The Hammer and The Mist: The Biker and The Valkyrie, #1

By Clare Power

Norse mythology meets bikers meets love where it isn't supposed to exist.

Statuesque, blonde and beautiful, Mist is the epitome of Norse perfection. As leader of the Valkyries, she's been sent to Walhalla, South Carolina by Odin himself...

The Valkyries' objective is clear: gather the souls of biker warriors for Ragnarok; the war at the end of the world.

Hammer is the president of Odin's Ravens MC, and as dark as Mist is fair. He's going to need help from Mist and the Valkyries to keep the Iron Barbarians from taking over the state.

The Valkyries aren't supposed to get involved, and Mist isn't supposed to fall in love. Add in the complications from witches, trolls, and some trouble-making nightmare Maras and Odin's army of souls may soon have reserves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clare Power
• Release date: Oct 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781537216737

Book preview

Introduction

In this book I have created a story involving modern American outlaw bikers and creatures from Norse mythology, folklore and those where I have basically created my own slant on mythical creatures, and who knows whether my imagination is right or wrong?

There is no graphic sex, and very little bad language, but there is fantasy (i.e. creature versus human) and human against human violence.

I hope you enjoy.

Introduction to the creatures in the book, and basic Norse mythology

The Nine Realms

Norse mythology divided the universe into nine worlds, all connected by the branches and roots of a great ash tree, called Yggdrasil.

There are only two realms that are really important in this story. Midgard, or Earth to you and me, our world, while the gods, the Æsir, live in Asgard.

Giants, dwarves and elves and other creatures all inhabit their own realms, although Midgard has its fair share of migrants from other lands.

In addition to Valhalla, Odin has a chair in the high branches of Yggdrasil, from which he can see all that occurs in the nine realms. Here also his ravens, Hugin (Thought) and Munin (Memory), bring him the news.

The Afterlife

Most people end up in a realm called Helheim or Hel after they die. This is not necessarily a realm of punishment, however, but it is a cold and dreary place, ruled by Hela, the goddess of the dead.

Death in battle is one escape from the clutches of Hela. Those warriors who died in the past, bravely with a sword in their hand, might be chosen by the Valkyries for admission to Asgard, the realm of the gods. Half of those chosen go to Folkvangr, the pleasant realm of Freya, and half go to Valhalla, the hall of Odin. There, the chosen warriors fight each day and feast each night until the last war against the giants.

Folkvangr is also where the spirits of noble women reside.

Drowning at sea puts the dead in the hands of Ran the sea-goddess, and the embraces of her nine daughters.

Ragnarok

The end of the worlds is the Battle of Ragnarok, fought between the armies of Odin, the chief god of the Æsir and Loki the trickster god. Odin’s army is made up of the souls of brave warriors from Valhalla. Loki’s army is made up of giants and monsters.

Loki is the god of mischief, he will bring about Ragnarok by killing Baldur, the bright god, and conspiring with the Giants to destroy the universe.

Odin

Odin is the chief of the Æsir, and the lord of the warrior dead. He appears as a tall elderly man, with one eye missing, which he sacrificed in order to gain his legendary wisdom.

Valkyries

As I have said, Valkyries are the Choosers of the Slain in Viking mythology. Over the years of the tales a few themes seem to be common to a lot of the stories.

They are usually described as wearing red, it was probably because of the blood of the dead staining their clothes and mail.

There is a link to swans, they could wrap a feathered cloak around themselves and turn into a swan.

Other stories include that they were virgins, but then there are stories of Valkyries whose husbands die.

Norns

The chief three Norns are the deciders of the fates of men. They weave and spin using some grisly materials. Other norns visit newborn children to determine their futures for good or ill, a bit like fairy godmothers.

Creatures from Norse folklore

The Bad

Duergar - the walking dead.

The evil dead don’t always sleep in peace. The duergar guard their barrow graves and their treasure, even from any birds that fly over them, who are said to die. Unwise folk once buried a relative under the threshold of his house – that did not end well. Generally speaking, a duergr has to be dug up and burnt to destroy it. Cooperation is unlikely.

Huldra

Huldra are seductive forest creatures. They can be distinguished from humans by their cow’s tail, which they lose if they can persuade a man to marry them in a Christian church. Otherwise, they can preserve their beauty by leeching their lover’s life away.

The Not so Bad

Maras

The maras, from whom we get, in part, the term nightmare.

Even in Norse folklore there are different creatures who are called ‘mara’. In this book we are not looking at the wraithlike creatures but at the women who, to avoid the pain of childbirth, become part woman, part wolf at night then find worse pain as their faces change into that of a wolf.

Elf

Landvaettir were the guardian spirits of particular places. Even when approaching an uninhabited shore, a Viking sea captain would remove the dragon-head from his ship’s prow so as not to frighten or provoke the local spirits. In Iceland today people still know not to throw things as they could land on an elf. Places known to be the haunt of elves and similar hidden creatures are avoided by road- and house-building schemes.

Trolls

Trolls in folklore are generally large and dangerous dwellers in remote places. They have been driven away from the houses of mankind by the ringing of the church bells. They also fall prey to the powers of the gods, whether sunlight or Thor’s lightning. They can take many forms, even appearing as humans.

Waterfall Spirits

Fossegrimen are spirits who dwell behind waterfalls. They are skilled musicians, who share their knowledge in exchange for food.

Cloud Horse

The steeds of the Valkyries, cloud horses can run through the sky to Asgard as swift as the wind. They are very strong, because they have to bear the valiant dead as well as their Valkyrie riders.

My imaginative interpretation of some mythical creatures

Biker Elves

Over the years some elves got bored and so moved on from their rural roots, so they moved into the towns and cities, and developed into different subspecies based on their chosen roles. Over the twentieth century biker elves have come into their own.

Elves have developed to specialise in other areas too, in the book there are also moonshine elves, building elves, and horse elves.

Shaman Ghost

The ghost of a long dead shaman has been left in place to protect an area for eternity. The words used are for the idea, not intended to cause any offence by incorrect – or even possibly correct – use of the term shaman. It is just a word that I used because it is relatively correct descriptively.

Trolls

I have concentrated on my ideas for three types of troll

Bridge Troll

The legend of the Three Billy Goats Gruff goes back to the Vikings. Bridge trolls are very territorial, and don’t like strangers ‘damaging’ their bridges by such nefarious actions as trying to cross them. They can work