Queen Mirthas

By Juan Alvarez

After the apocalyptic Ragnarök, the best place of all seems to be Gimlé; a pacífica area where peace reigns and the gods live in harmony. Its palace welcomes virtuous souls of good will. Everything is calm. Seemingly nothing can alter the peace that has cost so much to achieve... But the horn has sounded.
The daughter of the serpent is born and the sons of Odin and Thor are ready to go to battle.
The world of the dead emerges with a new queen who will seek the power she has waited for centuries.
The author of this novel has created a world based on Nordic mythology. In this adventure, he guarantees a vertiginous trip towards the new world created after the sunset of the gods and invites us to enter the new threats that will face the sons of Odin and Thor to achieve the so longed for balance of the worlds.
Fire giants, beasts of the world of the dead and Nordic gods will take place in this story and together they will hold epic battles to obtain the so precious power. All of them fight for a unique domain: Mirthas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BadPress
• Release date: Jan 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781071584675

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

A brief history of the Nordic Mythology.

In the beginning, there was only ashes and fire; the world remained in absolute solitude, and precisely in this void volcanoes and darkness prevailed. Every corner was burning and hot, completely desolate and lifeless. As time passed by, the areas located at the North cooled down due to new breezes. No one knows how the young winds came to spread over the craters in a slow attack that extinguished and froze the emanation of the most toxic of poisons. It was then that the first and longest Era began with icy storms that lasted for eternal cycles. In this lonely landscape and, wrapped in the solid ice, the first of all emerged: Ymir, the Frost Giant.

With his form of ice wrapped in dense fogs of amazing white color, Ymir imposed himself in the cold storms on the brittle and transparent floor, he advanced and destroyed everything in his path in search of life. At the same time a great cow appeared, feeding the giant with its gushes of milk for a long time. The food gave way to breed life, and more and more frost giants were born, who populated the first regions.

In the midst of the cold environment, the giants fought for the little that existed and the hatred for creation itself began to form part of their essence. Two of them, seeing themselves surpassed by their father in a senseless war, procreated three great gods to defeat him without mercy: Odin, Vili and Ve. Young gods whose ambition also took possession of their desire to conquer and overthrow their creators.

One of them turned out to be the most intelligent, who finally desired power over everything in existence: Odin. In order to possess the purest and absolute knowledge, he gave one of his eyes to the Guardian of the Fountain of Wisdom in exchange for drinking from the magic well and obtaining all the knowledge of the world that finally would become the necessary power to defeat the enormous aberrations. Odin paid a very high price to the giant Mimir.

The end of the ice giants began with hard fights and deaths, the size of each one of them stood out before the new celestial warriors. The gods had no problem subduing them and they fell one by one, destroyed and dismembered. Their goal was the misfortune of the monstrosities of creation.

The time has come for the destruction of Ymir, the first and greatest of all. He was attacked by the three gods without mercy until his total destruction; from his remains they formed the first world of men called Midgard; with their bones they formed mountains, from their hair grew vegetation and trees; with their deformed teeth they created cliffs, and with their blood and sweat the sea. Finally, they lit up the sky with sparks from the fires of the underworld.

The gods took the horrible worms emerging from the body of the giant and created the dwarfs, very creative beings skilled in making resistant armor and powerful weapons.

With all that was achieved and the end of the giants, the omnipotent gods felt that they could create better beings than their predecessors. So, at one moment, Odin, after creating the day and night, sent four dwarves to achieve the balance of the world: Nordi, Surdi, Austri and Vestri.

Then the idea of the creation of man arose, so: from an elm he brought forth woman and from an ash tree he brought forth man. Later on, they were given attributes such as thought and decision, as well the gift of speech so that they could create humanity and populate the world.

With the passing of hundreds of years, the population in the new world began to grow rapidly, they created towns with imposing castles, but at the same time they began to argue and fight among themselves, burning and attacking entire villages in order to create the greatest kingdom of all; the ambition of the human being had no limit. Birds flew away from the sound of weapons, and death stalked every new king placed on his throne.

