Ragnaroek: A fantasy view of German mythology
(c) Guinevra 2007-10

Hohe Nacht der klaren Sterne,
die wie weite Brücken stehen
über einer tiefen Ferne
drüber unsre Herzen gehen.
Hohe Nacht mit großen Feuern,
die auf allen Bergen sind.
Heut muß sich die Erd’ erneuern
Wie ein jung gebornes Kind.
Mütter euch sind alle Feuer, alle Sterne aufgestellt.
Mütter, tief in euren Herzen schlägt das Herz der weiten Welt.
(Hans Baumann)

High night of bright stars,
how long are the bridges
over a deep distance
Our hearts go about it.
High night with large fires
which are on all the mountains.
Today must renew the earth
As a young child born to.
Mothers, you are all fire, all the stars set up.
Mothers, deep in your heart is the heart of the wide world.
Hans Baumann

Wothan and Fricka

Wothan went through the big empty rooms of Walhalla looking at the beauty that surrounded him. He felt lonely and bored something that seldom happened to him. His wife and the children, who lived at home still, were visiting other relatives and friends among the deities who dwelled in their own halls and palaces in Asgard. It was quite peaceful besides some birds singing, he only heard the clashes of swords because two of the Valkyries busied themselves with swordplay.

At last he decided to have a look at Mittgard and humankind, his last creation from the branches of an ash tree. So he climbed the roof. Looking around, he was shocked. Mittgard was not the place of peaceful development he had imagined when he populated the beautiful place with humans. Besides castles, halls, small towns and thriving farms, even besides Holy Forests and Groves, he saw more fighting done than work or even entertainment.

Angry he donned a hat and a wide cloak, disguised himself as an old man and went down to Mittgard to explore what happened there. Wandering mostly invisibly through the world, he felt his anger rising - anger at the humans who were not able to live peacefully together, but also anger at himself, that he had not visited Mittgard before. He even felt a light fright because a disturbing presence covered the place.

He had neglected the fact, that his daughters, the Valkyries, had brought many knights, killed in battle to Walhalla. Here they lived now, happy with all kinds of entertainment offered to them, good food that they hunted themselves, beautiful women as the Valkyries collected on the battlefields not only fallen valiant knights but also shield maids who had chosen to be warriors instead of wives and mothers, and last but not least were tournaments and swordplay to keep warriors fit for fighting.

And he needed these warriors for guarding Asgard and Mittgard against the constant attacks of Ice-, Stone- and Water-Giants and, of course, to win treasures from the dwarfs who were the most talented craftsmen. They worked inside the mountains making the best magical weapons and armour as well as jewellery beyond any comparison. But they seldom parted voluntarily with their work, so Wothan had the warriors fight the dwarfs or cheat them with all the cunning his brother Loki was able to contrive.

Tired from the long days and nights he spent in Mittgard, often as a guest in castles, halls and farms, speaking with people, observing their lifestyle and circumstances, Wothan returned to Asgard and Walhalla.

A feast to honour his return ended late crowned by loving hours with his wife Fricka. But he could not sleep, left his bed at dawn and sent one of his daughters to fetch Loki for a meeting. But the Valkyrie returned alone - Loki had vanished. Full of despair and angry, Wothan decided to look for knowledge, information and wisdom. He sought to ask the Norns - Urd (Past), Werdandi (Present) and Skuld (Future) - who sit and spin the fate of the world in a room inside the roots of the World-ash Yggdrasil besides a spring which feeds a small lake. This is the water of life that blesses the whole world.

The three sisters of fate refused to answer Wothan and send him down to Mimir’s Wisdom spring under the roots of Yggdrasil. But there is no gaining of knowledge and wisdom without a sacrifice. Wothan received a spear wound that took out one eye. This eye was placed at the surface of the lake and he then hanged himself head down from the branches of the tree. The eye in the lake enabled him to see the past and future of Mittgard and Asgard.

Shocked he saw that his brother Loki, ever jealous of Wothan’s power and leadership, had decided to destroy Mittgard, Wothan’s creation and spread Evil among its inhabitants. Even worse, he was evil himself and had already created terrible beings (his children) as helpers for a fight, the last fight. Loki intended to kill deities and humankind together with any life in the world and finally let it all end in an orgy of fire as Loki is the God of fire. He had already won numerous enemies of Asgard, Walhalla and Mittgard for his plan, all the different kinds of giants, some dwarfs and many more dark creatures who haunt the world.

Wothan saw the creation of the Fenrirwolf, the Mittgard-serpent and Hel. For nine days and nights Wothan observed the future, which Loki prepared for him, all deities, all humans, for any living and feeling being and the whole world. He recognised, as well, Loki’s intention to soon commence his attack against an unprepared and ignorant enemy.

After the nine days were over, he was taken down, healed and nourished, but he had to leave his eye in the lake as a permanent sacrifice. So in the future he became known as the one-eyed God. Filled with rage coupled with despair he returned to the Norns and demanded a change in their weaving the fate of the world. Skuld denied Wothan’s request and explained: On their scales the guilt and faults of deities and humans weigh higher than the good, honesty and beauty in their works and actions. Wothan’s world was doomed and nothing could prevent this. Wothan was left with one small hope. Should they be able, during the last fight between Good and Evil, to exterminate all Evil, then the world would be renewed whereby a new and better kind of humans would begin to populate once more a changed world.

His second crucial question – When shall the destruction of their world, Ragnaroek, begin? - received a very crisp answer: “As soon as Loki has finished his preparations he will attack. But prior to that, you will have many signs when in all parts of the world Evil will win over Good.” And suddenly Wothan found himself back in Walhalla.

After some days of rest he called all deities and the 12 Valkyries for a council of war. He explained in detail his experiences to them, what he had learned looking down into the lake and the judgement of the Norns, the Sisters of Fate.

The discussion lasted several days broken only by extended meals and entertainments which gave them a clear head once more for seeing all facets of this unexpected and difficult problem. At the last meeting they agreed that they must somehow gain more time as Loki’s attack in a near future would find them unable to accomplish the conditions of the Norns.

