The Sword of Summer

“Okay, yes. My mom called me pumpkin. Go ahead and laugh. As I got older, it embarrassed me, but that was while she was still alive. Now I’d give anything to hear her call me pumpkin again.” 

Magnus thinks this following a memory of his mother calling him “pumpkin,” and the statement shows the difference in Magnus from before to after his mother’s death. He was 14 years old when his mother died, and the nickname caused embarrassment for teenage Magnus. After her death, the nickname became one of the countless things he misses about his mother. The difference of opinion shows how death influences our beliefs about things and how an event’s significance changes when we can no longer experience it.

“You’re one of the einherjar now. […] We’re the chosen of Odin, soldiers in his eternal army. The word einherjar is usually translated as lone warriors, but that doesn’t really capture the meaning. It’s more like...the once warriors—the warriors who fought bravely in the last life and will fight bravely again on the Day of Doom.” 

Hunding’s explanation of the einherjar and their purpose illustrates Magnus’s new life within the afterlife. In addition to dying in battle, Magnus gave up one fight (the fight for survival on the streets) for another one (the preparation for and eventual battle of Ragnarok). These lines show how the resolution of a conflict leads to the next challenge. Life and, in this case, the afterlife present new challenges to take the place of the old ones.

“The thing about fate, Magnus: even if we can’t change the big picture, our choices can alter the details. That’s how we rebel against destiny, how we make our mark. What will you choose to do?”

Loki says this to Magnus shortly after Magnus’s death on the Valhalla battlefield. These lines call to the novel’s themes of different ways to fight and that all decisions have consequences. Here, Loki defines fate and destiny as predetermined but suggests that “we” (including himself, the gods, Magnus, and mortals) may influence how our fates and destinies come about. The battle against letting fate control us may be fought in many different ways. As to decisions, the choices the characters make alter the paths they take to their destinies. Different decisions shape a person’s life arc in a different way.

“When she said gift shop, I imagined a glorified closet selling cheap Valhalla souvenirs. Instead, it was a five-level department store combined with a convention center trade show. We passed through a supermarket, a clothing boutique with the latest in Viking fashions, and an IKEA outlet (naturally).” 

Gunilla gives Magnus a tour of Valhalla, and the gift shop is one of their many destinations. The enormity and variety of the items and stores in the gift shop show how Valhalla’s warriors get all the best in the afterlife. The modern storefronts indicate how Valhalla updates with Midgard to accommodate, making new einherji feel at home, and symbolize how we may bring pieces of ourselves into death. The natural inclusion of Ikea has two meanings. First, Ikea is known to be a large store, so of course Valhalla’s enormous gift shop would have one. Second, Ikea was founded in Sweden, a country that shares Norse (otherwise known as Scandinavian) myth.

“My eyeballs felt like they were going to implode. I flashed back to a presentation my sixth grade science teacher once gave about the size of the universe. He explained how vast the earth was, then described how that was nothing compared to the solar system, which in turn was nothing compared to the galaxy, et cetera, et cetera, until I felt as significant as a speck on the underarm of a flea.

Stretching out around Valhalla, gleaming to the horizon, was a city of palaces, each as big and impressive as the hotel.

‘Asgard,’ Gunilla said. ‘The realm of the gods.’

I saw roofs made entirely of silver ingots, hammered bronze doors big enough to fly a B-l bomber through, sturdy stone towers that pierced the clouds. Streets were paved in gold. Each garden was as vast as Boston Harbor. And circling the edge of the city were white ramparts that made the Great Wall of China look like a baby fence.”

A few things happen in this passage from Gunilla’s tour of Valhalla. The opening paragraph compares Valhalla’s existence within Asgard to the Earth within the universe, a comparison Magnus understands as a modern-day Midgardian. These lines also show that, despite Valhalla’s size, it is nothing compared to the immense glory of Asgard. Here, Gunilla refers to Asgard as the “realm of the gods,” which is only half true. It is the home of the Aesir gods, which include Thor, her father. Gunilla’s godly parentage biases her toward the Aesir, and she leaves out Vanaheim (world of the Vanir gods) as a godly realm.

“I read my own obituary. There was my class picture from fifth grade—my hair in my eyes, my uncomfortable why-am-I-here smile, my ratty DROPKICK MURPHYS T-shirt. The obituary didn’t say much. Nothing about my two-year disappearance, my homelessness, my mom’s death. Just: Untimely demise. Survived by two uncles and a cousin. Private service to be held.” 

