's body with his foot, but the body just flopped back, lifeless.

"Did you do this?" He asked, and Pandora took a second before choking out an answer. "I- I don't know." The guards looked at her, confused, and one of them took her arm and muttered orders to the rest.

"I haven't seen anything like this. We should go to the king." At that moment, Pandora's parents ran up, horrified at the sight before them. "What are you doing with my daughter?" Her dad asked, glaring at the guard.

"We need to take her into the palace for investigation. Assuming your parents, if you follow those two guards over there," A guard said pointing, "You will be escorted to where we will get you information as soon as we have it."

Her mother scoffed. "You can't be suggesting she had something to do with..." Her mother said, eyeing the body as a cloth was draped over it. "...with that ? She's only a child!"

"My lady, we must take everything into consideration. Even if she has nothing to do with it, she was closest to the man when he collapsed." Pandora's parents, after realizing they couldn't argue their way out of this, looked at Pandora for a minute, before turning away and following the two guards that had been pointed out.

Pandora was brought to the palace, and eventually made it in front of the king, Njord, who had been briefed of the situation.

He looked at Pandora, who kept her head down, frightened. "So, Pandora, is it? What happened?" He asked, and Pandora slowly lifted her head up.

"I'm not sure. The man grabbed my arm, and the next thing you know, he was on the ground bleeding. I didn't see anything other than that." Pandora said, deliberately avoiding the part where she took the bread.

"I see." Njord said, scratching his beard and turning to his guards. "What did the people who saw it say?" One of the guards in charge stepped up. "Witnesses state they saw the girl steal a roll, and the vendor got angry and grabbed her arm, and then he was on the ground. One witness said they saw the girl's eyes flash as the man fell."

Pandora fought the urge to speak as she saw her parents glare at her. She wasn't exactly trying to steal the roll, she just forgot she didn't have any money on her. But, there was no use in trying to explain that now.

"I see." Njord said, standing up and walking towards Pandora and stopping in front of her. She flinched as he grabbed her arm, flipping it over. He looked back at Pandora's parents.

"Does she possess any magic that you know of?" Njord asked, and Pandora's mother shook her head. "No, my lord, she does not."

Njord turned back to Pandora, closing his eyes and muttering a few words that Pandora couldn't comprehend. As he said these words, Pandora felt something in her twist, and this frightened her.

Pandora closed her eyes, trying to get rid of the feeling. As her eyes were closed, she heard several gasps and cries. When she opened her eyes, she saw the king had been knocked to the ground.

Guards grabbed hold of Pandora as people rushed up to the king. He was fine, not suffering the fate of the man in the festival.

"Witch!" Some of the guards said as one of them slapped something on her wrist. Pandora looked to her parents for help, but they just stared at her, shocked and disgusted.