Knowing the world would expire and their lives would be forfeit, they united to create diversions, buying themselves time by – if possible – catching Loki and his helpers and imprisoning them for as long as possible. They would then use this time to gather as many knights and Shield maids in Walhalla as possible. They decided that their first task would be to neutralize Loki’s creatures for a long time. They forced Loki to give them over to Asgard. Loki laughed; because he was convinced no God could overcome them. But he was proved wrong. They started with the Mittgard-serpent. In the dark Halls of the Giants – Loki’s friends – the serpent had grown into a gigantic monster. Wothan took her and threw her into the waste sea that surrounded Mittgard. She did not drown as he hoped but continued to grow until she circled the whole country. She continued to grow until she could bite her own tail and if she was enraged she would swipe the sea, causing storms and floods. Despite humans praying to their deities she continues to do so still.

For the first time the Gods kept the Fenrirwolf in Asgard, but he too continued to grow. When he opened his mouth his lower jaw touched the earth and the upper jaw touched the sky. Only the God Tyr, relative to Giants, was able to feed him. They could not kill him as Asgard was a holy place and no killing was permitted so they put the Fenrirwolf in chains. The beast agreed and with one move it destroyed the strongest chains of Asgard. Wothan’s messenger, Skinir, went with precious gifts to the dwarfs, begging them to forge chains that the Fenrirwolf would be unable to rend. A difficult task, but the dwarfs mastered it and gave Skinir small, soft chains. Wothan tricked the Fenrirwolf into trying to rend the chains a second time. Fenrir did not trust him and demanded that one God put his arm between his fangs and threatened to bite through the God’s arm if he could not rend the chains.

The chains held with the God Tyr, sacrificing his arm to the Fenrirwolf. They then closed his mouth with a sword, forged his chains to a huge rock and threw him into Mittgard’s deepest abyss. There he will stay until Ragnaroek begins.

Loki’s third creation was Hel, a stern strong woman, half white, half black. Wothan thought her harmless in comparison with the wolf and the serpent, so he gave her to rule the dark realms of the dead who had not perished in battle. She rules there and justly divides the innocent and good people from the criminals treating everyone as they deserve. So it seems she is not a danger to anyone. But who knows for which side she and her countless army will fight?

After he was robbed of his companions, Loki vanished. Now Wothan was left with catching Loki, his brother and partner in creating Asgard and Mittgard. Their powers were equal, but Loki was bored by peace. From the first time he stirred up the complacence of his brother and fellow Gods, he found that with his Fire energy he more and more enjoyed all evildoing.

So the gods searched for Loki. From his throne Wothan saw him fishing at the edge of a cataract. When Wothan and his friends arrived, Loki changed into a fish and tried to escape in the lake. But they caught Loki with a net and he once more became a God. While Wothan and the other gods forged Loki to a secure deep rock prison on an island, Skadi, a woman Loki had betrayed, added Loki’s torture. She drops acid into his eyes. The constant pain is made bearable only by Loki’s wife, Sigyn, who held a bowl over his eyes to catch the acid. But from time to time the bowl has to be emptied, and so Loki’s pains return every few hours.

Loki’s prison and the torture fill him with so much hate that in his mind a fine tuned plan was born, to finish the world and all its inhabitants. And he has used the many centuries of his captivity for completing an attack on his enemies.

But nevertheless he tries to solve the question. If Wothan never had gained knowledge at Mimir’s lake about Loki stirring up mischief in Mittgard, would he have gone tired of it and stopped and nothing unalterable would have happened? Because mingled with his thirst for revenge and his hate is the longing to turn back the wheel of time to the innocent joy and happiness, when he was young and the world was new. He knows it was he who changed happiness into torment, not only for himself but for the entire world and its inhabitants. Could the world have avoided Ragnaroek? Would the Norns have weaved another fate for them all without Wothan’s desire for ultimate knowledge?

But even Loki is not wise enough to answer this question, so – sighing – he returns to his vindictive plans.

Life in Asgard continued as before. Feasts and tournaments and adventures of some Gods with giants, dwarfs and even humans brought some excitement into their life. Wothan seldom participated and Fricka went her own ways. He controlled daily how many knights and heroes, killed in the manifold wars of Mittgard, were brought to Walhalla by the Valkyries and he concluded after some time, they will never be enough to fight the armies of Evil at Ragnaroek. He needed to increase their numbers.

After some time another war council took place. Wothan explained his intentions to a shocked audience. In the past, only few Gods visited Mittgard, some because they had duties there, some for fun and adventures. But they seldom interfered in the lives of humans. Now that should change. Gods in disguise should mingle with the humans and stir up wars between the different tribes and clans.

The Goddesses refused immediately. In contrast to the men they had from the beginning regular contact with humans, helping them to cope with an extremely harsh life, especially for the women. They ruled the homes, from childbearing to cooking and preserving food, weaving and sewing clothes, even worked in the fields when the men went to war or to look for adventures, the burden of caring for life’s daily necessities was theirs. Even some of the Gods busied themselves with similar tasks.

Niörd is the God of the sea and calms the waters when the water giants and the Mittgard-serpent dangerously whip up the waters. Niörd saves ships, prevents floods, gives sailors and their ships just the right amount of wind, sends the fishermen full nets and gives the people living by the sea rich harvests of many kinds. Freyr lives and feasts during the 12 Holy nights among the humans and installed peace for this time. Both refused to join these plans. Wothan was enraged and so he punished Freyr with arranging his Wild Hunt just for these 12 Holy nights.

Freyr’s sister, Freya, is the Goddess of love, marriage and virtues. Wild cats drive her carriage through Asgard and Mittgard as she protects too the cats, the caring friends of human. The siblings were worshipped and adored in Mittgard and the name Friday

for a weekday was chosen to honour them. Freya too protects poetry and art and she was the leader of the Valkyries. She too refused to obey Wothan. The spring Goddess Ostara joined them as well as Iduna, who give the deities the apples that keep them young. So Wothan faced refusal in Asgard. Even the war loving Gods like Thor and Tyr and their friends and brothers disapproved of Wothan’s plan. They were honest men and Wothan’s treacherous suggestions were not accepted. All these deities were united in their conviction; one cannot fight Evil with one’s own evil acts.

