Nearly missed this update as I'd completely lost track of what day it was!
Luckily, someone mentioned the update in a new comment that came in earlier, thereby reminding me!
Loki could almost kiss the skáld now and the biggest reason why he did not was because he could not tear his eyes away from his brother's slack jawed face. Thor seemed caught somewhere between disbelief, outrage and shock. 'Twas interesting how instead of automatically protesting, Thor turned wide, and slightly desperate, eyes to him as if seeking him to deny this. Loki would have been far more sympathetic, if it were not for the implied insult of the fact that having seiðr was so bad.
Therefore, he was less than sympathetic.
"Others hardly are able to command thunder and lightning as you are, Thor," Loki chided.
"But... I was not affected by the ignition of the Yggdrasill!" Thor protested.
True, and a rather interesting fact. Loki turned to meet the skáld's gaze as he considered it.
"Elemental seiðr?" Lord Bragi offered.
Oh, now there was an interesting theory.
"It would fit with the fact I was notified of little to no effects on Jötunheimr and few on Múspellsheimr," Loki replied.
"Elemental seiðr is quite different from seiðr as we normally understand it, right?" Uncle Vili questioned.
"Hmm. 'Tis noticeably distinct in a number of different ways, so those with it not being affected by the ignition would not be terribly remarkable."
"I thought elemental seiðr was stuff like fire and ice," Thor frowned.
"Typically, aye, and they are most common given they can be species-specific as with the jötnar, eldþursar and rúfendr," Lord Bragi confirmed. "But other forms such as air, earth, thunder and lightning can and do exist. As do fire and ice outside of those hailing from Jötunheimr and Múspellsheimr."
"But I never studied seiðr like Loki."
"'Tis one of the ways in which elemental seiðr differs from the traditional, and why the presence of it in no way implies the ability to do broader seiðr."
"Oh."
Rather than looking bored or merely politely interested, the rest of the table seemed genuinely curious and Loki wondered if 'twas the allure of the forbidden drawing their attention, or whether they had always been curious about this and had simply not dared to seek out answers before.
"Are there seiðkonur who can do both?" Uncle Vili asked.
"Aye. They are rarer, but they do exist," Lord Bragi answered. "In fact, the jötnar produce such a seiðberandi every eight to ten millennia."
"The íviðjur," Loki said, surprised the skáld knew of them.
Had he been in the dark about them simply because of Ásgarðr's hatred of all things jötnar and its distaste for seiðr? If so, he resented the gap it had left in his education.
"Precisely," Lord Bragi replied. "'Tis a pity there is none at present as they are quite amazing."
Loki frowned. There was something about the skáld's voice as he said it. Something odd and...
"You are speaking from personal experience," Loki realized.
"Aye, I had the honor of meeting Gerðr while she was still alive."
"She?"
The skáld shrugged. "Norse does not have good gender-neutral terms and Gerðr always preferred the feminine pronouns over the male ones."
"Gender neutral?" one of the ladies asked.
"The jötnar do not have different sexes," Loki replied. "They are all both male and female."
The aghast and horrified looks this garnered him made his core ache and Loki abruptly reached up to rub at his sternum in lieu of anything else he could do. If only they knew what they were having dinner with!
"Now, I believe we were discussing fallacies when it came to thinking of seiðr," Lord Bragi stated, pushing his empty plate back.
Thor frowned. "I thought we did."
"Nay, we were distracted by your definition of honorable battle. What I originally wished to address was the implied suggestion that great feats of seiðr were not worthy of respect."
"And?"
The cautious tone to his brother's voice made Loki smile. So, Thor could be taught.
Well, either that or his brother was still too in shock about the earlier revelations. Either was possible.
"And yet you think great feats of strength and battle prowess should be of interest to others."
"Those require power of will and years' worth of training!" Lord Ítreksjóð protested.
"So does mastery of seiðr," Lord Bragi shot right back. "Centuries to reach the level of both of your current kings."
That shut Lord Ítreksjóð right up. Not that it could do anything else at present, seeing as he was here, but Loki savored the moment nonetheless.
