#alirun

Norsery Rhymes from A to Z Happy Thorsday – Egil The Legendary Archer Well here we are another Thor’s Day and another 20 min sketch of a Norse (and Germanic) mythological characters.  This week it’s Egil / Aigil / Aegil / Aligaz. The legendary archer mentioned in the Völundarkviða and Thidreks sagas.

 Hi name has been translated to ‘Awe’, or ‘Fear’, or ‘dread’ combined with ‘edge’ or ‘point’ or ‘sharpness’ of a weapon. Which unlike the farmer Giant Egil who shares his name, where the meaning had the context of being afraid of the sword. Egil here, much like Egill Skallagrimson, and Egil One-Arm, is meant to imply the use of a sharp edge, and that others should be afraid of his arrows.

 Egil is the middle brother of a trio of Finn (Lapland) princes. Along with the older Slagfiðr / Slagfithr (The Beating), and the younger Völund / Wayland / Velent (The Master Magical Smith).

The brothers build and live in a house on the lands of Ulfdalir (Wolf Dale) by a house on sea shore called Ulfsjar (Wolf Sea)

 All three of the brothers one early morning come across Swan Maiden Valkyries in their swan forms by the Ulfsjar shore, bathing and spinning flax, falling in love with them as they reveal themselves to be human. Each of the Brothers going on to marry one of them.

 Egil marries the Swan Maiden Valkyrie and Princess Alirun / Ailrun / Alruna / Ailruna / Ölrún, whose father Kiár of Valland, is a mythological Roman Emperor.

 At some point the cruel Germanic King Nidung / Niðhad captures Volund after several. Having Volund hamstrung, and locking him up in a smithy dungeon. He sets forces Volund to smith all kinds of beautiful and amazing things for him from goblets, to weapons and jewelry.

 Eventually Egil hears of this and goes to find his younger brother. On arriving in the court of Nidung. The King on hearing that Egil is a master archer forces him on pain of torture to show his skills. The test is to shoot an apple off the head of one of his many Prince sons, without harming the Prince. And that if he misses or if any harm comes to the Prince Egil will die.

 Egil surprises the King by readying two arrows in his hand, nocking the first and shooting it without any apparent effort into the apple above the Prices head. When the King asks what the second arrow was for, Egils says that if he had missed with the first arrow, the second would have been to kill the King with.

 The King laughs and compliments Egil on his skill and his cunning. Welcoming him to his court. Likely to join him on his hunts and as a protector.

 Egil finds Volund, who had so far managed to seduce the Princess, who was now with his child, and trick and kill two of the older Princes, and hide their bodies by magically smithing them into various items. But was no closer to escape.

 The two begin a plan. Egil would go out hunting for animals, providing an ongoing feast for the King. But while out hunting Egil would collect all of the feathers from the birds he’s caught, and the bladder and blood from a boar.  

 Egil brought all this back to Volund so that he could add the feathers to a set of wings he’d created, while filling up the bladder with blood.

 Once everything was completed Volund and Egil put their plan in motion. Egil let him out of the Smithy, and Volund now wearing the working wings on his back and the blood filled bladder around his waist begins to fly away.

 Egil however alerts the King to the smiths departure. The King commanding Egil to shoot him down. Egil shoots an arrow and despite how har away the flying man now is, it flies true. Sending a rain of blood down, as the winged man appears to fall in the far distance into the trees.

 The arrow of course hitting the bladder filled with blood and the fall being a performance the King believes there is no reason to suspect Volund survived. Volund using his wings to fly low and then away back home.

 Egil eventually takes his leave of the king, Whether to find the body or just to go on his way. But never returns.

 Another time Egil and his wife Ailrun were beset by an large number attackers, fighting a battle at the river Ilz and while defending a keep together. The two of them successful in their defence. With Egil sending a seemingly impossible barrage of arrows at the attackers Ailrun cutting down anyone that got close.

 Defending a keep #relationshipgoals.

Eventually after nine years, the Valkyries feel the pull of their fate and leave for the Myrkwood. Egil and  Slagfith leaving to find them, with Volund staying behind making arm rings and jeweled chains for his wife’s return.

Some have suggested to a link with the archer God Ullr, either as a direct substitution. Given that their stories, personalities and the like to not over lap apart from their archery connection. I like to think it’s more of worshiper/god relationship, possibly with Ullr as a patron.

 Not much else is known about Egil the Finn Prince, Master Archer, and husband of a Swan Valkyrie.

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.