Northern Fiction - The Saga of Freydis Eiriksdattir
Chapter 4
Father Sven preached to him that there could be no delay. God’s call to His business was more urgent than all the petty business at Norumbega. Even the affairs of kings and popes would have to await Hrolf’s return. Therefore Hrolf made immediate plans to travel upriver to the mission and sent his excuses for not attending additional council meetings.
Hrolf hurriedly gathered a few days’ supplies. Father Toke (who was the pleasanter traveling companion than Jon) was to accompany Hrolf. Aran, Magnus their experienced sailor, and young Haakon were also to go aboard the church skiff, but Halfdan would be left to assist Father Jon while they were away.
When all was ready Hrolf took his seat in the stern-sheets of the sexaeringer.The boat was a narrow six oared craft desined to be rowed by three men, and it had a mast that could be stepped for a sail so it could also serve as a skiff for inland-water sailing. Holding the tiller, Hrolf guided the skip, from Norumbega into the tidal river and down the bay. The shortest route to the mission was a good four day sail. He hoped, and prayed most earnestly, that events would not get out of hand while he was away from Norumbega, and was quite amazed that Freydis had come to see them away. He hoped it was sign from the Lord that she was on the verge of accepting the true faith.
“Pleasant voyage,” she called out, and waved to them from the shore. When the sexaeringer pulled away from the shore the noise of wind and waves tore up her words beyond: “Pleasant voyage , Hrolf. Fare the well.” Then to herself she mumbled: “You Christians! Gods, you can be so sanctimonious, smug, and annoying,” but called out once more to the departing vessel’s occupants: “Safe voyage. Return to us well.”
She was intent on teaching her young priest a little lesson. Just a little lesson to demonstrate her powers. But, first thing’s first. There was Snorri to deal with, and she called Alvis to assist her with a plan. Gudlaug and Aunund could wait, they were Thorir’s concern for now. Snorri was the one who ordered the archer to kill Rati. Snorri was also dangerous as the skald knew arcane knowledge that might pose a problem. Hrolf and Thorir could handle the others, only she could deal with the likes of Snorri. “Come with me to the beach Alvis,” she directed, “I have a small thing, yet maybe the start of something greater to come, that must be attended to at once.” When they reached the shore she rummaged along the beach until she came to a log as large as a man could carry. “Roll this log over, Alvis” she directed. When it was turned, the underside was seen to be flat and smooth. “This will do nicely,” Freydis said.
Then she spoke to the log: “Spirit of the wood, attend me. I have an errand for you to perform for me this day.” She continued as Alvis steadied the log, “I have a message for you to bring to Snorri. It is my response to his murder of my servant Rati. Take the message and deliver it with all do haste.” Then she took her knife and carved runes upon the flat side of the log.
Runes, the written symbols of the Norse, were a combination alphabet and mystic code. Each sign represented a letter but in addition had a name, that had a religious connotation quite distinct, from the rune sign itself. The names of the signs were: Aesir, cattle, aurochs, giant, god, cart, abscess, gift, joy, hail, need, ice, year of plenty, fruit-tree, yew, elk, sun, Tyr, birch-twig, horse, man, leek/water, Ing, day, inheritance. They represented gods, liturgical secrets, and natural forces, and could be formed into messages with secret “Words of Power” distinct from the more easily read text comprehended by the people.
As she carved the signs, Freydis chanted:
Runes everlasting, runes life-giving;
Runes life-taking, runes that blunt sword-blades,
Runes that clam storm waves,
Quench the flames and quiet sorrows,
Runes that blacken enemies morrrows.
When the message had been carved into the wood, Freydis cut her hand and rubbed the blood into the signs and reddening the runes. She uttered a terrible curse upon Snorri and bade the log carry her curse and message to the skald as she walked backwards against the sun shaking out herbs from a small bag that dangled from a cord about her neck. She intoned potent spells and words of power that gave the log directions to seek out Snorri wherever he had gone and then had Alvis push the tree into the waters. Immediately the log set out to sea even thought a strong breeze blew toward shore that day.
Snorri and his companions had camped on the coast miles north of Norumbega. On the day following that on which Freydis cast the log into the sea, the crew members went seeking firewood.
“Here is a fine piece of firewood,” called out a crewman named Illugi. “Let us carry it back to camp.”
When Snorri looked at the log he said: “It is an ill tree, ill sent. Look for another log.”
Snorri pushed the log back into the sea, and the crew picked up another log. Snorri cautioned the man about bringing the cursed log to camp. The next day, they found the same log on shore again and Snorri had it cast back into the surf once more. That night it stormed. They ordered Glaum, another crewman to find wood, and the first wood he came across was Freydis’ log. Struggling back to camp with the wood, he felt lucky to have found firewood so quickly on such a nasty night, it was as if the log had looked for him.
Snorri came out from his tent with an ax when Glaum returned. He did not recognize the log in the dark and taking his ax in both hands he swung mightily at the piece of driftwood. On contact with the log the ax blade glanced off and cut deeply into Snorri’s right leg entering below the knee and cutting to the bone. The wounded was deep and severe and as he sat nursing the gash he suddenly recognized the log that he had twice rejected.
“Whoever sent this log has meant me evil, and prevailed,” Snorri cursed as they bound the wound. It quickly festered, swelled, and caused a high fever. On the third day when it was unbandaged the lag was seen to have turned black. “There is witchcraft to this wound,” Snorri declared. “The Lady Freydis is behind this to punish me for the death of her servant. She knows my treachery was behind the deeds and singles me out for her magic.”
He said to Aunund and the crew:
I knew how to defend myself from my foes
But now ‘tis a witch-woman has done me to death
Truly the spells of the wicked are mighty.
As to the inheritance, Gudlaug and Aunund could keep it and be damned. It was not worth the effort having cost Geir and Snorri their lives. Revenge was all he had left. Therefore he advised them to sail home and make a convincing story to tell in Norway. Let the church and the king settle the score for this business with Norumbega and Freydis. Within two days more Snorri expired most terribly racked with fever and pain and wildly cursing Freydis to the end. When they lifted his body to remove it from his tent for burial the corpse was decayed through and smelled more corrupt than old carrion in hot summer.
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