The Shadow of the Gods

“This is not our fight. Not our problem.”

Orka knows pressing Guðvarr further would lead to confrontation, and could put her family at risk. Survival, in her world, necessitates a narrow focus on one’s immediate circle, as larger conflicts are dangerous and rarely resolved with any justice. This speaks to the importance of Familial Bonds and Sacrifice in Orka’s values and behavior.

“‘No,’ the grey-beard said, his voice like gravel. ‘He’s one of the Bloodsworn now.’”

Until this point, Varg’s journey was defined by survival, grief, and a solitary quest for justice for his sister. He lived under the shadow of oppression and violence when he was enslaved. Glornir’s rejection of Leif’s claim on Varg is a repudiation of his status as property, forming an important point in Varg’s character arc.

“You are Berak Bjornasson, and the blood of the dead god Berser flows in your veins. You are Tainted, you are Berserkir, and you are wanted by three jarls for murder, blood-debt and weregild. And now you are mine.”

Despite Berak’s supernatural strength as a Berserkir, he is subdued and claimed like a commodity by Agnar and the Battle-Grim. Agnar acknowledges Berak’s power but also reduces him to his blood and his criminal status, both of which diminish him as a person. The use of the word “Tainted” itself speaks to the dehumanization of people like him as something bad and Other, reflecting The Impacts of Cultural Memory.

“‘A shield is not only for protection,’ Røkia continued. ‘It is a weapon, too. A shield rim to the mouth can relieve you of many teeth, and the boss can fracture your skull.’”

Up to this point, Varg views the shield as a burden—something cumbersome and unfamiliar that he does not prefer to use. In Røkia’s training, she transforms the shield from a passive tool of defense into an active instrument of violence. To not just survive but thrive in Vigrið requires rethinking conventional roles and strategies.

“Courage is being scared of a task and doing it anyway.”

Despite her battle-hardened nature, Orka doesn’t dismiss fear as weakness when speaking to her son. Instead, she embraces it as a necessary part of bravery. The statement also reflects how she will move forward even when burdened by grief and anger. Courage isn’t just the ability to fight, but to make hard choices.

“This is my way to fulfilling my oath. A twisting path, but it is the only way forward.”

This quote summarizes the essence of Varg’s journey. He struggles to reconcile the man he was with the warrior he must become to fulfill his oath to his murdered sister, reflecting The Costs of Vengeance and Glory. His mission remains the anchor of his identity, even as he adapts to the values and demands of the Bloodsworn.

“‘I am blood. I am death, I am vengeance,’ she said, her voice flat, empty.”

Orka embraces her rage, grief, and resolve for revenge by swearing an oath—a central motif in the text (See: Symbols & Motifs). Now stripped of her family and home, she turns back to the violent identity she had once foresworn. The fact that her voice is “flat, empty” while uttering her solemn oath speaks to The Costs of Vengeance and Glory, implying that a commitment to vengeance comes at the price of one's emotions and humanity.

“I will make my own reputation, not be wed into someone else’s.”

Elvar rejects becoming a pawn in her father, Jarl Störr’s, political machinations, where marriage alliances serve as tools for territorial expansion and power consolidation. Being married to Hakon isn’t an honor for her, but a loss of agency and a sacrifice of her identity in exchange for someone else’s legacy. She seeks to define herself through her deeds, specifically in battle. Elvar’s mistrust of familial ties adds another dimension to the text’s exploration of Familial Bonds and Sacrifice.

“To answer your question, I will ask you another. Can the sun be cold, or the sea be dry, or the wolf become a lamb?”

When Elvar goes to Hrung, the head of a giant, for advice on her dilemma of choosing between her father and the Battle-Grim, he replies with this riddle. The answer to each is, of course, no, which in turn answers her question. By leaving Snakavik, she rejected a life of privilege and embraced an identity as a warrior. Returning to her father’s side would be akin to forcing herself back into a role that goes against her true nature. To follow her father’s wishes would mean betraying herself.

“I just want to survive long enough to find out how my sister died, and avenge her.”

Here, Varg outright states his core motivation. Everything he’s done with the Bloodsworn thus far has been with the sole intent of finding justice and closure regarding his sister, reflecting Familial Bonds and Sacrifice. While the others thrive on danger and see battle as a path to immortality, Varg sees it as nothing more than a means to an end.

“‘Your life is your own,’ she said, quietly, ‘as is your vengeance […] it is your choice, the two of you. If you wish to rush back in search of your vengeance and practise your newfound skills on Guðvarr now.’”

Orka’s advice to Mord and Lif—to wait and strike when the time is right—reflects her calculated approach to vengeance. While she is training the brothers in basic combat skills, they are still nowhere near capable of getting vengeance for their father by facing Guðvarr. However, she also knows she can’t stop them if they are determined. All she can do is give her advice.

“This is freedom, to sail with shield-brothers and sisters on a journey for fair battle-fame and dragon-hoarded treasure. In search of fabled Oskutreð.”

