Thord Manuscript, Page II
We got to work the very next morning, I and my team took possession of the volume and took it to an environmentally controlled room where we could work. The book was weighed, measured, and photographed using regular cameras as well as multispectral imagining to gather and preserve as much information as possible before we cracked it open and began the cleaning and preservation processes. It was actually in fairly good condition with limited discoloration, mold and mildew stains. And over the next few weeks we slowly uncovered each page. As soon as we had clear, legible photos of the text of each page, I sent them to Ingrid to work on the translations. Then we would meet to go over what she had discovered.
We met again in my office in the evening, Ingrid once more her prim and proper self, but still surprisingly prompt for our meeting, indicate how excited and committed she was to all of this.
She handed me a folder containing the photograph of the 2nd page as well as her translation. Before I began to read, she asked, “I was wondering if you had any thoughts on first line?”
“What do you mean?”
“Thord says that he is the last son of the Eketrä. Sounds like a clan or family name. Is it familiar to you, anything about the name from this time period or earlier? “
“It’s not an uncommon family name in Sweden, simply means oak wood. There have certainly been historical figures with that surname, but none that I know of that go back that far.”
She nodded, “I was just wondering if we could use it to identify Thord’s father if he was such a famous raider as Thord seems to think.”
I laughed, “From the way Thord describes his father and his cronies, their stories of their raids and past glories could all be tall tales with little truth to them.”
“Now let me read.”
It was the need of a wife to bear me sons, that has led to the start of my legend. The only woman of any station in my land was my Spymaster, Linnéa Thimrén, daughter of my father’s second, but she is not what I have in mind for a wife, as I think of her more as a sister having grown up beside her. I have a woman named Malmfrid, but she is lowborn, only fit as a concubine at best, but she is a robust woman, and could give me strong sons. I need to gain more prestige and make a name for myself, so men will beg me to take their daughters as wives and concubines. The easiest way to gain reputation is to raid.
I send word throughout Ångermanland to gather all the thanes and fighting men to join me in a great raid, 1,000 men answer the call and we launch 32 long ships. We head south, bypassing the Swedes, heading for the Pomeranian coast. We land unopposed and descend upon the villages and towns of Sczcein and begin collecting loot. The High Chief of Pomerania cowers behind his walls.
But a chance heard word changes my plans. The Danish King has declared war on Lübeck and in response the Lord of Lübeck has called his banners and marched north to intercept the Danish forces. A gift has fallen in my lap, one of the wealthiest provinces on the Baltic lies virtually defenseless. We fall back to the ships and head west.
We reach Lübeck ahead of the victorious Danish army and lay siege to the various holdings. The Christian Danes, instead of driving us off, settle in to support our siege of the city. They have come for land. They can have it…after we strip it of everything valuable. In the end, to show my contempt for the Christians, I burn the cities and castles they came to claim. Two women are captured, one a pagan and the other is Catholic, the Countess of Lübeck. Both are lowborn. My concubine, Anna Norrevik, has more noble blood in her veins. The only worthy hostage I take from Lübeck is a kitten who at least will keep my storehouse free of rats. The Countess Hafrid I give to my Steward, Emund. He makes her his wife. The other girl I give to my men, I don't know what happens to her.
As the Danes settle in to pacify the people of Lübeck, my men and I return to our ships with the treasures of Lübeck. Once at sea I realize my ships can hold more and the Danish King and all his men are in Lübeck. I set my course for Sjaelland.
With none but old men and green boys defending the walls, Ringsted would fall soon. I have scouts screening us to the south to catch any sign of the Danes returning to defend their capitol. But they never appear. Ringsted falls and burns, my ships are so full a high sea could swamp them, so I head for home. Leaving the people of Ringsted talking of the true Viking that has raided them.
I return home to find that some lowly tavern wench has died and presented me with a son, Orvar he is called. He is a bastard born and so will not rule after me, but I will raise him all the same.
I looked up from my reading, “Hmm, if we can find some confirmation of any of these raids, Sczcein in Pomerania, Lübeck, or Ringsted, or even some corroboration of the Danes conquering Lübeck in this time period it would help validate the manuscript. Unfortunately, it is stingy with dates so far, only mentioning 1066 on the first page. Also, this … Countess Hafrid in Lübeck.”
Ingrid nodded, “And Orvar would possibly be the older half-brother of Grip ‘the Victorious’, we could see if he is ever mentioned in any of the legends surrounding Grip.”
