Tee Ayer's Blog, page 8
April 15, 2015
A to Z Challenge – N is for Nidhogg
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter N which stands for Nidhogg
Nidhogg
Within Norse mythology Nidhogg is the great dragon that lives beneath the Tree of Life – Yggrasil. He is responsible for keeping the worlds in balance.
In the Valkyrie series I have changed the mythology slightly to make Nidhogg into a race of dragons whose duty lies with Odin entirely.
Nidhogg in the Valkyrie series – SPOILERS
Steinn is the King of the Dragons or Nidhogg. He holds the remaining pices of Brisingamen and Loki sends Bryn to Muspellheim to in search of them. Although she fights and injures Steinn in their first encounter, he takes a liking to her, but also has other reasons to encourage her cooperation.
Steinn has a half-human child, Suri, who is powerful enough that she eventually joins Bryn’s team in the fight against Loki.
So come back tomorrow for O is for Odin
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir | G is for Gungnir | H is for Huldra | I for Impossible | J for Jotunn | K for Knowledge | L is for Loki | M is for Midgard and Muspellheim |
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 14, 2015
A to Z Challenge – M is for Midgard
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter M which stands for Midgard and Muspellheim
Midgard
In Norse mythology the realms are divided into Nine home worlds for the different races. Of them, Midgard is the human world, and the one in which the gods have had the most influence.
Within the Valkyrie Seroes, a number of important characters come from Midgard ie Bryn and her Craven Team, and many of the Warriors and Valkyries. Bryn and the modern Midgardians have the opportunity to meet others originally from their world who entered the Nine Realms sometimes hundreds of years before.
Muspellheim
Muspell, or Muspellheim, is one of the underworlds, and the home of the Nidhogg and the Surtr – the dragon and the fire giant.
In this series I have made them both races of people instead of individuals.
*SPOILER ALERT*
so Bal, the fire giant is Bryn’s nemesis, and Steinn, the dragon kind, Tyra, his mother, and Suri his daughter, all become good friends of Bryn.
So come back tomorrow for N is for Nidhogg
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir | G is for Gungnir | H is for Huldra | I for Impossible | J for Jotunn | K for Knowledge | L is for Loki
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 13, 2015
A to Z Challenge – L is for Loki
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter L which stands for Loki
It’s easy to see why Loki, the Trickster son of Odin, is often cast as the villian. His is at first full of mischief, the ultimate pranskter, but then he develops a mean streak, and his jokes move from funny to destructive and harmful.
Loki is a complicated god. He is the adopted son of Odin, taken in when he was a baby. Little is known about his parents, but the sagas say he is a Jotunn or frost giant. His ability to change form confirms his Jotunn genes. Despite the family that Odin offered to his adopted son, Loki inevitably began to seek more.
Within the Valkyrie series, Loki is Bryn’s nemesis, and in many ways he is right to consider her dangerous to his standing in Odin’s eyes. At first he seems to be up to his old tricks, just having fun, but then his actions take on a more sinister tone. What does Loki have to do with Ragnarok, the battle at the end of the world?
Within the series we also see many members of Loki’s family, who all play very different roles in the trickster god’s downfall.
So come back tomorrow for M.
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir | G is for Gungnir | H is for Huldra | I for Impossible | J for Jotunn | K for Knowledge
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 12, 2015
A to Z Challenge – K is for Knowledge
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter K which stands for Knowledge
Knowledge is an important tool in my Valkyrie world, it is a tool that is the key to Bryn’s adventures and her success as a valkyrie.
Bryn starts off in the very beginning, with limited knowledge of the Norse world and its mythology. Her first encounter with detailed Norse mythology is the books she finds in her foster home. This is the moment she first learns about the Valkyrie Brunhilde, this is the beginning of her journey into the world of the Norse gods.
Bryn’s journey of knowledge does not stop there as she is swept into a world of myth that she does not recognise, only armed with limited knowledge from her Midgardian education. Her path is filled with knowledge and learning from the moment she arrives in Asgard, she learns how to fight, is taught some of the history behind the gods, figures out the intricacies of Asgard and how it functions. Bryn also learns about valkyries too and most important she gains knowledge about herself, that is crucial to all the battles she fights.