These lines come after Magnus returns to Midgard with Blitz and Hearth. They show how words cannot adequately capture a life and how Magnus’s obituary doesn’t even try. As it is, the obituary shows a boy ripped from life too early and leaves out the most important details. The papers treat Magnus as if he didn’t suffer hardships uncommon of someone his age, portraying him as just another kid.

“I wanted to ask him about elves, but walking and talking in sign language don’t mix. Nor could Hearth read lips very well on the move. I kind of liked that, actually. You couldn’t multitask while talking to him. The dialogue required one hundred percent focus. If all conversations were like that, I imagined people wouldn’t say so much stupid garbage.”

This passage shows how disabilities can have benefits and teach the greater population about what’s truly important. Communication contains two pieces: intention (the meaning the speaker offers) and interpretation (the meaning the receiver actually takes). Multitasking causes people to pay less attention to a message and make incorrect assumptions and conclusions about its meaning. Hearth represents how communication can be most effective when both parties pay full attention to each other.

“I tapped Hearth’s shoulder for attention. ‘What’s it like...where you’re from?’

Hearth’s expression turned guarded. Alfheim not so different. Only brighter. No night.

‘No night...like ever?’

No night. The first time I saw a sunset...

He hesitated, then splayed both hands in front of his chest like he was having a heart attack: the sign for scared.

I tried to imagine living in a world where it was always daytime, then watching the sun disappear in a wash of blood-colored light on the horizon.” 

These lines reveal a difference between Midgard and Alfheim as well as how cultures have different understandings of the world. Magnus can’t comprehend a world without day and night, but Hearth’s first sunset terrified him. Neither approach is wrong. They are based on the different places where each grew up and show how where we come from influences our views.

“‘Magnus, the sword is destined to fall into Surt’s hands sooner or later. At Ragnarok, your father will die because he gave his sword away. Surt will kill him with it. That’s what most of the stories say, anyway.’

I got claustrophobic just thinking about it. How could anybody, even a god, avoid going crazy if he knew centuries in advance exactly how he was going to die?” 

Sam says this to Magnus after the group’s meeting with Mimir where the god advises they bring the sword to Fenris Wolf’s island. These lines explore the question of whether it’s better to know how one will die or to live in blissful ignorance. The idea here is similar to keeping busy in Valhalla and harkens to the ideas of fate and destiny present throughout the book. Going stagnant and making the choice to remain isolated can drive an einherji to madness. It is implied that choosing to do nothing but accept one’s fate may have the same result, showing the importance of pushing back against fate and destiny, even if they are fixed.

“‘She was a doctor, my mom. She found Loki in the emergency room. He was...I don’t know...he’d used up too much of his power trying to appear in Midgard in physical form. He got trapped somehow, divided between worlds. His manifestation in Boston was in agony, weak and helpless.’

‘She cured him?’

Sam brushed a droplet of seawater from her wrist. ‘In a way. She was kind to him. She stayed by his side. Loki can be very charming when he wants to be.’”

This conversation between Sam and Magnus offers insight into Loki’s character. Though he’s the god of evil and a trickster, he is vulnerable to romantic love like any other god or mortal. Kindness softens even wicked hearts. This passage also shows how Sam is like her mother and some of the trials Sam faces as the daughter of an unmarried Muslim woman. Sam grapples with wanting a traditional lifestyle in addition to her unconventional Valkyrie life, and she inherited her desire for freedom and strength from her mother.

“‘Could you do a glamour and turn into something smaller?’ I asked it. ‘Preferably not a chain, since it’s no longer the 1990s?’

The sword didn’t reply (duh), but I imagined it was humming at a more interrogative pitch, like, Such as what?

‘I dunno. Something pocket-size and innocuous. A pen, maybe?’

The sword pulsed, almost like it was laughing. I imagined it saying, A pen sword. That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Throughout The Sword of Summer, Riordan alludes to how this series shares a world with his Percy Jackson books. These lines specifically refer to Percy’s sword, Riptide, which morphs into a pen when not in use. Riordan pokes fun at his own story here. The shared universe also implies multiple pantheons exist together, either in harmony or unaware of one another.

“‘To damage the tree,’ Blitz said. ‘Ratatosk keeps the eagle and the dragon whipped into a frenzy. He tells them lies, rumors, nasty gossip about each other. His words can...well, you know what his words can do. The dragon Nidhogg is always chewing on the roots of the World Tree, trying to kill it. The eagle flaps his wings and creates windstorms that rip the branches and cause devastation throughout the Nine Worlds. Ratatosk makes sure the two monsters stay angry and in competition with each other, to see which one can destroy their end of Yggdrasil faster.’

‘But that’s...crazy. The squirrel lives in the tree.’

