Anund and the Geats, part 2 كتاب · قصص الشخصيات

They brought what Anund desired. He devoured a large cut of horse meat in just a few bites. He cracked the egg open and greedily sucked out the yolk. Finally, he took in his hands the bronze cup with mead and drank it slowly, savouring each sip with a content smile.

Then he thanked his hosts and said: ‘Now I’m ready to face the creature that brought misery upon your village. For you need to know that you were cursed by a mighty väsen that lives in the forest nearby.’ One of the terrified villagers asked: ‘Aren’t you afraid that it will kill you?’ But the wise one-eyed man smiled and answered: ‘It still might. But everything you gave me serves a purpose. The horse meat gives me the strength and endurance I’ll need to withstand the väsen’s mighty roar; and the egg will provide me with the virility and vitality I’ll need to slay it.’

The Geats nodded in approval, but one of them said: ‘Wait, but what of the mead? How will it help?’. To which Anund smiled and replied: ‘To fight such a beast, even I need something to quell my fear.’