Valhalla 15: The visions of the Vølve

[lakrids404]

Cattle die
kinsmen die
all men are mortal.
Words of praise
will never perish
nor a noble name.

Sorry I have not scantranslated these scans. I might do that in the future but right now I have only time for an intro. But feel free to ask questions, and I will try to answer them



See also here in scans-daily the first six comicbooks, who is scan translated, under the tag Creator: Peter Madsen

This is the last comic in Peter Madsens's Valhalla aerie. And logical enough this time it's about Ragnarok, the gods end.

In the comic we are mainly following two young human siblings, the girl Rødskva and the boy Tjalfe. Tjalfe has ended his ended servitude / schooling with Thor. And has to find his Fylgje, which is an animal spirit, who can help him travel between the worlds. Tjalfes find out later on, that it is a cute kitten, and not fearsome bear as he hopped for. But they find out on that quest, that the Godess Freja house has been raided and destroyed, and there is no trace of Freja. This is very bad, because it's Freja who ends the winter, and without her the world will freeze into a Fimbul winter.

Odin sets out search parties for Freja. Loke gets the quest to find the Fenris Wulf as it have disappeared from the island it was on. The girl Rødskva have had a vision about the Fenris wolf swallowing the sun, but she can't get anybody to listen to her. So instead she follows Loke on his quest for the Fenris wulf. She and Loke finds the Fenris Wolf in a strangely snow free area, full of jotuns. They find out of that the leader is Surt an old drinking body to Loke. So he tells them freely, that he trained the Fenris wulf, to break in Freja house and kidnap her and bring her to Surt. Who then stole the Freja powers, and then transferred them into his sword Lævatien, and this is why his area is free of sun. Afterwards Surt gave Freja to the Fenris Wolf, who eat her whole.

Loke tricks Surt to Attack Valhalla with the wulf, as he reasons that would be the easiest way to get the wolf back home and the Gods can easily beat a bunch of Jotuns. But the plan goes somewhat wrong, as Surt gets an idea from Rødskva how to get his magical sword with him over the ice. And with the Sword he drives the Midgaards Wurm in front of his fleet, on the attack on Valhalla.
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Comments

[cainofdreaming]

These are always fun. Such a pity that I've let my Swedish rust so much, though, can't really tell what's being said in much of this. Maybe I'll hunt for the Finnish version in the library later.

[houbanaut]

The scans are in Danish, so maybe that's why you were having problems.

This must have been a difficult story to adapt (and from quickly scanning it, it seems very revisionist), if only because the comic-book version of Loki is completely at odds with the Satan-like character found in Voluspa. More generally, not many kid/family-oriented comics try to tackle the (actual, non-averted) apocalypse.

[arilou_skiff]

The "problem" really is that Loke is, for the majority of stories, much more like this version than the MU one.

[lakrids404]

Peter Madsen don't follow the old text completely. He more weaves his tales around the different old tales. But he always reinterpret them, for example is his Loke not so much evil, but he is more a lazy amoral type who likes to hang with the gods especially Thor.

I am far from being expert on the old Norse sagas. But I don't think that you can say, that out from the old text we got. That this was what the old Norse exactly believed in, as many of the written down text first came after Christianity had arrived to Scandinavia. For example the ending of Voluspa, who is written in the tenth century, are there are some who thinks that it have been heavily influenced by Christianity

[psychopathicus_rex]

If you COULD translate these in the future, it would be much appreciated. The art is gorgeous, and epic stuff is evidently going on, but it would help a great deal if I understood a bit better just what that epic stuff was.

[lakrids404]

Sorry but right now I don't have the time.

Short version, this is Ragnarok
Big fight
Thor and the Midgaards worm destroy each other.
Odin throws his spear in the gap of the Fenris wolf
The Spear wakes the eaten goddess Freja, and with it she reclaims her power.
The sun comes back melts the ice, the water washes over all thing.
And when the water flows away, the world is reborn. And we see all the gods, even Balder. Gathered under the great world tree Yggdrasil

[janegray]

Does the little girl find her brother again? What about their parents?

