The Skald of Norway

Chapter 1: Thyra's Story

Date: January 18th, 856 CE

Location: Norway

My name is Thyra, and I am a Skald of Norway. I was born into a family of very well known warriors. They were even known in some English lands to some degree. 

Ever since I was young, I knew I didn’t want to be a warrior—I wanted to be a Skald—even though I was a natural. And I knew my parents would be very disapproving if I ever told them that, so I lived the lie of wanting to be a warrior until I was sixteen. 

I decided to get it over with at the same time and told my parents when they were both around. They immediately dismissed me as I’ve shown enthusiasm—fake enthusiasm—for being a warrior many times over. And I was an absolute natural, they added in after the dismissal.

I then decided to drop my façade of being happy to practice for being a warrior, and that just dug myself deeper into disapproval. But they did believe what I told them after that. 

The more I slacked off during practice the angrier they got, which worried me at the time, as I didn’t want them to cast me away from them. But, a few days later, they did indeed do just that. They kicked me out of the house and refused to acknowledge me as their daughter.

At the time I was devastated at the loss, not caring enough to even find a good shelter from the cold that night. The next night I stayed with a friend that had the same views as me. She wanted to be a shipbuilder, as they are just as important as a warrior since they can’t fight if they don’t have a boat, she said was her reasoning. 

She agreed to let me stay until I got on my feet and could become the Skald I wanted to be. And that was in a few months time, as I’ve gathered enough tales to tell and the know how to tell them. 

Once I started to tell them, I gained the approval of the people and became an official Skald. And now that I have been a Skald for many years, I have many stories to tell.

But this one is a new tale, a tale of Nora the Wise.

Thyra, a Skald of Norway