Alfheimr Renaissance

Lova shows me to a nice room in another building. Not a large room, maybe 6m², but a separate room with a fairly large bed that is probably meant for a couple, with a small table with a chair, extra chair without back by the bed as a bedside table, something that looks like a wardrobe without a door, and a small leaded glass window. Significantly better than I expected, but they treat me damn well.

I lean the backpack against a wall and check the bed. Pillows, animal furs and blankets with something that feels like an okay'ish mattress. Nice. As I usually say about sleeping places when hiking etc; dry and away from rain and wind are most important, preferably warm but reasonably comfortable is all that is required, but it is nice if it is clean. I'm a little worried about small insects or bugs in the bed, but they seem to take cleanliness quite seriously here, and it's only a matter of time before I get fleas etc, if it is a big problem here. Man, I really don't want fleas. Gah.

Lova closes the door and leaves me alone. I contemplate whether I should use the sleeping bag on top but better if it's protected and stowed if there is problems, so I lie down on the bed and just stare at the ceiling. After a couple of minutes it knocks on the door, and Lova comes back in with a tray with a mug, fruit and bread which she puts down on the table. I thank and Lova waits by the door, apparently I will eat, even though I have already eaten. Which they know. But it seems to be the custom. So I eat, but after tasting the mead, I let it be. Not at all to my taste. And I still have water.

I eat up and thank for the food. Lova looks questioningly at the fact that I didn't drink any mead, so I say I prefer water, and she takes it away with the tray and I'm alone with my thoughts again - for better or worse. I'm way too unsure of what this world is like, and I can say and do things that are taboo etc, and be convicted of a crime I don't know about. My memory of the Viking Age is uncertain, and it doesn't seem to be the same anyway.

After more thinking, I make the decision to try to give the impression that I am a magician or mystic, because as far as I know, Odin was worshipped as the Allfather and most powerful god, and I recall that Odin knew magic, while Thor was more manly and warrior ideal with his hammer. Still is for some. Was Freya the goddess of fertility or the goddess for female warriors? Loki was the one who caused mischief, misery, etc. Heimdal guarded the Bifrost. But there were many more gods and I only know a few names, not their history or if they even believe it here. Who would have thought that ancient mythology would become important? I have actually read a modern version of Edda, but it was 15 years ago or so, and I didn't think it was hugely interesting back then.

I'm a normal tall 178cm slightly overweight nerd and I never go to the gym. I love technology, science, building things in many areas such as electronics, computers, radio, optics, lasers, mechanisms, playing role-playing games, airsoft, traveling and seeing nature, hiking, kayaking etc. I have never hunted or slaughtered animals even though I watched my father hunt moose as a child. Well, I can fish and clean fish but how difficult is that? I know nothing about real animal handling, and have basically just sat on horse and a camel. I have lived next door to farmers and farms but nothing I learned, and driving a tractor isn't really useful here. The music won't be the same, and movies as well as TV series etc are just unknown here. I hardly even keep track of when it was the Olympics, and I wonder if they even have sports here?

Damn, I have almost nothing in common with men here. What will we discuss or talk about? Women? Feels like a quick way to pain or death if I happen to say the wrong thing, especially if everyone drinks mead and is drunk and maybe aggressive. It's hard enough to be the only sober person at a party. Some people get really annoying when they're drunk. Here? I probably don't want to know, and most people seem to have knives, axes, etc in their belts, as part of everyday life. I will honestly find it difficult to talk socially with any people, because I won't have anything in common with women either, but I feel like the chance of violence is less from women. Less. As long as they don't have boyfriends or husbands. Or I say something that they take badly against honor or something and I get relatives hunting me. Are there shieldmaidens here? I'm so fucking fucked, and have to try to thread lightly, carefully and methodically. I can't just straight out ask about things that everyone already knows.

Not much choice. I must pretend to be a learned man. A mysterious wanderer and seeker of information that can do 'magic', and avoid talking to and hanging out with people as part of my mystique or something. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult to learn culture and language, but it feels safer. I wonder what James Randi would have said and done in this situation. It's honestly annoying that I have to pretend that modern technology is magic. But sure, it can be hugely useful and 'a sufficiently advanced technology is magic'.