[lakrids404]

The last couple pages, is a vision that the little girl have, as they fall in between the worlds. So they don't really get physical separated, and at the last page are they reunited with their parents.

[janegray]

So glad to hear that :D

[psychopathicus_rex]

Yes, I pretty much got that - I was talking more about the dialogue. I hate not knowing what people are saying.
I understand that you can't do it now - no problem. I just meant that if at any time in the future you DO have the time and the inclination to do it, it would be much appreciated.

[houbanaut]

Here's a quick-and-dirty translation for you. For context, the two kids are Thialfi and his sister Roskva. Magni and Modi are Thor's sons. Hel is the realm of the dead, like Hades or Sheol. Midgard translates to Middle Earth. A volva is a seeress. The rest should be fairly well-known stuff from Norse mythology.

1:1
Thialfi: zzzhnn... Wh..What? Where?!

1:2
Thialfi: But.. this is...

1:3
Thialfi: Valhalla!
Kitten: Miaow.

1:4
Thialfi: I've returned to Asgard! But... how... ?
Kitten: Miaow.

1:5
Thialfi: Hm... The Midgard Serpent must have swatted me with its tail, so...

1:6
Thialfi: It's... THE GJALLARHORN! Heimdall is sounding the alarm! But that means...

1:7
Thialfi: Gulp!

2:1
Jotunn [Surtr?]: Forward, sons of Muspel!

2:2
Jotunn [Surtr?]: Victory is ours!!

2:3
Gods: NEVER!

3:2
Loki: Gulp! We'd better get over on to the right side. Even though it's rather hard to tell how's winning right now...

3:3
Roskva: OUR side is, of course...

3:4
Roskva: LOKI!
Loki: It looks like we can get through here! We've almost reached...

3:5
Loki: ... Valhall...
Heimdall: STOP!
Roskva: Loki!

3:6
Heimdall: You're not going any further...
Heimdall: TRAITOR!

4:2
Loki: Oh... err... Heimdall! Right. I knew you were keeping lookout, so I lured these fools right into your ambush and...
Heimdall: Spare me! You can't talk your way out of this one!

4:3
Loki: Is that the thanks one gets for brave service?
Loki: Roskva, tell the gentleman what we...

4:4
Loki: Roskva?! Oh no! She...

4:5
Loki: She's lost [alt.: finished]!

4:6
Thialfi: Up on this rock you won't get crushed so easily!
Roskva: Thialfi!

4:7
Thialfi: Oh dear... [?]

5:2
Roskva: Thor!
Thor: Take them up to Valhalla, boy. We'll deal with the jotunns later.

5:3
Thor: First I've got a fishing story to finish!

5:6
Thor: Aaaahrr! What the heck?!

5:7
Thor: That wasn't MY throw...
Thor: Now Mjollnir WON'T return... ...to my hand!

6:6
Odin: Thor!

6:8
Jotunn [Surtr?]: Hah!
Jotunn [Surtr?]: Looks like the old man has lost his spark...

6:9
Jotunn [Surtr?]: We'd better light his fire!

7:1
Odin: First Freyja... And now Thor... my son.
Jotunns: Har har har! Hot enough for you, Odin?

7:2
Odin: Without them, my powers don't suffice...

7:3
Odin: Sad that it should end this way...
Thialfi: Odin...

7:4
Thialfi: Odin! It's burning! We have to put it out, or...
Odin: Save yourself, son of man...

7:5
Odin: For the rest of us... it's too late...
Roskva: Stuff and nonsense!

7:6
Roskva: We saw what happened! And now I've sent Modi and Magni to look for Thor's hammer!

7:7
Roskva: And when THEY throw the hammer at the Midgard Serpent, then...
Odin: Those little boys don't have the strength to kill the serpent, I'm afraid. Not even with Mjollnir...
Thialfi: There you have it! Now let's put out the fire instead, while we...

7:8
Odin: And in any case it won't save Thor. The serpent has long ago dragged him down nine worlds to Hel...