The Asen

Wothan was furious by this negation of his plans and as it was deep winter, he called together the knights and heroes to choose companions for the first Wild Hunt during Freyr’s 12 holy nights of Yule in Mittgard. After the hunt was over, humans were nearly frightened to death and many crops in Mittgard were destroyed through the recklessness of the hunters. The knights and heroes also killed too much game just for the joy of killing. In the wake of the hunt many small wars started, for food mostly, as the hunting had bereaved Mittgards inhabitants of their winter food. Wothan was satisfied with the result and installed the Wild Hunt as a yearly custom. But his blood thirstiness grew, as the first steps on his path had such satisfying results, increasing considerably the number of knights who now dwelled in Walhalla. But he needed an army. So he redesigned his plan. He and Sleipnir, his eight-footed horse as well as the Valkyries would be sufficient. Two other important helpers in his “Holy Wars” he found in his two ravens, Hugin and Munin. Them he made scouts to look for probable trouble spots, which with a little bit of stirring up could be turned into wars.

He could not order Freya. The 12 Valkyries, though, were his daughters and they had to obey or they would be punished like Brunhild who had refused Wothan obedience. He called together the Valkyries and ordered them to take into their community all the Shield maids of Walhalla and to add constantly to their numbers by taking Shield maids they found killed on battlefields. Later, when women stopped fighting in wars, he congratulated himself for this clever decision. Also he ordered them, not to just take the great heroes and valiant knights to Walhalla, as was habit, but to take anyone who was killed in any battle.

But his most questionable decision concerning human sacrifice, met with heavy disapproval in Asgard. The deities of Asgard and the population of Mittgard never used human sacrificing as punishment besides for what Wothan had judged in the past as the most serious crime of all – oath breaking. And the dead were sent to Hel for further punishment. Wothan changed that. Sacrificed people, regardless of their gender, were to be fetched by the Valkyries and brought to Walhalla. He decided also to encourage the population of Mittgard to sacrifice their fellow humans in order to gain favours from him. As Wothan bestowed the asked for favours, sacrificing humans became a custom too.

What had happened to Wothan? From a shining god, representing all virtues, loved by his family and friends, trusted and worshipped among the population of Mittgard, he had changed. Corrupted by his urge to win against Evil at Ragnaroek he brought more evil into the world and did not even asked himself the same questions, Loki asks in his tortured captivity, his brother sacrificed him to – Mimir’s Lake showed Wothan Ragnaroek and the Norns told him there is a chance for a new world if he and his fellows could expurgate all Evil. But they left to his judgement how he would accomplish that. He did not see in Mimir’s Lake this part of the future. It was not decided when he gained his knowledge there. The decision was his.

The Norns

He was very lonely. A high invisible wall divided him from all the other deities, who were ready to give their life for a new world with no intention to ever bring more misery to Mittgard to achieve this goal. And the Norns continued to weave their patterns; Werdandi weaves with ever increasing wrath. She has to cut short too many lifes.

Wothan went to work. He called all the Valkyries to a meeting. The big room was nearly full. They had obeyed him and included all the Shield maids. So he ordered them to watch Mittgard for the outbreak of wars and look for his signal. He would throw his lance at the army that was designated to lose - the army with the most warriors to be killed. They agreed cheerfully, wanting to have new company added to the knights already dwelling in Walhalla. Some of them ever protected a special hero and it happened too, that they fell in love with one of them, married and gave life to some special children: beautiful girls and boys who would grow into famous heroes. But these marriages never lasted long. If the husband asked too many questions they just vanished and returned to Asgard. But some years later they lured the former husband into a fight or war and brought him to Walhalla also.

Wothan went down to Mittgard, accompanied by his white horse Sleipnir and the two Ravens and fights and wars were started. Eirik, king of Swede, swore to be Wothan’s victim in 10 years time if he could win the fight against his nephew Styrbjorn. An old man gave him a cane wand to throw at the enemy’s army, chanting the words: *”Wothan takes you all”. The army was blinded and Eirik won.

Numerous tales about magic weapons and words given from an old man to the war leaders are known. But they also learned that this not always guaranteed victory. Wothan took them all in the end. Magic weapons suddenly did not help any more, the promised victory was given to the enemy, and advice given could be deadly and lead into a trap. The kings of Denmark and Swede learned how treacherous Wothan was, teaching new patterns of fight to both sides. One day a war leader or king was Wothan’s favourite. Then Wothan would change his mind and let him die in the next fight. So Walhalla’s army grew, quicker and quicker. And Wothan’s glory as God of war grew too, but so did his reputation for being treacherous and unreliable.

Wars were followed by more wars, and parts of Mittgard were continually fighting with each other. When a peace treaty came and average people began to hope for a better life, Wothan lured one of the opponents into breaking the contract. Walhalla and the Valkyries received open armed countless warriors. But – Hel gained a whole empire. For each knight slain, each big hall destroyed in flames, even more ordinary people died: children, women, farmers, merchants, serfs. They died of famine and epidemics, were mercilessly killed when they tried to protect their homes, their families, their crops, their merchandise. Wothan gave no mercy and Hel's Underworld filled up far more than Walhalla. Most of them were innocents who just did not count anymore. And Hel’s anger matched that of the Norns: Too many lives dying before their time, too many children and young women filling her halls. Hel was Loki's child like the Fenrirwolf and the Mittgard-serpent. She was harsh and strong at the time Wothan ordered her to rule the Underworld. But she learned mercy and caring, with the never ending stream of souls arriving at her gates.

The Asen Riding to War

People prayed fervently in despair to all deities for help and began to curse Wothan. Goddesses and Gods left Asgard for Mittgard and tried their best to help, risking the wrath of Wothan. They advised to escape all the wars by going south into more peaceful realms ruled by different Gods. They set in motion the migration of northern people to the South. But war followed them. The southern realms had inhabitants too, who defended their homes and countries. There just was no escape.

