Book 3: 'Arrow Odd'

24.0 GEIRROD THE GIANT AND OGMUND

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

GEIRROD THE GIANT AND OGMUND (Circa 875 AD)

"And his shield was called Hrae's Ship's Round,

And his followers were called the Hraes'."

Eyvinder Skald-Despoiler; Skaldskaparmal

(875 AD) One day in Frankia Oddi walked to the edge of a forest. He was tired, so, he sat down under a big oak tree and, as he leaned back against it, he saw a man in a blue-flecked cloak walking by with high shoes, gold emblazoned gloves and a reed in his hand. He was average height and gentlemanly in looks, but he had a lowered hood that covered his face. Oddi could just make out a big moustache and long beard, both of them red. He turned to where Oddi sat and greeted him by name. Oddi welcomed him and asked who he might be. He said he was Grani, called Raudgrani, then he said, "I know all about you, Arrow Odd. It seems to me that, since you are a great Viking and an accomplished man, you have few followers, and travel rather like a pauper, and it is bad that a man like you should be so reduced."

"It is true," Oddi said, "that I have not been a leader of men in a while."

"Will you swear an oath of brotherhood with me?" Raudgrani said.

"It's hard to deny such an offer," said Oddi, "and I will take it up."

"You are not yet totally luckless," said Raudgrani, "for I know of two champions in the east of this country and they have twelve ships. They are sworn brothers; one comes from out of Denmark and is called Gardar, and the other, Sirnir, comes out of Gautland. I know of no better men on this side of the Baltic and I will bring you into brotherhood with them, yet you'll have the most say of all of us, although you'll find that following my advice will be most helpful. But where would you want to sail if this is arranged as I have now said?"

"I would like to find a killer named Ogmund Eythjofsbane Tussock, so if that could be arranged while we are raiding..."

"Stop, stop," said Raudgrani. "You don't want to find him, because he is not a man of humankind, this Ogmund, and if you meet him again, you will get far worse from him than before, so just put that idea out of your mind."

"All I wish to do is avenge my son, Vignir, and my blood brother, Thord, and I shall never give up until I do."

"I'll tell you," said Raudgrani, "how Ogmund was born. Then you'll see there is no chance that he will be killed by mortal men. ill remember what damage you did to the giants there before you left. You half blinded their king and you fully blinded his daughter and killed his wife who had just given birth to a son. Once you had gone, they felt bitter about what you had dealt them with your Gusir's Gift arrows and they wanted revenge, if they could get it. And this was how they got it, they had the boy sprinkled with water and gave him the name Ogmund. He was unlike most mortal men from an early age, as you'd expect from his birth, and when Ogmund was three years old, he was sent to Finmark, and he studied all kinds of magic and sorcery, and when he was fully trained, he went home to Bjarmaland. He was then seven years old and as big as a full grown man, very powerful and hard to deal with. His looks had not improved while he was with the Lapps, because he was both black and blue, with his hair long and black, and a tussock hanging down over the eyes where a forelock should be. He was called Ogmund Tussock. The giants meant to send him to meet you and slay you; although they knew that much would be needed to bring about your death. They strengthened Ogmund with witchcraft, so that no normal iron could bite him and they sacrificed to him and altered him so that he was no longer a mortal man.