Read Online Jake & The Giant (The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 2) by E.G. Foley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: E.G. Foley
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immediately running around to view the ancient ship from all angles. Miss Langesund stepped out of their way and proceeded to explain how her father’s team had dug it up painstakingly and moved it bit by bit into this sanctuary, where it would be preserved for future generations of Norwegians to ponder the courage and skill of their seafaring ancestors.
“Any idea who it belonged to?” Henry asked while the children ooh’ed and ahh’ed.
“No, I’m afraid any trace of him is long gone. But it would have been a warlord of some kind, a chief or a nobleman, maybe even a king. If you’d like to step over here and look at the other grave goods we found, you can see by his personal property that he was certainly someone of high rank.”
They gathered around a table where the smaller grave goods of the ship’s anonymous owner were on display. An incredible sword covered in runes. A drinking horn carved from a massive antler. A cloak brooch, intricately worked in pure silver. A marvelous helmet with a chain-mail tunic, and a round shield whose colors had long since faded. There were jewels, too.
“The Vikings traded with people as far away as the Ottoman Empire,” Miss Langesund was explaining.
But Jake was staring at the faint blue glow around some of the grave goods. Uh-oh…
Of course, no one else could see what he could.
“Why did they bury their stuff with them when they died?” Dani asked, gazing at the chain mail.
“They thought their dead would need these items in the afterlife. In this warlord’s case, no doubt, he went straight to Valhalla.”
“Viking heaven?” Jake supplied.
“That’s correct.”
“I say, did the Vikings also have a bad place, I mean, where bad people went after they died?”
“Oh, yes, indeed! Neiflheim,” she replied . “A realm of fire and brimstone beneath the earth.”
“Neffle-hime?” Jake echoed.
“That’s right. Neiflheim was the realm of the trickster god, Loki.”
H e furrowed his brow. “The Vikings had a trickster for a god?”
“Loki wasn’t their top god,” she explained. “That was Odin the Wise, the All-Father, as he was called. Odin was the king of the gods, as well as the patron of warriors, death, wisdom, runes, and prophecy.”
“Busy chap,” Henry said.
She smiled. “Valhalla means the ‘Hall of Odin,’ you see. Odin was always said to be wandering around the earth in disguise, looking for great warriors and heroes that he could recruit for Valhalla after their death.”
“What, Vikings still have to fight battles even after they’re dead?” Dani exclaimed.
“Only one…” Miss Langesund adopted an ominous tone, though she was smiling. “The greatest battle of all, at the end of time. You see, the ancient Viking bards wrote about a final, mighty battle between good and evil that would bring on the end of the world. It was called the Battle of Ragnarok. On one side, Odin would lead his Valhalla army of all the dead great heroes of men to fight on the side of good.”
“Who’s on the bad side? Thor?” Jake asked, wid e-eyed as he tried to imagine it.
“Heavens, no. Thor’s the Norse people’s favorite.” Miss Langesund smiled fondly. “He’s Odin’s right-hand man and favorite son—the god of thunder. Thor ruled the weather and the sea—two very important concerns for a seafaring people who built ships like this, as you can imagine. No, the leader on the bad side in the Battle of Ragnarok would be our troublemaker Loki, commanding an army of giants.”
“Giants?” Dani echoed while the rest of them grinned.
“Oh, my dear, we love our giants and our trolls here in Norway,” Miss Langesund said with a chuckle that told them she obviously thought such things were mere legends, like the old Norse gods.
Jake dearly hoped that she was right.
The lady-archeologist folded her arms across her chest and leaned casually against her desk while Henry stood nearby, hands in pockets, gazing at her with a smitten
“Any idea who it belonged to?” Henry asked while the children ooh’ed and ahh’ed.
“No, I’m afraid any trace of him is long gone. But it would have been a warlord of some kind, a chief or a nobleman, maybe even a king. If you’d like to step over here and look at the other grave goods we found, you can see by his personal property that he was certainly someone of high rank.”
They gathered around a table where the smaller grave goods of the ship’s anonymous owner were on display. An incredible sword covered in runes. A drinking horn carved from a massive antler. A cloak brooch, intricately worked in pure silver. A marvelous helmet with a chain-mail tunic, and a round shield whose colors had long since faded. There were jewels, too.
“The Vikings traded with people as far away as the Ottoman Empire,” Miss Langesund was explaining.
But Jake was staring at the faint blue glow around some of the grave goods. Uh-oh…
Of course, no one else could see what he could.
“Why did they bury their stuff with them when they died?” Dani asked, gazing at the chain mail.
“They thought their dead would need these items in the afterlife. In this warlord’s case, no doubt, he went straight to Valhalla.”
“Viking heaven?” Jake supplied.
“That’s correct.”
“I say, did the Vikings also have a bad place, I mean, where bad people went after they died?”
“Oh, yes, indeed! Neiflheim,” she replied . “A realm of fire and brimstone beneath the earth.”
“Neffle-hime?” Jake echoed.
“That’s right. Neiflheim was the realm of the trickster god, Loki.”
H e furrowed his brow. “The Vikings had a trickster for a god?”
“Loki wasn’t their top god,” she explained. “That was Odin the Wise, the All-Father, as he was called. Odin was the king of the gods, as well as the patron of warriors, death, wisdom, runes, and prophecy.”
“Busy chap,” Henry said.
She smiled. “Valhalla means the ‘Hall of Odin,’ you see. Odin was always said to be wandering around the earth in disguise, looking for great warriors and heroes that he could recruit for Valhalla after their death.”
“What, Vikings still have to fight battles even after they’re dead?” Dani exclaimed.
“Only one…” Miss Langesund adopted an ominous tone, though she was smiling. “The greatest battle of all, at the end of time. You see, the ancient Viking bards wrote about a final, mighty battle between good and evil that would bring on the end of the world. It was called the Battle of Ragnarok. On one side, Odin would lead his Valhalla army of all the dead great heroes of men to fight on the side of good.”
“Who’s on the bad side? Thor?” Jake asked, wid e-eyed as he tried to imagine it.
“Heavens, no. Thor’s the Norse people’s favorite.” Miss Langesund smiled fondly. “He’s Odin’s right-hand man and favorite son—the god of thunder. Thor ruled the weather and the sea—two very important concerns for a seafaring people who built ships like this, as you can imagine. No, the leader on the bad side in the Battle of Ragnarok would be our troublemaker Loki, commanding an army of giants.”
“Giants?” Dani echoed while the rest of them grinned.
“Oh, my dear, we love our giants and our trolls here in Norway,” Miss Langesund said with a chuckle that told them she obviously thought such things were mere legends, like the old Norse gods.
Jake dearly hoped that she was right.
The lady-archeologist folded her arms across her chest and leaned casually against her desk while Henry stood nearby, hands in pockets, gazing at her with a smitten
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