Bryn still has a lot more to learn before her journey of knowledge is over and so do you!
So come back Tuesday for L is for Loki
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir | G is for Gungnir | H is for Huldra | I for Impossible | J for Jotunn
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 10, 2015
A to Z Challenge – J is for Jotunn
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter J which stands for Jotunn.
Within the world of the Valkyrie series I’ve used a number of different creatures. Bear in mind that I have taken a tiny bit of artistic licence in using the Norse mythological creatures in Bryn’s world.
The land of Jotunnheim is one of the Nine Realms within Norse mythology’s Cosmic World. Jotunnheim is the home of the Jotunns, or frost giants. Within Bryn’s story, the frost giants are large creatures who look human, except for their pale, bluish skins, ice-like eyes, and the ability to turn into ice and into piles of stones. Jotunn can change their size at will, and can generate spears of ice from their fingertips. Add to those skills the ability to draw a glamor around them and mimic other people, and we have a very dangerous creature, poised to run riot over the Midgard world.
Bryn’s skills are pitted against the frost giants on more than one occasion. Not to mention the fact that she has to battle the worst Jotunn there is, the Trickster Loki.
So come back Monday for K
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir | G is for Gungnir | H is for Huldra | I for Impossible
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 9, 2015
A to Z Challenge – I is for Impossible
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter I which stands for Impossible.
Within the world of the Valkyrie series I’ve used a number of different creatures. Bear in mind that I have taken a tiny bit of artistic licence in using the Norse mythological creatures in Bryn’s world.
Today’s post is just a mention of the impossible. Bryn gets sucked into a world that has only ever been a mythology. Legends and fairy tales. It was impossible that this would be real.
But so many things in the Valkyrie series are the impossible that defies reality. The gods are real, and so are dragons and dwarfs, elves and werewolves. Not to mention wings and talking birds, and traveling on a bridge you can’t see, going from plane to plane and materialising as if nothing strange had just happened to your body.
Writing a fantasy novel based on creatures that do not exist, and on a mythology that is largely no longer a living religion, is both easy and difficult.
It’s easy to let you mind wander, to take creativity along roads its never been before. Because you know the reader opens the page sof the fantasy already suspending disbelief, it is easy to play with unrealistic aspects, like women with animal tails and backs made of tree bark, or a bodyless head that predicts the future, or talking birds and shapeshifters. Fantasitcal aspects are what a reader expects and that is what you provide as entertainement.
The difficult is in the way an author presents the fantastical. The story must be grounded in the believable, it must make some sort of sense within the context of the book, and the world the author creates must be balanced. Everything mus make sense withing the story itself.
Very few people will pick up a paranormal of fantasy and say ‘That just wasn’t believeable’ or ‘That’s jsut not possible’ because in choosing these genres you are entering the pages of the book expecting to read something impossible, something fantastical.
In both my mythology series The Hand of Kali and The Valkyrie series I use mythology to convey the story of the main characters growth. In both I try to respect the belief system as much as possible because I understand that people who still believe in those religions would not appreciate or understand if I ripped thier beliefs to shreds.
May believe that the idea of gods and goddessed influencing our lives are impossible. But what if they are true? What happens then?
;)
So come back tomorrow for J is for Jotunn
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir |
G is for Gungnir |H is for Huldra
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 8, 2015
A to Z Challenge – I is for Impossible
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter I which stands for Impossible.
Within the world of the Valkyrie series I’ve used a number of different creatures. Bear in mind that I have taken a tiny bit of artistic licence in using the Norse mythological creatures in Bryn’s world.
So come back tomorrow for J is for Jotunns
Today’s post is just a mention of the impossible. Bryn gets sucked into a world that has only ever been a mythology. Legends and fairy tales. It was impossible that this would be real.
But so many things in the Valkyrie series are the impossible that defies reality. The gods are real, and so are dragons and dwarfs, elves and werewolves. Not to mention wings and talking birds, and traveling on a bridge you can’t see, going from plane to plane and materialising as if nothing strange had just happenedto your body.