Try to explain electricity to someone who didn't grow up with it, or how a battery via a copper wire can burn something or make a lamp light up. 'If you take these metals, place a special liquid between, and connect a thinner metal wire between the two metals, it will become hot and melt, or it may begin to glow bright hot if you surround it with glass, and take away or replaces the transparent air you cannot see with another transparent air that you cannot see either.'

I'm so damn fucked.

I can't count on ever returning to my world. So I need to make plans for the future. First of all, the nature seems to be the same and I would rather travel back to at least western Sweden, and hope the language and dialect will be a little easier, and the coming winter will be a little milder at least out by the coast. To explain that, I will need a map, both to confirm I am where I think I am, and where I want to travel to. But how many here can even read and understand a map? What are things called? Place names are obviously completely different. I honestly don't know if there is other people than elves in Sweden - maybe they're orcs. How will I even be able to ask?

But okay. Try to travel to a place that is less isolated and with a nicer winter climate than here. Western Sweden is the first destination and I will see how it is there, then maybe continue south. Learning more about the world is important, but how much do the elves here know about the world even 500km away? If I want to have a chance to come back home, I can't live in the middle of nowhere. I need to be more central, some place where people, merchants and travelers pass, and try to find rumours and information about other 'travelers' or humans. I definitely need to secure my well-being and finances. I need money, whatever form it is here.

To get money, there are few options. Work and make money is one. Make something I can sell is another. Sell something I have is a third. Or the like. Labor here is probably cheap, so I don't want to try it because it feels inefficient and tiring. I don't want to sell something I have, as I might need it later and it's difficult to know if I will be cheated on it's value. Also difficult to sell things they don't value, and my stainless Mora knife is probably the most attractive and valued thing I have, but I don't want to sell what is probably the best knife in the world to someone out in the boondocks. I want to sell it to some powerful rich person in a large city.

I can probably manufacture fairly advanced things depending on what they already have here, what manufacturing opportunities there are, and depending on what I find in materials and tools. I have to try to figure things out and see opportunities to take advantage of. I should be good at the above, and I probably belongs to the top 5% of people who come here. I've always been good at building things in different areas, figuring out solutions and improvising.

One example is a weapon mounted IR laser sight with tactical switch and adjustable point of impact. I improvised it from things I had at home. IR laser from old computer CD player with lens from the same CD, in a small casing I made delta suspended in a box so that the laser sight got adjustable hit point and slightly dampened. Then mounted in a box with control electronics, battery and main switch, and tactical push button on a spiral cable, with a weapon mount made of bent 2mm sheet to fit a picatinny rail. Everything built in one day along with other things. Still has it, 10 years later. Works fine, and has been on loan many times. I have built so damn many small technical gadgets so far, but it will be much more difficult here.

Since I have some time alone - maybe a couple of hours until the Lawman returns - I take out my cell phone and I plan to draw a primitive, but for this time I guess exact, map of south west Norway and western Sweden. I just hope the terrain is the same here. It seems to be. I use my navigation app in the cell phone - of course still no coverage - but the app has pre-loaded maps of the whole world on a decent scale, as it's intended to be used without cell phone coverage. Some areas or countries I have saved in high zoom, for example it has the whole of Norway's topo map, and I also have Sweden's but in poorer quality. New Zealand is probably the least useful. I hope there are no major differences in the world's geography and nature.

But I can't show them stuff like the cell phone, tablet or hiking GPS. Take out my small A5 notebook with squared paper, and take a page from it. I copy the map by placing the paper on the screen and drawing thin lines with the pen, and scrolling on the screen. When I am satisfied, I turn off and pack away the phone, and fill in with one of the ink pens. A small but useful map.

Then lie down and think about what I should say more precisely to people, including the Lawman tonight, and what I can try to sell. Will try to sell lower denominations of my Swedish banknotes and coins, because they are fine works of art if nothing else, and some local money is better than no local money. Thank goodness I always have a lot of cash with me, especially when traveling. €50 banknote in the pill container on the keychain, and often 1500 Swedish kronor or more in the wallet. Experience have taught me that debitcards might not worked due to technical problems, or because they simply don't take Visa or Mastercard. It doesn't matter if there's money in the account, when the card reader doesn't work, they don't take cards or have power outages. Cash solves the problem.