"So, aye," Lord Bragi continued on. "I find collecting and preserving the tales of great feats of seiðr both fascinating and important. 'Tis part of our history as citizens of the Nine and in our very blood. After all, what is the Yggdrasill but seiðr?"
What indeed? 'Twas a question which Loki had still not found a satisfactory answer for, despite all of his attempts to uncover it. That the World Tree was seiðr was undeniable as it crackled and glowed with it; seemed to consist of it. And yet... yet there was still something else there. Something which Loki could not name, describe or explain, but he felt it deep within him, in his bones, seiðr and deep, deep within his core.
He understood it on a level he could neither explain nor understand, but 'twas there nevertheless. As known and certain as he knew his name and himself. Or more so, apparently, given recent events.
"I had never thought of it thus," Thor admitted.
Nor had most people at the high table based on the looks on their faces. Loki merely wished he could take credit for thinking to bring the skáld here.
"What will you be entertaining us with later?" Loki inquired as their plates and the food were cleared and dessert brought in.
Oh, they had the wild berry tarts he so loved.
"I had not quite decided yet, Your Majesty," Lord Bragi admitted. "I wanted to see if there were any specific requests."
The words made Loki pause as everything Loptr had mentioned came back to him, about Thanos, the myrkálfar and the Aether. He had not thought much about any of them, choosing to focus on the more immediate matters of the war and his regency, but this was a golden opportunity to start learning some more about one of those enemies, as both the war with Svartálfaheimr and the initial conflict with Thanos had been seiðr heavy battles.
Which to ask about?
The war against Thanos had been more seiðr heavy and he knew there was less on it in the library. Yet the war with Svartálfaheimr had clearly been mistakenly recorded on Ásgarðr as they believed both Malekith killed and the Aether destroyed. But would the skáld truly know another version of it if Malekith and his surviving soldiers had been in hiding the entire time?
"Someone recently spoke to me of the Mad Titan, Thanos," Loki began, seeing how his uncle shuddered at the name. "And I realized how little I knew of that war. Is it one you have a good tale of?"
He would still have to do his own research, but it would be a good starting point to learn more. Not to mention it would allow him to do it while attending to his duties as king and host.
"Oh, now that is a tale I do not tell often," Lord Bragi stated. "Aye, I think it will do nicely indeed."
The rest of the meal was spent in pleasant conversation and 'twas not long ere Lord Bragi excused himself and moved over towards the area the band normally used.
"Thanos, Loki?" Uncle Vili questioned.
Loki shrugged. "'Tis less known to me, but still a great battle so should be of sufficient interest to both the court and the warriors."
And if it spoke of one of the greatest feats of seiðr in battle, well then Loki had promised himself he would not perpetuate his father's disregard for all things seiðr unless it suited Óðinn to do otherwise.
"Thanos was an enemy of Father's, right?" Thor asked.
"Hmm," Loki confirmed. "An old foe from around the time of his ascension to Hliðskjálf."
"He is also the one responsible for Father's death," Uncle Vili stated.
Loki's head and eyes snapped to his uncle's face, his focus sharpening abruptly. He could feel both his muscles and seiðr tensing in preparation of use at the sudden alertness he mostly only felt upon entering a battle situation. His core panged its displeasure at him painfully, but he shoved it aside.
"I thought Grandfather was killed by Bölverkr," Thor stated, voicing Loki's own thoughts.
"He was," Uncle Vili confirmed as Aunt Gersemi took his hand. "But Bölverkr was sent by Thanos in an advance attack to test our defenses and reactions."
Just as Thanos had used Loptr to lead an advance attack. It made Loki wonder if Bölverkr had also had an additional motivation or task like Loptr's orders to obtain the Tesseract for the Mad Titan.
He would need to look into it.
All of this merely validated Loki's decision to learn more about Thanos' first attack on the Nine. If the Mad Titan was going to reuse old tactics, then it could be invaluable knowledge for Loki. Well, so long as he did not allow it to blind him to other avenues of attack.