For Odin, however, great tasks remained to sustain the balance required for the whole universe. A tree called Yggdrasill sprouted, the most beautiful tree that has ever existed. It had such great strength in its roots and trunk that it allowed it to be the central axis of the worlds. From the world of dwarves and dark elves to the world of giants, which were not entirely extinct, the tree sustained life and prosperity for the beings who lived near it.

The home of the gods was at the highest point; on the firmament there was Asgard, the most imposing and desired place by many. From there they controlled what was happening in all places and also planned what would be the final battle as it was decided. Everything they had built had only one purpose: to face as much prepared as possible the end of the days in the great battle of the end of the Ages called the Ragnarök.

It began with the arrival of the harshest winter, hitting each region with cold and icy storms. The sky darkened for years and the earth moved with strong tremors and earthquakes. Immense layers of ice destroyed entire villages and, where there was life before, only death and loneliness were seen. The mountains cracked because of great movements that hid a greater damage throughout the days. The Sun was fading away and the Moon lay dark, which finally gave way to great floods in several areas of the vast world. The earth was sick and dying.

It was in these jolts that the shackles of the monsters captured in previous fights were broken, first releasing the great wolf Fenrir and his father, the god Loki, the latter was trapped and judged by the continuous and malicious deception that ended with the death of the most beautiful god that had existed: Balder.

Also, the serpent Jörmungandr was released, who brought calamity upon the earth with his powerful poisons that he spread throughout all territories to eliminate everything that breathed. All Odin's enemies joined and approached the area of Vigrid, a place chosen for the Final Battle.

From the north came Loki with a powerful army of frost giants, while to the south the fire began to do its work emanating from the sword of the dreaded Surtur, who arrived with his infernal beings armed and prepared to kill every warrior that the Valkyries caressed.

In the home of the gods, the powerful watchman Heimdall was the first to see the rude creations of evil approaching. He took the horn of the end times and blew the great sound of the sunset, all the gods gathered and prepared their weapons to face the destiny for which they had prepared since ancient times.

Odin, riding his eight-legged steed, called upon his warriors to fight and destroy the invading enemy. Thor tightened his belt of force and then took his hammer to liquidate more giants than he had already annihilated. Gods, warriors and valkyries gathered and went on the great offensive.

The first to attack Fenrir was Odin; the giant wolf shot fireballs from his nostrils trying to burn the all-knowing god; the latter buried his spear in every weak point of the great beast, but carelessly was swallowed entirely by the animal. Odin, the greatest of all, had been devoured. From a distance his son Vidar witnessed the shocking scene and threw himself on the beast. What the beast did not know was that the god had the base of his shoes made with the sole of all warriors and this guaranteed him an enormous strength never seen before. It was then when he jumped over the animal, and resting one foot on the lower jaw of the beast, he raised its muzzle with his hand until breaking it, and later buried his sword directly into the heart of the monster, giving it a well-deserved death.

In another bloody sector, the dog Garm vigorously attacked Tyr, but he was no match for the god who managed to dismember him, although he was badly wounded and died soon after.

Frey, deprived of his sword of victory, fell in a quick fight against the powerful giant Surtur that launched strong flames with his sword.

Loki, the most hated god, faced Heimdall and both found death in one of the fiercest battles.

Thor, in turn, challenged the snake Jörmungandr who wished to destroy the great tree. It was a fight of powerful rivals; with his hammer he beat the head of the reptile, but the latter responded with springs of toxic poison expelled by his mouth. The god, more and more weakened by tiredness, finally succeeded in destroying the animal, but when he looked for his next victim on the bloody plain, the reptile managed to bite his leg. He could only walk nine steps backwards and fell dead.