The guards dragged Pandora away to a room secluded by magic, throwing her into the middle. Pandora scattered on her knees, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Please, there must be some sort of mistake!" She cried, but the guards ignored her and closed the door.

~~~~~

After some time had passed, guards came and grabbed Pandora again, dragging her through the palace halls. Pandora was tired, and did little to protest. She was scared, not sure of what was happening.

They walked her out onto a field, and one of the guards shouted into the sky. "Heimdall!" Bright colors surrounded Pandora and the surrounding guards, and she felt her feet pick up. She was now glad that the guard was holding onto her, scared of becoming lost in the mixed colors.

Pandora finally felt solid ground again, relieved momentarily. When her eyes opened, she was in a gold dome that she recognized from one of her books. She was in the Bifrost.

Her eyes widened as she saw the Allfather standing in the dome as well. One of the guards went to talk to Heimdall, whose eyebrows raised at what he heard.

"Allfather, I don't think this is a good idea, she's just a girl." Heimdall said, confusing Pandora further. "She killed a man and assaulted the King of Vanaheim, all while not being sure how she did it. She's dangerous." A guard said, and Pandora just stood there, unsure of what to do.

"She can learn how to control it. After all, that is what Princess Freya was able to do." Heimdal reasoned, when Odin finally spoke up. "She has shown more evidence of seiðr than Freya has. Keeping her here would endanger all of the nine realms."

"But my lord-" Heimdall protested, but Odin raised his hand to stop him. "It must be done." With that, Heimdall sighed and stepped over to his sword and nodded. Pandora, still unsure of what was happening, was thrown over to stand in front of Heimdall, who looked at her solemnly.

"What's going on?" She asked, voice cracking. "Pandora Hallsdottir, you have committed crimes against the nine realms and are a danger to society." Odin said, and Pandora shook her head. "This is insane-" She tried, but before she could finish her sentence, the bright colors surrounded her once again.

She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the lights, and within the minute she felt her entire body hit the cold, hard ground. She slowly opened her eyes, attempting to pull herself up off of the ground.

As she managed to stand up, she took in her surroundings. She was surrounded by dark skies and a black, rocky terrarian. She swore she heard whispering in her ear, but she shook her head.

Surely this was all a dream. She would wake up, back in her bed at home, safe and sound. But when she opened her eyes again, she was still there. She took a deep breath, trying her best to not break down.

"Hello my dear." A feminine voice said from behind Pandora, causing her to feel her own heartbeat. "Welcome to paradise."

[ravenloop]

/\Right Here/\

Pairing: Heimdall X female reader

Request: Reader gets wounded in battle and Heimdall looks after them while they're heavily injured.

Warnings: Some mentions of violence and injuries

AN: Wrote this at 5 in the morning cause I randomly got motivated to write lmao. Also sorry if Heimdall seems a bit OOC in this- I hope you enjoy either way <3

—————————————

"Aagh!..."

"Stop squirming like a child. You're making this harder than it needs to be."

If looks could kill... Gná would be flying in Valhalla for eternity right now.

"You try experiencing what it's like to have an arrow lodged into you then ripped back out..." You sucked in a breath as the Valkyrie continued working on your wounds, "...then we'll talk."

You and Heimdall were sent on a mission to Vanaheim by the Allfather. It went smoothly at first, you both were navigating the rather vast and humid realm well—but then the Vanir resistance decided they wanted to ruin your day.

And as much as you hated to admit it, they really did. First that damned dark elf flew down on you, catching you off guard. Then while you were busy with her, that little pig (literally) Hildisvíni managed to sneak up behind and shoot an arrow, hitting you. Right. In. The. Torso.

You don't remember much about what happened, since you blacked out shortly after from both exhaustion and pain—though you managed to fight until the world went black, it costed you a lot, but at least it put some pride in your chest.

"There." As soon as Gná finished, you jerked away from her, ignoring the pain for a moment. There was a mutual hate that you both had for each other. Though "mutual hate" ran wild in Asgard, so it wasn't really much of a big deal. She just scoffed before turning and leaving.

