The Journey to Love

What would you say love is?

Is love the feeling you get when you wanna have sex with someone?

Is love the feeling you get, when you wanna spend the rest of your life with someone?

Or is love the feeling you get when you really wanna know someone?

I will leave the answer up to you.

Our journey starts within Scandinavia, with our hero, the young Svipdagr.

Svipdagr is a young viking who wields the legendary Annað Gram.

A sword, which was blessed by Njörðr himself.

The sword is as powerful as a storm and calm as the sea.

But let us get back to the journey.

Svipdagr has been tasked by his stepmother to seek out the goddess Menglöð, whom is his fated bride.

But the journey to love is as it has always been, a hard one.

Svipdagr must overcome many great challenges to arrive at the castle where is beloved Menglöð is.

So, without further adieu, let the journey for love begin.

Svipdagr is walking within Scandinavia.

Svipdagr is not sure, whether he is in Iceland, Sweden, Norway or even Denmark.

All Svipdagr knows, is that he must find his beloved.

But Svipdagr knows that he can not complete this journey without help, not even his Annað Gram is enough.

So Svipdagr will ask his mother, Gróa, who is a völva for help.

Svipdagr performs the sacred ritual to summon the dead, or rather, the ritual that lets you speak with the dead.

From the snowy ground, Svipdagr's mother came forth.

The gorgeous mother looked at her beloved son and Svipdagr was overjoyed to see his mother.

Mother and son now embraced each other.

After the hugging was finally over, the mother and son could now talk.

" Mother, I need your help " said Svipdagr.

" Simply ask my son, and I shall give it to you " said Gróa with an angelic voice.

" I am journing to find my beloved Menglöð and I need your help " said Svipdagr.

" Say no more my son, and know that I shall now cast nine spells on you. These spells shall assist you on your journey " said Gróa with her angelic voice.

Mother and son embraced one another, one last time, before Gróa had to leave for the halls of Freya.

Svipdagr now stood back up on his feet.

Svipdagr now continued his journey within the snowy forests of Scandinavia.

Svipdagr continued to walk until he reached an old castle.

The castle was clearly old and was covered in snow and ice, but Svipdagr could see that the sun was setting and he needed a place to rest, so Svipdagr entered the castle.

Walking within the castle, Svipdagr quickly noticed many old artifacts, which would have looked magnificent back in the old days.

Svipdagr finally reached the throne room, but what he found, was something he did not expect.

A tremendous dragon was in the middle of the throne room, asleep.

Svipdagr also noticed that the dragon was wounded, but Svipdagr was not afraid, for he had his Annað Gram with him.

Svipdagr was ready to finish off the fearsome dragon, but that was when the dragon opened its eyes.

The calm blue eyes of the dragon looked straight at Svipdagr.

Svipdagr was confused, for he felt no evil from the monster.

The dragon then opened its mouth and said

" Greetings warrior, my name is Hreiðmarr, how are you fairing this night? " said Hreiðmarr with his monstrous voice.

Svipdagr was now completely lost, he did not know what to make of the situation.

" I.. uhm, I am well, Hreiðmarr…. how are you? " said Svipdagr, still not knowing what to make of the situation.

Hreiðmarr now had, what could be called, a sad face.

" Well, as you can see, I have been better, but if you are interested, I can tell you the story of my family " said Hreiðmarr with what sounded like sadness and love in his voice.

Svipdagr agreed and listened while Hreiðmarr told the tale of his family.

Svipdagr heard how Hreiðmarr once had three sons, Regin, Ótr and Fafnir, and how all his sons died because of a damn ring, and how Fafnir almost killed his father, but Hreiðmarr was able to survive by transforming into a dragon, but now, all of Hreiðmarr's sons are dead.

The tale was now over.

Svipdagr was saddened by the tragic tale of Hreiðmarr and his sons

Hreiðmarr was quiet for a moment.

Hreiðmarr then said

" Fair Svipdagr, I ask a favor of you "

Svipdagr stood back up on his feet and said

" Then ask "

" I want revenge on the one who cursed me and my family " said Hreiðmarr.

" You want revenge on Loki? " said Svipdagr rather quickly.

" Well, Loki is already suffering in his cave, so I will have the next best thing, and have my revenge on Andvari, that damn dwarf and his cursed gold and ring " said Hreiðmarr rather angrily.

Svipdagr did not think about it twice before saying

" Alright, I shall kill Andvari "

Hreiðmarr now had a smile on his dragon face.

" I am grateful, but before you leave, I shall give you a blessing. Please hold your sword before me "

Svipdagr did as he was told, and held his Annað Gram before Hreiðmarr.

Hreiðmarr blew on the great sword which made the sword glow and then the glow was gone.

" It is done " said Hreiðmarr

Svipdagr looked at his sword.

" May I ask what you did? " said Svipdagr.

" I made your Annað Gram stronger than the original Gram itself. Your sword shall now be known as Annað Dreki Gram " said Hreiðmarr while sounding proud of his work.

Svipdagr now had a smile on his face.

Svipdagr put his ADG (Annað Dreki Gram) back into its sheath.

Svipdagr then said

" I shall honor my word "

Svipdagr then walked out the castle while Hreiðmarr went back to sleep.

The sun was now in the sky once more and Svipdagr had now exited the home of Hreiðmarr.

Svipdagr looked towards the nearby lake, where Andvari had his home.

Svipdagr then walked towards the lake, ready to slay the dwarf.

Svipdagr was now at the lake.