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir |
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 7, 2015
A to Z Challange – H is for Huldra
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter H which stands for Huldra.
Within the world of the Valkyrie series I’ve used a number of different creatures. Bear in mind that I have taken a tiny bit of artistic licence in using the Norse mythological creatures in Bryn’s world.
Huldra
A Huldra is a seductive forest sprite who entrance those they encounter. They are said to have cow or fox tails, and a back that is made up of the bark of a tree.
This image from deviant.art makes me think of the Huldras in my Valkyrie series:
Turi – *Spoiler*
Bryn’s personal servant is the Huldra Turi. She is always cheerful and smiling, and happy to do whatever Bryn requires. Bryn finds it hard to treat Turi like a servant so instead she accepts her as a friend and companion.
So come back tomorrow for I is for Impossible
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir |
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 6, 2015
A to Z Challenge ��– G is for Gungnir
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter G which stands for Gungnir.
Within the world of the Valkyrie series I’ve used a number of different creatures. Bear in mind that I have taken a tiny bit of artistic licence in using the Norse mythological creatures in Bryn’s world.
Gungnir
Gungnir is Odin’s magical spear. Norse legend portrays the spear as being made from the ash from the Cosmic Tree Yggdrasil. It is said that Gungnir, when thrown, will always hit its mark.
In the Valkyrie series I have made Gungnir a little more magical, giving it the power to transport the user to whatever location in the Nine Realms as he chooses. The only caveat is that the user must have Odin’s blood in his veins.
Gungnir is long and made of gold, and has the ability to collapse to a short length. In later books, Odin gives the spear to one of the main characters in the story.
So come back tomorrow for H is for Huldra.
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar | F is for Fenrir
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
April 5, 2015
A to Z Challange – F is for Fenrir
As part of the A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I’m posting about my Valkyrie world. I will try to present elements of the world without being too spoilerific ;)
So today is the letter F which stands for Fenrir.
Within the world of the Valkyrie series I’ve used a number of different creatures. Bear in mind that I have taken a tiny bit of artistic licence in using the Norse mythological creatures in Bryn’s world.
Please note this post containes Spoilers which I have highlighted as a warning.
Fenrir
In the Norse legends Fenrir is an Ulfr or wolf, and one of Loki’s sons. He’s pretty hot and a werewolf to boot. The predictions were such that, at Ragnarok, the end of the world, Fenrir would kill the All-Father Odin. Because of the prediction, the wolf who was raised in Asgard, was bound and kept away from everyone for his safety and for that of Odin.
In the Valkyrie series I have developed Fenrir as a character who takes on an human form in order to command the Ulfr armies. That he does after pledging his allegiance and devotion to the all-father who he takes as his own father. Loki and Fenrir have no relationship since Fen refuses to have anything to do with his birth father.
Fenrir’s half-human half-wolf form is impressive and scares Bryn a little when she first meets him
Family
Fenrir has lived his life, training the army of the Ulfr and even brought his own child Mika into the service of Odin. What happends with Mika, you ask? Well you will have to read Dead Embers to find out.
*Spoiler*
Bryn and Fenrir form a special bond. He finds her strong and hardworking, and not one to do things by halves. He respects her from the start, and is happy to train her to brin gher to her full potential. He is both mentor and father figure to Bryn, who calls him Fen.
Love
Fenrir has a special relationship with a Valkyrie named Sigrun. Her devotion to him is quiet and she does not need him to publicly acknowledge how he feels. Because of past hurts and more so because he still fears that the predictions will come true and he would in the end be responisble for Odin’s death, Fen does not think marriage is a good idea. He does not want to leave Sigrun with the burden of being married to the man who killed Odin. So Fen has a lot to learn about the tenacity and strength of the woman he loves.
So come back tomorrow for G is for Gungnir
For the rest of the alphabet see below:
A is for Armor | B is for Blood | C is for Creatures | D is for Dwarfs | E is for Einherjar
The Valkyrie Novels – Norse Fantasy Series
Dead Radiance currently Free
Dead Silence – Pre-Order
Filed under: General
