Lore/Story The Rueful Prophecy Of Sybl, Norn Of Eyes

I began this story a couple months ago, with a short, four line poem (the first four lines) that I always planned to expand farther out (Was originally planned for two other mystery hush-hush projects). It's the prophecy of Sybl, Norn of Eyes, written on the fate of the Far North. It's the latest in my long line of constructed worlds. It's split into a few main kingdoms, and very loosely based on old Norse mythology (The D'Aulaire's book of Norse mythology was one of the first books I ever read), with themes from that mythology brought up several times. It does, however, change in many different ways - the idea of a volva, a prophetic seer, and a norn, decreer of fate, are merged into one, and usually referred to as a Norn, or as the Sisterhood of Norns, and Yggdrasil has been reduced to little more than a bush. It should hopefully be a fun remix on classical Scandinavian folklore (I re-read the Prose Edda a while ago, so... sorry Snorri Sturluson).

An actual version/summary of the story along with tidbits of information and history about the Far North should slowly trickle in (If I don't forget... I have a great track record of maintaining my story threads, what do you mean?). It's written in stanzas of four lines written as two rhyming couplets, except for the last stanza, which is kind of crazy.


And from bellowing northwind come southward bound,

Hear the Voice of Wind, sweet sound,

Prophet Sybl, Norn of Eyes,

Perched in Highwind, high and wise,


Dark Egil, from The Land Beyond,

Norn and Man alike, he wronged,

Prophet Gunnhild, Norn of Earth,

From her stone flows golden worth,


Wretched ghosts, returned from Hel,

Voice of Ice, toll death’s bell,

Prophet Ida, Norn of Ice,

Gone, are hopes of paradise,


Returned from the grave,

Eirspá’s hope, renewed and brave,

Prophet Yrr, Norn of Fire,

Sparks invoked in times dire,


Eirspá found and journeys ended,

One last life not quite rended,

Prophet Eirspá, Norn of Wind,

Fates entwined and lives twinned,

Prophet Egil, Norn of Norns,

Wearing blood-soaked crown of thorns,

Eirspá loses in rueful defeat,

Forced to live a life discreet,

And “Woe!” sang out the living three,

“Woe of woes!” they cried, at the foot of the tree,

Eirspá found as Thras, radiant son,

The child born in crowned sun,

Time passes as Eirspá sorrows,

Every day be dark tomorrows,

Finally, Thras, radiant sun,

Be the aid of Eirspá as maiden’s son,

Let it be that from the north peaks,

Let it be that even where the south seeks,

That from the Far North demons run!

Let it be that the Far North rejoices!

For what rended dark Egil were life’s choices!


The prophecy, written by Sybl, Norn of Eyes, and most powerful of the Norns, long ago, chronicles the times of Eirspá as she defeats the invaders (the dark god Egil). Eirspá is a woman from a simple village in Mountainreach, the northernmost kingdom of the Far North (She is the "north wind" that comes racing "southward bound" as her story takes her to the southern tip of the Far North). After Egil invades the Far North, she volunteers to deliver the message to the king of Mountainreach, and finds the tomb of an ancient king (Feigr), which happens to be the deathplace of the Norn of Winds. Norns are able to communicate through their Voices (no, not like Skyrim. Better than Skyrim.), which are a way of speaking "in harmony with, through, and at" their dominion of the world (Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Eyes). After her encounter with the ghost of Feigr, the Voice of the Wind speaks to her. All copies of the prophecy have been destroyed - but the Voices have not been silenced, and as she discovers the truth about herself, she hears new lines from the Voices. Eirspá is then told the truth about the invasion of her world - the dark god Egil is conquering her universe. She is advised to, in the last two lines of stanza one (Prophet Sybl, Norn of Eyes, / Perched in Highwind, high and wise) seek out the Norn Sybl, Norn of Eyes. Sybl is hiding in the ruins of Highwind -- a decimated kingdom -- just to the south of Mountainreach. She tells Eirspá that she has learned how to use the voices of Norns long dead (though they are thought to be immortal) to call from beyond the grave - it is how she contacted Eirspá. It is here, in the lost mines of Highwind, deep inside its strong mountains, that she hears the Voice of the Earth speak to her stanza two -- she learns to speak with the Voice of the Earth. The Norn of Earth is known as Prophet Gunnhild, and warns her of the past wrongs of Egil through her voice - she has died a little more recently, and is also spoken through Sybl. To the next kingdom south is the warming home of Ida, Norn of Ice. It is here Eirspá begins to question her past - or lack thereof. Mirroring the inquisitive thinking of Eirspá, the melting ice reveals her past - nothingness. She wasn't born, she wasn't raised -- she just blew into this world, like a leaf on the Wind. Nextly, she goes south again to find Yrr, Norn of Fire. It is here, in the sweltering fires left behind from Yrr's absence, that she is forged into a might warrior. She sees a vision in the smoke -- since her encounter with the risen corpse of Ida, corrupted by Egil -- that shows her arrival into the world. She is seen, left wailing on the wilderness floor as a helpless child, abandoned by a mysterious figure. After venturing to the edge of the Far North, to the southern straits, she encounters Egil. After defeating three corrupted Norns, she thinks herself ready to face the challenge of the dark god himself. She is proven wrong -- blasted by a dark aura. Egil destroys nearly everything in the Far North. It is now that she is living alone, in a cave, in a hovel in the middle of nowhere, cold, alone, and hungry, desperate. But the cave, though there are thousands of feet of rock above her, has roots in it. Sybl speaks to her through the roots, revealing the roots to be the roots of Yggdrasil. She tells Eirspá everything else she must know -- that Gunnhild died directly after the Norn of Wind died, which was thought to be impossible (It is!) (The other Norns speaking to her were freshly dead, still able to speak with their Voice), that Eirspá is the reincarnated Norn of the Wind, and that the mysterious figure abandoning her was the previous incarnation of Eirspá, guiding herself to her next life. She is now too weak to defeat Egil -- far past her prime. So she has a child, and names him Thras -- who is the next reincarnation of Gunnhild, Norn of Earth, and for every day Thras ages, Eirspá becomes a day younger -- and he is born, for the first time in many years under the cruel reign of Egil, in the daylight, in the sun. Eirspá's wise choice would be to send Thras to kill Egil, but she decides against putting his life in danger, even though the darkness in him as a result of the aura hitting Eirspá would allow him to combat Egil more easily. On the verge of her death, the gods intervene, striking down dark Egil. For her sacrifice, she is hailed as Eirspá, Protector of the Far North.