"Sif does it better..." A shame the goddess was busy with her own mission. You were just lucky to be important enough to Odin and a certain Watchman that Gná didn't try anything with you.

Speaking of said Watchman, he just walked in.

Paying little mind to Gná as she left, his eyes landed on your form right away, laying wounded in bed. They swirled restlessly.

Turning away from him, there was an awkward silence. After a moment you asked, "How did the rest of the mission go?" He was silent, but you could see him stare at you from your peripheral vision.

"It went well, you could say." He made his way to you, pulling out a chair to sit right next to the bed. "But it would've been better if..." He gestured to your wounds, " some things didn't occur."

Oh, you recognised that tone. He was mad. Annoyed. Downright furious. Whether it was at you or what happened to you was still something to find out.

With a gentle touch, his fingers ran the length of the bandage wrapped around you, making your body tense. Of course he noticed, brows furrowing. "You're still in pain." That confirmed it.

"Yeah..." Gently you grabbed his hand that was on your torso while trying to sit up right. Immediately Heimdall reached with his other hand to make you lay back down, but you just shook your head with a gentle smile, despite the pain.

"What do you need? If you're hungry I can-" "Right now I just really want you, Heimdall. Nothing else."

You saw something in his gaze soften. Like all his anger and annoyance from when he walked in disappeared. His normal demeanour broken down to his truthful one—admiration but also concern.

"Stop worrying, I don't like seeing you like this." He scoffs playfully, that usual smirk sneaking upon his face, "I can't not worry about you, darling. You just ignite that part of me."

"What? The part that's suppose to be normal?"

He narrows his eyes at you and you have to stop yourself from bursting out in laughter. And you don't see it, but it makes him smile lightly. "No... Just the part that adores you."

You roll your eyes, slowly shuffling toward him. He gets what you're trying to do and grips your waist (being mindful of your wounds) to pull you in for a gentle hug. Even now, somewhat far into your relationship, it felt odd seeing Heimdall like this.

"It's sticking around for a while now, so get used to it."

"And if I don't?"

"Well... I'll just have to do it more often so you will."

You smile to yourself, pulling back to stare into his glowing gaze, "I guess you will."

—————————————

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Greetings, I loved the second part of 'Wolf Child', and I think it is satisfying for Odin to keep the information of Thor's relationship with the Vanir to himself. If the gods of Valhalla reacted so forcefully to the news of the relationship, I would laugh to death to see their reaction if Thor shows up to some outdoor activity with a little girl, with his eyes and hair. And some traits of the Vanir that she is the mother of. Surely Odin would say something like: oh yes… Loki, this is my granddaughter and your cousin's daughter. Her name is Viveka

(I searched a bit and in Scandinavian it means life)

And surely both Loki and Forseti will be like: system crash, system not responding, rebooting. Surely the Valkyries, Aphrodite or other women would adore the tenderness of this new member of the Nordic pantheon.

(The origin of the name came to me with the original request, our Vanir's mother died giving birth. Well in a more joyous and sweet scene, Thor was scared by this when his mate told him she was pregnant, but she promised him that everything would be alright. On the day of the delivery there was a thunderstorm over the village in Vanaheim where it all happened, but not a single drop of rain fell, when the baby cried for the first time the lightning subsided and a soft light began to fall. drizzle that night, and that's how the two came up with the name)

-Odin couldn’t help but smile as he looked at his phone, looking at a picture that you had just sent to him, a picture of Thor holding your child that you had just given birth to, full streams of tears falling down Thor’s cheeks in complete joy.

-Odin had known that you were in labor, as Thor had torn out of Odin’s throne room when he got a text but wasn’t bothered by his son’s sudden exit.

-He oversaw Vanaheim, seeing the massive storm cloud over the forest, lightning being the only source of illumination.

-He knew of Thor’s fears for you, as they both know of how your mother passed, and Thor was terrified of you giving birth, he didn’t want to lose you.

-You assured Thor and through him, Odin as well, that you were going to be fine, as you had continued with your hunting, even at your heaviest with your child, running through the forest with your wolves, which made Thor panic even more, not wanting you to get hurt.