Of course, there was a reason. Wothan nearly panicked when he observed the spreading of a new religion. The new God had preached love, forgiveness, and peace. He saw many average people eagerly accept the new God and his doctrines and he feared the end of all wars and the end of adding ever more warriors to his army for Ragnaroek. So he increased his efforts to make some more sweeps before all wars stopped.

He would learn later when it was too late how wrong he had judged the new religion. So he influenced all northern tribes and clans against the new teachings and ordered the killing of their priests. The first of them came in peace and without weapons but he could not prevent that more and more kings were agreeing to be baptized into this new religion. Half of Wothan’s realm already had converted to Christianity when it came to a culmination.

Both sides had a charismatic war leader. One of the biggest northern tribes, the Saxons was united by their Duke Widukind. The Christians had Charlemagne, who did not shrink from forcing conversion on the followers of the old religion. Charles intended to have peace in his empire. But that hope was in vain too. Even after baptism many people in Mittgard followed the old traditions and rituals and often, stirred up by Wothan, denied Christianity once more, breaking their oaths to the Emperor and going to war with him.

Only one of the Saxon tribes had converted, the others fought with Widukind against Charlemagne. But Widukind lost the war and fled to Denmark where his father in law was king and the traditional belief not even touched by Christians. Charlemagne left for other wars and Wothan influenced Widukind one year later to return and continue with the war, raiding the already Christianized realms of the Franks. But Charlemagne returned and Widukind had to flee several times. Many tribes of Saxony were already baptized when Wothan stirred up the country once more. New fights started with breaking all oaths they had sworn to Charlemagne. This time the emperor was so enraged that after his victory he inflicted a terrible punishment on Saxony to prevent further oath breaking. He captured and beheaded 4500 tribal leaders at a field near Verden. Oath breaking: The one crime to be punished by sacrifice.

The Saxon tribes which had not accepted Christianity were joined by the tribes who had been baptized already and sworn allegiance to the Emperor. Staying with their oath, together they captured all the oath breakers and gave them over to Charlemagne for sacrifice to Wothan. Their belief of how heinous the crime of oath breaking was could not even be shattered by the fact that oath breakers helped them fight the spreading of Christianity. There were war leaders, Shield maids, even children, some of them relations or friends and with iron determination they extradited the traitors to Charlemagne.

The Emperor let his wrath rule him. He told his court and his army: “You will witness my justice; there will be no further war with the Saxons”. The chained victims were lead to a big free field, surrounded by a creek. Some Frank soldiers had volunteered to act as executioners. Doing their bloody work, they as well as the court, the onlookers and the army waited for a stop signal from the Emperor that never came. The captured Saxons as well as the ones who delivered them into Charlemagne’s power where the only ones who knew that there would be no mercy. They saw what the Christians were not able to see. Charlemagne’s wrath had opened his spirits. Behind him stood Wothan, fuelling his rage until the last victim had died.

Now, here, he enjoyed seeing one severed head after another fall to the earth. The exhausted, blood- covered executioners had to be relieved several times by others, who with ever growing concern and reluctance, continued. But Wothan had no mercy, and the emperor and the Franks continued, observed by the shocked onlookers of Franks, Saxons and the Emperor’s court alike. The last was a 12-year old boy who cried in despair: “I have done nothing, so let me live!” But Charlemagne was deaf against the cry and the boy died too. There was so much blood, the earth refused to take it all, so the creek’s water went red too. And the water nymphs fled crying from their soiled homes. Charlemagne, as a Christian, had done the same as the Pagan rulers before him. He sacrificed the prisoners of war to Wothan believing his Christian God would approve, stop these wars, and beat into submission those Saxons.

This was the moment when Wothan learned that the words and teaching of one man, Jesus, could found a new religion of loving words. But these words could not change humankind’s lust for power and wealth and land. So the Christian leaders could be influenced by Wothan as well as his own followers.

This was the moment too, when the Norns decided to strip Wothan’s power to influence humans and drive them into wars. This punishment evolved into one of the most grisly slaughters in the history of Mittgard. Wothan did not know then that a similar future event - Richard the Lionhearted’s oath breaking at Acre - would change him beyond recognition. But this would be several hundred years later in the future and Wothan would be only an observer without power to change anything as it happened outside Mittgard.

The Norns tried to weave a different future. They removed Wothans warmonging influence in Mittgard, but the wars had gained their own speed and continued for longer than Charlemagne ever thought possible. Legends tell the field turned red and till to day only red flowers are growing there. But the war did not stop. Wothan's hopes were fulfilled and a superabundance of warriors arrived at Walhalla. He returned to Asgard to welcome all the new inhabitants.

At the same time two messengers arrived with invitations. One was sent by Hel, who asked for a visit, the second came from Skuld, the Norn of the future, with the order Wothan had to be with her at Yggdrasyl's roots immediately. Both messages filled his mind with anger, because they interfered with his plans of returning to Mittgard and initiating new uproars in Saxony against Charlemagne. As he could not dismiss the order of a Norn he went, full of rage, and determined to stay only the shortest time possible.

But a terrible surprise awaited him. Skuld offered him her chair at the loom and told him to observe the weaving. He saw war after war and was very pleased. But not Skuld. She told him the Saxon wars had to be stopped. Parts of the Saxon tribes have another task for the future. They are destined to found a new empire on an island in the sea that surrounds Mittgard. Wothan protested but to no avail.

The Norns just informed him, his power to influence humans and stir up wars was removed. His century long warmongering had lead to an unstoppable avalanche of wars which will continue until the dawn of Ragnaroek. Each war will ever be more terrible than the ones before. He had missed his chance to set the time for Ragnaroek when he had Loki, the Fenrirwolf, the Mittgard-serpent and Hel in Asgard. His decision to postpone the last fight to muster a big and victorious army and his failure to understand that he had been able at that time to convince Loki to stop his wrongdoings had brought over Mittgard more disasters and misery than Loki ever could have afflicted.

