The hammer of the gods, a story of war

                                                                                                       Photo by Frank Wiersema
The hammer of the gods, a story of war.

My name is Aswind. I am a skald, a storyteller poet and musicians and I am a warrior too.

I come from  far away , way down south from the lands of the Fries. For I travelled long and far. Our elders have been talking about these lands way up north and the fierce men and women that live here. We have always understood each others ways. Sometimes there has been little fights between each other but most of the time we got along well. We were good friend and allies from time to time, our forefathers were. I can hear their voices whispering softly and sometimes like now I can hear their voices scream when the winds are blowing, when the times of change are at hand. They are screaming right now! Can’t you hear them?! Can’t you hear them?!

Over the years and over the ages traders from way up north came to our countries and lands and traders from the Frisian tribes went up north. Always we respected each other’s ways. Always we could drink and eat together and celebrate the gods.

But now the times are changing. I’m here recruting soldiers. 

I’ve come to tell you what is going on. It’s time to wake up! It’s time to stand up!

It now is the year 793, we are way  back at the beginning of the Viking age and there are no Christians here among us, are there?

No, there are not. It’s the year 793, remember?!

I travelled a long way and now I’m here to say: “Enough is enoung”

We our proud Vikings, are we not?

Let me hear it from you, are we not? 

We do have our own ways. We do have our own gods.

We don’t need any other. We don’t need anyone to tell us what’s wrong and what’s right.

We have Odin. Let me hear it from you: “Odin!”  We have Thor. Let me hear it from you “Thor!’ We have the hammer of the gods. We are the hammer of the gods: Mjölnir. Let me hear it from you: “ Mjölnir!” 

Back in my homelands. I will tell you what is going on. And you know what is going on for hundreds of years. Our forefathers all know about this. But know it’s getting worse. They are cutting down our sacred trees. They’s taking down our temples and shrines. This new emperor of Rome called Charlemagne, Carolus Magnus, Karl Stort he has beaten the Sax and also the longobards. He forced them all to become christians and if not he cut off their heads. 

They had to betray our gods. They had to betray our ways. They had to betray our forefathers and mothers. And the most powerful and fierst warriors and kings among them did not and yet they were slaughtererd and sent off to Walhalla or Folkvang. The rivers turned red with the blood of man, women and children. Our families were slaughtered, our children were. 

They had to betray: Odin Let me hear it from you: “Odin!”  They had to betray: Thor. Let me hear it from you “Thor!’ But we have the hammer of the gods. We are the hammer of the gods: Mjölnir. Let me hear it from you: “ Mjölnir!” 

We down south may have different namens for our gods, names like Wodan for Odin and Donar for Thor but still they are the same gods.

It’s time to teach those chistians a lesson. For once and for all. Let us show them the power of the hammer of the gods. Let us show them the power of Mjölnir , the pulverizer. 

Mjölnir, let me hear it from you: “Mjölnir!”

They have taken the gold and the silver of our temples and shrines and brought it to their churches and monestaries. 

And that’s where they come from those fanatic monks, priests and Roman politicians. 

They have no old traditions. They have no forefathers that look after them. They are weak. They don’t have the ways of a warrior! 

I’ve learned about their christian ways from neighboring tribes. We have heared the stories of our famoush Frisian king Radboud who was being baptised and asked: What about my forefathers? Wolfram, the priest said that they would stay in hell forever for they were not baptised. Then king Radboud said I don’t want to be baptised I want to go were my forefathers went, for I know it must be a good place!

And he has been fighting the Roman priests until his death.

I want to follow in his footsteps. We all shoot walk proudly in the footsteps of our ancestors, our forefathers and mothers. Who is with me?

Who is with Odin? Let me hear it from you: “Odin!”  Who is with Thor. Let me hear it from you “Thor!’ Who carry the hammer of the gods. We are the hammer of the gods: Mjölnir. Let me hear it from you: “ Mjölnir!”

Now it’s time to stand up for once and for all.

I know where we can find monestaries filled with riches, silver and gold stolen from our ancestors.

We have to get it back! we have to take revenge! Let’s stop them fanatic monks from disturbing our sacred ways and ceremonies.

Let’s finish those traitors of the gods, traitors of the ancestors.

I know a Island called Lindisfarne. That’s where we will head for. Come on man gather your boats. Sharpen your swords and axes, grab your spears.

Now is the time of Odin! Let me hear it from you: “Odin!”  The time of Thor. Let me hear it from you “Thor!’ This time we will swing the hammer of the gods. We are the hammer of the gods: Mjölnir. Let me hear it from you: “ Mjölnir!”

Let’s pulverize those churches! 

Let’s turn the page of history.

Today it’s 793

And the rest is history.

And after all

When we look back at times of war

There is little victory, there’s lot’s of trauma

The price has always been to high

and the losses great.

There’s shame and almost only defeat.

The rivers ran red and the fires burned high.

So now again we’re back in 2014.

Let us look up to the skies and call for the gods.

Although many of us are christians now.

Let’s ask for forgiveness and forgive ourselves.

Let’s call for the gods and let the healing begin.

                                                                                                        Photo by Frank Wiersema