The fire began to burn everywhere, smoke and short-sightedness did not allow seeing the carnage that was taking place in every corner of the battlefield; warriors fell shattered and giants mutilated; beasts bellowed with pain when they were burned, as the fire was distributed to all equally, even to those who were used to pain. So great was the power emanating from Surtur's sword that almost everything around it slowly succumbed.

In the afternoon, silence took hold of the place, only the crackling of the woods could be felt due to the fire and the wind that blew with arduous heat, making the glow of the flames grow even more. The whole land was being burned and annihilated. What was green was now red; what was ice and mist was now vapor and darkness; what was alive was now dead. There was no life left, no heartbeat and the first breezes that touched Asgard never blew again.

After this event, long days passed, conceived as the saddest since the creation. But when silence was the king of the Earth and loneliness its companion, a beam of the Son of the Sun appeared faintly, crossing the lean clouds and aiming at a special area; a lonely and intact place that had not succumbed to its lethal destiny: the immense meadow of Idavoll.

Here arrived some gods who survived the massacre. Among them were the sons of Odin and Thor. All of them contemplated the destruction and promised to prevent something like that from happening again. In their meditation all agreed that the new times should be in peace with all the worlds and for this they should have a new and powerful guide. Soon after, a god came to life from the place of the dead, who would lead the whole new creation and give the balance that the worlds needed to live in harmony: the god Balder. Beautiful, wise and approachable; the new leader could command the divine discouragement and create the new home that the gods needed, a place called Gimlé, which, covered with gold before the sun, shone with light of hope and relief.

Human race emerged again, hundreds of man years passed by and the earth was populated again in peace under the care of the new lords of the ignored heaven.

They weren't the only ones who got away with it. Some beings hated by Odin and his descendants never reached the confrontation, and so these monstrosities that survived the perpetual fire took advantage of the moment to start creating and organizing new armies of giants and beasts, all this hidden from present rulers of the world that did not even intuit the existence of such aberrations.

But not even gods, beasts or warriors that would populate the reborn worlds would suspect the plan of the great snake killed by Thor; a plan that would start its way with a provocative event in the north of the human world.

CHAPTER 1

In the village of Zangolf all the men were focused on one event: today their leader, Ramka the brute, would be a father for the first time. His closest friends were sitting outside the hut around a fire tasting mead and eating chunks of meat, as the men from the north did when preparing to celebrate or go into battle. The sun delivered weak rays that did not manage to temper the cool climate. Ramka wore a leather helmet on his head, covered with a lightweight chain mail that covered his back, but protected by skins and metal shoulder pads, as well as a long tunic and leather boots. He was leaning on his shield along with his iron weapon. The poorer warriors of the north used only leather in their clothing, but when they became leaders their armor improved ostensibly.

His friends wondered why their leader was dressed as a warrior, since he was on the eve of a birth and not a confrontation, but no one dared to tell him.

The village was located between two large forests that provided some protection from the whistling of the fierce winds. This also helped to create a kind of temperate climate that ensured a smoother passage of the cold winter nights in these areas. The men were well covered with different shades of skins and handmade helmets. They were exhausted, having arrived only recently from a long journey across the Necio Sea: called because of its stubborn currents blowing against the wind. Some were resting in their homes and others were accompanying their boss in this great adventure of being a parent.

Meanwhile, the women ran with wet fabrics from the courtyard to the interior of the house; the men saw them from afar where only the white fur coat they wore tied under the chin and their impeccable dresses of white and gray fabrics could be seen. In those moments they had only one mission: to comfort a brave woman who was shouting all the time because she was about to give birth. It was Ramka's wife.

The chief -although he didn't like that title- just watched with a blank stare while some of his friends told stories of battles and looting. He would just nod his head and not listen to anything they said. At that moment he was only thinking about his future son; he wanted to hold him soon in his arms and thus rock him gently as the sea does with a drakkar when it sails for the first time.