The noise in the Great Hall dimmed noticeably as Lord Bragi took his seat on the raised podium. Lady Borgunna had ensured there was a goblet of water and a drinking horn of mead present for the skáld to wet his lips as necessary, and the man took a sip of the former, making everyone wait impatiently. Loki had to smile at the tactic; the man knew well how to command an audience.
"Your King Loki has requested I tell a very specific tale tonight," Lord Bragi began, voice pitched exactly right to ring through the Great Hall, ensuring all could easily hear him. "'Tis of an old foe of Ásgarðr's," a pause. "His name was Thanos, otherwise known as the Mad Titan, and he hailed from Titan, a wonderful Realm full of life and laughter. They built beautiful statues unlike any seen elsewhere beyond, and enjoyed a rich culture full of traditions and education."
Loki hid his smile behind his mead horn. 'Twas likely most of the listeners did not think much of this and would find it odd to hear it praised thus.
"But, like all Realms, Titan had its troubles," Lord Bragi continued, voice deepening and hands rising to gesture as he spoke. "There were tensions between the people who lived in the cities and those who lived in the country as their population grew, and soon there was more demand for food and living space. The two needs were in conflict and the interests of the two groups had long diverged with neither side willing to listen to the other."
Now Loki furrowed his brow as he thought of how familiar some aspects of that were, even on Ásgarðr.
'Twas not a good sign.
"Both sides allowed emotions to rule them, and negative emotions at that. Rather than love and hope, they traded on fear and hate, seeing the other as enemies rather than those who held divergent views from their own. Brother and sister, parent and child, and best friends became enemies and new leaders promising to win for their side were chosen."
A big weakness of the governments which allowed the people to choose their rulers.
Not that their form did not possess its own weaknesses or Loki would not be here, now, like this.
"The rift grew and grew until one group moved from rhetoric to action," Lord Bragi's voice dipped and rose, captivating his audience, particularly now he had moved on to conflict. "We know not who launched the first weapon but, when it went, others followed. The sky and seas filled with poison, and the beasts and plants began to die. Food grew scarcer but, rather than halting their madness, this only drove the obsessed further into war, each determined to win or take out the other in their own defeat."
Though Loki had known Titan was a lost Realm, he had not been aware of the details. To think a Realm had destroyed itself thus was too horrible to contemplate, even to one as well aware of the dangers of civil war as he.
"The rest fled, but they were far and few in number, with most remaining behind on Titan to perish when the poisoned air became too much to breathe," Lord Bragi paused, allowing them to take in what he had said. "Among the survivors was one whom had offered his own solution to the problem when food first became scarce. An idea so radical and horrific, 'twas not even considered, instead being dismissed outright. The idea was quite a simple one; randomly assign half of Titan's population to death."
A ripple of horror and disbelief washed through the hall.
"No exemptions to be made for status, education, skills, nor even age. Simple, random chance for every titan to determine whether they were one of the lucky ones to live or die. Pure, simple, horrific."
The dipping of Lord Bragi's voice made more than one person lean forward to catch his every word, atrocious as they were.
"This titan was called Thanos, son of A'lars and Sui-San, brother of Eros, and the only titan left alive in the universe today," Lord Bragi continued. "Most of his origins are lost in the mists of time, but 'tis said he was deemed mad even before he proposed this despicable solution to his Realm's desperate situation. There are rumors he attempted to implement his solution personally, moving from house to house, executing half the inhabitants of each before moving on to the next."
Even knowing what he already did, Loki could not help but feel disgusted at what he heard. How had such a being been allowed to become as powerful as Thanos was now? Why had not the titans put him to death? Had they not believed in executing prisoners? He knew there were Realms and people who did not believe in such punishments, but in war such sentiments often gave way to more practical solutions, even for those populations. And, clearly, the titans had long since passed most compassionate norms in their civil war.
"He was cast out and it may be why he survived Titan's end," Lord Bragi said. "And, rather than learn from his Realm's fate, Thanos took its destruction as proof he had been correct in his proposition, and that the failure of either faction to implement it was the true reason for his people's demise."
"How did such a madman become a very real threat?" Thor questioned.
"The mad may pose the greatest threats as they use methods and means the sane would not dare consider," General Týr replied, face grave.