Blitz grimaced. ‘We all do, kid. People have destructive impulses. Some of us want to see the world in ruins just for the fun of it...even if we’re ruined along with it.’”

These lines call to the destructive nature in all beings. Though the animals live in Yggdrasil and the tree provides them food and shelter, they destroy it in their attempts to better themselves. Ratatosk represents misinformation and the harm it causes between conflicting groups. Two opposing forces will work against each other with little provocation, and the strife within the tree symbolizes conflicts between political, religious, and other groups on Earth. These impulses can be curbed with effort, and Ratatosk shows what happens when a creature chooses not to fight their nature.

“I stared into the murky clouds. After being in Freya’s realm, the world of the dwarves seemed oppressive, but it also seemed more familiar, more...genuine. I guess no true Bostonian would trust a place that was sunny and pleasant all the time. But a gritty, perpetually cold and gloomy neighborhood? Throw in a couple of Dunkin’ Donuts locations, and I’m right at home.” 

Magnus’s thoughts capture his Boston mindset. Magnus feels at home in a place that’s perpetually dark and gloomy, indicating the city’s grit and its residents’ pride in their city. Dunkin’ Donuts is also common in Boston, and Riordan nods to its beloved status in this passage.

“‘I’m happy to be your cousin, kid, but children of the gods don’t put much stock in that sort of connection. Godly family lines are so tangled—thinking about it will drive you crazy. Everybody’s related to everybody.’

‘But you’re a demigod,’ I said. ‘That’s a good thing, right?’

‘I hate the word demigod. I prefer born with a target on my back.’”

Blitz’s perspective on being a demigod here offers an opposition to earlier opinions on being a god’s child. Valhalla celebrates the demigod children of Thor and Odin. Throughout the book, Sam expresses her hatred for Loki while appreciating her connection to the Norse world because it allows her to be a Valkyrie and fly. Blitz, by contrast, wants no part in demigod life. He views it as nothing but an inconvenience and a danger. Different groups view the same circumstance in completely different ways, and none of them are wrong or right.

“‘Dwarves are craftsmen,’ said Blitzen. ‘We’re serious about the things we make. You humans—you make a thousand crappy chairs that all look alike and all break within a year. When we make a chair, we make one chair to last a lifetime, a chair unlike any other in the world. Cups, furniture, weapons...every crafted item has a soul and a name. You can’t appreciate something unless it’s good enough for a name.’” 

This passage comes while Blitz and Magnus sit in the bar in Nidavellir. Blitz explains how dwarven culture values items that are made to last, showing the difference between human and dwarven manufacturing. Dwarves don’t believe in consumer culture—in which items are made to be consumed and tossed away. Humans, by contrast, rarely craft things to last. For dwarves, items are a symbol of pride in their skill. For humans, objects are just things to be used until they no longer work.

“Also...the dwarven philosophy of crafting had unsettled me. In Midgard, most things were breakable, replaceable junk. I’d lived off that junk for the last two years—picking through what people discarded, finding bits I could use or sell or at least make a fire with.” 

Magnus’s thoughts here build upon the difference between dwarven and human crafting. As a human, Magnus isn’t used to the idea of objects having names or personalities. Furthermore, as someone who lived on the streets, the idea of not having trash to pick through disturbs him. In Midgard, Magnus lived off the wastefulness of human culture. If he’d been homeless in Nidavellir, he may have had nothing to sustain him.

“‘Exactly!’ Loki leaned forward until we were almost nose-to-nose. ‘Don’t tell me you haven’t done the same kinds of things. Those cars you broke into, those people you stole from ... you picked people you didn’t like, eh? You picked the rich handsome stuck-up snobs who annoyed you.’

My teeth chattered harder. ‘I never killed anyone.’

‘Oh, please.’ Loki stepped back, examining me with a look of disappointment. ‘It’s only a matter of degree. So I killed a god. Big deal! He went to Niflheim and became an honored guest in my daughter’s palace. And my punishment? You want to know my punishment?’

‘You were tied on a stone slab,’ I said. ‘With poison from a snake dripping on your face. I know.’

‘Do you?’ Loki pulled back his cuffs, showing me the raw scars on his wrists. ‘The gods were not content to punish me with eternal torture. They took out their wrath upon my two favorite sons—Vali and Narvi. They turned Vali into a wolf and watched with amusement while he disemboweled his brother Narvi. Then they shot and gutted the wolf. The gods took my innocent sons’ own entrails...’ Loki’s voice cracked with grief. ‘Well, Magnus Chase, let’s just say I was not bound with ropes.’”

