Mollebakken E-Book

Eric Schumacher

• Herausgeber: Next Chapter
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

King Harald Fairhair is dying. Who will rule in his stead?

Viking Age Norway’s greatest king, Harald Fairhair, has unified the northern districts into a kingdom, but as he ages and weakens, so does his realm.

To keep the kingdom from fracturing, Harald abdicates his High Seat to the one son he believes capable and vicious enough: Erik Bloodaxe. But there is one problem: the other sons hate their brother, and will not accept his kingship.

This leads to an unavoidable confrontation on a rain-soaked hill known as Mollebakken; a hill that will decide who will rule, and who will die.

Leseprobe

Mollebakken

The Rise of Bloodaxe

Eric Schumacher

Copyright (C) 2019 Eric Schumacher

Layout design and Copyright (C) 2019 by Next Chapter

Published 2019 by Next Chapter

Cover art: David Brzozowski, BlueSpark Studios (additional art by Andrew Dodor and Dominik Mayer)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

To my family and friends, for your love, your patience, and your continued support.

Acknowledgements

There are many people to thank for the creation of this novella. First and foremost, to my publisher, Next Chapter, and those authors who urged me to tell Hakon's backstory – I thank you for pushing me to pursue this idea. I again bow in thanks to the keen eyes and attention to detail of Marg Gilks and Lori Weathers, who honed my words into the story you are about to read. With each book, I endeavor to present a cover that helps set the tone and vision for the story. Thankfully, I have masters like David Brzozowski for layout, and Dominik Mayer and Andrew Dodor for imagery, to transform my ideas into a work of art. And last but certainly not least, I want to thank you, my readers, for your continued support, your nudges, your reviews of my work, your comments on social media, and for so much more. It is to you all, and to the countless others who have accompanied me on this journey, that I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

Glossary

Aesir – One of the main tribes of deities venerated by the pre-Christian Norse. Old Norse: Æsir.

Balder – One of the Aesir gods. He is often associated with love, peace, justice, purity, and poetry. Old Norse: Baldr.

bonder – Free men (farmers, craftsmen, etc.) who enjoyed rights such as the use of weapons and the right to attend law-things. They constituted the middle class. Old Norse: baendr.

byrnie – A (usually short-sleeved) chain mail shirt that hung to the upper thigh. Old Norse: brynja.

dragon – A larger class of Viking warship. Old Norse: Dreki.

Dubhlinn Norse – Northmen who live in Dublin.

Eastern Sea – Baltic Sea.

Frey – Brother to the goddess Freya. He is often associated with virility and prosperity, with sunshine and fair weather. Old Norse: Freyr.

Freya – Sister to god Frey. She is often associated with love, sex, beauty, fertility, gold, magic, war, and death. Old Norse: Freyja.

Frigga – he is the highest-ranking of the Aesir goddesses. She's the wife of Odin, the leader of the gods, and the mother of the god Baldur. She is often confused with Freya. Old Norse: Frigg.

fylke (pl. fylker) – Old Norse for “folkland,” which has come to mean “county” in modern use.

godi – A heathen priest or chieftain. Old Norse: goði.

hird – A personal retinue of armed companions who formed the nucleus of a household guard. Hird means “household.” Old Norse hirð.

hirdman (pl. hirdmen) – A member or members of the hird. Old Norse: hirðman.

hlaut – The blood of sacrificed animals.

Holmgard – The Old Norse name for Novgorod.

Irland – Ireland.

Island – Iceland.

jarl – Old Norse for “earl.”

jarldom – The area of land that a jarl ruled.

kaupang – Old Norse for “marketplace.” It is also the name of the main market town in Norway that existed around AD 800–950.

knarr – A type of merchant ship. Old Norse: knǫrr.

Midgard – The Norse name for Earth and the place inhabited by humans. Old Norse: Miðgarðr.

Night Mare – The Night Mare is an evil spirit that rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing bad dreams. Old Norse: Mara.

Njord – A god associated with sea, seafaring, wind, fishing, wealth, and crop fertility. Old Norse: Njörðr.

Norns – The three female divine beings who influence the course of a man's destiny. Their names are Urd (Old Norse Urðr, “What Once Was”), Verdandi (Old Norse Verðandi, “What Is Coming into Being”), and Skuld (Old Norse Skuld, “What Shall Be”).

Odin – Husband to Frigga. The god associated with healing, death, royalty, knowledge, battle, and sorcery. He oversees Valhall, the hall of the slain. Old Norse: Óðinn.

Orkneyjar – The Orkney Islands.

seax – A knife or short sword. Also known as scramaseax, or wounding knife.

Sjaelland – The largest Danish island.

sjaund – A ritual drinking feast held seven days after a death to celebrate the life of the person and to officially pass that person's inheritance on to his or her next of kin.

skald – A poet. Old Norse: skald or skáld.

shield wall – A shield wall was a “wall of shields” formed by warriors standing in formation shoulder to shoulder, holding their shields so that they abut or overlap. Old Norse: skjaldborg.

steer board – A rudder affixed to the right stern of a ship. The origin of the word “starboard.” Old Norse: stýri (rudder) and borð (side of the ship).

skeid – A midsize class of Viking warship.

skol – A toast to others when drinking. Old Norse: skál.

thing – The governing assembly of a Viking society or region, made up of the free people of the community and presided over by lawspeakers. Old Norse: þing.

Thor – A hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, and the protection of mankind. Old Norse: Þórr.

thrall – A slave.

Valhall (also Valhalla) – The hall of the slain presided over by Odin. It is where brave warriors chosen by valkyries go when they die. Old Norse: Valhöll.

valkyrie – A female helping spirit of Odin that transports his favorite among those slain in battle to Valhall, where they will fight by his side during the battle at the end of time, Ragnarok. Old Norse: valkyrja (pl. valkyrjur).

wergeld – Also known as “man price,” it was the value placed on every being and piece of property.

woolsark – A shirt or vest made of coarse wool.

Yngling – Refers to the Fairhair dynasty, who descended from the kings of Uplands, Norway, and who trace their lineage back to the god Frey.