7:9
Roskva: For Thor, that should just be like taking nine steps back! He's the THUNDER GOD, no matter WHERE he is! If... if only Modi and Magni can get the Midgard Serpent to swallow his hammer, then... then he'll make it!

7:10
Roskva: Because in my vision there was THUNDER inside the Midgard Serpent!!!
Odin: A... vision?
Thialfi: Yes, well... she's got this notion that she wants to be a volva... But shouldn't we look into putting out this fire? After all, she doesn't even know what her visions mean...

7:11
Roskva: Yes, because when I saw Thor swallowed up, I suddenly understood EVERYTHING!!

8:1
Captions:
Cattle die
kinsmen die
all men are mortal.
Words of praise
will never perish
nor a noble name.

8:2
Thialfi: Make the leap...
Jotunns: Harh! The King is dead!

8:3
Thialfi: You've done it before...
Jotunns: The game is over!

8:4
Thialfi: Come, Roskva! Hold on to me.
Jotunns: Sons of Muspel!

8:5
Thialfi: Ready, kitty?
Jotunns: We've won it!

9:1
Thialfi: We... we're floating.

9:2
Thialfi: And... and the fire doesn't burn us. It worked! Kitty... you're FANTASTIC!

9:3
Roskva: To think that Freyja's kitten is your familiar... You're a lucky one, Thialfi!

9:4
Loki: Yes, I've always wanted a familiar like that!

9:5
Loki: Doesn't take up room... always at hand when you need it.. easy to park...
Thialfi: Loki? What are you doing here?!

9:6
Loki: Oh, I couldn't talk sense into Heimdall, so when you flew by I grabbed my chance.

9:7
Thialfi: You parasite! We don't want you dragging along! It's... it's just me and Roskva who... listen... ROSKVA?

9:8
Loki: Oh no! Dagnabbit, there she goes again! You can't go anywhere with her without...
Thialfi: Roskva! Roskva! Say something!

9:10
Caption [Roskva]: Ooooh... It's dark here...
Caption [Roskva]: Dark as in GINNUNGAGAP before the world was made.

9:11
Caption [Roskva]: It... almost feels... like I'm in the belly of a great beast...
Caption [Roskva]: Look... there's a light!

9:12
Roskva: It's... HER!

10:1
Roskva: Freyja! So it WAS you who were the sun inside the belly of the Fenris Wolf.

10:3
Caption [Roskva]: Gungner...
Caption [Roskva]: Odin's spear...?

10:4
Caption [Roskva]: It...
Caption [Roskva]: It... awakens her!

10:6
Caption [Roskva]: The spear...
Caption [Roskva]: It grows...
Caption [Roskva]: Now it has turned into Laevatein...
Caption [Roskva]: Surtr's sword!

10:7
Caption [Roskva]: It shines brighter than ever before...
Caption [Roskva]: And the heat rises...

10:8
Caption [Roskva]: But SURTR is furious.
Caption [Roskva]: Does he take the sword from her?

11:1
Caption [Roskva]: No.
Caption [Roskva]: The heat is so strong...
Caption [Roskva]: That he INCINERATES!

11:2
Caption [Roskva]: What does she want to do with the sword?

11:3
Caption [Roskva]: An... Elf Wheel...?

11:4
Caption [Roskva]: Ah... Now I understand!

11:5
Caption [Roskva]: She is taking back the power of the sword...
Caption [Roskva]: and...
Caption [Roskva]: GIVING BIRTH TO THE SUN AGAIN!

12:1
Roskva: The sun melts away the whole Fimbulvetr [Great Winter]... all at once.

12:2
Caption [Roskva]: Surtr's flames are drenched out, all the jotunns are done for!
Roskva: But what about...

12:3
Roskva: Ooof!

12:5
Roskva: Tyr, Heimdall, Bragi, Idunn, Freyr... and... All the gods are here... even Baldr?!

[psychopathicus_rex]

THANKS! Much obliged. The story reads much better now - although I'm not sure whether Freyja ever had that particular role in actual Norse mythology...