The water in the lake was like glittering diamonds, thanks to all the ice.

The trees around the lake were all covered in snow and looked like large snowmen, but unfortunately, Svipdagr did not come to enjoy the magical scenery.

Svipdagr took a gold coin out from his purse, Svipdagr then flipped the gold coin into the lake.

The gold coin slowly dropped to the bottom of the lake, and after a few seconds, Andvari, as a huge dragon, came forth from the lake.

Andvari's upper dragon body was now casting a shadow over Svipdagr, while the bottom half of his dragon body was still in the lake.

Andvari glared at Svipdagr.

" Who are you? " said Andvari in his dragon voice.

" I am Svipdagr, son of Gróa and the wielder of the sacred sword, Annað Dreki Gram " said Svipdagr in a tone that made it obvious to Andvari that Svipdagr had no fear.

" And why, oh great Svipdagr, have you sought me out? " said Andvari.

" I have come on behalf of Hreiðmarr, I am here to seek revenge for his fallen sons "

" Revenge? tell Hreiðmarr that I had nothing to do with the death of his sons! " said Andvari in a outraged tone.

" Was it not your gold and ring that resulted in the death of his sons? "

" I never wanted that to happen, I never wanted any of this to happen! " said Andvari in a desperate tone.

" Regardless, I am here to make good on my promise " said Svipdagr while drawing forth his ADG.

Andvari was now furious.

Andvari was about to attack, but Svipdagr quickly ran into the forest, Andvari now gave chase after Svipdagr, breaking every tree in his way.

Svipdagr ran deeper into the forest, until he saw a ditch within the forest.

Svipdagr slided into the ditch thanks to the ice on the ground.

Svipdagr waited in the ditch until Andvari's dragon neck could be seen, and once Svipdagr saw Andvari's neck, Svipdagr beheaded Andvari there and then with his ADG.

Andvari's severed head fell to the earth, and with his last breath, Andvari said

" I never wanted any of this….. "

Svipdagr walked out of the ditch and over to Andvari's body.

Svipdagr drank some of Andvari's blood and ate Andvari's heart.

Svipdagr then burned Andvari's remains, and while the ashes carried Andvari to the hall of Freya.

Svipdagr continued his journey to find his beloved Menglöð.

Svipdagr was now back on his journey.

Svipdagr walked through the endless forests of Scandinavia, until he reached a large castle.

The castle was so large that one would think that a giant lived there, but Svipdagr was determined and had come too far.

Svipdagr arrived at the gates of the castle, where the watchman stood.

The watchman had two wolves with him.

" Hold, who goes there? " said the watchman.

Svipdagr was now before the watchman.

" My name is Vindkald, and I wish to enter the castle " said Svipdagr, hoping to pass off as a frost giant.

The watchman just looked at Svipdagr.

" I be Fjölsviðr, and you may enter the castle only after you have answered my eighteen questions, concerning the castles inhabitants and its environment "

Svipdagr felt his mother by his side and was now ready for the questions.

After all eighteen questions, Fjölsviðr revealed that the gates would only open for the great hero Svipdagr.

And so, without saying a word, Svipdagr walked past the watchman and straight to the gates, where abon, the gates opened for him.

Svipdagr now walked into the castle, and Fjölsviðr was nowhere to be seen.

Svipdagr walked further and further within the castle, and the deeper he got, the faster he walked, until he reached what looked like a throne room.

Svipdagr looked around the throne room.

Svipdagr then noticed that in the middle of the throne room layed a woman whose beauty words could not describe.

" My love…. " uttered Svipdagr.

The woman slowly raised up from the middle of the throne room.

The woman then turned around and with tears of joy in her eyes, said

" My beloved… "

The woman was Svipdagr's love, his beloved Menglöð.

Svipdagr and Menglöð ran towards one another where they finally embraced each other.

What felt like hours could have gone by, and the two love birds would not even have noticed it, but their reunion was interrupted by Odin himself.

Odin stood before Svipdagr and Menglöð.

Odin's was wearing his Merlin hat, and was holding his legendary spear, Gungnir in his right hand.

Odin's two wolves, Geri and Freki were by their masters side.

Svipdagr and Menglöð now looked at Odin.

" I will ask a final question, what will you do now, great Svipdagr " said Odin.

Svipdagr looked at his beloved and then said

" I will stay here with my heart and soul, till the time of Ragnarok "

" My love… " said Menglöð.

" I see, but unfortunately, I have one great challenge for the two of you… " said Odin.

Svipdagr and Menglöð looked at Odin in anticipation.

Odin then hit, with the bottom of Gungnir on the floor of the throne room, and that was when five children walked out from the shadows.

The children were:

Svanhild and Sigmund - children of Sigurd and Gudrun.

Gunther - son of Siegfried and Kriemhild.

Aslaug - daughter of Sigurd and Brynhildr.

And finally.

Gurth - son of Beowulf.

" Raise these five children as your own " said Odin with a smile, but before Svipdagr and Menglöð could say anything, Odin was already long gone.

" You know, he has much nerve, talking about raising children, when he barely helps raise his own " said Menglöð.

Svipdagr just kissed Menglöð on her forehead.

" So what now, my love? " said Svipdagr.

" Well, we raise these five children, and in the meantime, we have more children " said Menglöð with a smile.

Svipdagr just looked at his heart and soul, Svipdagr then smiled, Svipdagr then said

" As you wish, my goddess "

Svipdagr and Menglöð went to their new children, and so, the journey for love ends…. or does it continue?