#ailrun

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Happy Thorsday – Ailrun, Swan Maiden Valkyrie Princess - V3 Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic) mythological characters.  This week it’s another another more roman version of a character I missed when I was doing the A’s Alirun / Ailrun / Alruna / Ailruna / Ölrún. The Swan Maiden Valkyrie Princess mentioned in the Völundarkviða and Thidreks sagas.

Her name means some variation of house of secret knowledge. Or where the secrets reside.

She is the daughter of a mythical Roman emperor Kiár of Valland, and the foster sister to two other princesses Hlathguthr Svanhvít (The Swan White) and Hervör Alvitr  / Swanhilde  (The All Wise, Strange Creature). Each Swan maidens and possible Valkyries themselves.  

Each are described as helmed as Helmed as Valkyries, fair, young, stately, and foreign to the northern lands being from the south. Each capable of transforming into a swan, and are fierce warriors.

They flew into the north after their father disappears. And on meeting three Princes each falls in love and marries one of them. Spending 9 years together before the Swan Maidens are compelled to leave to follow fate. Ailrun’s Husband Being  Egil / Aigil / Aegil / Aligaz the Archer (Fear his Arrows blades)

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Happy Thorsday – Ailrun, Swan Maiden Valkyrie Princess - V2 Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic) mythological characters.  This week it’s another version of character I missed when I was doing the A’s Alirun / Ailrun / Alruna / Ailruna / Ölrún. The Swan Maiden Valkyrie Princess mentioned in the Völundarkviða and Thidreks sagas.

Her name means some variation of house of secret knowledge. Or where the secrets reside.

She is the daughter of a mythical Roman emperor Kiár of Valland, and the foster sister to two other princesses Hlathguthr Svanhvít (The Swan White) and Hervör Alvitr  / Swanhilde  (The All Wise, Strange Creature). Each Swan maidens and possible Valkyries themselves.  

Each are described as helmed as Helmed as Valkyries, fair, young, stately, and foreign to the northern lands being from the south. Each capable of transforming into a swan, and are fierce warriors. 

They flew into the north after their father disappears. And on meeting three Princes each falls in love and marries one of them. Spending 9 years together before the Swan Maidens are compelled to leave to follow fate. Ailrun’s Husband Being  Egil / Aigil / Aegil / Aligaz the Archer (Fear his Arrows blades)

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Happy Thorsday – Ailrun, Swan Maiden Valkyrie Princess Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic) mythological characters.  This week it’s a character I missed when I was doing the A’s Alirun / Ailrun / Alruna / Ailruna / Ölrún. The Swan Maiden Valkyrie Princess mentioned in the Völundarkviða and Thidreks sagas.

  Her name has been translated to break down from the Proto Germanic to mean ‘house’, ‘shelter’, ‘home’, ‘building’, and ‘sanctuary’ from the first half Ail or Ahl, and secrets of knowledge, lore, and magic, or runes from run or rūnō. Making her name mean something along the lines of ‘House of Secrets’, or ‘Where secret knowledge resides‘, or Keeper of magical knowledge’.

  Ailrun is the daughter of Kiár of Valland, is a mythological Roman Emperor.

  She was a part of a Valkyrie swan maidens trio along with the daughters of King Hlödvér, Hlaðguðr / Hlathguthr Svanhvít (The Swan White) and Hervör Alvitr  / Swanhilde  (The All Wise, Strange Creature). Each capable of becoming swans when wearing swan capes or robes. They gain these from being part Fairy or Elf on their fathers side. As the King Hlödvér in their tales is likely not meant to be the King from of the Mirmans saga but a separate Fairy or Elf king who marries a human princess. How Ailrun comes to be with them and with her own robe of swan transformation is never discussed. She is discussed as a sister, likely in the foster sister sense. 

  Each are described as helmed as Valkyries, fair, young, stately, and foreign to the northern lands being from the south.

  After the king disappears from the queen asking the one question she should not ask, the sisters and Ailrun depart their realm. Flying off in their swan form through the Myrkwood.

  One day, early in the morning, in a snowy northern Finn land (Lapland) Ulfdalir (Wolf Dale) by a house on sea shore called Ulfsjar (Wolf Sea) the three women land and decide to bathe. Bathing as swans and / or as humans. They are seen by the three prince brothers either bathing or while spinning flax by the shore. Their swan cloaks / robes laying beside them. The brothers are the ones who built in and live in the house by their bathing spot. In some versions Hervor / Swanhilde is wounded by a spear while flying as a Swan and falls to earth. She is rescued by one of the brothers, a magical smith and craftsman the Finn Prince Weiland / Volund. Who along with his older brothers Slagfiðr / Slagfithr (The Beating) and Egil / Aigil / Aegil / Aligaz (Fear his Arrows blades) all fall in love with their newly seen soul mates, at first sight, and decide to marry. Volund with Hervör Alvitr  / Swanhilde, Hlaðguðr Svanhvít with Slagfiðr and Ailrun with Egil.

  After nine winters together in the house on the sea, the women are compelled to leave their husbands to return to the murky wood so they can fulfil their fate through some conflict or battle. And While Egil and Slagfithr go to find them, Volundr stay behind making arm rings / baugar and jewelled rings and chains for his wife. Volund would be captured by an evil King and escapes with Egil’s help.

  Another time Ailrun and her husband Egil were beset by a large number attackers, fighting a battle at the river Ilz and while defending a keep together. The two of them successful in their defense. With Egil sending a seemingly impossible barrage of arrows at the attackers Ailrun cutting down anyone that got close and likely using her knowledge of magic to aid them. Though whether this is before their separation, or after they have reunited is not clear. Though the romantic in me likes to think that it’s after they have found each other again.

There’s some discussion around if the Swan maidens can be translated to also be Valkyries, or simply just wearing warriors helms, or even if Valkyries’ or warriors’ helm is the correct way to translate that part of their description. Either way it doesn’t much change their actions, abilities or motivations all that much n their tales. They’re still a force to be reckoned with.