We got to work the very next morning, I and my team took possession of the volume and took it to an environmentally controlled room where we could work. The book was weighed, measured, and photographed using regular cameras as well as multispectral imagining to gather and preserve as much information as possible before we cracked it open and began the cleaning and preservation processes. It was actually in fairly good condition with limited discoloration, mold and mildew stains. And over the next few weeks we slowly uncovered each page. As soon as we had clear, legible photos of the text of each page, I sent them to Ingrid to work on the translations. Then we would meet to go over what she had discovered.
We met again in my office in the evening, Ingrid once more her prim and proper self, but still surprisingly prompt for our meeting, indicate how excited and committed she was to all of this.
She handed me a folder containing the photograph of the 2nd page as well as her translation. Before I began to read, she asked, “I was wondering if you had any thoughts on first line?”
“What do you mean?”
“Thord says that he is the last son of the Eketrä. Sounds like a clan or family name. Is it familiar to you, anything about the name from this time period or earlier? “
“It’s not an uncommon family name in Sweden, simply means oak wood. There have certainly been historical figures with that surname, but none that I know of that go back that far.”
She nodded, “I was just wondering if we could use it to identify Thord’s father if he was such a famous raider as Thord seems to think.”
I laughed, “From the way Thord describes his father and his cronies, their stories of their raids and past glories could all be tall tales with little truth to them.”
“Now let me read.”
It was the need of a wife to bear me sons, that has led to the start of my legend. The only woman of any station in my land was my Spymaster, Linnéa Thimrén, daughter of my father’s second, but she is not what I have in mind for a wife, as I think of her more as a sister having grown up beside her. I have a woman named Malmfrid, but she is lowborn, only fit as a concubine at best, but she is a robust woman, and could give me strong sons. I need to gain more prestige and make a name for myself, so men will beg me to take their daughters as wives and concubines. The easiest way to gain reputation is to raid.
I send word throughout Ångermanland to gather all the thanes and fighting men to join me in a great raid, 1,000 men answer the call and we launch 32 long ships. We head south, bypassing the Swedes, heading for the Pomeranian coast. We land unopposed and descend upon the villages and towns of Sczcein and begin collecting loot. The High Chief of Pomerania cowers behind his walls.
But a chance heard word changes my plans. The Danish King has declared war on Lübeck and in response the Lord of Lübeck has called his banners and marched north to intercept the Danish forces. A gift has fallen in my lap, one of the wealthiest provinces on the Baltic lies virtually defenseless. We fall back to the ships and head west.
We reach Lübeck ahead of the victorious Danish army and lay siege to the various holdings. The Christian Danes, instead of driving us off, settle in to support our siege of the city. They have come for land. They can have it…after we strip it of everything valuable. In the end, to show my contempt for the Christians, I burn the cities and castles they came to claim. Two women are captured, one a pagan and the other is Catholic, the Countess of Lübeck. Both are lowborn. My concubine, Anna Norrevik, has more noble blood in her veins. The only worthy hostage I take from Lübeck is a kitten who at least will keep my storehouse free of rats. The Countess Hafrid I give to my Steward, Emund. He makes her his wife. The other girl I give to my men, I don't know what happens to her.
As the Danes settle in to pacify the people of Lübeck, my men and I return to our ships with the treasures of Lübeck. Once at sea I realize my ships can hold more and the Danish King and all his men are in Lübeck. I set my course for Sjaelland.
With none but old men and green boys defending the walls, Ringsted would fall soon. I have scouts screening us to the south to catch any sign of the Danes returning to defend their capitol. But they never appear. Ringsted falls and burns, my ships are so full a high sea could swamp them, so I head for home. Leaving the people of Ringsted talking of the true Viking that has raided them.
I return home to find that some lowly tavern wench has died and presented me with a son, Orvar he is called. He is a bastard born and so will not rule after me, but I will raise him all the same.
I looked up from my reading, “Hmm, if we can find some confirmation of any of these raids, Sczcein in Pomerania, Lübeck, or Ringsted, or even some corroboration of the Danes conquering Lübeck in this time period it would help validate the manuscript. Unfortunately, it is stingy with dates so far, only mentioning 1066 on the first page. Also, this … Countess Hafrid in Lübeck.”
Ingrid nodded, “And Orvar would possibly be the older half-brother of Grip ‘the Victorious’, we could see if he is ever mentioned in any of the legends surrounding Grip.”
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