Hotel Valhalla [Magnus Chase Series]

What in The Worlds

      by Hunding-
     Bellhop at HV
      since 749 CE

To be honest, I’m not great with words, so I wasn’t keen on writing
anything for this book. But Helgi told me to, and I have to do what Helgi tells me, because—well, that’s a story for another time. Maybe someday I’ll write
it down. But probably not.
  I’m supposed to tell you where we live. We live in a tree. It’s a really, really big tree called Yggdrasil. It has a name because it’s important, and all
important things have names. I don’t know who named it. Come to think of it, I don’t know who named anything. Is there a god for that?
  Yggdrasil is also known as the World Tree. Not only is that easier to
pronounce, it’s a spot-on description, because the branches hold nine worlds: Asgard, Vanaheim, Midgard, Alfheim, Jotunheim, Nidavellir, Muspellheim, Niflheim, and Helheim.
  When I first joined the hotel staff, I had trouble remembering their names. So I came up with this handy mnemonic device: A Very Mean Ant Just Nibbled My Nose Hair.
A stands for Asgard, V for Vanaheim, and so on. Get it? You can use my special sentence
if you want. Just leave me chocolate in return.
  Now, a little bit about each world:
  ASGARD: This is the realm of the Aesir, warrior gods and goddesses. These
deities—Odin, Thor, and Frigg, among others—reside in palaces made of silver, gold, and other precious materials.
  Hotel Valhalla, the beloved afterlife
residence of the einherjar, the soldiers in Odin’s eternal army, is within this
world.
  VANAHEIM: Home of the Vanir, the nature gods and goddesses, this world is warm and sunny, filled with lush green meadowland. Folkvanger, the flower- child afterlife equivalent of Valhalla, is within this realm. The Vanir goddess
Freya rules over Folkvanger from her palace Sessrumnir, or Hall of Many Seats, which is an upside-down ship crafted of gold and silver.
  MIDGARD: If you are human, this is where you once lived. Midgard rests in Yggdrasil’s branches and is connected to Asgard via the Bifrost, a massive bridge constructed from a single rainbow. The city of Boston, Massachusetts,is very close to Yggdrasil’s trunk, making it a useful point of entry to and exit from the other worlds.
  ALFHEIM: The home of the light elves, Alfheim resembles Midgard in many ways except that elves, not humans, live here, and there is no night. The Vanir god Frey rules over it. Alfheim is kind of an upscale neighborhood, so be on
your best behavior if you visit. Otherwise you might get arrested for loitering, or trespassing, or just…you know, not being an elf.
  JOTUNHEIM: The world of the giants, or jotun, is primarily mountainous, with great drifts of snow, half-frozen rivers and lakes, and, well, giants. Giants are
large and not particularly careful about where they step. Be cautious traveling in Jotunheim. I’ve had more than one friend flattened under a giant’s boot.
  NIDAVELLIR: The underground realm of the dwarves, this world is chilly and dark because the only natural light comes from a special glowing moss. The
buildings are equally gloomy, though the furnishings within are one-of-a-kind creations, for dwarves are master craftsmen. If you want to pick up a souvenir, like a magic hammer or a foldable boat, be prepared to pay handsomely. Dwarves take gold, all major credit cards, and your head (if you lose a wager with them). One section of Nidavellir is called Svartalfheim, the land of the “dark elves,” but this isn’t really a separate world, and the svartalfs aren’t actually elves. They are dwarves who have some Vanir blood since they descended from Freya. (Long story. Freya doesn’t like to talk about it.)
  MUSPELLHEIM: This is the land where fire giants and demons dwell. Imagine the surface of the sun, populated with angry, heavily armed burning people. Surt, the lord of the fire giants, rules this world and doesn’t appreciate
visitors. Best to steer clear.
  NIFLHEIM: An inhospitable, frigid region of mist, ice, and fog, it is where the frost giants often reside. Great place to make an ice sculpture or store meat if you run out of room in your freezer. However, since high summer temperatures hover at around –30 degrees Fahrenheit, I’d wear your warmies.
  HELHEIM: The dead who don’t go to Valhalla or Folkvanger end up here. It’s a cold, dark, lifeless place, full of miserable souls who died of old age or sickness. To get there, you have to ride down an icy road into the pitch-black
Valley of Death, cross the River Gjoll on an iron bridge guarded by a giantess, somehow get across the Wall of Corpses, and finally arrive at the Hall of Hel, the goddess of the dishonorable dead, where you’ll be served famine, hunger, and misery for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Suffice to say, Helheim rarely makes it on the list of top vacation spots for the Nine Worlds.
  A few other points of interest: At the roots of Yggdrasil is a magical well of knowledge, overseen by the ancient god Mimir (or at least Mimir’s head, because that’s all that’s left of him). Drink from the well, and you can learn
important stuff. You have to pay Mimir for the drink, though, and the price isn’t cheap. Just ask Odin. (But I’d wait until he’s in a good mood before asking.)
  Travel among the worlds is allowed, though some restrictions may apply.
There’s one place you shouldn’t visit, however, and that’s the massive abyss of nothingness called Ginnungagap.
  True story: Long ago, before anything was anything, frost from Niflheim spread into Ginnungagap and met with fire coming from Muspellheim. No big surprise, the frost melted. Some drops
turned into a humungous giant named Ymir. A few generations later, Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve killed Ymir and turned his body parts into Midgard’s oceans, sky, earth, and plants. Ever since then, the giants have hated the gods.
  Moral of the story: Avoid Ginnungagap. You just never know what might happen there.