Chapter 5
THE START OF JORMUNGANDR''S TALE
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Somewhere in Midgard Mimir and Jormungandr, the World-Serpent had a very interesting conversation. Jormungandr was about to start narrating Mimir his life-story. The ''childhood'' he got to experience…
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“When I was born, I remember the face of my mother, a face that openly revealed her emotions; she was proud and full of joy. Seeing her expression, I felt important, then I turned my gaze and saw my father. He was terrified looking at me and I didn’t know why. That moment I felt sadness, but after a while I also sensed a feeling of proudness from my father…”
“Was this the moment Loki, your father, screamed?” Mimir interrupted him. Jormungandr looked at him full of curiosity.
“Why should he scream? For my appearance? He was indeed afraid of me at the start, but never so much that he would have the need to scream!” Jormungandr was beginning to get angry from Mimir’s comment and raised his voice.
Mimir wanted to explain himself to get out of this misunderstanding.
“I didn’t mean to insult you, my big fellow, I’m truly sorry. But some days ago, we heard Loki’s scream and found out about your birth just a few days ago!”
Jormungandr seemed not interested in what Mimirs was telling him at that moment…
“I do not know what is happening in this timeline, but my father was proud of me and my brother and sister. He even tried to hide us from the gods in our childhood, so we could have a peaceful life!”
Mimir’s curiosity at that moment became even greater. In his mind, crossed the theory that Jormungandr’s arrival from the future must have changed some events. He kept this thought only to himself and let Jormungandr continue his story, maybe he could find some clue in the narration of the World Serpent!
And so, after they calmed down Jormungandr continued…
“After that my childhood started by being introduced to my siblings…
Hel, my sister who was very sweet to me. I never understood why everyone kept their distances from her. If only they could get to know her… She was unique in my eyes being both dead and alive! She often told me stories the dead were telling to her, since only she could listen to them. I got to know so much from the ones that have passed this world from my older sister.
And then my oldest brother Fenrir; I remember the first time I met him as clearly as I can see you Mimir… Fenrir was strong and he was proud of his strength. The way he first looked at me when he approached me, I thought he was going to attack me! His fearsome fire-red eyes seemed very threatening. He walked slowly like a wolf moving towards his prey, right in front of me. I could sense the air of his hot breath reaching my face. When he opened his mouth and I saw his dreadful teeth, I panicked because I thought he was going to attack me like I was some kind of threat to him. At the last moment I closed my eyes out of horror and then… and then I sensed his tongue licking my nose.
‘Do not be afraid little brother’ he said ‘I could never harm one of my own kin, you are part of our pack!’ I heard from him. He was clearly testing me there. I was full of joy and proudness for having such a fearsome older brother. I thought I was the luckiest giant ever to have such a wonderful and strong family.
But quickly realized that my childhood would not continue like that, since no one thought the same as I did.
Soon after, I realized that no matter how unique, powerful and at the same time, gentle we were, everyone treated us the same way. With fear and disgust. Everyone who encountered us, no matter what race he belonged to. Human, Aesir, Vanir, troll, elf dwarf, they were treating us the same. I don’t understand why they judge a person by his appearance.
I mean they see someone different, that they have never seen before and the immediate thought is to either destroy or get away from him as fast as possible. So, we learned to rely only on ourselves and each other from our childhood years, like a family.
Hel and Fenrir were my best and only childhood friends apart from my siblings. The only companion I ever needed. With our mother always looking after us, and our father occasionally visiting us, he wasn’t with us every time we needed him but we understood him. Since he was doing his best to keep us safe from the cruelty of the outside world…
But even He could not stop what fate had in store for us…
I remember that day…
That day Fenrir and I compared our strengths; In our childhood, we were doing that very often; Fenrir wanted to improve his might and seeing me outgrow him in size, he thought I was a good training companion. I was the only one after all.