Loki's eyes flickered down to where the general's right hand rubbed at the stump of his left wrist. He had heard the tale of the Jötunheimr beasts which had been unleashed during the war and how the, then Lieutenant-General, Týr had lost his hand to one while defending Óðinn. Many had deemed the jötnar mad for their use of the beasts, as 'twas said they had stormed across the battlefield, trampling all in their path, but Loki had always been skeptical of those claims. Surely even Laufey would not have willingly sacrificed their troops to such beasts.
He was still doubtful, even with what he now knew his birth father was capable of. A king did not last if the people did not feel safe from them.
"More crucially for the rest of the universe, Thanos also deemed his solution the best one for every other Realm," Lord Bragi's voice deepened, taking on a more ominous tone. "For he saw Titan's fate in that of all planets across the universe. He believed 'twas only a matter of time before they, too, faced the same tragic end as that of his people, so he determined to spare them all Titan's fate."
The ripple which spread through the hall was of shock this time as people realized what the skáld meant.
"Towards that end, Thanos set out on a quest with a very specific purpose. Namely to wipe out half of all life in the universe."
Even Loki, practical as he liked to flatter himself he often was, could not wrap his mind around such a thought. Nor could he understand how Thanos was meant to be intelligent and yet think the fate of one single Realm amongst all of those in the entire universe could somehow predict that of every other Realm.
"At first, his success was small despite his ambitions," Lord Bragi continued. "But he soon began to attract followers and 'tis said he kidnaps children from the Realms he has decimated to raise to become trusted lieutenants for his legions. Perfect servants to carry out his work and aid him in his quest for the Infinity Stones."
The revelation of the kidnapped children startled Loki badly, and 'twas only the fact everyone was so focused on the skáld that his physical reaction to it was not noted. The disgust and horror caused him to feel nauseous and he had to focus on his breathing to ensure he did not lose control. Both Mother Winter and Ásgarðr rushed to his aid, helping him to push it all aside for later, when he was alone and he could afford to let down his guard.
The reaction had cost him, though, and Loki realized he had lost track of Lord Bragi's tale. He had no idea how much he had missed, nor could he risk asking Thor.
"- 'tis thus his attention swung towards the Yggdrasill and the Nine Realms she bears," the skáld was saying, waving the drinking horn he held about before taking a sip of it. "Alas, news of his actions had not reached the rulers of the Nine in anything other than rumors of death and destruction in far off Realms, and thus seemed nothing more than tales meant to frighten unwary explorers."
Loki nearly snorted at the polite wording. Likely, Borr and his fellow rulers had not deemed it worth their notice. After all, the Nine had not oft had much care for the universe beyond the Yggdrasill, believing it to be beneath their notice. Indeed, he could recall only a small handful of individuals whom Óðinn had seemed to consider worthy of his attentions even after all which had transpired.
The æsir did not learn easily.
"Therefore, none were prepared when Thanos sent an advance force led by Bölverkr, a jötunn angered by King Borr's marriage to Bestla Bölþornbarn, whom they had loved."
"Grandmother?" Thor questioned in disbelief, turning startled eyes to meet Loki's own.
It... that...
Loki could well understand his brother's shock. He had been entirely unaware of this particular connection between Bölverkr and Bestla, though it made more sense in light of what he had learned of Óðinn's mother.
"Aye," Uncle Vili confirmed, softly. "'Tis why we did not suspect the attack was more ere Thanos himself arrived. We had thought Bölverkr's anger their own, twisted by the loss of their love."
What had his adoptive family attributed Loptr's actions to, Loki could not help but wonder. Madness caused by falling into the Void? Or, nay, jealousy most likely, as they seemed to think him so capable of it already.
The bitterness did not help his wounded core, and Mother Winter's irritation reached him even as she sought to bolster him. It almost made him wish to smile. Almost.
"Aided by the Space Stone, Bölverkr managed to arrive deep within the Nine unexpectedly, at the head of an army," Lord Bragi continued to his near spellbound audience. "'Tis said they was sent not only to conquer the Nine, but also to obtain another of the Infinity Stones."
