Baltic Mist
A Timeless Saga
Jennifer Lohr
Genre: Cultural Heritage, Legends, Mythology
Publisher: An Ancient Approach
ISBN: 978-0-61593-442-6
ASIN: 0615934420
Number of pages: 113
Word Count: 27,452
Cover Artist: Jennifer Lohr
Book Description:
Baltic Mist - A Timeless Saga is Jen Lohr's next big creation.
It all began when she came across Egil’s Saga, written in the mid11th century, chronicling the life of Egil Skallagrimsson. The history surrounding the Viking awakened within Jen an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of the Norse culture. A story was soon born, seen through the eyes of a young woman named Helga, originating from a character in Egil's Saga.
Baltic Mist begins on a farm Norway, and takes the reader through the epic adventures of Helga's enchanting life. Beginning in Book One, her tale falls against the backdrop of Scandinavia's conversion to Christianity. The saga continues in Books two and three to a finale that no one, even Helga herself, could have ever imagined!
A must read!
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/goKQig-LkjU
CHAPTER ONE
-Journey
home with me
My name is Mist,
and know it was your fate,
decided ages ago, to hear my tale. I am
a legend
whose legacy you are now part of,
as
you join me in history. Know as you read this:
all is as it should be, for
there are no accidents. Destiny has brought you and I together, our connection has finally been made. This day was
once foreseen, and your
time to know me has come. Although I breathed
in the air centuries before as you do now,
pieces of me continue on. Come,
as
I now wish to show you not who I was,
but rather who I am….
Follow
me back to my time, before the likes of all that you
know now, here and today. Visit
alongside me my beloved northern
homeland as it once was, so very long ago.
Behold its massive forests
- so lush, green, and already ancient by the time
of my existence. Come to
where great cascading rivers
spill over rocky cliffs,
where their spray can be felt, splashing on the
rolling hills below.
The dawning of my life
was a special time for my parents. I would
be
their firstborn maid-child.
I took my first breaths
during the period after the Yule Festival and
before the coming of spring, when
the earth gave way to
a warmer sun and seeds of
growth. After
my
birth it was told my mother, Hilde, accepted
me by permitting me to nurse milk from her
breast. It
was then my father tearfully
held me on his knee and passionately announced, "It is known, a daughter has
been born: Helga Thorfinsdotter…she belongs to me, Thorfinn Bondesson. I choose her name in honor
of my mother, who is now among the dead." He then sprinkled drops of water over
my
tiny infant body.
This was the
way I became a member of my family, officially, and they rejoiced in the goddesses Frigg and Freyja. Many were grateful to the two
goddesses for delivering me safely
from my mother’s womb, while leaving her
unscathed and in good health, for I was brought forth humbly,
with the assistance of only a single helping-woman when typically two were needed.
Mother bore
me at our home in the region
of Eida Skog, within the immense
forest at the heart of Norway.
Soon after, my mother’s belly brought upon our household another blessing of a child.
This birth was that of a boy-child. He healthily suckled and grew
past the age of concern where, sadly, many an
infant did not thrive beyond. He was
named Helgi, and grew to be a
strong, fearless
young man. His bravery
matched warriors twice his age, and he lived true to the laws of the land. Helgi
was a fine addition to complement the pride found in our honorable name.
My parents’ marriage
was not the typical wedded arrangement
of our time. Hilde’s
parents hadn’t the chance to follow through in their own agreement; sadly, they succumbed to a terrible illness - one which she and her
brothers thankfully survived. After their parents were gone, the hardship of managing their sheep farm was very difficult
for Hilde’s
brothers; and they decided against
marrying her off. They guarded her interests of any wedding
negotiations, in replacement
of their father.
Two men
very suitable to wed had
been turned down by her brothers. It
became apparent to Hilde their
indecision was not the reason for the refusals, but rather their
reluctance to become short-handed. Legally,
she was permitted to accept the third proposal
from Thorfinn’s family, and she did.
After the feasting of the celebration,
she joined Thorfinn in Eida Skog. Accompanied
by
her rightful portion of sheep from
her family’s farm, she began her new role as
woman of the house. This was
the way we Norse lived. Ownership of livestock,
land, and other assets
over- ruled love, a factor absent in the conditions of a marriage.
Hilde often stated I would
follow her lineage of women-folk, all of whom were versed
in the distinctive and specialized gift of seiðr -
the ability to see things
that others could not, and know
truths unspoken to most. Hilde herself
was
acclaimed as
a well-known prophetess, known to my people as a völva.
Since mother was versed in the
art of seiðr, she
frequently traveled to assist others with her skill. With
her wand as her companion,
she donned an elaborate cloak - hooded, lined
with fur, and ornamented with jeweled pieces. Its
blue shade held special meaning,
symbolizing death; but such reference
did not indicate evil, but rather the wisdom held
by these seeing women. It
was believed by my people much knowledge could be
gained from those who had passed
on into the realm of the dead, just as our god Odin did, when he desired to learn of his future. He rose
up from death a very wise völva, so ancient
she was older than the giants that once
walked the earth She was present
at the very beginning of creation.
She explained
to him how all came to be.
"You, too, will practice
as a völva one day,
daughter. Know of the lineage from which you
come, since my mother and
her clan of mothers before are of the goddess Frigg. This is
where my power of
prophecy comes from, little Helga." She first
told me when I was a small
child, only three years of age,
in her usual confident tone.
"When will I see, mother?" My tiny voice asked her
as
I squinted my eyes,
to better concentrate and focus.
Mother looked
down at me, smiling.
About the Author:
Jen was first published when she was a sophomore in High School, and has been writing short stories ever since. The Baltic Mist series is her fictional novel debut. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and their four children.
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