The Lay of King Rafn: Sixth Stanza - Of the house of Dedrir

Now after the death of Old King Shorri and the parting of Magni Dagnjr and all the other tales told so far, there were left many tribes in the land of Tamrejlr, and their multitudes numbered two-and-nine.

Two were the tribes of royalty, who carried in their blood nobility and power from older times (before Old King Shorri). Nine were the tribes of mortal folk, who renounced their immortality in order to claim rulership of Shorri’s kingdom.

First of them was the house of Dedrir, an old and noble house who are not always kind, but are certainly the most noble of houses, being always perfectly honest in their dealings, even when their dealings are dishonest. They are loyal to Old King Shorri, who was their leader. mightiest of them was called Nottkona, a skald and volva of ancient and terrible power, and their numbers totalled seventeen:

NOTTKONA, whose kingdom is NOTTHEIM, who rules with powers both hidden and overt. Her followers numbered nine-hundred-nintey-thousand. She gave King Rafn his beautiful cloak of feathers, all blue and violet and blackest black.

ASJURIR, whose kingdom is MANIMYRKR, and she is beautiful and terrible, and cruel and wise and very kind only when it suits her. She was not born into royalty, but made for herself a cloak from Old King Shorri’s skin, for she was chosen by King Rafn to carry his authority. She gave King Rafn the the shadow of dawn, when is his favorite hour for flying.

BAETA, whose kingdom is VEITSKIPTA, and she is clever and selfish and cruel but always with a purpose. She is a very old queen and shrewd in all her dealings. She favors the tribe of the Forandalfen most and they worship her. She gave to King Rafn his dagger-beak and talons and knowledge such that he may fight well the enemies of his children.

CLAVJIIK VJL, whose kingdom is FERTH HUS, he is clever in the ways of dealings and always offers rich reward for a price. He is the steward of merchants and tradesmen, and is not always fair, but always honest. He gave to King Rafn his love of things that glitter and shine, and the wisdom to carefully aquire them.

HERMORJIR, whose kingdom is LAUNSKYN, he is the wisest of all things living in the world, and King Rafn’s children see him as an enemy, though this is not true. King Rafn gave to him the purpose to hide in the woodlands and test men at every opportunity, to ensure their wits and wisdom are up to par. He gave King Rafn knowledge of all things, and the ability to fly.

VEITHIMATHR, whose kingdom is VEITHRGRUNNR, who is the royal master of the hunt and king of all wolves. He was also the king of eagles though KJNUR stole two-thirds of their number from him. He gave King Rafn swiftness and keen eyes.

IGLAAGR who is called SJOGRAATR, whose kingdom is AERHUS, who was once a cruel and strict ruler, until King Rafn gave him the gift of joy. He gave King Rafn a realm full of joy and madness for him to reside in during his holidays.

MJAALKAT, who was once called TRINMJURIR, whose kingdom is ASKRGROF, who is sometimes called the Old Knocker or Orkje. He is a champion of the downtrodden, ill, and poor, and tests all men to be at their best. He gave to King Rafn strength to match his knowledge.

MEHRUUNJIR DAGNIR, who in happier times was called MAGNI DAGNIR LEAPS LIKE SALMON, and whose kingdom is called DAUTHRFIT, who was tortured by cruel ALDJUUNR, but he did not succumb, rather, he became strong and named himself the King of all Calamities. He created the sun and took it for his mistress, which he kindly shared with King Rafn and all of his children, so they may have the light of day to prosper under.

MEFJALR, whose kingdom is MANIMYRKR, shared with ASJURIR, is mysterious and conniving, she is the king of all spiders and the architect of all plots. She gave King Rafn the wisdom to construct vast conspiracies.

MERIDRIR, whose kingdom is LITKLAETHIRUM, is the daughter of MAHRUUNJIR DAGNIR and bringer of love and happiness and all things that make life enjoyable for mortals. She stayed by her fathers side when he left to create the sun, but returned when he bade her take his beams of light and shape them into sound and color for the enjoyment of all living things. She gave King Rafn life and breath to be shared with all his children (though KJNUR claims it was her own doing, she merely stole it).

MOLAAGBR THE HOARY, whose kingdom is KALDRFIT, is the king of rape, slavemaster of all men, and the enemy of joy. He is evil and cruel, but honest and forthright in his intentions. He is the most hated of his house and even King Rafn finds his company uncomfortable, yet even he bows in deferrence to his king. He gave King Rafn the power to command and subdue his enemies.

NAMIRRIR, whose kingdom is KRJUPAHOLR, is the king of beggars and master of all things that crawl or scurry in damp or dark places. She gives shelter to those with no place to go and defends those who are too small, weak, or obscure to do so themselves. She gave King Rafn the insects that crawl and can sustain life, when no better food is to be found, NAMIRRIR provides for all things.

PERJIITR, whose kingdom is GROFHEIM, is the king of plague and order, and is contradictory in all things. He gifted man with disease, which necessitated the development of the healing arts. He often appears as a great dragon, to mock cruel ALDJUUNR. He gave King Rafn the secret knowledge of healing magics, so that they could benefit all man.

BLOTHUGR, whose kingdoms are many, is the king of love, sex, and joyous intoxication. He is the harlequin and host of the kings and holds many wonderful soirees and gatherings in his palaces. He gave to King Rafn a love of wine, good food, cheer, and carnal love, which he shared with all mankind.

WAARMINIR, whose kingdom is MYRR, is the king of fear and nightmares and bad omens. It is from him that all good judgement and prudence issue forth. He gifted the power to be afraid to King Rafn, and he shared it with all of his children.