Skuld added: The freedom to roam in Mittgard for him and his fellow deities will be not restricted in order that he can continue his Wild Hunt. She also foretold that even if Christianity will be accepted in Mittgard and beyond, he will never be forgotten and habits, customs, feasts and Holy places will continue as in the past. Some people’s belief in him and the other northern deities will be revived in the far future. Her last words were to accept Hel’s invitation and visit her.

Wothan’s mind whirled and rejecting to visit Hel, he returned to Mittgard trying to influence Widukind once more to start a new uproar. But it was in vain. He really had lost his powers. Widukind fled to Denmark once more and came back to use some opportunities to fight for the freedom of the Saxons. But he was not driven anymore by Wothan.

After Widukind lost another fight, Freyr and Freya had a meeting with the Norns. Skuld permitted the siblings to look at the weaving of the future too. The twin Gods took their time to observe more carefully than Wothan ever did. Where Wothan saw only the wars which presented him with fighters for Ragnaroek, Freyr and Freya saw the whole pattern: The possible extinction of the Saxons - whole tribes and clans - and they saw the determination of Charlemagne and his successors to fight for power even against the representatives of the new religion they all had succumbed to.

Freyr and Freya agreed with the Norns, even with the removal of Wothan's power to stir up new wars, these will go on and on in the future. Left to all deities of Asgard now was the possibility to influence either single events or humankind with advice and help; and preventing senseless cruelties and the extinction of families, tribes and nations, who would play a role in the future. They would be able to change some parts of the future but they had no power to end what Wothan had set in motion. The siblings decided to have their first attempt with Widukind.

One evening Widukind sat alone in the High seat of his hall. The funeral fires were over, all services done, he was at last able to mourn his lost family members and friends and the killing of so many Saxon knights, Shield maids and ordinary people. His only solace was that he would meet them once more in Walhalla, when it was his turn to loose his life in another fight or war.

A beautiful couple entered his hall. They introduced themselves as Freyr and Freya and Widukind looked in amazement at their beauty and serenity. He had almost forgotten that Asgard had deities besides Wothan, deities who helped ordinary people in their daily life, who banned fear and anguish, and who tried to mend the aftermath of constant wars. Freir told him, Widukind had forgotten something more important, that he was not only the Duke of knights and warriors but also the Duke of his whole nation: The women, the wives, the children, the old people, the husbands, the farmers and serfs. These people who had suffered terribly in the wars, lost all they cherished, from human relationships to possessions and, who without the help of Asgard's deities would have despaired total already.

Freya added, that Widukind failed to see that the wars against Charlemagne had forged a nation out of Saxons tribes and clans, a nation that will play an important role in future history, if he, Widukind does not lead them to extinction. She told him, Charlemagne’s two successors would be weaklings and the Emperor’s crown will pass for quite a time to Widukind's successors, who will lead not only the Saxons but all the different German nations. She showed him too, the important role Saxons will play in the future of an island in the sea surrounding Mittgard.

This island belonging to a different empire was abandoned in the long fight against armies of many nations and so left behind in a void that could be filled by a part of Saxons willing to leave their homes, first to squat the islands and later take the lead into the future there. Further, they explained to Widukind that Christianity and its ideals were doomed already since the day when Charlemagne, for his own power and greed, let guide himself by Wothan to sacrifice the Saxon prisoners. This treachery of his own belief will guarantee that Paganism never can be really beaten because Charlemagne, as well as all the folk, embraced pagan deities once more and so the future, for good or evil, will be guided by Pagans and Christians together.

For a long time this union will lead to more and more evil, spanning not only Mittgard, but too more parts of the world, where different deities rule and will continue to rule, because Christians will start to fight each other for power, gain, treasures and land. So at last the entire world will steep into Evil never known before. Wothan has to change his mind before Ragnaroek can cleanse the world. They vanished before Widukind could even utter one word and left him with new thoughts, ideas and worries, because this additional responsibility had never occurred to him before.

He postponed the plans for another war, which could have been the last between him and Charlemagne and spent the following weeks walking into the hamlets, villages and small towns of his realm. He talked with all kind of people, even with children and with raising dismay and despair he saw for the first time the living conditions of his subjects. Those people trusted him because Asgard’s deities helped them constantly and they saw in Widukind the one who was blessed by Asgard’s Goddesses and Gods. They just could not imagine how far they were from the truth. After returning home he had made up his mind and called his war leaders for a meeting and a feast and included their wives and the Shield maids.

They arrived looking forward to some days of entertainment and merriment amidst the darkness of constant war faring. The weather was fine and Widukind greeted each one of them. The meal and feast were prepared outside his hall and the sun’s merciless brightness showed him how much they had aged. Even children and the youngsters looked old. And where at former occasions gold and jewellery with precious stones had glittered on colourful gowns, there was now a prosaic drabness. The jewels were gone, the colours faded, most gowns mended and once more mended and worst of all, the once beautiful faces of the women were lined from worry, their bodies wasted with over breeding and the heavy work the men should have done. But many of their men had gone to Walhalla and the remaining returned home only for a short rest and for giving them more children to rise for the war. Even the Shield maids looked not happy anymore. For the first time the choice to be a Shield maid or a wife was taken from them. There were not enough men left to marry. So the number of Shield maids had grown in the past years. Widukind sighed and closed his heart and his mind against Wothan. He had time enough to ponder the advice and suggestions of Freyr and Freya and had decided the orders he would give to his family, friends, comrades in arms and their war worn wives and children.