A frown crossed Loki's face as he pondered this. Could it have been that Thanos had learned of what the Aether truly was? If so, all knowledge of its location would have perished with Borr's death, so the Mad Titan's scheme had not gone to plan.
"There is much speculation as to which Infinity Stone it was that might have been hidden within the Nine, though none yet live who know for certain," Lord Bragi said. "Many speculate it might have been the Soul Stone, the most obscure and powerful of the six Infinity Stones, though others think it was Time, the one Stone which would allow Thanos to attack any Realm however many times it took to be successful, thus defeating any enemy."
"Norns, why have we never heard of these Infinity Stones before?" Thor asked, leaning close.
"I know not," Loki whispered a reply.
All he knew had come from his own studies and not from any tutor they had been assigned.
Loki could guess, though. Oh, he could guess, yet even he would not have thought Óðinn's arrogance so great. Did the All-Father truly believe the Mad Titan posed no threat anymore while Thanos still lived? Or was this another instance where he had not been informed of work Óðinn was having carried out? Thor's ignorance made it less likely given his idiot brother had been on the verge of being crowned king of Ásgarðr, but not impossible.
Loki hoped this was the case rather than that Óðinn had already dismissed the threat that was Thanos.
Wait, had Bragi not mentioned something of a gauntlet? Loki had a vague recollection of it from when he had been distracted, before. At first it had meant nothing to him, but now he recollected the massive gauntlet stored in the vault. He had never paid it much attention before; mayhap that had been remiss of him. He would need to investigate it after the All-Father had awoken once more.
"Regardless of what treasure Bölverkr sought for their master, 'twas Ásgarðr they set their sights upon, attacking without warning. Though the army they brought with them was but poorly trained in comparison to the æsir warriors they faced, the surprise nature of the battle resulted in many casualties and much damage," the skáld's voice had turned grave now, the elaborate gestures from earlier gone. "Additionally, the power of the Space Stone within its casing allowed Bölverkr to move unpredictably and, once their chosen enemy arrived, they appeared well behind the æsir, within striking distance of King Borr himself."
Movement from further down the table made Loki look towards his uncle, who had turned his face away. A pang of sympathy made him wish to reach out to Vili, but he could not. His uncle would have been involved in that particular battle alongside both Óðinn and Uncle Vé, and Loki had no idea if any of them had witnessed their father's death or not. Most tales he had heard of that day had focused on both Borr's heroic battle with the coward Bölverkr, and his grandfather's subsequent death. The other tales focused on Óðinn's own victories and his success in driving back Bölverkr's forces after he had slain the jötunn.
Loki now wondered if this had been part of what had led to the later Æsir-Jötnar War, despite the fact that Bölverkr's army had not been jötnar.
"The tale of that fight is well known on Ásgarðr, so all I shall say here is Bölverkr's fall led to the Space Stone falling into æsir hands where it was named the Tesseract," Lord Bragi stated. "News of his army's defeat took a long time to reach Thanos as the survivors were not able to travel back as they had come, but when he learned of it, Thanos' rage was great as it had resulted in the loss of the Space Stone."
How much greater had the Mad Titan's rage been when Loptr had repeated history and lost Thanos another Infinity Stone? Loki could not help but delight in the thought. More fool Thanos for not only attempting the same plan twice, but for thinking he could control the God of Chaos.
"Unaware of the greater motivation behind Bölverkr's attack, neither Ásgarðr nor the rest of the Nine knew of Thanos' approach," Lord Bragi informed them. "What saved them was the fact that without the Space Stone, the Mad Titan had to approach the Yggdrasill as any other army does. His inability to pass any living Realm without slaughtering half of its inhabitants was another act of arrogance on his part. It allowed for word of his approach to spread along with Thanos' anger. This time the Nine were not to be caught off-guard, and King Óðinn wrangled treaties from the other Realms capable of fighting, to form a united front against Thanos' army and the Mad Titan's unspeakable goals."
There was a part of Loki which could not help but wonder if Óðinn had not viewed the opportunity as a great one. To have a second chance to confront the enemy whose actions had resulted in the death of his father and provide him with a chance to prove himself before the rest of the Nine? If he did not know better, Loki would have suspected Óðinn to have engineered it himself.