Anyways, when we competed on whether he could lift me or not, three men entered our great hall. They seemed shocked when they saw us, nothing unexpected I may add. But before we could try to introduce ourselves and welcome them into our house, as our mother had told us to do, in such occasions of unexpected visitors, they seized us! They bound me first, tying me to the stripped trunk of a pine tree. They muzzled Fenrir with a muzzle made from knotted willow and put a rope around his neck as a leash! Thankfully they were not that aggressive to our sister who was very gloomy and disturbed. She followed them as they carried us.
After three days I heard some of them talking. A red-bearded person, who I soon after I found out he was Thor, said “Have you noticed something?” The other person Thor was talking to was called Tyr and he was the kindest out of those three. And the only one who did not act with violence before. He was like we were against seizing us but got outvoted. He often scratched with a playful attitude Fenrir’s furry neck.
“What” Tyr responded to Thor’s question. Then Thor told him something we had also noticed and were really sad about “They are not following us, the Giants. Not even the creatures’ mother has come after us! It’s as if they want us to take Loki’s children out of Jotunheim.” That made me and my siblings feel very sad and insignificant… Why no one is even trying to help us, where was our mother? Did father even try to change the minds of the gods? Why is this happening…
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But as if Tyr wanted to cheer us up, he responded to Thor “That is foolish talk! These are the children of Loki!” said Tyr while looking at Fenrir with a genuine smile.
Since childhood my mother always told me to hate the gods, both Aesir and Vanir! But this god named Tyr might be the only exception! I was happy that not all the gods were that cruel. At that moment Tyr turned his face towards me and said with admiration "This one has grown many feet in the days we have carried it back!” He tried to pet me as he did with Fenrir but Thor stopped him, warning him about my venom. ‘Careful!’ he said ‘This one can spit burning black venom. It spat its poison at me, but it missed. That’s why we tied its head and mouth to the tree like that.” Said Thor correctly. That moment I vouched for the day my venom would not miss this Thor.
I despised Thor! The other god, Odin, also turned his look at me and said ‘It is a child, it is still growing. We will send it where it can oppose no threat to us.’ As he said that, he threw me with the tree I was bound to off to the Midgard Sea, that tied beyond all lands. As I slithered and slipped beneath the waves and swam away in loops and curls, I saw for the last time my family, my only friends taken away from me or rather, I was thrown away from them to this newly for me place called Midgard. I always wondered what it would become of my brother and sister, If I would have the chance to see them again…
Left alone in Midgard I would grow beneath the deep blue waters of the world’s ocean. I grew until I encircled the whole Midgard. Then I heard folk call me Jormungandr the Midgard serpent. What an Irony for my nickname to be linked to the place of my imprisonment…
I was alone for so long I almost forgot how to speak…
*
I desperately needed to know what happened to my brother and sister, but I could not leave Midgard. My size was so large I could not enter the Bifrost and travel through worlds. I was stuck in this place, where everyone was so tiny and afraid that with any of my movements, I would destroy their homes and lands. I never wanted to bring trouble to anyone so I tried to lie still and rest until the end of my days. My whole existence was a curse.
Why was I born?
I wanted to die, but at the same time when the opportunity came… I did not.
One day someone bold enough tried to provoke me by tossing an Ox’s head in the ocean believing it could fish me! I got so angry… So, I rose from the ocean’s waters looking for the one who challenged me.
I was not surprised, rather excited that the person who did it was Thor! This time my venom would kill him, I thought!
So, we battle. As the god of Thunder, with every hammer toss he did, began a storm and lightning in Midgard. Then I barely got hit by the edge of Thor’s hammer. His hammer opened a serious wound with its electricity. Even though, I admit, our battle was even, I realized that one mismove of mine would mean my death. I wanted to end my life, that is true… But dying like that, from a person I absolutely despise, was unacceptable!
So, I left the battle for another day and returned to my original position in the Midgards ocean’s deep. While Thor returned to Asgard proudly of his triumph that somehow, he thought he bested me…
A few months after this event, I got a visit from the squirrel, Ratatoskr… Maybe the only one I could end up calling ‘friend’.
