The Pagan Heart
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March 2005 Issue
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Inspiration Speaks The Quest
As he stood atop the hill that overlooked the small village, Freyja whispered to him the instructions she always wanted carried out. Grunting, the man bent down and retrieved the tools of his trade; the spear and the axe that had served him so well all these years. At the same moment he pointed the spear at the village he nodded to the rest of his men around him. Silently they crept down the hillside towards the sleeping village. As he moved the warrior reflected how suddenly a quiet peaceful night can turn into a scene of rampant destruction. When they were near enough to the village he gave the signal and his fellow warriors let loose their war cries into the night. The result was the same as always, surprise, confusion, fear, and they would do as they always did, fight, slaughter, and be slaughtered. As he made his way through the carnage of his fellow warriors he started the process of finding his quarry. It was always someone different in each village, sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, and even a child from time to time. The goal was always the same - capture the target and he and his men gained entry into Valhalla, fail and spend eternity in Nifleheim. After slaying several villagers and losing his spear in one hapless victim the warrior came across the chief of the village, wounded and dying. The look in the man's eyes was unmistakable, he knew why these men had come. "Tell me where he is and you shall die honorably, old man," the warrior said as he stood over the man's body. As he gasped his last breath the chief said one word, "North." The warrior bellowed in anger and frustration, again his quarry has escaped him. He then called for his men and assembled them, leading them north from the burning village. Once they were out of sight the dead chief rose and shifted to the form he used while in the realm of Midgard; one eyed with a staff, broad-brimmed hat, and a cloak. Freyja appeared next to him and spoke softly, "Do you never tire of this game?" |
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