For all the All-Father now spoke of peace and protecting the Nine, Loki was not fool enough to believe Óðinn had always thought thus. The wars of his reign and those Óðinn had partaken in while Borr sat on Hliðskjálf spoke for themselves. 'Twas easy to speak of peace once one had conquered all they wished to and secured their own dominant position within the Nine.
"King Óðinn now also possessed the Tesseract and had been learning how to utilize its awesome power," Lord Bragi said. "Unfortunately, 'twas not to be the key to a swift victory as many had hoped as Thanos came armed with another Infinity Stone of his own, namely the Power Stone. 'Twas an unpleasant surprise for the ljósálfar whom Thanos attacked first, having kept it hidden in an orb throughout his journey to the Nine.
Luckily, King Óðinn was able to transport the combined armies of the rest of the Nine to Álfheimr and its moons, to meet the Mad Titan's army and 'tis here the Battle for the Yggdrasill took place. Each Realm involved has tales of the smaller battles which took place then; the dökkálfar of attacking the chitauri on Andlàngr, the vanir and rúfendr of battling the outriders on Víðbláinn, and the others of joining the ljósálfar on Álfheimr itself."
Oddly enough, no one seemed to notice how Lord Bragi had lumped the æsir in with the jötnar and eldþursar as 'others'. 'Twas proof of his skill as a skáld, as Loki knew otherwise such an insult would not be missed.
"Those battles, though great and providing many a warrior with claims to heroics and fame, all pale in comparison to the fight between King Óðinn and Thanos himself," Lord Bragi continued, in one fell swoop casting aside the tales normally told in the Great Hall of that time.
'Twas an omission which Loki knew would be lamented later, but for now the æsir present seemed far too enthralled by the tale Lord Bragi spun to be distracted from it. This was one fight they knew little of for all 'twas vaunted as a great victory for Óðinn. He wondered if that had been deliberate on the All-Father's part, or whether 'twas the natural consequence of Ásgarðr's disregard for seiðr.
"That particular battle was fierce and awesome to behold," Lord Bragi stated, leaning forward. "And 'twas as much a fight between the Space and Power Stones as it was between King Óðinn and Thanos. The Infinity Stones are said to possess a quasi-form of semi-intelligence and are not predisposed towards warring with each other, being of a similar nature, so their own reluctance must be overcome when wielding them against one another."
Loki stilled at the words. Quasi-form of semi-intelligence. Did this mean they were similar to Ásgarðr and Mother Winter in a way? Or were they more, having been created at the dawn of time itself? 'Twas something he would need to look into, particularly if he were to handle any of them himself. It could be critical to not only defeating the Mad Titan, but protecting himself from any malicious influence the Infinity Stones may themselves hold.
"Their battle ranged far and wide over Álfheimr and onto the ships of both sides, the Tesseract allowing King Óðinn to open portals to shift their location and keep Thanos wrong footed," the skáld continued. "Thanos, meanwhile, wielded the Power Stone to great effect, causing massive amounts of damage and forcing King Óðinn to use all of his power from the Óðinnforce to stand his ground."
Oh, of course. Loki was not certain why he had not thought of it before, but Ásgarðr herself would be a source of information he could tap to learn more of the Infinity Stones!
"Observers to this great battle speak of impossible feats and unimaginable power, giving credence to the tales that whomsoever should hold any two Infinity Stones would be the most powerful being in the universe," Lord Bragi stated. "And to think, Thanos sought all six."
"Norns," Thor muttered beside him and Loki looked over at his brother.
While he did not know how he could warn Thor of Thanos' impending return, he was at least heartened to know his brother would take the threat the Mad Titan possessed seriously when he did hear of it. If for that alone, his decision to request this particular tale was worth it.
A sip of mead Loki was certain Lord Bragi did not need, caused a brief pause in the tale, precisely when the skáld's entire audience seemed desperate for more. A quick glance about proved even the servants were intrigued, huddled near the doors to the kitchens.