A couple of hours later when Lova knocks and leaves my dry clothes, I have made plans. Partly for how I will present myself, especially after I leave this village, and also what things I can try to sell and manufacture. Only the information in my cell phone is worth a lot to the right people. A world map that might be correct is probably valuable for the right person.

I have also figured out how I can make, for example, compass needles, which is ridiculously simple with a bit of electric cable and a suitably shaped needle or iron thing, and electric power. And I have batteries. The compass needle can be weakly magnetized in other simpler ways but I feel an electromagnet are best for a permanent compass, and I don't want to give away simple methods anyone can use. But if they already have compasses, I need to do something else. So maybe a sextant, or binoculars, sundial, pendulum clock, etc. I have lots of information that is valuable, and even more that isn't. Positional numbers and proper math will be useful if they don't already have it. Maybe not so valuable to sell, but it can give reputation and status. If I need to start using Roman numerals, I will get annoyed, and it's not possible to do proper math with it.

Lova asks me to put on my pants and come along, which of course I do. She seems to have bathed herself, as I can see her hair is wet and freshly braided and she has changed clothes, and is wearing a pair of necklaces. No apron this time and a slightly finer dress with more V-neckline that the necklace draws attention to. Very nice that they seem to bathe relatively often, even among higher status service people, and it looks like I'm about to see some important people given her own better outfit.

I have already prepared my Mora knife and hang it in the belt, and stuff the multi-tool in the pant pocket. With the keychains small S carbine, I have attached the firestarter and the flashlight together and they make the multi-tool company. I take the new folded map with me and the ink pen gets stuffed down the left pocket out of habit. Eh, it can be useful. I'm ready to go, and Lova points and say I should bring the backpack. Okay, might not return to this room then. I havn't unpacked or spread anything out, but I do a check anyway before I take the backpack and follow. It would be stupid to forget something.

Lova shows me the way back to the large assembly hall with the throne I saw when I first arrived. The tables are moved out towards the walls and there is a larger open space on the floor but there are benches with people along the sides and the throne have been joined by two chairs, one on each side. Lova whispers that I should put down my backpack and go stand in to the middle, which I do, even if I lean the backpack against a bench a little to the side. It tends to fall if I don't lean it against something.

On the throne in the middle sits a man with obvious power and position. He is simple but elegantly dressed and he has a nice necklace, a sword by his side and a fur coat of some kind over his shoulders. In this heat. Doesn't he sweat? On his left is his wife I met when I arrived at the building (what the hell was her name?), and on the right is what I guess is the village wise older woman, or shaman. She lives up to the expected image, with a wooden staff with things dangling from it, and she have decorated herself with stones, bones, feathers and other things.

I introduce myself as Robert Arnesson and slightly bends my head to the man on the throne. Lawman Filison introduces himself, his wife Gudfridr Lofndottir, the shaman woman named Völva, and then they go around the room, but there are many names and titles - eight - so I don't care to try to remember them. I focus on trying to remember the Lawman and the women by his sides. I understand that the people in the hall are the ruling council or people with influence in the village, and there is a woman here in addition to the two beside the Lawman, so women have some power here.

As far as I know Viking women had about the best position of all women in Europe during that era in my world. It went downhill later with the conversion to Christianity, and so did hygiene etc. There are also two maids and four scattered guards. One on each side a few meters from Lawman Filison and a couple behind me at the door. The hall is far from full. I just stand there and the audience looks at me and my equipment in amazement.

Lawman ask me where I come from, and I tell my prepared story that I'm a wandering mystic who tries to see the world and came from the mountains a few days away, but I'm from much further away. I admit I'm a little lost, and they don't seem to doubt any of what I said. Well, I don't know if they have understood enough. They ask something I don't understand, but they seem to wonder if I was up there when the strong Northern lights lit up three days ago, and I can only nod and say yes to it. It confirms that they had the Northern lights here too.

