A new purpose

At first, there was the cold and the darkness, but it dissapeared soon after, replaced by voices, loud, hearthy laughing and the clashing of swords. She opened her eyes to a glorious sight.

A hall with a golden, shining roof and walls covered in legendary sceneries of war. A long, wooden table was in front of her. It was decked with food and ale. The room was full of warriors and shield maidens. It didn't take her long to realise where she was - she was in the Hall of the Gods. It was warm and she could feel the uplifting atmosphere surrounding her.

A great door at the end of the hall opened, with rays of light shining through. A man appeared and spoke loudly and clearly, but it seemed only she could hear it. His voice resonated through her head.

"Come Thyre Frothidottir, the Gods wish to speak with you."

Thyre could feel a chill running down her spine, even though she wasn't exactly scared. The man's voice did sound frightening though - in fact, if she were to meet him in Midgard, she'd make sure to be out of his way. The figure disappeared and everyone went on with their business. Thyre quickly made her way to the door, not to keep the Gods waiting.

She reached the door and cautiously stepped through it, her body being enveloped by light as the door closed shut behind her. In front of her was another hall, one more royal and elegant.

There was a golden throne in front of her, on which the Allfather sat, and the other Gods surrounded him, standing on both of his sides. Thyre looked at them - Freya, Loki, Thor and Skadi. She bowed and stepped forward. First to speak was the goddess of winter.

"We have looked far and wide for you, Thyre. You may not know it, but through your veins flows the blood of divine ancestors. Your predecessor was the Bear Goddess. A protector of forests and people. A guardian of nature. She was a great friend of ours. Her powers came from the Spirits of the Yggdrasil and now, it is your legacy to become one of us. So tell me, do you accept this gift we offer you?" said Skadi, her voice piercing the air and radiating calming coldness.

"I am very honoured, but there is something on my mind that I must ask. If my ancestor was a goddess, why does no one speak of her? Why have I not known her name or who she was? What happened?" She asked the gods, her voice soft and trembling. She never knew of her true origins and this was almost overwhelming.

"Once, there was a time every man and woman on Midgard knew your ancestor's name. There were songs and sagas written of her achievements and victories. She was the bravest and boldest among us, which cost her her life," Thor said.

"Yes, there was a great battle," Odin continued. "The battle on the ice of lake Vänern. What the sagas don't say is that your ancestor helped win this battle. She slew Onela, the usurper, by pushing him through the ice and Eadgils struck the final blow. What she didn't count on was herself falling through it. To a god a bit of cold is nothing, but the lake was cursed with the waters of Svartalfheim and contaminated the mere memory of any immortal being who stepped through it. None of us had known it then, all those years ago."

"Once she fell through the ice, she drowned in the waters and dissapeared, and with her also dissapeared the very memory of her name. Her story and the very flow of time itself was changed."

"I see," I whispered. "Why is it that you've brought me here today then? Of what use am I to you?"

"For years, we thought all hope was lost of ressurecting her. We didn't know of any descendants, of any connections to mortals she might have. But a few days ago, a guardian of Yggdrasil came to you. Do you remember?" Odin asked.

"The bear."

"Yes, the bear. It was both a warning and a message. After all these years, somehow, her spirit has returned to you and chosen you. Something terrible lies ahead of us, Thyre. Something so terrible that the Tree of Life itself broke the laws of life to bring the great bear goddess back to us. Do you accept this burden? Will you sacrifice your mortal life so you can become who you're meant to be?"