For Birginga riste broren runer –There are whispers in the north.But, the people console thems
For Birginga riste broren runer –There are whispers in the north.But, the people console themselves, there are always whispers in the north. They don’t mean anything.But those whispers spread, from Iceland and Norway to Sweden and Denmark, to Finland, even so far south as Germany and so far west as Scotland, these whispers, growing in volume until they are mutters and murmurings, a susurrus in the background of society.But while people remember poorly, while people are content to shut themselves away in their houses, in their castles and cities, culture remembers well, remembers the ancient fears, remembers the danger of streams and forests and mountains. Remembers what happens to those who move a border stone, what happens to those so foolish as to pass a varp by without an offering.They are coming, the northern cousins of the veela, they are coming back, the guardians of the land. The murdered are tossing and turning in their eternal sleep, restless now as their fellows return to their lands.The elders remember first, remember the tales their elders told them. Tales and warnings, promises and threats. Then the disappearances begin. Young men, full of promise, vanished in the night. No wards stop them, spells bounce back on their caster.They are back, and they are reclaiming their land. The rå and the gast are returning. Gjengangeren, draugen, skogsfru, nøkken – the dead are walking, and the land is fighting back. – Kjære syster mi, skån meg! (Translation: For Birginga riste broren runer, Kjære syster mi, skån meg!: For Birginga the brother carved runes, My beloved sister, spare me! (carved on a ninth century tomb, presumably Birginga’s.) varp: a pile of twigs or stones on the side of the road, marking a grave. When you pass it, you’re supposed to toss another twig/stone on it. rå: a loose term for various tutelary deities in Scandinavia gast: ghost gjenganger: revenant. draugen: an older term for gjengangeren. skogfru: also known as the huldra, they’re the rå of the forest. Known for being beautiful women with tails who lure men away and kill them, or marry them. nøkken: rå of rivers/lakes/swamps sometimes. shapeshifters, they usually look like handsome men with fiddles.) (submitted by clocktowerofgotham who also made the pic attached to this piece! Pics used: 1, 2, 3) -- source link
#submission