-Odin had watched the clouds finally calm but didn’t disperse, instead releasing a soft rain that cascaded over the forest below.

-Odin smiled when you sent him another text, telling him that he had a granddaughter, and her name was Viveka, he leaned back, “Life… such a good name.”

-Thor was a very doting father, providing everything he could for his daughter, both of you teaching her things as she grew, and learning together that she was the perfect blend of the both of you, his bright red hair and your dark green eyes.

-Odin kept the knowledge of Viveka quiet, on behalf of Thor, who was still quite protective of you, as there were still some who thought you weren’t worthy and that he would get bored of you soon enough.

-How wrong they were when Thor arrived, holding his daughter up on his shoulders, at the Spring Festival, and you beside him, swollen with your second child.

-Odin smiled softly, coming over as Viveka grinned brightly up at him, “Grandpa!” he took her from his son, tossing her into the air, making her laugh as everyone else was gawking, jaws dropped and eyes wide, seeing Thor had a child with you, and another on the way!!

-Loki and Forseti had both turned to stone, completely shocked that they had no idea that you two had a child together!! Forseti collapsed to his knees, sobs leaving him as he felt like a failure while Loki was pouting, poking Thor’s cheek, complaining that he didn’t know that he had a cute little niece, not blaming you at all.

-He knew that Viveka wasn’t his niece, but his cousin, but he liked the idea of being an uncle instead, quickly introducing himself and Thor had to pale for a moment, seeing the two of them hitting it off almost instantly.

-Loki had her on his shoulders, running around the field before they ran into Odin and he scowled up at him, “Why didn’t you tell me I had such a cute little niece?!” Odin just chuckled softly, teasing him, “You didn’t ask.”

-You were sitting on a picnic blanket, your wolves huddled around you, growling at others until you said it was okay, as they were protective over you, even more so because you were pregnant again, while Thor was sitting next to you, rubbing your belly, feeling his son kick at his hand, a soft smile on his face.

[mask131]

Cold Winter: Heimdall

HEIMDALL

Category: Norse mythology

Heimdall (or Heimdallr if you want to stick more to the original Old Norse spelling) is one of the most famous Norse gods, frequently popping up alongside other iconic Norse gods such as Odin, Tyr, Thor or Loki. But in truth… Heimdallr is a very mysterious figure full of enigmas and that we haven’t entirely deciphered yet. Let’s take a look, shall we? And as usual, we’ll take a look at the Eddas.

THE POETIC EDDA

We know from the first of the Eddas that Heimdall dwells in Himinbjörg, a well-built house where he joyfully drinks mead and “holds sway over men”. Heimdall is described as the “watchman of the gods” or the “warder of heaven” – a thing that Loki uses against him during the flyting of the gods, claiming that Heimdallr was condemned to a “hateful life” as the watchman of the gods, who will forever have a “muddy back”. Described as the brightest/whitest of all the Aesir, and clearly depicted in stories as living among them, he is yet said to own the gift of foresight “just like the Vanir”. And it is this gift of foresight that apparently led him to suggest the idea, when Thor’s hammer got stolen by a jötunn wanting Freyja in marriage, to disguise Thor AS Freyja… Yep, this whole thing was Heimdall’s idea.

When Odin consults an undead völva to obtain knowledge of the future, she describes to him Ragnarök and mentons that Heimdallr will play a role in it – it is said that when the “sons of Mim dance” and when Yggdrasil starts burning, Heimdall will raise his horn, Gjallarhorn, and blow it so loudly even the dead in Hel will quake in fear (Gjallarhorn seemingly meaning “the horn of Gjöll”, which is one of the underworld-rivers of Norse mythology). And then comes a strange passage of her prophecies where she says that Heimdall’s horn (or “hearing” depending on the translation) is hidden under Yggdrasil – and it seems to be linked to a pledge (or wager) made by Odin and to a mighty stream/muddy torrent/foamy river-fall, which itself is tied to the pledge of Odin… It is overall a very strange passage that confused many scholars. For some it simply means that the horn is hidden near the underworld river it bears the name of ; for others it means that Heimdall left his ear in one of the rivers under Yggdrasil the same way Odin sacrificed one of his eyes in Mimir’s well… And just as mysterious are actually the opening lines of the völva’s prophecy, when she asks for all “the holy races/sacred children”, born out of Heimdall’s sons both high and low/great and small, to be silent and listen to her. What are those “children-races” of Heimdall? Well… for some people it might be humanity.

