Chapter 7 – The Magic Sword

The looting of the cowmen’s castle fed the stomachs of the human beings and raised their moral. Everyone was sanguine and full. Moreover, the days became longer, too.

Only two people in our hamlet did not share good mood: Gullveign and Glen.

Compared to the happiness of the rest of the clan Gullveign sentiment was getting worse day by day. Her auguries became even more direful and ominous. However, the people were much too satisfied to care about her. Bragi, the poet, made some mocking lines about her pessimism:

“I see the bad moon arising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin.
I see bad times today.

Don't go around tonight, Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.

I hear hurricanes ablowing.
I know the end is coming soon.
I fear rivers over flowing.
I hear the voice of rage and ruin.

Don't go around tonight, Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.

Hope you got your things together.
Hope you are quite prepared to die.
Looks like we're in for nasty weather.
One eye is taken for an eye.

Don't go around tonight, Well, it's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise.”

This song became very popular. Everybody sung it, at least when the seeress was not around. The song was well known all over Cimbriheim.

The other worried person was my brother Glen. Everybody thought that the defeat of the cowmen was Odin’s answer to Glum’s prayer. More people than ever surged in the woods. Odin had destroyed the walls of the cowmen’s castle and had given the enemies into the hand of his people. Now everything seemed to be possible. The younger men formed a gang who exercised with their weapons. They called themselves “the wolves”. All these people would have been happy to follow Glum. However, my brother was quiet and kept on praying to Thor.

Glen did not want to rely on that. He realized that he had to do something to conserve his position. Only two men survived the burning and the pillage of the castle, the smith and his assistant. Glen had decided to take them to our nave. Since then they stuck together. One day Glum called a meeting. He presented his vision of the future: “My brothers and sisters! Odin donated the victory over the cowmen. He also gave us the supply to help us through winter. However, Odin’s gift is much bigger than that. Look at these two men. They were picked up at the castle. They are no cowmen. They were born in the south and were hired by the cowmen because they know how to manufacture iron. Yes, brothers and sisters, they know the miracle how to make weapons and tools. They agreed to work for us. We will set up a smithy and they can start right away.”

The people nodded in agreement.

“They will provide us with tools, unlike those of wood we were used to. I talked to them and they agreed to make spades. Then we will be able to make drains and regain our old, rank acres. They will also make ploughs, so we can get deeper into the earth. This will cause a lot of work but in the end it will yield a large crop.”

Again, the audience showed its agreement.

“Of course the smiths will also make weapons, better than the ones we know. First and foremost they will make a magic sword for me, the leader of the clan.”

The people cheered. Glen had stricken the right note.

Some weeks later the smiths had started to work. The sound of the hammering and the smoke of the hearth filled the hamlet. Many peole came to watch them work. Glen himself spent most of his time at the smithy. Their first piece was the ‘magic sword’. They hammered many times on an annealing piece of iron until it looked like a sword. I was standing close to them and I could see that the smith looked concerned. He said something to my brother, but Glen only shook his head. Then Geln ordered to butcher an ox and to collect the blood in a tub. A boy was told to stir it to keep it liquid. Then the smith began to glow the sword once again. Glen called the clan to watch the magical ceremony that should follow. When the iron was redhot, the smith took it out of the hearth, murmured a magic spell and then dipped it into the blood. The blood began to boil and to steam.

Glen explained: “This is the magic moment. The blood gives its soul to the sword. It makes it tough and hard. Of course, human blood would be much better. It is a pity that we did not preserve a cowman.”

When the smith took the sword out of the tub, Glen grabbed it and raised it high over his head to show it to the crowed. Then he stroke against the anvil. At the moment, the sword burst and broke into pieces and the tip fell on the ground. Everyone was staring bewildered at the sword. Then Glen threw the rest of the sword to the ground, turned round and hurried to our nave. The rest of the day, he spent there discussing with the smiths.