The cool evening found them in his hall, a fire burned in the hearth, meat grilled and they ate the abundant meal that was provided for them. They only wondered at the meagre amount of ale and Met. But they had nearly empty larders at home too, so nobody protested. Instead of drinking they listened to the bard’s songs, telling about past fights, lost heroes, beautiful maiden, but not one song gave praise to Wothan. The bard, an old wise man, knew already Widukind’s intentions and agreed with them, so he had chosen his songs appropriately. After the meal he gave his orders, short but with emotion. The war against Charlemagne has to stop or the Saxons would be extinct in a few years. Their lands would be taken over either by the Franks or the Christian church whose priests showed themselves already very greedy. He told them they have to accept baptism and worship one God. They should keep their own customs, habits and order of life, because Asgard’s deities had promised to continue with their help in Mittgard and memory would be kept into the far future’s generations with legends, legendary places and the fact that baptism will be accepted through the order of their own deities. Charlemagne could not break the Saxons who would integrate their old belief into the new and take the new religion on their own terms.

A stunned silence followed. But the discussion was short. These were the leaders of different Saxon tribes, elected not only for their valour but for their wisdom too. And each one of them feared what Widukind predicted. If they continue to fight Charlemagne, the emperor would crush their folk. They agreed too, how Widukind intended to inform the Emperor of their change of mind. This clever move - advised by Freyr – would save the face of Widukind and the Saxons and give the Emperor confirmation that his high opinion of his own importance was justified. Pleased with this, he would not harass the Saxons more than the Franks and would give them the time to grow strong enough, so that one of Widukind’s heirs could save the crown for their own dynasty. Charlemagne’s house was destined for extinction.

Widukind had never met Charlemagne but heard all the gossip and the legends which already surrounded the Emperor during his lifetime. Characteristic besides his pride and high self-esteem was his charity. He never refused alms for a beggar. So Widukind concealed his splendid clothes and arms under a wide shabby beggars cloak and rode on his black horse to the Emperor’s camp. He choose Ostara's feast, as this was the chosen Christian day for mass to honour the resurrection of Jesus. Hiding his horse he mingled with the people of the camp, looking for the Emperor. He saw him from a distance after the service for the strange God was over. This was the time of the beggars, who surrounded now the Emperor. Widukind came near enough to throw open his coat, show his gear and asked for a meeting. Immediately Widukind was surrounded by Charles’s knights who brought him into the main tent. The giant stature and the splendid gown and arms of the emperor impressed Widukind. So he spoke quite honestly that he and his Saxons had decided to stop fighting, accept baptism and the emperorship to escape extinction. Charlemagne accepted the peace offer, gave Widukind a precious white horse, forgetting that white horses belonged to Wothan, nominated him Duke of Saxony, once more forgetting that Widukind since years was the elected Duke and send him home to gather his folk and be ready for baptizing. Widukind obeyed.

But after baptism Widukind never took up arms anymore. He sent some of his warriors to join the Emperor’s army and saw that Freyr and Freya were right. Charlemagne was obsessed with gaining power and fought now his fellow Christians. He had opened his mind to Wothan’s ideas already before the Norns bereft his ability. Widukind sent no more warriors than he had to and ruled Saxony wise, brought prosperity back once more in preparation of the time when one of his successors would wrest the crown from Charlemagne’s weak heirs, which happened not even two centuries later.

He and the Saxons were baptized 785 B.C, so Widukind had sufficient time to prepare his folk for their destinies, to rule Mittgard and even countries beyond the borders and different clans and to found an empire that many centuries later was called England.

In 807 he died peacefully in his bed, went to Hel voluntarily and was to meet Charlemagne later, whom the Norns and Wothan had refused death in a fight. He was buried in a monumental tomb at the church of Eger near Herford. Wothan returned to Asgard and tried to continue with his former life, but observing that Widukind accepted baptism for himself and Saxony to save his people from extinction enraged him once more. He could not see the irony his fellow Gods enjoyed, that Widukind stayed a hero of Pagan Saxony in historic tales and legends, but nevertheless was called “Blessed Widukind” by Christians. Despite Widukind’s crucial role in the Saxon wars not much is known about his life besides some dates and many legends. Later, Widukind was accepted as a Saint of Christianity.

Wothan and Fricka Parting

Wothan let out his frustrations at the Wild Hunt, which grew wilder every year. For his family and friends nothing changed in Asgard. They continued to do their helping work in Mittgard so long as the last traces of belief lingered and did not stop even after that. They just went there invisible. Only few people with open souls and minds could see them. So they added a growing store of different legends regarding their part in the future history of Mittgard. Wothan only returned to Mittgard each year for the Wild Hunt, sometimes visible, sometimes not. It would need several centuries to let him return to Mittgard and sometimes he spoke with people or gave those favours once more.

Life in Asgard continued. One day another messenger from Sculd arrived, bearing a gift. Wothan received back the eye that he had sacrificed so long ago to Mimir. Sculd's message told him: “The future is shifting and the weaving cannot be controlled anymore. You will need your second eye back to observe the whole world outside the borders of Mittgard. The new Christian Emperors will play a deciding role outside Mittgard too. They alone will have the strength to resist power-hungry priests who intend to put humankind in slave bonds, misusing the teachings of their God.” The message finished: “We give you back all your competence. You will need it for backing up future German Emperors in their struggles with the Popes. You and your fellow deities in Asgard as well as in different realms have to use all your wisdom to guide these Emperors against their enemies. During some centuries they will be the only champions humankind has in the parts of the world that will be Christian. And remember, you influenced Mittgard's people to be warriors instead of seekers, so your main task is now to prevent unnecessary blood shedding.”

Wothan was too stunned to answer and the messenger vanished. Slowly he climbed the roof and sat down on his throne, opened the small box and the eye came back into its place. For the first time he could see the countries beyond Mittgard, but his attention was caught in Mittgard. Many years he had only visited there for the 12 hunting nights each year and seen nothing more than forests and game since his last visit to the Norns. Mittgard had changed. Beautiful towns centred on strange towering buildings, even the smallest villages had one of those. The Holy Oaks and Groves had vanished. He rose abrupt, called for Sleipnir, Hugin and Mumin and rode down to Mittgard to inspect one of these buildings. They were beautiful and he saw, it was the worshipping place for the new God. Invisible he rode through the provinces, learning how the old and the new belief had mixed. Sometimes he tested if he was forgotten. He visited 1208 the forge in Nesgar. The smith gave Sleipnir new shoes and talked with Wothan, recognising him. 1758 the same happened in another village. He ever paid generous for small services. Countless legends and songs tell about his visits, help and advice given to many people. And he never missed a Wild Hunt and made sure, people did not forget him.