For you see, there is a tale in the Poetic Edda called the “Rigsmal” about a god of the Aesir called Rigr (or Rig). Rig is an old, wise, mighty and strong god. As he was walking on a seashore, he came to the farm-hut owned by a couple known as Ai and Edda (Great-Grandfather and Great-Grandmother). They offered him shelter, and a meal of poor, rough food. That very night Rigr slept in the couple’s bed, right between the two, and then left in the morning. Nine months later Edda had a son, who was swarthy/dark-colored. He was named “Thraell” (thrall/serf/slave), and he grew up strong but ugly. He married Thir (slave girl/bondswoman) and they had twelve sons and nine daughters, all named after ugliness and swarthiness. From them came the lowest of humanity’s social class: the serfs. When Rigr later encountered a pleasant house inhabited by farmers/craftsmen, Afi and Amma (grandfather and grandmother), he repeated the process – except that they gave him a meal of good food, and their son born nine months later had a ruddy complexion. Named Karl (churl/freeman), he married Snör (“daughter-in-law”) and they had twelve sons and ten daughters, all named after neatness and good quality. From them came the free farmers, the craftsmen and the herdsmen. Rigr finally performed his strange sleeping-rite on a third couple: Fadir and Modir (Father and Mother) who lived in a mansion and offered the god a splendid and excellent meal. Their child was blond, bright white in color, and named Jarl (earl/noble). When Jarl was grown up enough to start handling weapons, hawks, hounds and horses Rigr returned and the claimed the boy as his son – he gave him his own name, Rig, made him his heir, taught him the secret of the runes and advised him to seek lordship. Jarl conquered eighteen wealthy regions, married Erna (“brisk”) daughter of Hersir (“lord”) and had twelve sons, all given noble names meaning “son” – and they were the ancestors of the warrior-nobility of the Old Norse.

Why am I telling you this tale? Because the prose introduction to this part of the Poetic Edda claims that Rigr is none other than Heimdall. Such an angle thus would explain the völva’s words earlier as designing Heimdall as the “ancestor of humanity”, and by extension there would be a whole poetic signification of Heimdall being “warden of both gods and men”. And it is all fine and good but… scholars have actually started to wonder if this prose introduction to the poem wasn’t an old misunderstanding. After all, the prose introduction itself presents this tale as being “old” and its very presence is here to explain to the modern readers that the previous generations who told the tale of “Rigr” really meant “Heimdall”. But… when one looks at the story, Rigr seems rather to be Odin. A god wandering on earth among men, taking on a different name and identity… a “builder of world” creating an entire society through his actions… a god who favors warriors and nobility, and who teaches RUNES out all things to a human! In fact, later in the story, the youngest son of Rigr, named Konr, is described as becoming an expert not just as rune-craft but also at other forms of magic, such as being able to understand the speech of birds, to quench fire or heal minds – which in turns, gives him the title of “Rigr”. All these powers are clearly those of Odin, who like Konr (who “inherits” is name) is a warrior-sorcerer. So… Did ancient people mixed the gods together? Was the tale wrongly attributed to Heimdall when it was Odin’s? Or… is it possible that the “original” Heimdall, Rigr, was somehow “absorbed” by Odin? It is a common theory among Norse scholars, that most of the Aesir gods either were aspects of Odin that separated themselves from him OR that instead Odin as a mythological figure built itself by absorbing the other gods of the pantheon… Anyway.

THE PROSE EDDA

The Poetic Edda leaves us with a strange deity. Between the divine and the human, the celestial and the chthonic, the Aesir and the Vanir, Heimdall is an ambiguous figure… What did the Prose Edda made out of him? How did it build Heimdall as a more “understandable” character?

