The Battle of Hjørungavåg - for the Mythtalia March by @hwsevents
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"Never have Danes held such a battle with Norwegians, not before nor since" - Fagrskinna.
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The battle of Hjørungavåg took place outside the Norwegian coast in the year 986, and was a sea battle between an invading Danish army and a defending Norwegian one. It was a battle of great national significance as the ruling Earl Håkon defended the country against the Danish King Svein Tjugeskjegg aided by the Joms Vikings, who wanted to take control over Norway and christen it.
The battle begun after some farmers tricked the Danes into believeing Earl Håkon only had 2-3 ships with him. They charged forth and got surprised by 50 ships lying in wait for them.
It was a fierce battle, and despite the element of surprise, the Norwegians suffered heavy losses early on. Most of the losses were with Earl Håkon, who fought against Svein Tjugeskjegg, a fight so intense that he had to shed his chainmail as it had become torn apart by all the weapons hitting him. Håkon's sons Eirik and Svein Håkonson fought against the Joms Vikings, Eirik saving his brother. This is when the battle turns.
Suddenly, a terrifying storm hits, with fierce waves of hail. The storm seemed almost magic and supernatural, and on the side of the Norwegians. Had the pagans used dark magic? It is said that Earl Håkon had sacrificed his 7 year old son Erling in a ritual for victory (probably false). The Earls of Lade had a connection to the female godess and spirit Torgerd Hølgebrud, who was called on whenever the family was in need. She came along with her sister and other valkyries on horses with bows and arrows, sending hail towards their enemies.
Torgerd is interpreted as an ancient fertility spirit, and these spirits are also connected with a warrior aspect. They protected certain families and are some of the oldest creatures in the pre-Christian Norse religion.
The supernatural warrior spirits was a convenient excuse for why Svein Tjugeskjegg fled the battle; it was impossible to fight against gods and trolls. It also supported the savage ways of the pagan religion.
As Svein flees, he leaves the Joms Vikings behind to be captured by the Earls. They were about to be executed by beheading, but one of them managed to get a hold of the sword and chop the head off the man about to kill him. Eirik Håkonson is impressed by this and grants them their freedom.
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🍄 A Mushroom-Loving Boy | Jade Leech x Reader
>> requested: no
>> a/n: yayyy happy birthday @epelys!!
>> masterlist: here!!
>> summary: youre goddamn smitten for jade
>> reader prns: they/them
>> warning(s): second person; yuu ≠ you; reader is depicted to be shorter than jade
As eccentric as you were, you didn't know if this was going to be the best idea. Staring at the field of flowers, you didn't know which ones to pick for your crush. You knew that if you didn't pick the right ones, there was a high chance he would hate you for all of eternity. Reaching down to pick a hydrangea, you paused.
It had finally hit you, that he didn't like flowers. For the seven's sake, he had a club that ventured into the mountains! On top of that, he's even offered you some mushroom soup! Standing back up, you made a bee-line for Ramshackle dorm.
Entering the building, you went up the stairs two at a time.
"Is everything alright?" Yuu hollered up from the bottom of the staircase.
"Yeah, don't worry about it!" you yelled back, rummaging through the things in your room. "Just looking for— Aha!"
You held up a small woven basket that was covered in dust, claiming to be victorious. You coughed as you brushed off the dust, and then walked down the stairs.
"What were ya lookin for?" Grim inquired, looking around Yuu's legs.
"Just an old basket," you smiled, heading towards the door. "I've got some foraging to do."
Now in the mountains, you searched everywhere for mushrooms, picking every other one you found. carefully, you arranged them inside your wooden basket using immense care so you didn't rip one in any way.
After a while, you stopped to stare at your haul. With over 20 different mushrooms in your basket, you figured that it was a good enough gift for Jade.
"Ah, Floyd!" you call out the next day.
The teal haired boy turned around to see you running up to him. "Shrimpy?"
"Floyd, could you tell me where your brother is?"
"Why d'ya wanna know that?" he bends to your height and ruffles your hair. "He's over at the garden, but why don't ya say heeeeeereee—"
"Thank you so much, Floyd!" you smile before dashing off.
"Jade?" you cautiously step into the botanical garden, wary of stray tails.
Getting no answer, you wander around the garden until you spot a head of teal hair. "Jade!"
"Ah, yes?" he smiles, lifting his goggles off of his eyes.
"I brought you something!" you lift up the basket filled with mushrooms. "I thought you would like to cook with them.
"Oh! What a lovely surprise!" he takes the basket from your hands. "Did you know, that this mushroom is used to poison people? And this one is..."
You stopped listening as he talked about the mushrooms, only dopily watching his face light up as he talked. God, were you so in love.
>> twst taglist: @tulipluvlettr | @ghost-hyacinth | @oseathepebble | @ventisaircurrent | @pastelmages | @xphantasmagoriax | @atlasnessie | @divinesapph | @ze-maki-nin | @booming-spam | @menherasy | @jeidoleech | @oepionie | @queerlordsimon | @kyraxiyn | @rayisalive
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