-Ramka, did you know that the bloody king will send a chest with gold and jewels to the bouquet castle said Balof, a cunning thief who had come from the south in search of riches; although it was not in his plans to become a plunderer.

-No  replied Ramka in a serious and grumpy tone. He did not want to be disturbed at all.

-They say it will carry so much gold that it could make me a golden sword like the one used by the ancient gods.

-I heard that the king's son was born with two heads intervened Kurt, a strong warrior and loyal man.

-It' s a fortune that only the powerful have. Now the bastard will be able to drink for two at once Balof said, taking his jug and raising it to empty its contents completely into his face in a barbaric manner.

Both laughed out loud as they observed how silent their leader was, nothing was amusing him. His friends tried to distract him with stories, to no avail.

At one point, Ramka stood up from his bench and turned his head toward the hut. Since they were built of horizontal trunks cut and adjusted at the corners, there were small cracks that allowed to hear what was happening inside the room; although some placed grass to isolate the cold and the sound. The chief raised his right hand and slowly lowered it as a sign of silence. Their respect was so impressive that no man was able to utter a sound. At that moment the screams of his wife had stopped, but he could hear the crying of a newborn baby in the distance.

From the house, a woman ran out in the direction of the group of men, approached them and loudly told them:

-It's a girl!

Everyone roared with joy and at the same time many laughs were heard, for they knew that their boss wanted a boy badly. The men stood up and embraced Ramka who was again with a blank stare; his dream would have to wait.

-You know I have two sons so you can choose in the future and become brothers  said Kurt, smiling and tapping the warrior's shoulder. The chief didn't like the comment and gave back a defiant look so he removed his arm immediately.

Fierce in every battle he had earned his nickname of the brute, so Kurt, quickly remembering such genius, withdrew his arm and sat down again. The other men around him did the same in silence as they watched the woman return to the house hastily.

The leader wanted to go into the house to see his daughter and wife; he had not seen her for hours and now they were a family. He felt disgusted for his reaction, it was his first offspring and he showed no signs of joy or even concern for his beloved, who must have suffered enough from the dozens of screams emitted. He only managed to advance a couple of steps when he saw a group of men coming down from the hill near the village. He looked carefully and saw that from the path the so-called five bearers of the truth and the divine were slowly approaching. Each of the natives carried a torch and advanced directly to the newborn's hut. They were armed and covered with horrible leather masks on their faces, it was said to scare away the evil spirits from the world of the dead. The leader wanted to go into the house to see his daughter and wife; he had not seen her for hours and now they were a family. He felt disgusted for his reaction, it was his first offspring and he showed no signs of joy or even concern for his beloved, who must have suffered enough from the dozens of screams emitted. He only managed to advance a couple of steps when he saw a group of men coming down from the hill near the village. He looked carefully and saw that from the path the so-called five bearers of the truth and the divine were slowly approaching. Each of the natives carried a torch and advanced directly to the newborn's hut. They were armed and covered with horrible leather masks on their faces, it was said to scare away the evil spirits from the world of the dead. Ramka noticed that in the middle of the four men one was walking higher than the rest, then he looked carefully and realized that it was the old shaman. The girl's crying had also called his attention and he was preparing to perform the rite of scaring.

All those who would become parents for the first time had to go through this ceremony, in which the shaman examined the body of the newborn with a strange sphere created for one purpose: to find the evil mark.

The few men who were seated stood and watched as the town's shaman slowly advanced to the birth site. In his right hand he carried an old horn; in the other hand he held the accusing sphere, a kind of holy amulet given by the gods according to ancient tales. He wore few clothes and about a hundred necklaces with animal teeth, also some leaves of exotic plants stuck to his body. He possessed an imposing musculature with a distinctive presence compared to the sages of other peoples. He was followed by his four servants, armed with white swords and prepared to do the job that had never happened: to eliminate the marked one. They wore the upper part uncovered, only wearing a small leather armor and a thick cloth helmet over their masks.

