Valkyrie Daughter

Valhalla is ever receiving
As her sons are forever at war
But her gates are not barred, as you may have been told
To the women and children worth fighting for
Time was that a soldier named for Loki had daughters aplenty
He reared them up fierce in his pride
The fairest had just reached her flowering time
When the Norns cut her thread and she died
Well, he wouldn’t take no for an answer
Nor grieve for the rest of his days
He set off for the wild, with his tears still a-stream
Resolved to petition the Valkyrie
For the sake of his child, he would enter this plea:
Retrieve her and teach her your ways
So he searched and he strove many seasons
'til the gray had come into his beard
He returned home to the scorn of his colleagues and friends
His wife rejoiced quietly for his folly’s end
And asked Frigga for strength, that his spirit would mend
That he’d not prove as mad as she feared him
Well, a soldier is nothing if not full of pride
No warrior if not hard and bold
So he set off again well before winter’s end
To the wild, without telling a soul
In spite of himself, in the snowdrifts he fell
And succumbed to the night and the cold
Deep in the sleep of exhaustion
The soldier did fall, and he dreamed
He found himself walking the world of Niflheim
Where things are indeed as grim as they seem
His courage held fast, he continued
To the hall where the mistress of that realm did dwell
There sat Lady Hel, in her fearsome estate
He felt his great heart as it skipped a few beats
Just the same, he bowed all the way down to her feet
And she grudgingly gave him a smile
«I know why you’ve come here, young soldier,» she said
«but you may state your case if you please
The roads to this realm do not tolerate men
Unless they have come to me at their life’s end
But you’ve conquered your fears and so it appears
Your dreams let you here with great need.»
«I am nothing to you, O my underworld queen
But I come for the sake of my child
I do not beg her back, thus insulting your lands
But my girl deserves better, at much different hands
My daughter should ride with the Valkyrie band!
I’ll do all that I can just to have this fulfilled!»
The gods are no strangers to bargains
Traditions with teeth have their time and their place
But Hel is the child of the Breaker of Rules
And she had this father’s measure, written plainly on his face
«For the sake of your child, you will strike me a deal
I will speak with the fierce Valkyrie
The condition is this, to be sealed with your blood:
No matter your valor, your warrior’s fate
Your place in Valhalla is forfeit this night
You will come, in the end, back to me.»
The soldier’s eyes clouded, but he cut his own palm
And signed all his honor away
He thanked Lady Hel for her kindness
And hoped that her rank would hold sway
«Go now, young man, for your body is cold
Your time in my realm draws too near
Return to your wife and your children who live
Surround them with all of the love you can give
They think they have lost you, but they will forgive
Get you home, and banish their fears.»
The soldier woke, struggled back fully to life
And made his way slowly back home
Treacherous toil of a way that it was
A goddess had sent him back where he belonged
And no avalanche would slow him down
It’s every hand keeps a family strong
It’s the self who is last to forgive
He vowed on that day ne’er again to forget
The worth of his loved ones who live
This time he was lauded upon his return--
The men gave great shouts and his wife a tearful smile
The village turned out for a great merry feast
Never again did his warrior colleagues
Serve up their scorn. No, they left him in peace
For his journey was writ in his eyes
Though he held in his heart now a fine tavern tale
The soldier did not tell a soul
Some truths are too fine to mix in with the ale
And he held this one close while so many others were told
With no way of knowing his lost daughter’s fate
He set all his worries to fade
And threw all his heart into raising the rest
Thus, a fine generation was made
The years took their toll, and he took up his cane
His family still lit his world
But he onced asked a favor of a wandering bard
That she write a fine song for his lost little girl
One fine afternoon as the summer rolled on
And the harvest was just at its start
As he worked side by side with his nephews and sons
He lost an old war with his heart
Never to walk in Valhalla, he thought
To find himself deep in Niflheim
But a wonder occurred as he opened his eyes
There was his daughter, come down from the skies
She rode astride with her Valkyrie sisters
With joy far too great for the dead who arise
He took her small hand, as if for the first time
She told him, «oh, father! Goddesses oft change their minds!»
Valhalla is ever receiving, as her sons are forever at war
But her gates are not shut, as you’ve heard in this tale
As was told to a bard by a soldier
To the Valkyrie daughters worth fighting for!