I hear them talking to each other, especially the shaman woman Völva and Lawman Filison. I hear words like seerman, sejd, yggdrasil, bifrost, alfheimr etc. I don't really understand what they mean even though I recognize Yggdrasil. The world tree. Wait a minute... Bifrost, the rainbow colored bridge between the worlds in the Aesir belief.

Northern Lights.

Well... Shit. Now I feel stupid too.

The shaman Völva points to my pack and I'm asked if I can show my walking poles that I have pushed together and attached to the back. Of course, so I get one of them, shows how I can make it longer so it gets the right height and she respectfully asks if she can have a look at it. A bit entertaining when she pokes at it's cork handle, feels the nylon strap with its sewn marking, and lets her fingers slide on the aluminium tubes with it's text and feels the ninja flex rubber tops. She weighs the rod in her hand and they talk a little more and even the Lawman touches my walking pole, weighs it and points to the other, and so on. After a while I get the pole back with reverence, so I push it together and attach it back. Lawman Filison notice my Mora knife and ask if he can look, so sure, I slowly pull it up and hand it over while holding the blade. The guards seem ready to act if I should try something.

The lawman reverently receives the knife and inspects it together with both women and they're very impressed by it. Shiny clean blade with finely pressed 'Morakniv, Made in Sweden, Stainless' on the blade and infused 'Morakniv' in the funny rubber grip. I'm quite convinced that they've never seen anything like it. The lawman gets up and walks around and shows the knife to those present in the hall. Hard not to be a little pleased and smile when I hear their exclamation and see their faces. A few gently touches the printed text on the blade.

When the lawman comes back and return the knife, he have much more respect in his attitude towards me, and a little caution. They don't seem to really know what to do with me, so after I put the knife back, I unfold my little map and ask if I can come and show Lawman Filison? He nods yes, and waves me forward.

I point out on the map where Eidfjord is that I marked in red and ask if I'm here? I shows and say that I want to go to western Sweden. The lawman carefully takes the map and I step back. The lawman together with those he calls forth looks at the small map, looks at the paper and feels it. I guess they barely seen a map and the paper must surprise them; thin, even and with small nice blue lines in a perfect grid. I can see a book lying on a stand a bit beside the lawmans throne, and I guess it's a law book or list of those who live here or something like that. At least there are books here, although I guess there can be less than a dozen books in the whole village.

A man sitting at the end of the line is waved forward, I thinks he was introduced as a merchant and he study the map and I can see when a light comes on for him and he understands what it is. Surprised, slightly shocked and a little puzzled. Interesting combination. He seems to understand and follow the coastline as he is trying to figure out or compare to how he remembers boat paths? They talk a little more between them and I hear how the merchant mentions Borgarsandr twice and a river. I can be somewhere around the Gothenburg area, because that in itself probably comes from Geats, Götar in Swedish, who were the people who lived in the region and Borg which is Swedish for fortress/castle, and the Swedish name means the The Geats Castle. Borgarsandr sounds quite appropriate for what I showed. Castle and sand. Although that probably fits a whole lot of the coast, especially more south. Less cliffs and mountains, and much more sand.

The Lawman sits back on the throne, there is a showing of hands and a decision seems to be made and the Lawman says:

"Robert Arnesson, the Council have a question: Are you a person who knows a lot about mysteries in the world and can perform sejd?"

"I don't understand the word sejd."

"A person who can influence the world, do things few others can, predict what the Gods want, heal bodies and sing mighty magic."

Not really, but sounds like a magician, so I just nod and answer yes, and it seems to confirm what they've already decided.

"The council have decided: If Sejdmann Robert Arnesson wishes, merchant Danr Fengrsen will be honored to let you accompany his ship to Borgarsandr where you wish to travel. No cost. It will take three weeks."

It's a really good deal so I should just thank for and accept, which I do. Merchant Fengrsen walks up and greets with an armgrab and says he is honored to take me there. His ship will leave tomorrow and he's waiting me then. A cabin will be arranged. Lawman Filison calls for Lova and says:

"Lova, Sejdmann Robert Arnesson will stay for the night."

She curtsy and wait for me to follow her. I guess it's time to go. So I thank the council, lift up my backpack and follow her back to the room I had before.