Well, Heimdall is described in there as the “white As” (As as in, the singular of Aesir), a great and holy god with teeth of gold, also called “Hallinskidi”, “Vindhler” and “Gullintanni” and who was birthed by nine maidens, all sisters. Yep, all nine of them gave birth to him – they are his Nine Mothers. The dwelling of Heimdall, Himinbjörg, is said to be near Bifröst, the rainbow-bridge allowing entrance into Asgard, the domain of the gods. In fact, if he lives there it is because of his job as watchman of the gods: he guards the Bifröst bridge from the jötnar by sitting every day on its edge. It is said that Heimdall requires “less sleep than a bird”, that he can see through night as if it was bright day – and that over a hundred leagues. His hearing is also extraordinary as he can hear “the grass growing on earth, the wool growing on the sheep, and all things louder”. He owns Gjallarhorn, a horn that is so loud it is heard across all the Nine Worlds when blown. He has a horse named Gulltoppr, and it is said that the head is often referred to as “Heimdall’s sword”.

He is called “son of Odin”, “Loki’s enemy” and “recoverer of Freyja’s necklace”. Indeed, it is known that Heimdallr fought against Loki for Freyja’s legendary necklace, Brisingamen – the “famed rainbow defender, ready in wisdom” battled against “Farbauti’s sin-sly offspring” at Singasteinn, the “singing stone/chanting stone”… Oh, and did I mention they were both in the shape of seals? Unfortunately we don’t know more about this mythological event, merely talked about in references, so it is unclear how both of them turned into sea animals or how Freyja’s necklace ended up in such a strange situation.

What we know however is what will happen to him at Ragnarök: as the enemies of the gods will gather on the plain known as Vidrigr, Heimdall will blow into Gjallarhorn, which will awake all of the gods and prompt them to gather at an exceptional thing (a “thing” being an Old Norse judiciary and political gathering, a reunion of the entire community to take decisions impacting it). It said that when the gods will fight their enemies, Heimdall will have to face Loki and they will kill each-other – but Heimdall will raise his horn and blow it once more… when Yggdrasil, after the battle, will be devoured by the flames.

- - - - - -

And this is it. This is all we know about Heimdall – and people have been trying to solve the puzzle that he is for a VERY long time.

One element that has been put forward is Heimdall’s liminal nature. He is a guardian of border and frontiers, a watchman over a bridge – and if he is Rigr, he first manifests in the story on a sea-coast and then travel through roads. All are liminal places, and Heimdall is even the one who’s horn will announce the start of Ragnarök, THE biggest transitional event of all Norse mythology.

Another theory that has been put forward is that Heimdall is some sort of ram-god. Indeed, people have pointed out that several of the god’s alternate names, “Heimdali” and “Hallinskidi” both are used to designate ram and sheep ; this, added to an insistence in describing the god’s teeth (who are apparently made of gold), the fact he is said able to hear “the wool growing on the sheep”, and the link between head and sword were all used as proof of his ram connection (not only is the head said to be “Heimdall’s sword”, there are also talks in Prose Edda of a sword called “Vindhler’s helmet-filler”, which basically means “Heimdall’s head”… and the “sword” of a ram is his horns, that he bears on his head.

But one of the biggest mysteries of Heimdall is without a doubt his Nine Mothers. In the Poetic Edda, Heimdallr is described as the son of nine mothers who were all sisters, a claim taken back in the Prose Edda (which adds that the father was Odin). There is a certain poem that is often invoked as describing the true identity of Heimdall’s Nine Mothers – it is the “Völuspa hin skamma”, but note that if I did not include it in my main look at Heimdall it is because nowhere in this poem is Heimdall named in one way or another. The poem merely tells the birth of a “mighty god” from nine sisters, and how the boy-god grew up strong nourished by “the strength of the earth”, “the ice-cold sea” and the blood swine or boar. The Nine Mothers are here described as jötunn maidens who gave birth “at the edge of the world”, and each is given a name: Angeyja, Atla, Eistla, Eyrgjafa, Gjalp, Greip, Imdr, Jarnsaxa and Ulfrun. This entire description has notably led people to believe that the Nine Mothers of Heimdallr are actually the same as the “nine daughters” of Aegir and Ran, a duo of jötnar sea-gods who had birthed nine jötunn maidens personifying the waves (even though they are given different names than those listed above).

But this just muddles further the complex heritage of Heimdall… Descendant of jötnar, and yet counted among the Aesir, and yet said to have the powers of the Vanir… He basically bears the traits of all three divine groups of Norse mythology. And no, him being called a son of Odin doesn’t clarify anything because that’s done in the Prose Edda – and the Prose Edda turned basically all of the Aesir into sons of Odin. Just like Tyr – who went from the son of a jötunn in the Poetic to a son of Odin in the Prose.