Njord : A Jealous God
Chapter 2
An Uncomfortable Journey Home
Usually when Njord traveled back to his tranquil home by the sea in Noatun he would feel a calmness envelope him the closer he came to his beloved hall . On this journey home, however, with every step he took he could feel the heavy burden of anger, and jealousy weighing him down. Njord fully understood that his relationship with Skadhi had never been what most would consider a conventional partnership. He had only agreed to place his feet in the " contest " in the first place, because he thought there was little chance of the Giantess Skadhi choosing his feet as the most beautiful among all the Gods who entered. When he was chosen he regretted being a part of such a contest immediately ! Like all Vanir Gods, Njord was someone who held to his word, and agreed to marry the Giantess despite his reservations.
Over time they had grown very fond of each other, and had two very beautiful children together, despite not being able to live together in the same terrain. But as time went by his wife could not stand the " noise " of the mew from the birds that flew each dawn from the deep. Njord, for his part, tried to live in Skadhi' s mountain fortress at Thrymheim, but he loathed the ugly howling of the wolves, and longed to hear the soothing hooping of swans by the sea. Neither lasted more than nine nights in the others hall, and so they agreed to live apart. Njord in Noatun, by the sea, and Skadhi in her mountain hall in Thrymheim. This separation had, over the past few winters, driven a wedge of discontent deeper into their marriage, and they had drifted further and further apart emotionally. Skadhi, who was extremely independent to begin with, seemed to be going off on her own more and more, and no longer seemed to need Njord.
Njord could not decide who he was more angry with ! Ullr had taken advantage of his absence, and appeared to have gotten quite comfortable with his wife. No matter how hard he tried he could not wash the images from his mind of them laughing together, or that awful moment when he saw the archer God help his wife down from the tree. How dare Sif 's son put his filthy hands on my wife ! And Skadhi, the mother of my children, and a grandmother as well, allowing this stranger, this interloper, to touch what was sacred to him, and him alone ! Then Njord stopped himself. " No ! " he told himself. " Skadhi is not the agressor here ! " he said out loud.
By the time Njord reached Noatun his anger was now seething within him ! It was heating up like a cauldron of water ready to come to a full boil, and blow its lid off. The first thing he did to try and calm his anger was to sit on the shore by the sea. On almost any other occasion the waves breaking gently on the shore would have slowly given him a feeling of tranquility, and taken away any uneasy feelings that he had. But as Njord sat their quietly contemplating all of his worries, and anger, he realized for the first time in his very long life, that he was lonely. Worse yet, he was alone, and abandoned ! He suddenly felt the world, his world, closing in on him. Njord, the God who could calm the winds, and the seas, in the blink of an eye, could not control the panic that covered him in a smothering shroud of jealousy.
Njord jumped up ! He looked right, and then left, as though he could somehow see the answer if he looked hard enough. He stared out at the sea, and then with a longing gaze looked back down the road in the direction of Thrymheim . His intelligence and sensibilities abandoned him, and in a fit of confused rage he could not decide what to do next ! Then Njord pointed at the sea, and shouted at it as though it could somehow understand his words. " I should have stayed ! I should have confronted Ullr ! I SHOULD HAVE FOUGHT FOR THE ONE I LOVE ! " Shaking with rage and fear he suddenly felt tear drops fall from his eyes, and course down his cheeks. Njord dropped to his knees, and with the fury of a storm screamed at the ocean. In that instance the skies turned black, the winds raged, and the sea boiled into huge foaming waves. The Vanir God turned and looked back at the road that led to Thrymheim, and suddenly knew what he had to do !
End Chapter 2
- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2014.
Next : Chapter 3 : With Anger And Malice....
Over time they had grown very fond of each other, and had two very beautiful children together, despite not being able to live together in the same terrain. But as time went by his wife could not stand the " noise " of the mew from the birds that flew each dawn from the deep. Njord, for his part, tried to live in Skadhi' s mountain fortress at Thrymheim, but he loathed the ugly howling of the wolves, and longed to hear the soothing hooping of swans by the sea. Neither lasted more than nine nights in the others hall, and so they agreed to live apart. Njord in Noatun, by the sea, and Skadhi in her mountain hall in Thrymheim. This separation had, over the past few winters, driven a wedge of discontent deeper into their marriage, and they had drifted further and further apart emotionally. Skadhi, who was extremely independent to begin with, seemed to be going off on her own more and more, and no longer seemed to need Njord.
Njord could not decide who he was more angry with ! Ullr had taken advantage of his absence, and appeared to have gotten quite comfortable with his wife. No matter how hard he tried he could not wash the images from his mind of them laughing together, or that awful moment when he saw the archer God help his wife down from the tree. How dare Sif 's son put his filthy hands on my wife ! And Skadhi, the mother of my children, and a grandmother as well, allowing this stranger, this interloper, to touch what was sacred to him, and him alone ! Then Njord stopped himself. " No ! " he told himself. " Skadhi is not the agressor here ! " he said out loud.
By the time Njord reached Noatun his anger was now seething within him ! It was heating up like a cauldron of water ready to come to a full boil, and blow its lid off. The first thing he did to try and calm his anger was to sit on the shore by the sea. On almost any other occasion the waves breaking gently on the shore would have slowly given him a feeling of tranquility, and taken away any uneasy feelings that he had. But as Njord sat their quietly contemplating all of his worries, and anger, he realized for the first time in his very long life, that he was lonely. Worse yet, he was alone, and abandoned ! He suddenly felt the world, his world, closing in on him. Njord, the God who could calm the winds, and the seas, in the blink of an eye, could not control the panic that covered him in a smothering shroud of jealousy.
Njord jumped up ! He looked right, and then left, as though he could somehow see the answer if he looked hard enough. He stared out at the sea, and then with a longing gaze looked back down the road in the direction of Thrymheim . His intelligence and sensibilities abandoned him, and in a fit of confused rage he could not decide what to do next ! Then Njord pointed at the sea, and shouted at it as though it could somehow understand his words. " I should have stayed ! I should have confronted Ullr ! I SHOULD HAVE FOUGHT FOR THE ONE I LOVE ! " Shaking with rage and fear he suddenly felt tear drops fall from his eyes, and course down his cheeks. Njord dropped to his knees, and with the fury of a storm screamed at the ocean. In that instance the skies turned black, the winds raged, and the sea boiled into huge foaming waves. The Vanir God turned and looked back at the road that led to Thrymheim, and suddenly knew what he had to do !
End Chapter 2
- Glenn Bergen, ( Ravensheart ), © Copyright, 2014.
Next : Chapter 3 : With Anger And Malice....
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