#1. Bödvar Bearson

Lore

The Unconquered Viking, The Great Bear

"I speak, you noble vikings, of a warrior who surpassed you all. I tell of a great bear-man who overcame giants and armies, and of how he came to leave our world and challenge the Gods."

– The Saga of Bödvar Bearson, first stanza


"Listen you nine-mothered bridge troll, I'm coming in, and the first beer I'm drinking is the one in your fist."

– Bödvar to Heimdall, guardian of the gates of Asgard

As the story goes...

Born of a viking mother and bear father, Bödvar grew up feared and mistrusted by his own people.

Bödvar's first nemesis was the terrible giant bear Grothnar, his own brother. By defeating Grothnar in a battle that lasted seven days, Bödvar chose to side with humanity and became the protector of the people of the north. He led his Skandian people against the Witch Queen of Helheim, slew the White Dragon Sorcerer, and lived the life of an all-conquering hero.

After he single-handedly ended the Giant Wars by trapping the fire giant king in his own volcano, Bödvar sensed his work was done. But he felt doomed to never be taken by the Valkyries to Valhalla because he could never manage to be defeated in battle. So he traveled to Asgard himself, broke down the doors, and let himself in.

Valhalla is everything Bödvar hoped—an endless reward of feasting and fighting, with himself among its greatest champions.

Connections

• Ember rescued a "furious Viking" (Bödvar) lost in deep in the Fangwild's heart.
• Watched Orion's crash onto Folkvangr; insists Orion is Thor in disguise
• Considered a "metaphysical rulebreaker," a "rogue soul" and a "cosmological cold-case" by Nix
• Confused by Queen Nai's outlook on Ragnarok
• One of few legends deemed worthy of direct address with Lord Vraxx
• Received a cold reply from Wu Shang after welcoming the monk to Valhalla

Context

Historical vikings existed in what is known as the Viking Age (790–1066 A.D.). We can assume that Bödvar lived on earth during that time, and could have been anywhere between what we know as Scandinavia (Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark), the British isles, and northern Europe.The Vikings conducted their trades and raids throughout these areas. Vikings in the latter half of the Viking Age also explored and settled in areas of Iceland, Greenland, and North America (esp. eastern Canada).

Bödvar looks very much like a berserker. The Old Norse word ber-serkir is believed to mean "bare-shirt," or "bear-shirt." These warrior-shamans of the Viking Age were said to attain a trance-like fury in battle that resembled that of a bear. Instead of armor, they'd wear bear hide. They would spend time in the wild, living like a bear in its natural habitat. After this "initiation," they are believed to be able to channel, even be possessed by, the strength and fury of a bear. All of this, plus the fact that initiated berserkers were considered to be half-man, half-bear, more in tune with the wild, is a perfect fit for the viking legend of Valhalla.

The fact that he has a sword is actually significant. Most vikings could only afford to have an axe and a shield. To receive a sword was to be included in the highest social circles. Generally, according to Viking poetry, only rulers and the finest warriors had swords, which of course would include our Unconquered Viking.

There is very little evidence that supports vikings using hammers as weapons. They were used more as tools for building and smithing tasks. Then why would Bödvar have one in battle? Perhaps he's just a big Thor fan?

Of course it is in Norse mythology that we get characters and places like Odin, Thor, the Valkyries, and Valhalla, but more information on these can be found in their respective entries on this site.