The girl's father remembered that the rite was practically a death sentence if they found what they were looking for. The tradition had never been a problem for the villagers, it was applied without problems and without success until now, but there was always fear among the inhabitants of a village, not only in the north but also in the south and the whole world, of being the chosen one. The mere thought that the marked existed in a family was frightening and no one imagined the punishment that the gods could inflict upon the child and his family.

Many have told stories of this sacred cult that began precisely on the Ragnarök hundreds of years ago. With Odin and Thor gone, one of the gods had been imprisoned in darkness and returned to heaven. He started leading the new worlds that had been burned and devastated by fire and hatred; his name was Balder, also called "the beautiful".

He took control over everything that is known and one of his first acts was to protect and care for humanity. The rite was created precisely to seek the mark of the serpent that was said to be able to be reborn. The god gave a sphere to each wise man of the human peoples that was passed on from generation to generation with a small and unique power: to show the mark of the serpent on a human. At first sight, men could not recognize it and they had to approach and rub the skin of the living being, specifically on his arm and hands. Once the mark was found, they had to warn with the horn of horror, which would sound all over the valley, desert, port, mountains or village so that the nearest god would be present and execute the sacrifice. The son of sorrow should die and perpetuate peace in the worlds.

For Ramka these were simple stories, but now he was very nervous; he had always been a spectator of such rites and today was his day to pass the test. That was exactly what tormented his thoughts, he doubted that something like that could happen to him, he meditated that it would be unfair, since he had always respected the gods and did not deserve such a cruel punishment.

When the shaman entered the house, silence took hold of the whole small town; the breeze hit the faces of the worried warriors who tried to distract themselves with anything; some played with sticks at the campfire; others arranged their swords, and the most nervous simply walked from one place to another. Balof and Kurt only managed to clean their daggers in a defensive position by looking from time to time at their chief who was clenching his fist on his sharp sword.

Long minutes passed. The shaman's servants stayed at the entrance of the leader's hut watching the women who had helped at the birth come out; some of them were carrying large damp cloths and walking in different directions, each one returning home with her eyes fixed on the floor. The moment was tense and was accompanied by the subtle cold of the afternoon. Each inhabitant stood and waited for the shaman's review. The gods were strange in their ideas and decisions, so the people worshipped them in the open air with much gratitude and fear, so that they would never be punished.

It was in this moment of reflection that some accelerated steps were felt distantly within the hut's room, and later a short and sharp scream. The guards who were at the door drew their swords and took a defensive position while one of them rushed into the house. All watched with concern. Ramka felt that cold that runs through the veins when death is present and wielded his weapon looking around; he knew that something was not right until he saw the shaman coming out. The latter looked at him from afar silently, in just a moment he raised his arm and pointed it at him with his fist shaped hand. Nobody understood what was happening; the inhabitants crossed their eyes wondering what to do, until in a moment they saw how the wild shaman took the horn to his mouth and blew it with great force. The sound was so devastating that many took their hands to their heads, shouting and crying. Ramka let out the saddest cry of his life; the men who were sitting stood up and drew their swords.

The girl had been born with the mark of the snake.

CHAPTER 2

The dawn was beginning to dissipate to make way for a quiet morning. The god Modi, who had survived the sunset thanks to his father Thor, was approaching a balcony to view the great palace in Gimlé, which was at the top of a complicated chain of snow-covered mountains, making his vision much more spectacular. The new dwelling of the gods was made up of a great castle and several orange-colored houses; the brightness of the sunrise gave the appearance of a place full of gold, for the gods had worked hard to achieve a new, more comfortable and brighter home with large halls and considerable magnificence; besides, it had become a place of concentration and work. Soon after meditating, the god walked down some limestone stairs and then crossed the bridge contemplating the morning glow that was taking over the day. The beautiful palace was before his eyes, imposing and daring; it was the ideal place after Asgard.

Contemplation was something that the old gods had not used and precisely that is what