These lines build upon the similarities between Magnus and Loki and call to the question of the true differences between a hero and a villain. Earlier in the book, Magnus believed he was justified stealing from the rich because he needed their loose change more than they did. Faced with Loki taking Balder (something valuable) from Odin, Magnus defends his actions because he’s unwilling to admit he is at all similar to Loki. For Loki, this passage shows he does, indeed, have emotions and can feel love. Like Magnus, his past adversities hardened him, and the unjust treatment of him and his children by the gods made him angry. Both Magnus and Loki suffer punishments far outweighing their crimes.

“‘I feel like Jack up the beanstalk,’ I muttered.

Sam laughed under her breath. ‘Where do you think that story comes from? It’s a cultural memory—a watered-down account of what happens when humans blunder into Jotunheim.’” 

This passage comes before Magnus and his friends infiltrate Geirrod’s home. Here, Magnus references a Grimm’s fairy tale. Though the Brothers Grimm hailed from Germany, there is a Norse equivalent of Jack’s tale, and Sam’s comments points to how stories persist across cultures and form the cultural memories Sam mentions.

“‘No one ever said the whites of their eyes,‘ she continued. ‘That’s a myth, made up years later. This isn’t even Bunker Hill. It’s Breed’s Hill. And though the battle was costly to the British, it was an American defeat, not a victory. Such is human memory...you forget the truth and believe what makes you feel better.’” 

These lines are spoken by Hel (goddess of the dishonorable dead and Loki’s daughter) following her comparison of the Battle of Bunker Hill to Magnus’s impending confrontation with Fenris Wolf. She calls out human memory and history for its inaccuracy caused by emotions. The battle was fought on Breed’s (rather than Bunker) Hill, and it was an American defeat, details left out of Midgard history books. The reference to shooting at the whites of the enemies’ eyes shows how distance from an event glorifies it. The people who died in or fled the battle didn’t think it was glorious, but years later, Bunker Hill is remembered as a grand event where the Americans turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. History reflects what humans want to believe, not what actually happened.

“Down in the courtyard, a period bell rang. The students headed inside, jostling and laughing. For them, it was a normal school day—the kind of day I could hardly remember. […] I watched the snow erase footprints in the empty yard. Soon there’d be no more trace of the students than there was of the frost giant’s impact from two years ago.” 

A few things happen in these lines from Magnus’s narration. Here, he and Sam stand on the roof of her old middle school. They watch the kids below during a normal Midgardian school day, something neither he nor Sam has experienced in years. The image shows how removed Magnus and Sam are from the normal teen experience. The winter weather contrasts to Magnus’s summer power. Summer brings growth and renewal. By contrast, the winter snow covers up all traces of the kids after they’ve gone back into the building. Mortal lives are short, and their evidence is removed so easily.

“The longer I’m with you guys, the easier it gets to use my sword, or heal, or do anything, really. I’m no magic expert, but I think...somehow, we’re sharing the cost. […] I know what it feels like to be an empty cup, to have everything taken away from you. But you’re not alone. However much magic you need to use, it’s okay. We’ve got you. We’re your family." 

Magnus speaks these lines before the group ventures to Fenris Wolf’s island. They show how he, Blitz, Hearth, and Sam are more than friends. They are closer to family, but that doesn’t completely define the relationship between them. As a team, they share the burdens they carry, both emotional and magical. This friendship shows how love and bonds keep us going through hardships.

“The world spun beneath me. I felt like I was back on Stanley the horse—plummeting with no reins, no saddle, no control. All this time, I’d assumed Fenris wanted me dead. That’s why his wolves had attacked our apartment. But his real target had been my mother. He’d killed her to affect me. That idea was even worse than believing my mom had died to protect me. She’d died so this monster could forge me into his harbinger—a demigod capable of attaining the Sword of Summer.” 

This passage from Magnus’s thoughts comes after Fenris confesses to influencing events over the last two years. It shows the similarities between Loki and Fenris—how both are tricksters and liars. These lines also underline the ideas about fate and destiny present in the novel. Loki argues choice allows mortals and gods alike to influence the path to their destinies. Fenris’s influence counters this idea. While humans and gods may have control in the form of choice, the decisions of others keep any being from having complete say over their path to their destiny.

“Maybe I should have resented him, but I didn’t. After losing my mother, I didn’t have patience for grudges. My years on the street had taught me that it was pointless to whine and moan about what you could’ve had—what you deserved, what was fair. I was just happy to have this moment.” 

These lines come after Magnus meets Frey for the first time. Though Frey has been absent for Magnus’s entire life and afterlife, Magnus holds no ill will toward the god. His outlook shows the power of living in the moment. Magnus’s past is set, and nothing can change it, so there is little point in holding a grudge or wishing things were different.