The new belief brought a new social structure. No proud farmers anymore, who were knights and warriors when the need arose. They were all serfs now, bond to landowners or the priests. The same had happened in the towns. Some rich merchants besides the proud gentry and priests had managed to keep themselves free, but all had to pay something called taxes to church and rulers. Back at his throne he too observed that the same had happened to other realms who came under the rule of Christianity, and all possible help was given by the deities of those realms, but all of them had to be very careful, that no report of this went to the priests, they punished terrible people for dealing with the old deities. But they could neither suppress the songs nor the legends, and the Pagan deities were remembered over all these dark times.

People worshipped a new God, but the prayers were empty words, especial when the century long fights for ultimate power between the Emperors and the Popes began. It was just unthinkable for anyone in Mittgard that a priest could obtain power over an Emperor. Rulers were chosen by the Gods and they became automatic too their representatives. That was a law never to be broken inside and outside of Mittgard. And when the Popes usurped the Imperators of the Roman Empire, that Empire declined and perished and Wothan once more chose the German Emperors as his proxy. Belief in Wothan, Asgard and Walhalla lingered despite the persecutions and punishment of that new church. Songs and legends spread secretly through Mittgard, reminding of a time when priests and wise men and women in the name of their deities advised and helped rulers and people.

But despite his renewed power Wothan lost interest in Mittgard. The never ending wars and fights bored him, so he sat in his throne for years only observing. There was not even sense anymore. Some Emperors: Otto I, Otto II and Otto III – descendants of Widukind – he backed when they were in danger to loose against the Popes. The Valkyries brought less and less warriors to Walhalla and that puzzled him. So one day he called another meeting of all deities and Valkyries. He needed informations badly, to long had he neglected to care really for Mittgard after the Norns had reduced his power. He learned that in the meantime a nearly constant war had ravaged not only Mittgard but the former Roman Empire too, whose deities were as helpless as those from Asgard to prevent the destroying of their realms and busied themselves with unobtrusive help for single people, families and clans. The German Emperors who ruled now parts of the Roman Empire too were involved in constant wars with the Popes, the leaders of the Christian church, who demanded absolute Power for themselves in the name of their God warping the words that their God had taught.

German Emperors fought that claim. History, custom and common sense told them, they were responsible for the welfare of their subjects and they saw that this religion endangered the freedom of all countries. So the Popes initiated a “holy” war against a former province of the Roman Empire in an oriental country, where already another religion had developed. The goal was to recapture the town Jerusalem, the town where the Romans had judged and put to death their God Jesus. The Pope declared this town – “the most holy place of Christianity” – has to be freed and initiated a war against the infidels there. He promised all riches to the conquerors and so they fell into the trap of this distracting operation. Stripping their own countries from the much needed armies to fight the power greed Pope and his successors, they went into that war and at home the priests took over and nearly succeeded to rule Mittgard as they already ruled the former Roman Empire. Wothan asked Freya, who led the Valkyries, why so few of these warriors were brought to Walhalla. Freya's reports showed him a terrible picture. The Valkyries could not find enough real knights and warriors anymore, because during these wars diseases, treachery from all sides e.g. demanded the most victims.

And those few real valiant warriors they let live as long as possible, like the German Emperor Fredrick I who was still needed in Mittgard. And, Freya continued, the Valkyries are really tired of these wars without purpose and sense, besides to enlarge the power of the Christian church even more and weaken the German Emperors. After the meeting Wothan reflected for the first time the words and warnings of the Norns so long ago. He ordered the Valkyries to continue using their own judgement whom to bring to Walhalla and when, until he would give different orders. He now spent several hours each day observing Mittgard and the bordering countries, their fights against each other and the spreading misery of live conditions. And he focussed his attention on the so called crusades. Very soon he despaired, finding no importance in them besides greed and bloodlust, so he singled out 2 famous warriors to look into their lives. First of course the German Emperor Frederick I, called Barbarossa, because of his red hair. He already had stood behind Barbarossa as the elected German Emperor and thought how he intended to welcome him in Walhalla, but like the Valkyries curbed himself: The man was needed in Mittgard. Wothan had already understood some lessons of the Norns. He saw the wisdom of Barbarossa to try for peace. But against emotions gone out of control there was no chance.

Wothan called the Valkyrie Swanhild and ordered to bring Barbarossa to Walhalla. Barbarossa was 70 years old now and the danger that he dyed not by sword but illness grew daily. The Valkyrie came too late. Barbarossa drowned, crossing a swollen river. But Swanhild brought him to the doors of Asgard and refused to let him go to Hel. So Wothan, Swanhild and Barbarossa discussed his possible future until the dawn of Ragnaroek. Barbarossa decided his fate and opted to sleep in the mountain Kyffhäuser. Here he is sitting on a stone before a table with 2 ravens as companions to sleep there, but guard Mittgard. He awakes about every century, sent out the ravens for information; if his help is needed and goes back to sleep when they tell him: No! His beard grows around the table and legends tell he will be fully awake and ready for action when the beard wounds 3 times around the table. Sometimes mountain climbers saw him and so there is known, the beard has already grown 2 ½ times around the table.

Wothan's second interest was in Richard Lionhearted, King of England. That was intelligible. England was the goal and the future of those Saxon tribes, which left Mittgard for the island in the sea, as the Norns had predicted. He saw a knight, a warrior, comparable with the ones he liked in the past. And when the siege of Acre nearly failed, he influenced the king to offer an honourable armistice. This accomplished Wothan intended to take him in the next fight to Walhalla.