Within the Battle-Grim, Elvar finds a surrogate family based on mutual respect and shared goals, rather than the coercive ties of blood or obligation. It is freeing for her in comparison to the confining privilege she associates with her father. However, she is also romanticizing the quest they are on. The allure of fame and legacy are intoxicating, and blind her to the death, betrayal, and sacrifice inevitable on this road. The allure of Oskutreð also invokes The Impacts of Cultural Memory.

“Perhaps there will be a time, if you have what it takes to become one of us, but that time is not now.”

Varg wants the benefits of being a Bloodsworn—access to Vol to help his quest—but hasn’t fully proven himself worthy. Training isn’t enough; being one of them requires the understanding and ability to live the values that bind the Bloodsworn. While he will eventually realize his true identity and fulfill this requirement, at this point Varg isn’t ready. For him, however, time is an enemy, and every delay feels like he’s betraying his oath.

“Sometimes there are no choices. We are swept along in a current not of our own choosing […] I will be the current. I will be the course.”

Orka struggles with fatalism in a moment of overwhelming despair and rage upon finding Breca’s wooden pendant abandoned. Up to this point, she has been at the mercy of events beyond her control: Her husband’s murder, her son’s abduction, and the shadowy conspiracies surrounding them. Here, she reclaims her agency in the situation, vowing to dictate her fate rather than succumb to the forces that have taken everything from her.

“‘Fear is good,’ Røkia said. ‘It sharpens the senses, makes you faster, stronger. It is the forge of your courage and will help you kill your enemies.’”

Røkia echoes Orka’s words of advice to Breca earlier in the novel. She, too, presents fear as a tool to be harnessed. However, her phrasing is also critical foreshadowing, as it hints at the Tainted nature of the Bloodsworn and their battle rage. Fear is harnessed and transformed by the Tainted characters throughout the novel to keep themselves going.

“‘Because a cleaved head no longer plots,’ Orka growled.”

When the brothers question why Orka kills Skefil, she replies with her trademark brutal pragmatism, illuminating The Costs of Vengeance and Glory. While killing a man who gave her the information she wanted might not be the honorable choice, it is the practical one, as it eliminates the possibility of betrayal or retaliation. Orka’s coldness reinforces how her single-minded drive for vengeance compromises her humanity.

“Life is for the living, happiness for the taking.”

Grend refuses to pursue happiness if it comes at the cost of breaking an oath (See: Symbols & Motifs), even if it denies him fulfillment. Elvar, on the other hand, advocates for seizing this fulfillment regardless of the consequences, such as her pursuit of a relationship with Biórr. However, in Vigrið, choices are rarely free of consequence. While Elvar sees happiness as something to be seized, Grend views it as a fleeting, impossible dream, a view later vindicated.

“Stand or fall, we are sworn to each other. That is our strength.”

As Svik says while the Bloodsworn prepare for battle, the heart of the group is their loyalty to one another. While Varg still feels like an outsider, the words implicitly invite him to prove himself and earn the right to truly be one of them. The statement becomes both a reassurance and a challenge, pushing Varg to overcome his fear and embrace courage with the group.

“The rage that had pulsed in Varg’s belly flared bright, fueled by his fear, white and blinding in his head. He snarled and ran, hands grasping at his weapons belt, drawing his axe and cleaver. Leaped.”

Here, Varg finally unlocks the battle fury of his Tainted blood. His rage is fueled by fear for his life and those of his comrades, along with failing his sister. The decision to fight against the other Tainted man is a testament to his evolution throughout the story. He began as a man with little direction; now, he is someone who fights not just for himself but for his comrades.

“Our choices decide the future. Who we trust, who we love. And our choices will determine what comes of the treasures we find at Oskutreð. Kin are not the answer. Blood is not the answer.”

In contrast to Uspa, who does everything for her missing son, Elvar explicitly rejects the deterministic value of blood ties. She instead redefines kinship through choice, framing loyalty as something earned through shared experience and mutual trust. Her stance reflects her disillusionment with her biological family and the idea of Familial Bonds and Sacrifice.

“‘Speed will win you your vengeance. And remember. Do not—’ ‘Hesitate,’ they both said. Orka smiled.”

Orka has spent much of the story reluctantly training the brothers in the art of combat and revenge. However, her smile at their response, repeating what she taught them, shows a hint of her softer side. Even if it is just a little, she’s opened up to the brothers, despite herself.

“I, Glornir Shield-Breaker, lord of the Bloodsworn, invite you to join us, Varg No-Sense. To bend your back with us on the oar-bench, to stand with us in the shield wall, in the battle-storm, to drink with us in the mead hall. Will you take our oath?”

For much of the novel, Varg is defined by his isolation from those around him. Even after being technically invited into the Bloodsworn, Glornir made it clear he wasn’t truly one of them yet. Now that he’s proven himself, he is accepted and celebrated for who and what he truly is.

“Only blood and death and misery will come of this.”

Elvar’s words echo an earlier warning from Uspa, invoking The Costs of Vengeance and Glory. Lik-Rifa is released to leave devastation in her wake. Humanity, through its greed and hubris, has reignited destructive cycles that long lay dormant, which can only lead to widespread suffering as a consequence.