"With the fight dancing from one location to the next, the details of it are sketchy and oft exaggerated," Lord Bragi finally said. "But this we know for certain; King Óðinn emerged victorious. Whether he trumped the Mad Titan purely with the combined power of the Space Stone and the Óðinnforce, or whether another weapon was involved we know naught, but win he did. Thanos, powerful in his own right even without an Infinity Stone, King Óðinn cast out of the Nine, as far as the Space Stone would allow him to banish the last remaining survivor of Titan. The now fractured and leaderless army was sent through a dozen portals, scattered far and wide across the stars to perish far from their homes.
As for the Power Stone, well its fate remains a mystery even to this day. Some say King Óðinn claimed it to place in his vault alongside the Tesseract, while others fear 'twas lost to the vastness of the Void in its orbed casing, banished alongside its former master to become as lost as the other four gems. We may only hope whatever its fate, that the Power Stone has been sequestered safely for 'tis said that, in the far reaches of the universe, the Mad Titan stirs once more, obsessed as ever with Death and the Infinity Stones."
I have to admit that the bulk of this chapter gave me a lot of trouble when writing this fic. Normally I always a fic in order, to ensure that character growth is smooth and even, but here I left a gap which I can back to far later. It was because this tale of Thanos was so hard to get right, not only because chunks of what the MCU went on to do was so ridiculous (overpopulation, really?), but also because I didn't want to write myself into a corner for the later fics in this series (I'm considering the name Álfheimrian Encore as a possible title for one of the later sequels...).
For those less familiar with some of the Marvel background: A'lars, Sui-San & Eros are Thanos' actual family in the comics. I'm unlikely to dig into them any further in this series, I just needed some background and, as A'lars had already been mentioned in the MCU, I just went with it.
Also a quick note. In editing this chapter, I realized that I had allowed a mistake to slip past me in chapters 5 and 24, as I still had Bestla down as Bölþorndóttir instead of Bölþornbarn, which is really what they would have used if authoring a book on the jötnar. I've gone back and fixed that mistake on AO3, but it's harder here.
Also, does anyone know why I've stopped receiving emails from FF.N about reviews & replies? It's very annoying.
Norse Mythology:
Gerðr - a jötunn goddess & the wife of the Freyr. Said to have a 'shimmering beauty' and it often lists Freyr as having to wait to marry her - I think you can already see where I went with some of this.
Ítreksjóð - a son of Óðinn - I'm ignoring this, I just needed an Old Norse name!
Bölverkr - an alternative name of Óðinn in mythology meaning 'Bale-Worker', 'Evil Worker' or 'Evil Deed' !
Andlàngr - one of the heavens in Norse mythology - I've used this as the name of one of Álfheimr's moons.
Víðbláinn - another of the heavens (Gimlé is another) - another moon for Álfheimr here.
As for the tale of Týr and his hand, that's been modified, but is based on actual myth. In the original tale, it was Loki's son, Fenrir, that bit off his hand. Týr is also predicted to be eaten by monstrous dog Garmr come Ragnarök. Poor guy has a problem of the canine variety!
Old Norse:
eldþursar - "fire giants" (alternatively eldjötnar or eldthursar) - one name for the denizens of Múspellsheimr - I'm running with this Realm having 2 species, this being the giant species
rúfendr - from "to break, tear asunder" - also a word for denizens of Múspellsheimr - I'm running with this Realm having 2 species, this being the smaller species
barn - child
skáld - poet who composed skaldic poetry
myrkálfar - "dark elves" (or "dusky elves" & "murky elves")
ljósálfar - "light elves"
dökkálfar - "dark elves" who dwell within the earth and are most swarthy - my name for dwarves
seiðr - witchcraft, sorcery / a type of sorcery practiced in Norse society during the Late Scandinavian Iron Age - i.e. magic
seiðkonur - a combination of seiðr ("witchcraft") + konur ("women") - i.e. witches/sorceresses/mages
seiðberandi - sorcerers
Hliðskjálf - the high seat of Óðinn allowing him to see into all realms - i.e. Óðinn's throne
Up next week: Breakfast with Lord Ragnvaldr & the long awaited trial begins!