The Unnamed Warrior: Valkyrie Secrets, #1

By Rachel Tsoumbakos

Valhalla: Where the Valkyries rule and women decide the fates of mortal men.

 

Destined to always bring about the destruction of men, the Valkyries are tasked with gathering the ultimate army against the war they are destined to never win: Ragnarok.

 

But could one of these fierce women find love among the horrors of war?

 

Svafa thinks she can. However, thanks to the fates, she is destined to be reborn and her love must stand up against the rigours of time.

 

Could their love change the fated destiny of them all?

 

One-click your copy today!

 

VALKYRIE SECRETS series:

 

1. The Unnamed Warrior

2. Curse of the Valkyries

3. Breaker of Curses

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rachel Tsoumbakos
• Release date: Feb 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201299095

Book preview

The son of a king | shall be silent and wise,

And bold in battle as well;

Bravely and gladly, | a man shall go,

Till the day of his death shall come.

~ Stanza 15 from the Havamal also known as The High One’s Words from the Poetic Edda.

Translated by Henry Adams Bellows.

INTRODUCTION

The Vikings and the sagas about them have always been a fascinating subject. They were a vicious breed, fierce, yet steeped in tradition and their own moral code. Along with their raiding ways, instilling fear into all they came across, they had a rich mythology that has come down to us in the present day via a variety of sources. While many of the gods are familiar, the Vikings also had various levels of gods. Among them were the famous Valkyries, a group of women who were supposedly tasked with deciding who lived and died on the battlefield.

Many of the Valkyries’ stories have been lost over time. And, what does remain is fractured, surviving in sections and patchworked together as best as historians of the time could do. However, the fact that so little is known about these women possibly makes them all the more intriguing, which is why this new series has come into existence.

I aim to unravel some of the stories involving the Valkyries, who were supposed to number nine, many of which arrive in the present day with little more than a name. In particular, this trilogy delves into a group of stories that are intertwined by telling the sagas of one Valkyrie who is reborn thrice and the mortal men named Helgi who appear as several reincarnations alongside her.

Many historians have disputed whether or not the Norse believed in reincarnation. However, the fact remains that this trio of stories begins in the Poetic Edda with a story called Helgakvitha Hjorvarthssonar. The first Helgi in this story, the one which is explored in this book, starts his life without a name. It is not until a Valkyrie called Svafa descends from Valhalla that he is named. During the course of their story, they have many adventures. However, both die at the end of the saga with the translation reading that of Helgi and Svafa it is said that they were born again.[1] Hence the belief that the other stories in the Poetic Edda containing men called Helgi and two other Valkyries are a continuation of this reincarnation saga.

Historians have argued that the above statement pertaining to the pair being reborn was a result of a translation error. Alternatively, it is suggested that it was used as a way to bridge together many stories that involved men named Helgi.

Regardless, I have chosen to take the words at face value and create a world around these men called Helgi and the women who loved them.

So, settle back and enjoy the ride.

WHO WERE THE VIKINGS?

WHEN ONE THINKS OF the Vikings, quite often the first thing they think of is how violent they were. Known as barbarians who raped, pillaged and looted wherever they set foot, popular culture has done little to explore beyond these stereotypes. Considering some of what is known about the Vikings has been written and handed down via Christian sources, it could be possible that the Vikings were merely the brunt of religious propaganda rather than the bloodthirsty descriptive we have come to associate with them.

Also, it is possible the Vikings were a group of people that had very good reasons for doing what they did. Regardless of why the Vikings were so violent, it is known they invaded various parts of Europe before branching out and raiding as far away as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia.

The Vikings were not actually a particular race but more a group of people that travelled from Scandinavia. This group was more defined by the fact they were considered foreign to England and the other countries they raided. Another component to grouping these raiders under the umbrella of Viking was the fact they weren’t Christian.

The word Viking, is generally considered by historians to come from the Scandinavian term vikingr. To translate this term into English gives it the meaning of pirate, or, alternatively, to mean those who are seafaring, or are a sea warrior, especially considering the word can be broken down further still into the Old Norse, vik, meaning bay or creek. Therefore, it is possible this term has been translated in a way that has helped to perpetuate the villainy associated with the Vikings.

The term also represents a small percentage of the Norse population that later came to be known as Vikings. For the sake of convenience, I will be referring to the Norse populations of what became to be known in the Viking age as Vikings. However, in the following fictional story, I will not be using the term Viking or Vikings, as this is not how the people of that time referred to themselves. Instead, they will be referred to by their location as an identifier when required.

Originating in the Nordic section of Europe that includes Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the Vikings raided across Europe between the late 8th century through to the late 11th century AD. In fact, the very first recorded Viking raid can be pinpointed to an attack on the abbey at Lindisfarne on 8 June 793. According to historical documents of the time, a scholar working in Frankia wrote a letter describing the attack to the king of Northumbria and the bishop of Lindisfarne.[2]

Pagans have desecrated God’s sanctuary, shed the blood of saints around the altar, laid waste the house of our hope and trampled the bodies of saints like dung in the streets.

During the time of the Viking Era, however, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden were vastly different from the present-day countries we currently know. Not only were some of these countries known by different names, but the boundaries were not set as rigidly as they are today. Being a time when the Christians were converting and there was constant disagreement within the Viking settlements over who ruled what areas, there was a certain fluidity to the borders. Added to this was the fact Vikings were known to fight among themselves over land parcels and rulership issues.

It is likely the Vikings began raiding for several reasons including the need for richer agricultural resources as well as retaliation against the Christian invasion that was attempting to extinguish their pagan beliefs. The introduction of the Viking age to the rest of Europe occurred during what is known as the Medieval Warm Period. It also coincided with the advent of Charlemagne’s Saxon Wars, an event that saw Christianity enforced throughout Europe. Therefore, the Vikings were, potentially, retaliating against a culture that was foreign to them as the Christians advanced on the pagans during this time.

Regardless of why the Vikings invaded Europe, the fact is they arrived there and managed to integrate into many positions of power. The perfect example of this is Duke Rollo. Rollo was later baptized as Robert and became the first king of Normandy, a region in France. Over time, the Vikings managed to adapt and assimilate themselves into various countries and cultures, disappearing from their initial identity as sea-faring warriors. So, while the Viking era may have a fairly set end time, the Vikings were still there, adding their own special flavours to the cultures they had joined.

For the sake of the argument, though, it is considered the Viking age ended in England with the Norman conquest in 1066 at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. In Ireland, the era ended in 1171 with the capture of Dublin by Strongbow. 1263 saw the defeat of King Hakon Hákonarson at the Battle of Largs in Scotland which ended the era of the Vikings there. The Western Isles and the Isle of Man remained under Viking rule until 1266. Finally, Orkney and Shetland finally overthrew the king of Norway around 1469.

WHO ARE THE VALKYRIES?

Traditionally, Valkyries are usually recognised as mythical female creatures that descend on the battlefield and chose the best warriors to return with them to Valhalla. Here they would sup with Odin and spend their time preparing for battle and feasting in the great hall. At the end of time when an event called Ragnarok is meant to occur, these mighty warriors will be summoned in a battle between the gods that will result in the near eradication of life on earth–the gods included.

In this myth, the Valkyries only take the most fearsome and skilled warriors. Therefore, to die in