When the armistice was sworn and the beaten survivors left the town, King Lionhearted acted. Another massacre, comparable to the one that finished the Saxon wars took place. And this time King Lionhearted was the oath breaker. He and his army slaughtered all, who surrendered to the Christian army, trusting the armistice and not even a child escaped. A cold fury, self-loathing coupled with despise for the king filled Wothan. His own treachery, guiding Charlemagne into sacrificing all the Saxon warriors, was repeated, but Wothan's motive at last in his own mind was honourable. Richard Lionhearted acted from egoism, greed for fame and power and the longing to leave that war behind to return home, where his position as king was in danger. But Wothan sent a Valkyrie to arrange the betrayal and imprisonment of Richard Lionhearted for 6 years. Who knows what would have happened to England, if the king had come home in time to prevent or upset the Magna Charta?

And once more Wothan turned his back to Mittgard disgusted. This year's Wild Hunt was extremely furious and violent. But with his rage and frustration spent, Wothan had to face himself, his actions and their consequences. The greatest fight of his life he fought with himself, to accept the truth of the Norns verdict. He had done and spread more evil than his brother Loki ever could. His intention to gain warriors for Ragnaroek ended with wars breeding wars, and none was honourable any more. Greed was the motive for all of them. So he gave the Valkyries free choice. They should don their swan wings to look at last like the beings who worked with the deities of different realms and times since ages, to save who could be saved, preventing even disasters as he had learned when his eye was given back. If possible the Valkyries should work together with these beings, called Angels by the new religion, but who were roaming the world since uncountable times. And now the Valkyries do the same as these beings.

When the crusades were over and the occupied lands and towns including Jerusalem lost once more to the strong infidels, he spent some more centuries only observing Mittgard and the world. Some years he even forgot the Wild Hunt. He and all the deities of Asgard withdraw from Mittgard, only the Valkyries now and than visited and saved an honourable man or woman from certain death. Legends of these centuries mixed Angels and Valkyries and some of the deities who could not stay away from the world, as they saw the downtrodden people still as their responsibility.

Some more centuries passed after the crusades and Wothan as well as his fellow deities observed with ever growing horror the escalation and progression of wars: The change from fights to slaughter. The war leaders planned but took no part anymore. They forced helpless victims into wars, where bravery played no role against ever more refined weapons which killed and maimed or poisoned from even greater distances. The leaders guarded themselves very well against any danger.

Wothan and Asgard were now more looking out for the first signs of Ragnaroek than observing these wars. It needed a long time for the first signs to show. And during the passing years the Valkyries were known in many legends as guardian and rescue Angels for soldiers and ordinary people in danger. Sometimes they worked together with those Angels they could simulate so convincing with their swan wings. But they saw too the waning of the mundane powers of Christianity after the long time of terror this religion had spread over the world. They saw the fires burning, consuming wise women and men, healers and bards and many of the real decent people in the world. The example of treachery this religion gave infected even decent folks. All victims of this terror in Mittgard were brought to Walhalla by the Valkyries, so for a long time the halls of Walhalla filled up again with more fighters for Ragnaroek.

At last there came 2 great wars in one century. Nearly all countries of the world took part. These were crucial wars too. They showed humankind that there are no limits for destruction and annihilation. The first war was terrible, the second a horror beyond imagination. In both wars the Valkyries tried to set up a stop signal. First in France, the country that once had belonged to Charlemagne’s Empire. Many soldiers were resting after fights at a very hot day near a place called Le Mons. Suddenly an attack started, but 3 of the Valkyries showed themselves in a strange light in the cloudless evening sky, 3 winged shapes only, standing guard over the enemy lines, spreading a fog over them, so the attack had to stop. Of course many legends told many different stories here too.

The second incident happened some decades later at Dunkirk. The ill-fated attempt to shore there, ended with overturned boats and small ships, with soldiers swimming for their lives and drowning under the constant attack of the enemy. But suddenly heavy clouds obscured the sky. The enemy could not see their targets anymore, but the British and French soldiers saw, heard and felt. Hospitals on both sides were full of tales about a great host of winged beings coming to their rescue. They helped tired swimmers to reach intact boats, others near drowned already were just seized and in a moment put down either in boats, on board of ships and those who were already on the beach were brought to the enemies hospital tents, where doctors and nurses treated them all and the “Angels” were nearly everywhere. Valkyries and Angels had united; the task was just too great.

Tales of that miracle spread through the whole world and the Angels were given all the credit of course. But Wothan had sent all his Valkyries too, because this war, this fight was Mittgard's war, the inhabitants of the former German Empire fighting with each other, their leaders never considering that they fought a brother war. The returning Valkyries had even more disturbing news. The Mittgard serpent was violent too and had taken part at Dunkirk with whipping the sea, capsized ships, drowned soldiers; it was the old fight Evil against Good once more. For quite a time all countries were shocked, but soon wars started once more all over the world and more and more signs of Ragnaroek began to disturb the deities as well as humankind. Loki shakes his chains and is half free already; earth quakes and Vulcan eruptions are the results. The Mittgard-serpent stretches her gigantic body and causes ever more flooding and some Tsunamis. The Fenrirwolf shed the sword that closed his mouth and is roaring thunderstorms from the sky. The Stone-, Water- and Ice-Giants stir too and influence the weather as well.

Wothan, Asgard, Mittgard and the whole world is worried, because the outcome of Ragnaroek now is even more uncertain as when Wothan postponed it and began to stir up wars. And as the responsible warlord he begins to muster his troops, ever listening to the growing signs that the last fight is near.

But the most superior army belongs to Hel and Wothan remembered her invitation many centuries ago. He went down to her overcrowded realms and asked her, to accompany him to the Norns for a meeting regarding the future of Mittgard and the beginning of Ragnaroek. She agreed and now they confer, if it is possible to postpone Ragnaroek once more or even avoid it, or if it is better to choose the day themselves with freeing Loki and the Fenrirwolf. The waving of the Norns is only grey, no patterns, and no future events can be seen any more at the loom. So it all depends on them.

But what they fear most is the decision of Hel. She has changed considerable during the times. She as well as Wothan learned compassion. Will she fight for Good or Evil at Ragnaroek? Hel has not decided yet.

Hel