*
As Jormungandr was narrating his story, Mimir was, not only hearing him fully focused, but also wrote down notes of events that seemed to him extremely important for the future of this timeline they are in.
He didn’t want to interrupt The Giant Snake, but there was something he desperately needed to ask. So, he did…
“Excuse me for my interruption, but I want to know one thing before you continue. “
Jormungandr at first, didn’t even pay attention to him, mainly because he was fully devoted and concentrated on his story that it was like, he was living the events once again. So, he was about to continue talking about the events with Ratatoskr, but seconds later realized what Mimir requested of him. He turned down his look to him and nodded to him as he was ok with his desire.
And so Mimir put down his notes and remarked to Jormungandr what was on his mind…
“Your story is truly remarkable, but in all those events you mentioned, you never referred to myself from your world. What was Mimir of your timeline doing, where was he?” asked Mimir fully wondered.
Jormungandr inhaled a big breath as he was going to announce something like Mimir wouldn’t be fond of hearing.
“In Jotunheim, you were staying in your home… or rather, you were placed there…”
“What?! I just stood home? What do you mean? With all those events I surely would want to see what was happening!” Expressed Mimir!
“You desperately wanted to see those events even though you predicted them… But you couldn’t” Said Jormungandr like he wanted to avoid telling something more. Mimir understood that, by the tone of Jormungandr''s voice, so angrily forced him to talk. Jormungandr realized he had to tell it so he did.
“You were just a head! You were decapitated by the Vanir Gods! Long before my birth. My mother told me stories about you and your house, which was the fountain of knowledge.”
Mimir was shocked by the revelation…
“I… I was … decapitated?” said Mimir after making an uncomfortable pause in his speech. “Do you happen to know why, maybe?
“Yes, my mother used to tell me of your story when I was little. She was telling me this in order to get to know how cruel all the gods are! Both Aesir and Vanir!” answered Jormungandr and started to explain to Mimir what happened to him…
“When the Aesir and the Vanir Gods agreed to end their war, thanks to your successful negotiations, they agreed to exchange warriors and chiefs as a sign to prove their trust to each other. The new chief of the Vanir had been decided to be Hoenir and you were chosen by Odin to be an adviser to Hoenir. Long story short, when you were there in Vanaheim to advise Hoenir, he was making good and wise decisions. But, when you were not with him, Hoenir seemed unable to come to a decision. And the Vanir soon were tired of this.
They took their revenge, not on Hoenir but on you Mimir; They cut off your head and sent it to Odin. Odin was not angry. He rubbed your head with certain herbs to prevent it from rotting, and he chanted charms and incantations over it, for he did not wish your knowledge to be lost. Soon enough you opened your eyes and could talk and advise, as you always did. Odin took your head to your home besides his eye, in the waters of knowledge.”
Mimir seemed shocked and a bit terrified, as he took some steps back, like he could not handle what he heard. Then he sat down on a rock.
Jormungandr gave him some minutes to realize and to accept what he had heard. After a while, Mimir''s thoughts and theories inside his intelligent head end up in something really odd. So, he spoke to Jormungandr about it, as only he could listen to it anyways.
“I think that only your arrival here, to the past, in this timeline, has brought changes… Not only the events of your birth are different, but also the way you got taken away from Jotunheim, not to mention your story about me! I took a decisive role for the end of the Aesir and Vanir war, that is true. But I never was in charge of advising Hoenir.
I may get decapitated, if this is my destiny, but maybe not by the events you described. With your experience (in the future for us), you know the outcomes of some things but because you arrived here in the past, the way that those things, you said, may happen in some other way. But I am pretty sure our fate doesn’t rewrite itself; I am pretty sure my future is to be decapitated…” Said Mimir and continued
“This is… very interesting… Please, continue; I want to know about your first encounter with Ratatoskr and also do not forget to explain to me the event you called Ragnarok!”
“Do not worry, I will tell you also about Ragnarok…
So, Let’s continue from where I was left, with Ratatoskr…